Top Loader Help

mattplexmattplex
in Help Wanted!
I recently picked up a top loader online.

Works fine but one thing I notice.



I can't really describe it well, but the screen has stripes going down it?

They are opaque and about 1 inch wide. It doesn't really interfere with the games I play, as the stripes have no color, but on some screens (such as title screens and screens with a lot of black, like Final Fantasy battles), the stripes dissapear.



Any idea what I can do to get rid of them? Minor annoyance, but if its something simple, I'd love to know how to fix it.



Thanks!

Comments

  • T3rraT3rra
    This is the common problem with top loaders. They have "jailbars" and the only way to get rid of them is a proper AV mod. That way you can use the yellow/red cables instead of the RF.
  • mattplexmattplex
    Awesome!



    Thanks for the quick response.

    I am sure I can get an AV mod from someone here... Right?
  • RetroHackerRetroHacker
    To get rid of them, buy the normal "toaster" NES. That's a well known defect of the toploader. There are lots of kludges and hacks to try to reduce them, but it's just the way the whole thing was designed. It has to do with the PPU, the shielding, the video path, etc.



    The normal toaster NES does not have these problems. Plus, it has A/V outputs so you're not stuck with RF.



    You have to remember that the toploader was produced at the very end of the NES life cycle, to get the last few bucks out of the platform while the Super Nintendo gained momentum. It's cheap.



    -Ian
  • mattplexmattplex
    Well I had a toaster, in which I replaced the 72-pin and it didn't fix it. I thought of removing the 10NES, but figured a SNES-type loading NES would be better.

    But I can live with the bars if it means not having to deal with finicky pins. haha
  • SwiftFrostSwiftFrost
    Yup, good ol' jailbars. Jason (Game-Tech-US on here) does good mods. He modded my toploader and it works great.
  • daillestdaillest

    Originally posted by: LukeAF24



    Yup, good ol' jailbars. Jason (Game-Tech-US on here) does good mods. He modded my toploader and it works great.

    Yup same here




  • mattplexmattplex
    Then I will message this Jason.



    Thanks Luke and Joe. (sounds like a pair of heroes from an NES game..)
  • daillestdaillest
    http://www.game-tech.us/
  • SwiftFrostSwiftFrost
    Edit double post.
  • mattplexmattplex
    Thanks guys.

    I have sent him a message.
  • JNovo79JNovo79
    I found that I get them less on mine now that the Toploader isn't screwed directly into my TV... its hooked up to my TG-16, which is hooked up to my SMS, which is hooked up to my TV... oh, and my 7800 is hooked into the Toploader



    Also, sometimes jiggling the RF box works...
  • pegboypegboy
    I'd just like to point out the toasters can have jailbars too, they might not be as obvious as the toploader but they still have them.
  • TanookiTanooki

    Originally posted by: mattplex



    Well I had a toaster, in which I replaced the 72-pin and it didn't fix it. I thought of removing the 10NES, but figured a SNES-type loading NES would be better.

    But I can live with the bars if it means not having to deal with finicky pins. haha

    Not only that, but it also isn't region locked against running PAL games, quite a few good unique gems work like Uforia, Parodius, and more.



    I've had 3 top loaders over time.  The first two were non-fixed, and the first didn't get the bars, the second did and very noticable.  The one I have now is RCA adapted also has a stereo separation wheel and a light in the power switch too.  Even fixed they still very faintly get the bars, it's just the bad layout of the design and sheidling for that particular board.  The top loader had I think 2 versions with the RF setup, and only one outputs clean.  There is a stupid rare version that came from NOA's repair shop, it has the multi-av out RCA mono jack which is unique, but people pay a heap for it really not making it worth it.



    Also as jnovo said, I did find ramping a top loader through a powered up VCR does take care of the bars too so that maybe a choice if you can try it before paying money to get it fixed.




  • FirebrandxFirebrandx

    Originally posted by: pegboy



    I'd just like to point out the toasters can have jailbars too, they might not be as obvious as the toploader but they still have them.







    I played on over a dozen different front-loaders in my time, and I've never seen one with jail bars. Meanwhile the very first brand-spanking-new top-loader I purchased in 1994 had jail bars so blatant that I couldn't stand using it.
  • mattplexmattplex
    hahaha I will try the VCR trick.

    Otherwise I'll send it to Gametech to get it modded.
  • babywuchkibabywuchki

    Originally posted by: JNovo79



    I found that I get them less on mine now that the Toploader isn't screwed directly into my TV... its hooked up to my TG-16, which is hooked up to my SMS, which is hooked up to my TV... oh, and my 7800 is hooked into the Toploader



    Also, sometimes jiggling the RF box works...

    Now that you metion it, I was real happy with my top loader until one day i decided to put my other systems on a different TV and plugged my top loader in direct. (it waas qat the back of the line before) Next day I start playing and I see jail bars and freak out thinking I broke my TL somehow. Then i remembered it being mentioned on here as a common problem, but I know I didnt see them before it was plugged in direct. Maybe I'll have to go back to the old set up and see how that works.




  • RetroHackerRetroHacker
    The more stuff that you introduce the the RF chain, the more it smooths out the peaks, attenuates the signal and hides the problem. The same way you don't notice tape hiss on a car stereo, or scratches in a dirty window. The more noise in the signal, the less noticeable the defective video will be. You can try it yourself - turn off AFC, and adjust the fine tuning knob on the TV. Look! The jailbars are gone! Never mind that the text is fuzzier, and now the colors bleed a bit to the right. No more jailbars



    -Ian
  • mattplexmattplex
    Ya I already have the NES RF running through my SNES RF haha

    But maybe adding the VCR will smooth it out even more.
Sign In or Register to comment.