No Ball is an Island (update, again)

 November 18, 2019:

 You can see the baseball field at the end of the hallway on the second floor of UHS.

You can also see the top of this small roof.

Last year a foul ball landed on that small roof. The lonely baseball sat there during the summer, fall, winter, and spring. I'm sure the custodians are too busy to worry about retrieving it. I had thought about taking a picture of the ball during all four seasons. I've seen it covered in leaves and in snow. I suppose I didn't take the pictures because I felt a little sad for that baseball.

The ball was still there in August for its second year of school, but this time things are different.

Everybody needs a friend...

Update November 9, 2020: 

... or two.

Update March 28, 2023: 

... or three. 

"Hey guys, got room?'

Update September 3, 2024:

... or four. Glad to see they're keeping themselves hydrated. 

Retro Gaming Hits and Misses (Part 1 )

I recently watched a YouTube video touting the merits of using a retro TV for retro gaming. 

Before the early 2000s, all television screens were 4:3 (also called 1.33), and most movie screens were in the widescreen ratio of 16:9 (or 1.85). Here's the difference in screen size:

This is why most movies on broadcast TV or on VHS began with this message:

In basic terms, "Formatted To Fit Your TV" meant that the original widescreen image had been cropped from a rectangle to a square. It also meant that you never got to see the whole movie as intended. Something was always going to be missing. 

This is not true with retro video games from the 70s to 2000's. They were programed to be in that squarish 4:3 ratio. What you see is what you were supposed to get. 

This put me on the hunt for a 4:3 aspect ratio TV. I have on old tube TV that I can play games on, but the screen is only 13 inches, and it still takes up most of the space a desk or a coffee table. A LCD (liquid-crystal display) TV is much lighter, thinner, and will use less surface space. 

I bought this Sharp LC-20AV6U at GoodWill for $4.99. It has a 20 inch screen and the original remote was included. The marketing information for this TV brags that it is "Featuring a distinctive side-speaker design...". Actually those speakers are there to impersonate a widescreen TV. 

Nice try, Sharp. But you're not fooling anybody.

I like that it still has the warning sticker about the 2009 broadcast change. 

I also like the ability to connect through the component, s-video, RCA, and antenna options. 

I tested the TV with a DVD player. All was good. I'll call this a "Hit!"

Hits and Misses (Part 2)

Okay, I had the TV, and now I wanted to play games on it. I dusted off this second generation PlayStation 2 (also called the PS2s Slimline). I bought it used in 2008 at Gamers (now closed). 

The PlayStation 2 is supposed to play PS1 games, and PS2 games that are in a CD (blue) or a DVD (silver) format. It is also supposed to play music CDs and single or dual layer DVDs. 

My PS2 would only play the DVD games and music CDs. It wouldn't play CD games or DVD movies. 

That was really weird. It wouldn't even display the "PlayStation 2" logo upon start-up.

Miss! 

I should not have been surprised. I haven't turned on the PS2 in many years. Machines that don't get used regularly can break down just sitting in a dark closet or on a high shelf. Sometimes I wonder if these forgotten items die from a broken heart. 

I suspected the laser was simply worn out. It's the metallic part above the black circle. 

There are many YouTube videos explaining how to replace this laser, so I bought a replacement from Amazon, and studied tutorials while I waited for it to arrive.

A couple of Phillips screwdrivers and a soldering iron is all you need. The soldering iron is for removing the "solder ball" that protects the laser from static damage while it is in the mail.

It's been awhile since I soldered anything, so I also bought a roll of Desoldering Wick Braid. This stuff is great. I just laid the braid over the solder ball, pressed down with the hot tip of the soldering iron, and the braid absorbed the solder instantly. Just cut off the used strip of braid and throw it away.

I didn't take any pictures of my laser replacement process. There wasn't anything in there that wasn't in the YouTube videos. I buttoned the PS2 up, connected it to my new TV, and held my breath as I waited for the PS2 logo to appear...

 Hit!

Thanks to the internet and a new lens, I'm back in the game. A few discs need to be tried a couple of times to work, but that's a minor quibble.  

Here's a retro setup - PS1, N64, and PS2. I'm using a mini jack cable to connect the TV's headphone jack to a computer speaker setup (two satellite speakers and a subwoofer).

Okay, but before you think just I'm bragging about my hits, I need to tell you about my next project. 

For me, fixing things is addictive. I love the rush I get when I can help something broken come back to life. I remembered that my buddy Rob had given me his original PS2 (also called the "PS2 Fat") about 15 years ago. I think that it had quit reading discs, and my trusty lens cleaner disc had failed to fix the problem. I found Rob's old PS2 Fat in a bin in my storage closet.

The console confirmed that it would not play DVD discs of any kind. Also, there was a strip of color distortion on the screen when I played a CD-rom game. I went back to Amazon...

Installing the Fat laser wasn't much different than working with the slim version. I used the solder braid to remove the solder blobs, and used the screwdrivers to install the laser. I then buttoned the PS2 up, connected it to my new TV, and held my breath as I waited for the PS2 logo to appear...

Miss! 

The results were exactly the same as before. Dang! I had to take the machine apart again, remove the new laser so I could return it, and then call this a fail. I decided to put it back together as it was, and see if I could find a different solution.

Then things really went south. A ribbon cable came loose, and I couldn't find where to re-attach it. I lost a small screw that had popped out and onto the floor, and in my frustration I broke the disc tray. I got so mad I scooped everything up and threw it in the garage can in the garage. 

Double Miss!!

Ten minutes later I had my torso in our stinky and mildly wet garage can trying to rescue what parts I could find amongst the sticky, bulbous bags of waste. As I type this the piles of parts are still out in the garage on top of our rain barrels. They laugh at me every morning when I walk by them on my way to work.

No, I do not always hit what I aim for, and sometimes I miss again because of my character flaws.

"I was playing golf. I swung, missed the ball, and got a big chunk of dirt. I swung again, missed the ball, and got another big chunk of dirt. Just then, two ants climbed on the ball saying, 'Let's get up here before we get killed!'" - Henny Youngman

Retro Gaming Hits and Misses (Part 3)

No, I didn't fix Rob's old PS2 "Fat" (using that nickname is a little uncomfortable), and my anger may (did) have made the situation worse.  And now Rob's old PS2 maybe a pile or two of parts... 

...  but they are good looking parts. The top cover looks flawless.

That got me thinking about finding a way to redeem myself. I decided to check eBay for a PS2 that needed parts.

I found two auctions that looked promising.

#1:

Item description from seller: "Kid got a hold of the drill and started drilling holes into it. They are only on the surface; nothing inside was damaged. Console works like a charm!"

I figured I could replace the top shell with mine. That would be an easy fix. I was a bit leery about the honesty of a seller who allowed a small child access to power tools. 

#2:

Item description from seller: "LAST TIME THIS THING WAS TURNED ON IT WORKED FINE SAT IN A BOX ECER SINCE I DONT HAVE CORDS OR ELSE I WOULD TEST BUT ID SAY IT WORKS"

I have cords and a disc tray cover, so that would be an easy fix, too. I was a bit leery of it sitting in a box for a long time and of the seller really having no way to test it (and the all-caps didn't help). 

I put in a low bid on auction #1, but I lost during the night. That was a good thing. The seller of auction #2 sent me a offer of 50% off his $30 price. The total was $32.10 with shipping. Not a bad price to pay for retro game redemption.

The seller's name on eBay is porkemon.

I like how the mailer box was decorated. Somebody was having fun.

The first thing I did when I opened the box was to attach my disc tray cover to the new PS2. Whew. That looks better.

What didn't look better was the TV when I tested this PS2. The console technically worked. I could turn it on. The problem was that the left side of the startup screen was blue when it was supposed to be black. The colors were also way off when playing games. DVDs, however, looked great. Huh?

Miss?

I took a deep breath and checked Google for someone with a solution. No dice. My next inclination was to grab my tool box, but then I stopped myself. Just because I could open it up doesn't mean that I should. Sometimes I have a tendency to "over fix" a problem. I forget to check the simple things first.

I checked the AV port that is on the lower right of the back. 

It looked dirty. Maybe that was my problem? (Notice that the Warranty Seal is still intact.)

I dipped a Q-tip in isopropyl alcohol and ran that back and forth across the contacts. The Q-tip came out covered with grime. That was encouraging. I went through six more Q-tips, but there was no change in the screen's discoloration. I then sprayed the port with DeoxIT D5 and let it sit overnight. 

One thing that I learned while working on pinball machines is that sometimes a machine can fix itself. It just needs to be used. Some people call this "playing through the problem." 

The next day I popped in Sled Storm (PS1 1999) and played for a few minutes. The screen looked yellow, but after losing a few races I noticed that the correct colors would blink on for a moment or two. I exchanged the game disc for a CD, and let the Pixies' Dolittle play. The startup screen was entirely black after a few hours of playing music. Is it a coincidence that the lead singer for the Pixies is Black Francis? 

The PS2 had fixed itself with a little cleaning. I didn't even have to cut the Warranty Seal. 

Hit! 

Now to explain that sound bar...

Retro Gaming Hits and Misses (Part 4)

I have been using this Vizio sound bar in our basement for years.

The sound bar was quite a revelation. An explosion on the screen made it feel like I was surrounded by debris and flames, and I didn't need six speakers to pull that off. Since it is only a 2.1 system (two enclosed speakers and a subwoofer), it really works well with my older, 2.0 DVDs. 

I found this Vizio subwoofer at GoodWill a couple of months ago for $6. I checked my phone to see if it was possible to connect two subwoofers to one sound bar. The internet said it was possible. I bought it hoping I could bring more thunder downstairs.

Miss!

I couldn't get the sound bar to recognize the other subwoofer in the room. Shoot! I almost put the sub in the garbage since I had no way to test it. In the end, I left it near my chair and used it as a small table/ drink coaster. I was just being lazy to be honest. 

I recently found a Vizio sound bar by its lonesome at the Many Hands Thrift Store. The price sticker read, "No cords, untested, $10." I flipped it over to take a picture of model label. That evening I remembered the picture and compared it to the label on the sub. They were both Vizio V3. I brought the sound bar home the next day and although it took awhile the two eventually paired. 

Back to Amazon I went.

The replacement remote works just fine.

Hit!

I'm using an optical audio cable to connect the PS2 to the sound bar and some wood scraps from school to raise the bar over the cords.

A lot gets lost in translation when you use a phone to record a television screen, but this is what it kind of looks and sounds like after all these hits and misses. This is part of the opening to Sled Storm (2002). 

I have to admit I'm impressed with the TV. I would have laughed at the idea of buying a 4:3 set a couple of years ago. Now I think I should grab a couple more while I can...