Sega Nomad - TFT LCD Screen Replacement Mod --(Thunderblaze16)--

[Thunderblaze16]

My apologize for having this last mod on hold for so long. Most of the waiting was me simply trying to find the right LCD board that didn't have any issues, was compatible, and didn't have anything appear on screen when you turned on the system. There are many out there but the search is over, at least for what I've gathered!

Now there were many to choose from, and according to this man's work on his own, http://8bitplus.co.uk/projects/sega-nomad-lcd-upgrade/
There were boards that turned on ok at first but offered a messy, colorless display. I actually ran into that issue when using different, red board.

At the end, I found 3 boards best for this mod. All 3 have a connector on the board that allows you to get an image on the LCD screen after soldering for video, ground and +v5 to the Nomad. They DON'T show 'AV1' or any kind of junk when you turn them on.


I have them labeled, A,B & C. B is circled green because it's the one I recommend out of the 3.

Board A. - Small compact screen, easy to adjust inside the Nomad. You get bright colorful screen, nothing appears when you turn on the screen connected to it. My only gripe about this board is that there all not build up to standards. From the 4 I used before, I had 2 burn out on me, with one going in smokes when I had the nomad on for too long. I still have 2 other Nomads that still use this board but like a said, it's a gamble with this board and seeing how their around $23. Even with a voltage regulator, I don't consider it worth the hassle.

Board A. may also have a possible blinking issue that can resolved with the following link below. (Not sure if they fixed this permanently yet).
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...LCD-screen-mod

Order it here, *2-CH Video Input 3.5" TFT LCD Display Monitor Module w/ Cable *
http://www.dx.com/p/2-ch-video-input...1#.VQqScY6sWno

UPDATE: Now I have NO Nomads that use this board, last one using it burned out. all board Bs now. :P
So overall just avoid this board for the Nomad mod, it's just too sensitive unless you give it a DC to DC converter but that's another story.



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Board B. - Bigger board but still easy to adjust inside the Nomad, THIS IS THE BOARD I RECOMMEND. This board has not given me a single issue from all the Nomads I used it on. You get bright colorful screen, nothing appears when you turn on the screen connected to it. It well also not flicker till the VERY end when close to a dead battery. It also has a second connector to adjust settings to the screen. I had the Nomad running from a fully charge battery till it died and the screen worked flawlessly till the end.

If you're looking for a good quality screen that has nothing appearing when you turn it on, this is the one!
Order it here, *2AV Lcd controller board 0x240 LQ035NC111 lcd*
(KEEP IN MIND, THIS ONE IS JUST THE BOARD AND IT'S CONNECTORS, NO LCD SCREEN INCLUDED)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/181208152005...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT



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Board C. - Same size as board B. but no extra connector for screen settings. It's not as good as Board B, I noticed the image is slightly blurrier with this one. Also another issue is that the image is slightly moved to the right. here's an image of what I'm talking about. (board C. left screen)
https://i.imgur.com/PKDqa22.jpg
When I was messing with this board, I don't know what I did but when I turned it on, the screen was properly centered. So there may be a possible way to fix it. I simply don't know at this moment. Also the wire color was reversed for this one, meaning white was video, red was ground and black was +v5.

Order it here, *3.5 inch Display TFT LCD Module in 320x240,Video AV Driver Board*
http://www.buydisplay.com/default/3-...v-driver-board











Requirements:

-Long, Phillips head screwdriver
-The Nomad exclusive, 4.5mm security screw removal tool bit
-Rosin Soldering Flux (optional)
-Something sharp, like a pocket knife
-Soldering Iron
-Solder
-One of the 3 boards mention above (In this mod, well being using board B.)
-TFT LCD LQ035NC111 54-pin screen
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5-Inch-QV....c100033.m2042
-Cables (Highly recommend 28 gauge cables for better handle. You can find the same wires I used here,)
http://www.jameco.com/shop/StoreCata...8+gauge+cables


So first open up the system facing down and remove the screws with their specific tools.


Where going to be working with the screen, front side of the Sega Nomad so remove all screws and disconnect all connectors.




Lift off the board with the screen to it. Now get ready because once we do this, this screen is good as dead. Now take the board, stretch out the cable holding down the original LCD to the board and with your pocket knife, start cutting away from the side.



The original screen has now been removed.......PERMANENTLY.


You can also go ahead and remove the left over green tape the LCD cable left from both sides of the board. Also, the cable connecting the board and old screen is not needed anymore. So go ahead and disconnect it from the board.

Also, the cable connecting the board and old screen is not needed anymore. So go ahead and disconnect it from the board.



Where already half way there!



Now take your NEW TFT LCD Screen w/ Board that SHOULD have come with 2 connectors. 1 with buttons and the other for the AV/Power out.
(The connector with button is not really required for this mod)



We are now going to cut off the AV outs and Power jack from the end of it's cables, followed by stripping the ends and adding solder for easier soldering.
Now it's display/power connector offers 2 AV outs, 1 has the standard yellow & white cables. The 2nd has green & blue cables. To avoid confusion, go ahead and cut off the green & blue AV out cables too.





(You WILL mostly like need to solder extra cable on each of the 4 cables of the connector for easier handling. If you have the chance, try using the same color cables to avoid possible confusion)

Alright, let's go to the bottom of the power switch of the Nomad and solder the red, +v5 cable to the solder spot, right above the '5'.
Now go to the bottom of the power jack and solder the black, GND cable to one of the 2 side GND solder spots.





Now go to the other side of the board, under the AV jack of the Nomad.
Solder the white, GND cable to one of the 5 solder spots around the jack for GND.
Solder the yellow, VIDEO cable to the solder spot that has the text, 'TP237' right next to it.



It should like this at the end.




Once you soldered all 4 cables of the connector, go and quickly test it out.
-insert a cartridge.
-connect back the ribbon cable.
-connect the new soldered cable set from the Nomad to the LCD board.
-connect the LCD screen itself to it's board.
-power up the Nomad from the jack or battery. (make sure the batteries are rather more than half full).

If you got picture of the game running, then all cables are soldered in correctly!




Now for the rather tricky but simple part of getting the LCD screen to stay in place.
(Reminder to remove the protective cover off the LCD screen before you confirm placement inside the Nomad)


The way I did this was simple, place your Nomad face down on a mirrored table, powered on with a game. and carefully start adjusting the screen from below till it's just right.


An extra step I did was connecting back the 'start & select' board and kept pressing start still I was able to pause the game to stay in place. Games I normally use were Sonic 1 and Streets of Rage.




Alright, once you got the screen adjusted just right or at the very least towards a point your comfortable with. Get back up, pull out the hot glue gun and dab 4 small shots on each corner of the screen.
(DON'T PUT TOO MUCH, AS IT WILL PUT PRESSURE ON THE SCREEN WHEN YOU CLOSE UP THE NOMAD)


Next, add some type of paper between the back of the screen and it's board laying on top of it to avoid an possible interference. Luckily the old Nomad screen has a white piece of paper, held down by 2 small screws. You can easily rip it out. I myself went and placed it below the new LCD board itself, using electrical tape.




Now finish up by securing the cables of the LCD board's connector with electrical tape to prevent from them getting the way of the screw holes.
Also take out your hot glue gun one last time and dab it on the soldered spots of your wires going to the screen.





The image below is pretty much the entire work. Simply cutting out the old Nomad screen and soldering in the 4 cables of the new LCD board's connector.


Oh, before putting the Nomad back together, hide the extra cables going from the Nomad board to the LCD board in the top and cover it with electrical tape to prevent them from popping out.





Now as I always say in the end, screw back up your Sega Nomad together and you are completely DONE!






For more of my Sega Nomad tutorials, visit the following link below.
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthr...014#post767014

[Thunderblaze16]

'PHEW'...........................bump.
Took forever but it's finally over.

Edit: Going to steal this old post for a quick update.
The controller that came with the board used on this, I decided to remove the old, non-used brightness wheel and in it's place put in 2 buttons that lead to the controller itself.

I soldered 2 buttons on top of the ones that are '+' and 'menu'

I placed a decent amount of hot glue behind them to stay in place and for force.


The controller boards fits right below

Now I can access the menu!


Keep in mind, this set up of mine only allows me to get to the menu and increase my settings. I could solder another button for the '-' decrease choice but I won't need it.
One more thing! You have to trim just a bit of the plastic around or the buttons will be pressed when you put the Nomad back together.

Now that I think about it, what I should have done instead was trim a bit of the buttons themselves :/ Oh well.

Done!

[madhatter]

Great write up! Finally picked up a Nomad and desperately need to do this. Do you have a recommendation for the screen itself?

[Thunderblaze16]

Great write up! Finally picked up a Nomad and desperately need to do this. Do you have a recommendation for the screen itself?

There all honestly built close to equal, at least from what I've worked with.

[segasonicfan]

Fantastic write up!
I was all excited looking up the IC On that B board (BAT1612) hoping it supported analog RGB. The sad thing is it supports analog component inputs BUT sums the Pr and Pb into a single line before feeding it to the ADC (only 2x ADCs total) so it'll end up looking shitter than Y/C :*( it supports digital RGB in though and S-video !
...when will we get one of these that can take good ol' analog RGB ??

-Segasonicfan

[Eidolon]

...when will we get one of these that can take good ol' analog RGB ??

I second that. I would not bother with a Nomad screen replacement unless it can have better picture quality than composite video.

Still, I need to start working on my Nomad now, due to the risk of leaking caps I need to re-cap it.
Would have prepared to do both at once (re-cap and screen replacement), but obviously need to wait for a few years (?) more... ;-)

[ironnick23]

I second that. I would not bother with a Nomad screen replacement unless it can have better picture quality than composite video.

Having done this mod I can say it is completely worth it. Between the ghosting and the battery usage being significantly lowered, its an amazing solution.

Analog output is a rather very minor issue. Composite is more than sufficient and also more compatible if you plan on hooking it up to a friends tv on the fly. My screen looks great composite on a tiny LCD. And I say this also owning a model 1 with rgb output

[segasonicfan]

Quote Originally Posted by segasonicfan View Post
...when will we get one of these that can take good ol' analog RGB ??
I second that. I would not bother with a Nomad screen replacement unless it can have better picture quality than composite video.

Still, I need to start working on my Nomad now, due to the risk of leaking caps I need to re-cap it.
Would have prepared to do both at once (re-cap and screen replacement), but obviously need to wait for a few years (?) more... ;-)

BEHOLD! This may finally be the answer to all our prayers, for those of us audacious enough to dream:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PD035VX2-640...3D291834759287

This is a full resolution 640x480 LCD, supports RGB (from camcorders, lol) at that resolution (and *likely* at 15khz) and uses the Amazing MST703-LF, which I found a datasheet thanks to the kind folks at EEVBlog:
http://www.eevblog.com/forum/project...eet-mst703-lf/

I could not find anything in the datasheet declaring the sync lowest frequecy, but the fact that it states Analog RGB is for "camcorders and GPS" as well as VGA, supports a low resolution, and shares the MUX and signal chain of the YPbPr is a *really* good sign. Either way this is the best option for the full resolution support and I bet some very decent Component video input, assuming you don't have to reprogram the MCU to support that (youd have to talk to the seller). If this does 15khz RGB I'll be stoaked! Anyone wanna buy me one to find out?

-Segasonicfan

[Catch22]

BEHOLD! This may finally be the answer to all our prayers, for those of us audacious enough to dream:

Question is, how the driver board will handle the native 320x224 resolution of the Nomad, and how it will scale it, or not scale it.

I found a better datasheet:
http://www.datasheetspdf.com/datasheet/MST703.html (click "click to download PDF") and it lists and describes pretty much everything you need to know about it. Pin descriptions and all, in proper english grammar. Goddang full register functions and descriptions.

Interesting features:
Indeed, fully RGB compatitble WITH TWO SETS OF RGBHV INPUTS or RGsB, though you'll need to add a sync separator for H and V Sync, and that's right... RGsB (Sync on Green), which would support Sony's Sync on Green initiative (Playstation 2 480p mode).

So... a sync separator and this driver board, part ways with about $70,... direct solder good old G'R'B' lines to the MST703, Csync to your separator then to the MST703, and you'll be the first dude to have a true RGB Nomad.

I was actually researching about "3.5 G'R'B' driver board" and it's part numbers, when in actuality, I should have been looking at the ADC Video Processor all along.

Welp, did my Screen replacement about 2 weeks back:
https://youtu.be/AZ5aytv9oIs

... and the driver board uses an AMT630, whose datasheet is not so clear... well, at least I know now there is color/contrast/brightness adjustments and an OSD. LOL.

Seriously considering replacing it though, just to compare the two. The MT630 though, does a great job with noise and scaling of the Nomad CVSB signal. Actually, I don't know if the signal is that clean coming from the Nomad, or if the MT630 is cleaning it up, but the picture quality is amazing. I just can't believe it. Hence, I need to see with my own eyes if "RGBing" the Nomad really makes that much of a difference compared to the current solution.

Mind you, I have a Framemeister, so I can appreciate the differences between the various video signals... so when initially saw the picture after the replacement, I was pleasantly surprised. Anyways....

[Catch22]

BTW, going back on topic, just great write up, but just one critique.

If you're just going to use the AC-DC 9v converter, this solution would be great. But if you're going to use batteries, then I'd remove, or "jump," or "bypass" the 'step-down voltage converter.'

You are sourcing voltage from the switch, which would make sense since when you flip the switch, it would turn on the system and screen at the same time. Problem is, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG AS I DIDN'T MEASURE, the voltage at the switch would be 9v since it's so close to the power jack. Appplying 9v directly to the power/av connector on the LCD driver board is wasting (dissipating through heat or other means) 4v, as the step-down voltage converter has a 5v output, which is typical for these small sized LCD drivers. In fact, your board/display combo probably can still function properly all the way down to 3.3v which the LCD panel is rated.

The better, more efficient way is to just apply your voltage ahead of the step-down converter cicuit, wich consists of the step-down converter IC, along with some capacitors, diodes, and inductors. Those all need to be either removed, or you can again, bypass the step-down circuit. Since you're bypassing the step-down circuit, you'll need to source +5v from someplace else as putting 9v there would kill or shorten the lifespan of your driver board and display Luckily, most a/v out jacks have, and conveniently, all your wires (sync, power, ground, video signal) are in the same area.

There are tutorials out there which have a "bypass wire soldered on two points on the driver board, which is unnecessary, and OUTRIGHT WRONG and does nothing in some cases.

Again, I made my tutorial here, which is made so that less "techy" guys can follow, so excuse it's simplicity, but is thorough.

https://youtu.be/AZ5aytv9oIs

[Helder]

Please update the image links to a better host like maybe postimg.org , we can't see them in the posts.

[Thunderblaze16]

Please update the image links to a better host like maybe postimg.org , we can't see them in the posts.

Yea, I notice they started this kind of shit recently too. It wasn't like this before. Give me sometime this week.

[Lycanphoenix]

This photobucket crap is happening all over the forum. Especially when hardware mods are discussed.
This forum might actually need a warning added reminding people to not use photobucket for image hosting.

[segasonicfan]

This photobucket crap is happening all over the forum. Especially when hardware mods are discussed.
This forum might actually need a warning added reminding people to not use photobucket for image hosting.

I dont think its a problem with new posts. I have hundreds and hundreds of pictures for hardware mods and guides all over the web. They all went dead overnight with photobucket changing their TOS. It's just corporate greediness killing off the hosting. Super bummer.

-Segasonicfan

[VaNDAL]

Hi,

I have just modded a Nomad with your recommended screen and board *2AV Lcd controller board 0x240 LQ035NC111 lcd*

However I find the colours are to vibrant and lowering the contrast with the external board sorts it out. Unfortunately though when you turn off the power any contrast and brightness they all go back to default 50%

Has anyone else had this issue?