A project was recently launched called OpenTendo that’s an open-source hardware recreation of the original 1985 Front-Loading NES motherboard. This allows you to remove the CPU, PPU and lockout chip from your original NES and transfer them to this board that’s made from 100% brand new replacement parts. As the main chips are still from original consoles, performance has the potential to be identical or better than original!: https://github.com/Redherring32/OpenTendo
I have so many questions about this exciting project:
- Which motherboard revision was it based off of, as some NES revisions (NES-CPU-07 & -08) are known to be very high quality, while others (NES-CPU-10 & -11) are known to be noisy.
- Can Tim and Kevtris use this project to integrate their NESRGB / Hi-Def NES and sell complete, drop-in replacement motherboards?
- Since the board is open-source, can we update the audio circuit to provide original Famicom audio accuracy, a better sound amplifier and possibly even on-board “stereo” separation control?
- How is the RF board handled? Can something like Borti’s NES I/O (and The Real Phoenix’s no-cut version of it) be used in place of the RF?
I reached out to the developer and will follow-up if I receive a response. It’s an open-source project though, so feel free to take a look yourself!
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. http_request_failed: A valid URL was not provided. URL: https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?SearchIndex=All&multipageStart=0&multipageCount=20&Operation=GetResults&Keywords=B01M13294B&InstanceId=0&TemplateId=MobileSearchResults&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US Cache: AAL_e37df30d9a1aadf7c3c4337388423592
