The Sharp C1, better known as Sharp Nintendo Television in Western territories, is one of the most interesting and rarest products that every Nintendo collector aspires to own. The TV is very hard to find (almost impossible in good condition), so the Instructables user "insomniacfactory" decided to take a slightly simpler path: build a replica. The work is not without risks, but the final result is impressive...
If there's one company no one wants to cross swords with over intellectual property, it's Nintendo. The Japanese giant offers no mercy, and that's why its old business deals draw so much attention. One of them gave rise to the Sharp C1, or Sharp Nintendo Television on the other side of the world, a TV/console hybrid that was favored by the specialized press for the high-quality images produced by its internal connection.
A replica of the Sharp Nintendo Television, in its Japanese version
If someone finds a Sharp Nintendo Television, it's most likely mushed up on several levels (more than 30 years have passed), and the original C1 is basically unobtanium. That brings us to Instructables user "insomniacfactory", who accepted the challenge of building a replica of the Sharp C1, using an old Akai CRT TV as a starting point.
It goes without saying, this is not a project for beginners or electronics enthusiasts. Working inside a CRT TV requires special care and a lot of respect (even when unplugged), since a high-voltage discharge could send us to the other side with a single spark. After discharging the tube and disassembling the TV, "insomniacfactory" made the necessary holes to connect the gamepads and the cartridge.
This process also requires a double sacrifice: An original NES console must give up its motherboard, while one of the seven million clones gives up part of its shell so that the game ports and cartridge align properly. By far, the great challenge is finding the exact location for the cartridge slot, installing the boards, measuring dozens of times, regretting, adjusting again, and finally getting everything to fit.
In the final paragraph, "insomniacfactory" explains that he still has to secure the console's RF module inside the TV, definitively fix the composite connection, and create a backplate for the rest of the connectors on the CRT... but his replica turned out fabulous anyway.
Access the project: Click here
