The NES2 (or NES-101) was a re-released version of the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was supposed to fix one glaring flaw in the original system—a cartridge slot that was about as reliable as Comcast Internet Service.
The new system has a top loading slot instead of the familiar push-in-and-down slot on the front of its predecessor. Unfortunately, that's where all of the improvements stopped.
First, the new console cut corners in many ways to save costs. One major flaw was the lack of AV jacks. In a time where most televisions included composite input, the console had RF only. This relegated people to a fuzzy picture and mono sound.
Second, the console had no power LED. When turn on, the console's power switch slid forward, but there was no real visual indicator other than this, that showed the toploader's power state. It became easier to leave the Nintendo on, and much more difficult to troubleshoot when problems arose.
My toploader has been sliced and diced repeatedly. First I added AV jacks to the top left of the unit, making it compatible with my projector. Today, I added a power LED so I can more easily tell when the console is turned on. I cut a small square out of the case, and used three surface mount LEDs to create a subdued glowing effect from inside of the console. To keep foreign objects out of the space, I added a tight mesh screen, surrounded with the hacker's favorite compound: Sugru.
In all, I like how this mod turned out. It's much better than having an LED just from the top of the console, and more creative than the standard "glowing power switch" that other mods produce. Plus the red Sugru really matches up neatly with the red-gray design of the rest of the console.
