Topics

[Console Repair/Mod Center / AC Power works but Battery Power does not: Turbo Express]

Hello again!

Not long ago I restored a Turbo Express that had every issue in the book.  Button not working, no video out, cracked screen, no audio, poor speaker performance, AC power would cut out if you moved the cord to much etc. etc.  I got all of that working perfectly again and I thought I had no issues.  However, during that whole time, I was using an AC Adapter to power the unit and not batteries.  I decided to throw some batteries in it to make sure they worked and...nothing??  And after some troubleshooting I've ruled out a few things and I wanted to ask first to see if anybody else had ran into this issue.

What I've done so far:
1.  I have some Amazon Basics 2400mAh that I was using.  I measured the voltage through the JST connected to the wires coming from the battery compartment.  They are 1.2v batteries and I measured right at 7.2v.  I changed those out for some 1.5v AA batteries and they measured 9v.
2.  I stuck wires into the end of the JST connector to make sure it was making a proper connection to the female end on the TE's board.  They measured out fine.
3.  I changed out all of the caps in the area near the power again.  I didn't know if any were associated with power at all (or why one would be associated with battery power but not the ac adapters) but I did it anyway just to be sure it wasn't a bad cap issue.  No change.
4.  I did notice that there is a coiled inductor that has a bit of loose wire here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/LFzMzWyyvF3UZibc7 I have no clue if that is connected at all.
5.  Is it possible that the guy that is labeled x500 in this picture, https://photos.app.goo.gl/odrZQ68y4m2iATa47, can go bad?  Or is it even a part of the chain?  The JST hooks in directly under it on the other side of the board but it doesn't look like it's physically connected so it might just be in the area but not connected.
6.  I reflowed everything I could in the area around the female JST.

Is there some trace that might have been messed up for battery power to not make it to where it needs to go?

Thanks in advance.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Turbo Express Speaker Upgrade]

Is there a particularly good drop-in speaker for the Turbo Express that is better than the stock one?  Mine is loud and clear enough but I can't help but think that I can't get a bit better sound out of it with something a bit more modern.

Oh, and this is completely off-topic, but if somebody has an original TE screen for sale as a leftover part from a dead unit, let me know.  I'd be interested.

Thanks!

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Turbo Express - Button 1 does not work]

Hello!

I recently acquired a Turbo Express that was listed as "powers on but you only get a black screen".  So, I took a gamble on it thinking it might be an easy fix.  Well, it turns out that not only was the LCD cracked during shipping somehow (box looked fine and it was packed extremely well) but it did have the issue of no image.  I replaced the single cap to check if I could still get video on the cracked screen to see what other problems the unit might have.  And it had virtually every issue haha.  Along with the no video, it also had no audio at all, power connector was flakey and button 1 did not work.  I fully recapped the unit and all of those issues are no resolved...except button 1.

This is a link to a bunch of extra pictures just in case somebody wants a different angle - https://photos.app.goo.gl/p1y8TQbUKeH4k9Tx7

However, this is what it looked like when I got in there - https://photos.app.goo.gl/TkXyCH3Zgh6ADuxWA

What it looked like after I cleaned it up - https://photos.app.goo.gl/tvBj3LXkdmeYRcd5A

And what it looks like now after reinstalling a new cap and cleaning it up more - https://photos.app.goo.gl/hbjjonGTNt4ExYNJA

My guess is that under the carbon or w/e that black stuff is on the trace next to where the capacitor is (and where there was some corrosion, there is a cut trace.  As you can see, that line goes directly to button 1.  What would be the best way to repair this?  My assumption is that I get past that black carbon stuff and reflow the trace if possible.  If not, I did find this website that has what appears to be a pretty slick solution to my problem - https://nfggames.com/forum2/index.php?topic=4238.0

Should I do what is stated on that website or is there a better way?

Thanks!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / PCE Duo-R hum]

So, this is going to be a shot in the dark.  But I have already eliminated some potential causes.

MY PCE Duo-R (RGB modded...newer Doujindance mod) has a hum that happens with some games.  I am using the latest Turbo Everdrive.  The games that cause a hum during the pause menus are:

Ninja Spirit
Impossimole
Bonk's Adventure
Bonk's Revenge (oddly, Bonk 3 does not)
Image Fight (but only directly after a death but not during a pause)

Also, if I use the 240p test ROM and I run the horizontal or vertical line scroll test, I get hums but they are both different pitches with one being quite a bit higher pitched than the other.  But if I do the normal scroll test (looks like the Sonic Green Hills Zone background) there is no hum.

Also, with games like Impossimole and the Bonk's, it sounds like the last note is what is always repeated and the hum's pitch is based on that.

I've randomly tried tons and tons of games and most of them seem to not display the issue.

Things I have tried:

Changed power sources 3 times (using an genuine NEC power source that has been recapped)
My PCE has been fully recapped
I moved the RGB mod around to make sure it wasn't causing interference due to improper shielding near any components that might cause the hum.
I've changed RGB cables from the doujindance to a fully shielded retro-access cable
I get the same hum using composite
I've tried different ROMs
I've jiggled the RGB cable to see if it's a bad connection with the DIN (I guess those can cause issues...but not like this).

Sadly, I do not have any of the physical games that actually cause the problem.  I'm debating on buying Ninja Spirit since it's just freaking awesome and I love it but it's a bit expensive.  Even the Bonk games are a bit expensive even though they aren't exactly rare.

Has anybody heard of this or has a similar setup that could test those particular games?

Thanks!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Does anybody use an MC Cthulhu and it's 100% working with all games?]

Hello!

I recently built a couple of arcade sticks to go with my retro console collection and I used the MC Cthulhu to power them.  The sticks work just fine on all the other consoles but I run into issues with my PCE with some games.  A few games, like Final Soldier, go a bit crazy.  I did find on the MC Cthulhu thread on the SRK forums that using the Home button switches the Cthulhu between modes for the TG16/PCE.  Regular 2 button mode, Neo Geo mode and 6 button mode.  However, each one of these modes produces extremely weird results.  I have also used an 5 player adapter between my arcade sticks and the PCE, as people mentioned in this thread, https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=16578.msg340042#msg340042, that it would fix the issue.  However, it did not for me.

From what I gather most people don't know about how Home switches between modes.  Some games do work for me.  For example, Ninja Spirit works fine but Bonk's Revenge does not regardless of the mode or whether or not a 5tap is being used.  Street Fighter 2 works with the 5tap in 6 button mode.

I'm going to try and troubleshoot and document the issues as best as I can but I figured I would ask here just in case somebody had already done it and I simply can't find the thread.

Thanks!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Memory Base 128 and Emerald Dragon - locks up and loses system save]

Hello!

I recently purchased a Memory Base 128 to backup my PC Engine Duo-R saves and I have ran into a pretty big issue that I can't get resolved via Googling.

I am using Emerald Dragon, as detailed here.  If I save from my system to the Memory Base 128, it copies without an issue.  However, if I try to copy a save from the Memory Base 128 to my PC Engine, the software locks up and I get a really loud humming noise.  I also, without fail, lose any saves on my PC Engine but not on the MB 128.  This sucks because I lost a save where I was a few hours into Dynastic Hero

Does anybody have any knowledge on if I am doing something wrong or if the MB 128 or maybe my Duo-R is causing the issue?

Oh, I tried it with and without batteries in the MB128 but I got the same results.

Here is a Youtube video of the issue if anybody wants to see/hear it.  I do give a warning to turn down your volume though before I click the button that starts the problem.  So fair warning