Messages

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PCE Duo laser and low caps issues]

try adjusting the V101 pot. usually this helps with issues reading near the end of the disc. Also, try turning up the lens gain on the lens itself slightly.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Snipping old caps]

I like to grab and twist the old caps off using a pair of small pliers.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PCE GT Button 1 not working]

I find with express systems that I have better luck removing the caps by grabbing them with a small pair of pliers and then twist/spinning them to break them off the board. This usually saves the pads better than snipping or desoldering on express systems. Especially since most of the caps will most likely have leaked making it more difficult to heat of the solder that is on the pads to remove them.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: My hori fight commander pad's up button doesn't work any more, any suggestions?]

Have you looked in at the cable plug to see if any of the pins are bent or pushed in?

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: Could Dynasty Wars be improved on?]

Great game. The best way to improve it would be to have an english translation.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PCE GT Button 1 not working]

well your capacitor there could be bad but that wouldn't explain why all your other buttons are working fine.

do you have a multimeter? Check the Trace that goes from the rapid fire slider contact to the button one contact.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PCE GT Button 1 not working]

Yup, gotta practice for a while before doing it. I have a couple of kits to practice and get the grip of the new iron.
About sending it I'm afraid living in Spain would make the shipping and repair more expensive than buying one of the new replacement boards.
From what I've seen in the forum post and on their website the new boards don't include the IC located in the center of the board, do they?

I'm not positive. Send tubokon a message and ask him. They are fairly new so I haven't gotten one from him yet.  I just repair them

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PCE GT Button 1 not working]

It's not uncommon for these to get bad traces. Might need to send the controller board out for repair which I can do for you. Also, another option is Turbokon is selling replacement controller boards now https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=23047.0

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Turbo Duo wants to roleplay an original Sony Playstation]

this might be an odd question but is your DUO set up near any other game consoles? If so, move it away from them and see what happens. Also try unplugging any other game consoles from any wall outlets in the general vicinity.

Also, are the Discs you are using ones that worked prior? Some of these systems work better with one type of CDR media over another.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PCE GT Button 1 not working]

Did you try re bending the rapid fire control slider? Lots of times these get bent from people pushing too hard on them. Bend the contacts out more so they press on the board with more pressure once put back together again.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Duo R Component Video in Black & White]

I'm not sure off the top of my head.  As I said before, I didn't actually order the mod.  It just came with it when I bought it.  I only remember pot adjustments for R, B and sync, but maybe I missed something else.  I will take a picture of the board this weekend.  It probably won't be until Sunday because Saturday is my son's birthday. 

Sync will raise and lower the brightness as well. So it's the same one. Adjusting it higher or lower might make a difference.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Duo R Component Video in Black & White]

Do you know what kind of component mod you had done to the system? There is usually a brightness control which sometimes can be adjusted higher or lower to help with compatibility of some TVs. not sure if it would play a role with your switch box or not.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Duo R Component Video in Black & White]

The sync signal from a pc engine sometimes has issues with switch boxes. No one knows why or how to fix it other than getting a different switch box. This is also the case with some RGB switch boxes as well.

Is your switch box digital or analog? Analog would probably be best.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Recapping a GT in the UK - any suggestions?]

Pretty sure Vimtoman is in the UK. Send him a PM to see if he will work on it for ya.

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: FX-Unit Yuki: The Henshin Engine for TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine]

Nice! thanks guys

[Localizations, Games, Apps, Docs / Re: FX-Unit Yuki: The Henshin Engine for TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine]

Forgive me if this has already been asked before but who is doing the soundtrack for this game? It sounds fantastic! Love the sound that is going into my ear holes.

Was any of the recording done with real instruments or is it all computer software made?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Super SD System 3]

Imgburn will do Bin/Cue but I prefer Alcohol 120% myself. It's just what I'm used to using.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: ISO: Turbo Booster, maybe CD unit:]

These are a much cheaper alternative to a turbo booster or DB electronics one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/PC-Engine-AV-Booster-RGBS-output-TurboGrafx-16-Composite-RCA-RGB-SCART/312088904220?hash=item48a9f2c21c:g:hhMAAOSwttFaD31v

or

https://www.ebay.com/itm/PC-Engine-Genesis-SNES-NEO-GEO-Component-AV-Booster-RGB-TurboGrafx-16-Composite/152947501229?hash=item239c61a8ad:g:EmQAAOSwWxNY1kXv

user choijimmy here sells them. So if you get in touch with him he might be willing to sell one to you for a little less than ebay price. Never hurts to ask.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: VR102 soap opera]

some Duos will have issues reading CDrs if they are larger games. can also depend on what kind of media you are using. Some drives like certain brands over others. try testing a game that's 500 megabytes or smaller. anything over that can have issues where the lens can get stuck near the end of the track regardless of what adjustments are made.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: VR102 soap opera]

hey, I just read your first post again. So the lens will move, get stuck, and then the disc spins backwards? When this starts to happen again try and move the lens motor manually near where it usually stops to see if it will progress further. When the lens motors go bad they get stuck here and there which usually causes the disc the then spin up all funny like. Sometimes a fast spin up but usually a slower spin instead.

Kind of hard to diagnose this without seeing exactly what happens in person.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: VR102 soap opera]

I'm just saying that if V101 is off then you won't be able to get anything to work. If you definitely have it in the spot where things were working before then I'd leave it alone.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: VR102 soap opera]

Yup, caps are complete.

 So just to get this straight, if a POT is bad it will still make a difference, but just isn't fulfilling its' needed spec requirements? 

Pretty much.

Also, have you messed with V101 at all? This can have a huge effect on things.

One last thing to check is that it's not uncommon for the red wire for the lens wires that hooks up to the lens itself to get a short in it or fall out completely. Double check that red wire is getting a good connection on both ends using a multi meter. Symptom of a bad connection here is the lens moving and return really fast over and over again when trying to read a disc.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: VR102 soap opera]

I've actually come across some systems where the potentiometer itself had gone bad. so it could need replacement.

however, before considering that, has your system had the capacitors replaced yet? Old capacitors are a big reason for the CD drive not working correctly.

[Off-Topic / Re: Game Sack]

On a positive note, I don't think I've ever seen a game sack episode that I didn't like. Basically I like watching people talk about video games with some game footage being thrown in. Doesn't matter to me what the games are or if all the back info/history about a game system is mentioned or not. I'm not watching youtube for a big history or technical specifications lesson. I just like discussion about old game systems and the games for them. With this being said, I've never been let down.

I'm not playing Musha...This isn't Musha. hah

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Turbo Pad Screws]

I want to mention that the screw holes for the controllers can take a little more length than what the original screws are. Meaning you could get away using a slightly longer screw than the original. just not a lot longer because it will go through the controller front.

also, if you can't seem to find any replacement screws at a hardware store, maybe try finding some old used electronics at a thrift store? I've used screws from a number of portable CD players and or tape players in the past to replace screws in PC engine controllers.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Finally....Hero Tonma 93 out of 94 Hucard's]

congratulations! Great game

[General Gaming / Re: I think I may have just ruined my authentic turbografx experience.]

So, I recently got myself a nintendo wii, got a component cable, and loaded up wiimednafen with a few TG16 games.

OMG does it look good and the emulation is so dam accurate! I can't really tell the difference over the real thing. I am using the 240P mode on a SD CRT so yes it has scanlines. I even think the picture is slightly better than component out of a real system. The only downfall might be that I think it has a minimal amount of lag but that could just be my imagination and the controller I am using. This is the most accurate TG16 emulation running 240P for an SD CRT I've ever seen.

Because of this it brings up these questions.

Why own real hardware?
Why own real games?
Why bother with a Super SD system 3 when a wii can emulate the CD drive perfectly.

Just curious if anyone else has seen/used the Tg16 wii emulation and possibly thought the same thing.

Is this real?

yes, real. This was the reason I bought one. Never wanted one until I had a friend show me just how accurate it was for 16bit on down emulation. Especially since it can do 240P for a more accurate crt experience.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PCE Duo laser and low caps issues]

Hold the board up to some light and you should be able to see where the trace is supposed to go so you can tap in a wire to the correct place.

[General Gaming / Re: I think I may have just ruined my authentic turbografx experience.]

I got a ps2 shadow blade arcade stick that I use with a PlayStation to gamecube adapter.

Something I should mention is that I've tested two different kinds of playstation to gamecube controller adapters and only ps2 controllers work with it. Meaning a ps1 arcade stick will not work. I've also tested two different types of ps1 arcade sticks to verify this.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Duo-R Won’t Boot CD BIOS]

Did the CD bios work prior to installing the mod?

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: SuperGrafx power supply]

I thought the super grafx used a power cable with a DUO sized tip on it(6.3MM). However, it needs to be opposite polarity of a Duo I believe(negative center). So you should just be able to take a typical pc engine or pc engine dock AC adapter and just put one of these adapter tips on it to make it the correct size. https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pcs-6-3mm-x-3-0mm-Male-to-5-5mm-x-2-5mm-Female-DC-Power-Adapter-Coupler/322046968857?hash=item4afb7ec419:g:iP0AAOSw8axaR3VC

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PCE Duo laser and low caps issues]

Having them backwards shouldn't have hurt anything.

Your problem is probably due to bad traces or shorts in vias due to old cap leakage/damage. I would start checking every capacitor lead with a muti-meter to make sure the cap solder pads have the same voltage as the traces and vias do.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: FS: CIB PC Engine Rom2 "Rom Rom" Amp]

What does this do exactly?

best way to play Romrom stadium. 

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Duo-RX CD Games Work, Hucards Don’t]

this is a weird issue to have. The only time I've had a problem with the card games not working and the CD drive still working fine, it's either been caused by a problem with the card slot itself or traces on the motherboard.

[Buy/Sell/Trade / Re: Turbo Duo question/opinions]

yeah, that's going to be hard for you to track down a US DUO whether it is boxed or not. I do have plenty of JP pc engine DUOs on hand that I recap before selling. If you would be interested in one just let me know. I think I have one with the box as well. Not sure of the condition of the box. I'll have to check.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PCE Duo Laser Track Problems?]

This happens a lot with some DUOs if CDR discs are used. Causes the lens to move to far to the end of the track causing the gearing and motor to get stuck. Some lens adjustments might help but if this is being caused by CDR discs then I would try another brand of CDR media first.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: How to ID a Sapphire fake]

I thought the care 4 data and the newer pce Works version were the only ones.

[General Gaming / Re: I think I may have just ruined my authentic turbografx experience.]

Fake news.  GC controllers suck.

What can I say. They hurt my left thumb. The d pad is just way too far into the center of the controller for me.

[General Gaming / Re: I think I may have just ruined my authentic turbografx experience.]

The best and most important reason is because nobody will be impressed if you shoot your youtube videos in front of a Wii and SD card.

Haha!

I don't see myself getting rid of my games or hardware anytime soon. Its just with options like this it makes the idea more appealing.

I too agree with the annoyance of flipping through all the Wii menus. However the same could be said for having a super SD system 3 or ever drive.

I am also crazy impressed at how accurate the wiimednafen emulation is. I've tried many emulators for the tg16 but none of them were this much like the real deal.

GameCube controllers do suck. That's why I have an adapter to use a PS2 controller.

[General Gaming / I think I may have just ruined my authentic turbografx experience.]

So, I recently got myself a nintendo wii, got a component cable, and loaded up wiimednafen with a few TG16 games.

OMG does it look good and the emulation is so dam accurate! I can't really tell the difference over the real thing. I am using the 240P mode on a SD CRT so yes it has scanlines. I even think the picture is slightly better than component out of a real system. The only downfall might be that I think it has a minimal amount of lag but that could just be my imagination and the controller I am using. This is the most accurate TG16 emulation running 240P for an SD CRT I've ever seen.

Because of this it brings up these questions.

Why own real hardware?
Why own real games?
Why bother with a Super SD system 3 when a wii can emulate the CD drive perfectly.

Just curious if anyone else has seen/used the Tg16 wii emulation and possibly thought the same thing.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: REPAIR GUIDE - TurboDuo/PC Engine Duo: Total capacitor replacement chart]

Voltage can be the same or above the rating needed. Meaning if the cap requires 16v you can use 16v,35v etc....you just can't go lower.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: CD-ROM² calibration]

These drives are not really made for CD-R discs. They were made before CDrs existed. With this in mind you might be able to make some adjustments to get them to read better and you might not. Also the brand of CDR media can have a major effect on this as well. I would try other brands first before making adjustments. Some drives may work good with many brands whereas some drives might only work well with generic media such as Verbatim or Memorex and other drives might require better CDRs like Sony or Taiyo yuden. I've come across many drives that will refuse to read a specific brand but work perfect with another.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PC Engine Duo S-video mod kits anywhere?]

I don't think anyone sells any kits but here is what you need and how it is done.

https://i.postimg.cc/GmTHFCkS/S-video-Mod.gif
https://postimg.cc/qN0JrWD8

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Where to get good CD-Rs?]

In some cases adjusting the lens gain pot on the lens itself makes it better. Do this only if needed. Turn it to the left(counter clockwise)ever so slightly.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Where to get good CD-Rs?]

I have no idea why but the 4-in-1 disc can be one of the most difficult to get working correctly with some drives. I think it might have to do with the intro. Sometimes if you skip this part by hitting run you can still load up a game.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Where to get good CD-Rs?]

Some Duos just like certain discs more than others. Some work best with better brands Taiyo yuden and sony. Whereas others can work better with generic media like Verbatim or memorex. You will just have to test some other brands.

Also, one more test you should do is to make yourself a plain old audio disc using 1 of those Sony discs you have. try this out in the system to make sure there isn't something wrong with the disc image you are using or the program/way you are trying to make them.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: PC Engine LT repair]

Buy a 4.3" screen. Most are 16:9 but you can set in the options to show 4:3 instead thus being the correct size needed for a pc engine LT.

I am not saying that this is the one to get but something like it. https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-3-TFT-LCD-Color-Screen-Car-Rear-View-Monitor-DVD-GPS-for-Car-Backup-Camera-T/132439310484?hash=item1ed5ff8094:g:zhQAAOSwA4dWKwpt
Just make sure before purchasing that it has the option to set 4:3 instead of 16:9 widescreen aspect and you are good to go.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: REPAIR GUIDE - Super CD-ROM² Pot Adjustment]

Not sure where people are getting there lenses from.
I buy all my hop-m3 and kss-210B lenses from dalbanicorporation.
https://m.ebay.com/itm/KSS-210B-Generic-Sony-Replacement-Laser-Lens-KSS210B-Optical-Pickup-CD-VCD/120865809030?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I have never had a dead/bad hop-m3 from them yet. However I have had 1 bad kss-210B in the last batch of 10 that I ordered.

Tried two kss-210B recently from them. Both dead. They did tell me that their current ones are generic, whatever that means because the boxes said Sony on then like they were new old stock. They let me return them with no issues since I've been getting my HOP-M3 lenses from them for years. 95% success rate on those.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: REPAIR GUIDE - Super CD-ROM² Pot Adjustment]

I think the market is flooded with generic lasers for these drives now because I've tried 3 different ones from 3 different places and none of them work(yes I de-soldered the anti-static blob). So be aware of this when trying to find a new lens.  Originals usually still work good with some adjustment.

yesimnathan, have you checked the larger lens gear to make sure there are no broken teeth. Lots of times one or more teeth break on these causing CD read errors. Look very closely because the teeth are small.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Core Grafx II Controller not Responding]

oh, my mistake. I thought that it was your controller that was the problem.

I have come across a few of these that have needed the pins resoldered for the controller Port pins inside the system. Hopefully that is all it needs.