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[Console Repair/Mod Center / The CD drive on my PC Engine Duo is misbehaving...diagnosis?]

New thing as I've had the unit a couple years and it's been solid....was playing Super Air Zonk last night, played first three stages left to right, then selected fourth stage. Music continued to play, but it never loaded.

Disc continued to spin up, make a noise, then stop, and didn't sound awful, but then it repeats over and over. I waited almost 10 minutes and finally turned it off.

I then had a similar problem with Dracula X (PCE works repro version) also.

But then I played some random CD games (Addams Family,  can't remember what else) for like 20 minutes each and they all seemed to load OK. Addams Family loaded all those shitty audio clips like a champ.

Any way to figure out my issue here? Do I have a bad gear? I've read that can be an issue. Laser alignment? Any way to further diagnose this so I can fix it or get it fixed? Thanks.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / PC Engine SD]

Builder of this device posted this over at AtariAge, I thought it was a pretty cool project.

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Building a gaming console to commercial standard production is tough work. It comes with lots of trial and error and a dependence on outside help, expertise and collaboration. With little money, this process is glacial, but with dedication and tenacity, at least some of you will enjoy portable arcade gaming with the STARFORCE PI in the future! Until that time, I continue my quest to reinvent old consoles and bring them into the future. My latest creation: the PC Engine SD

Built inside a converted 1990 Amstrad GX4000 case, the system features an original first-model PC Engine motherboard which means the games aren't emulated, the best RGB analog audio/video signal through component, composite or SCART output, full compatibility with PC Engine peripherals such as controllers and multitaps, and an SD-to-HuCard reader using the Turbo Everdrive V2.5 supporting all PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 games. The SD card simply slots in the front, together with the controller (or controllers via a multitap), and the system is ready to be used. No load times – Plug'n'Play!

Relative to my other builds, like the STARFORCE NEO or the upcoming Sega Omega Drive, this was a relatively fast and straightforward build. It took 2 months in total to finish, and cost about €225 to build, including controllers, SCART cable, adapter, and multitap. I would've liked to collect for this system, but I noticed prices for PC engine games were just becoming ridiculous, and because I don't have a childhood connection to the system, I had no problem simply switching to SD cards.

It turned out rather nice! Very simple, still quite compact and attractive, and with a really 1990s edge to the look.

About PC Engine:
It it one of the lesser-known 4th generation video gaming consoles but it was in fact the first released in the era of 16-bit systems. Known as the TurboGrafx-16 in the US, it went after the video gaming juggernaut Nintendo and their 8-bit entertainment system, but ended up competing with the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) and the SNES in the Console Wars of the early 90s. Sadly, its tiny 8-bit CPU and limited success outside Japan was no match, and faded away by the mid-90s. But it's a great system and deserves some retrogaming love!

PC Engine SD SPECS:

    Authentic NEC PC Engine Model 1 Hardware
    PC Engine & TurboGrafx-16 Compatible
    1x PC Engine Controller Input (Compatible with 5 Player Multitap)
    Composite/Component/SCART RGB Audio/Video Output
    SD-to-HuCard Conversion via Turbo EverDrive 2.5
    Standard SD Card Compatible (Up to 32GB)
    Vintage 1990 Amstrad GX4000 Converted Case
    Dimensions: 25 x 4.4 x 18.4 cm, Weight: 0.9kg (2lbs)

https://starforcepi.wordpress.com/2017/04/19/the-pc-engine-sd/

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / PC Engine Duo "low sound"]

I don't know how I never noticed this before but I guess I have never played my Duo and then another system back to back...

I bought a recapped/s-vid modded PC Engine Duo here a while back from KC to replace my plain jane TG. I have it running through a s-video multi switch. When I switch from the PC Engine to say the N64 or the PS2 on the same switch, the volume of the other systems is noticeably louder than what I get from the PC Engine Duo.

So I did the reverse, and if I go from one of those other systems on what I would consider "normal" volume to the Duo, I need to turn the TV volume up like 25-30% (based on the "volume bars" my TV shows me) to hear it the same. There is no buzz or hum that I can hear. Video is sharp.

Do Duos have kinda "low sound" period, even after being recapped?

There's no chance the caps could go bad in just a year is there? (I don't want crap leaking in there)

If I ran a mini jack into the headphone port for sound to the switch, would that yield a different result or be a diagnostic of any sort that would tell me anything?

Sorry if this is redundant but couldn't find anything on here or the interwebs where searching "low sound" didn't return me results about known broken systems. I found nothing on recapped ones still having "low sound" compared to other systems. I don't mind turning the TV up to play some Duo but want to make sure my system is OK.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / I imagine you guys have seen this before but...]

...I didn't make this connection until now and I thought it was pretty neat. I have only been really active in Turbo stuff for a couple years or so but I have been a Judas Priest fan for 20+ years. So I had to chuckle when I saw the Ballistix art:



Because I was like wait--I've seen that before:



I haven't played the game--but it's a good album (not their best though)!

Priest rules. That is all.