REPAIR GUIDE - PCE|TurboDuo/R/RX: CD Laser Swap & Adjustment Guide

Started by blueraven, 11/20/2010, 04:29 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

mickcris

Quote from: blueraven on 01/13/2016, 07:35 PM
Quote from: mickcris on 01/13/2016, 05:37 PM...could possibly be damaging the holes if they are not the same.    You need to make sure the screw is going into the originally cut threads or it will strip out the hole.  I use the method that game-tech-us was recommending in one of his videos where you turn the screw ccw till you feel it go back into the hole and then start going cw.
The threads lined up perfectly (or so I thought) when I checked the screws against the Safety bits that came out of the Duo. Most of the systems haven't broken a post due to this issue, rather the brittle nature of the plastic and having been opened up too many times. Also, yes, I do turn them CCW before insall to make sure that they are seated.

Quote from: mickcris on 01/13/2016, 05:37 PM...so that is going to make the threads maybe about a mm shorter.
On the bottom end, yes. I hadn't thought of that.
Yeah, I think sometimes there is nothing you can do to stop them from stripping out the threads in the hole.  I looked it up and it seems like M3 may be a hair larger diameter than #4 so that could maybe also be a factor. Not sure if it's enough to make a difference. I'm pretty sure now that those ones I linked to are the same size as the originals.

Vimtoman


Psycho Punch

This Toxic Turbo Turd/Troll & Clone Warrior calls himself "Burning Fight!!" on Neo-Geo.com
For a good time, reach out to: aleffrenan94@gmail.com or punchballmariobros@gmail.com
Like DildoKobold, dildos are provided free of charge, no need to bring your own! :lol:
He also ran scripts to steal/clone this forum which blew up the error logs! I had to delete THOUSANDS of errors cause of this nutcase!
how_to_spell_ys_sign_origin_ver.webp

MNKyDeth

Quote from: guest on 06/20/2016, 09:09 PMI've been doing some adjustments (with the aid of a multimeter to be able to record "default" values) and nothing was really working for CDRs until I got enough courage (or was stupid enough) to mess with the LASER pot. I did less than 10 degrees clockwise and finally a lot of games on CDR started to work flawlessly! Lords of the Rising Sun and Raiden are two of which I'm now enjoying.

Quite oddly, my silver 650MB Mitsuis are not working, but a cheap ass CDR (by Ritek) works very well lol, so much for superior CD quality. The cheapo discs are less "transparent" than the 650mb discs so it might be the reason for working well. I've solved ALL problems, except for...

Yeah, it has problems when seeking late tracks. As you can see in the video (please excuse my sloppy disc handling :P), Riot Zone "boots" but it immediately tries to read a late track on the disc. The laser goes to the edge, the CD spins at max speed, and nothing works. This also happened with my Mitsuis when they used to work (I don't have any spare ones anymore so I cannot do further testing). I never observed any issues with pressed discs (official ones or repros from the King of Scanline Generators).

What pots should I focus on (if at all)? I'm quite frankly tired of doing trial and error with them.
If you only have a multimeter check out page 5 if this very thread. Chester77 listed default vaules. They work very well in most systems I have tried them on.

Psycho Punch

Quote from: MNKyDeth on 06/21/2016, 09:42 AM
Quote from: Psycho Punch on 06/20/2016, 09:09 PMI've been doing some adjustments (with the aid of a multimeter to be able to record "default" values) and nothing was really working for CDRs until I got enough courage (or was stupid enough) to mess with the LASER pot. I did less than 10 degrees clockwise and finally a lot of games on CDR started to work flawlessly! Lords of the Rising Sun and Raiden are two of which I'm now enjoying.

Quite oddly, my silver 650MB Mitsuis are not working, but a cheap ass CDR (by Ritek) works very well lol, so much for superior CD quality. The cheapo discs are less "transparent" than the 650mb discs so it might be the reason for working well. I've solved ALL problems, except for...

Yeah, it has problems when seeking late tracks. As you can see in the video (please excuse my sloppy disc handling :P), Riot Zone "boots" but it immediately tries to read a late track on the disc. The laser goes to the edge, the CD spins at max speed, and nothing works. This also happened with my Mitsuis when they used to work (I don't have any spare ones anymore so I cannot do further testing). I never observed any issues with pressed discs (official ones or repros from the King of Scanline Generators).

What pots should I focus on (if at all)? I'm quite frankly tired of doing trial and error with them.
If you only have a multimeter check out page 5 if this very thread. Chester77 listed default vaules. They work very well in most systems I have tried them on.
they don't work on mine.
Did final adjustment to 104 since my original Buster Bros. didn't work, now all discs work like a charm (with the exception of problematic end-of-disc data track CDRs).
This Toxic Turbo Turd/Troll & Clone Warrior calls himself "Burning Fight!!" on Neo-Geo.com
For a good time, reach out to: aleffrenan94@gmail.com or punchballmariobros@gmail.com
Like DildoKobold, dildos are provided free of charge, no need to bring your own! :lol:
He also ran scripts to steal/clone this forum which blew up the error logs! I had to delete THOUSANDS of errors cause of this nutcase!
how_to_spell_ys_sign_origin_ver.webp

Psycho Punch

Punch vs. CDR, the fight continues.

So nothing was playing reliably despite what I posted (I found out later...), my buddy chop5 told me to set laser pot to 0.8 (I don't remember what's the ohm rating for it so I don't know the scale), and now it seems that I can play all my retail games OK, but discs are still finicky.

I'll explain: I made a CDR with Beethoven's 9th Symphony, 4 tracks plus this one here: https://soundcloud.com/twinbros/ti-amo-japanese-coverversion (yes it's supposed to stand out from the classic music plus I like it, so what). 5 tracks total, 71'29''
1 - 16'24'' - 1956 Beethoven 9th concert 1
2 - 14'48'' - 1956 Beethoven 9th concert 2
3 - 13'55'' - 1956 Beethoven 9th concert 3
4 - 22'56'' - 1956 Beethoven 9th concert 4
5 - 03'24'' - Ti Amo (Be-2)

When playing the CDR, it gets to the audio player quick, no issues, and it plays both 1st and second tracks fine. Fast forward was 'slipping' and landing like 30 seconds forward instead of the steps of one sometimes but I fixed that. Now for the problems...
Track 3 doesn't start when requested half the time, and when it does the audio is noisy (aka low quality signal, so much for being digital huh Compact Disc), Tracks 4 and 5 don't start at all and the poor laser keeps trying to reach it to no avail.
edit: I left the duo playing while I wrote this post and indeed, Track 2 also gets noisy when approaching the end (aka the beggining of disc 3).

Conclusion, and also a bookmark for your tl;dr people: I guess now the only thing I can do is procure better cds. As I said before I'm using generic 80 minute discs, and I don't have my 650 silver mitsuis anymore so I can't test it again (it's a long story). If someone had any luck with CDRs on your US Duo please post here, because I can only find people that got pissed off and just moved on to an RX or SCDROM2 or people that are "meh I don't play CDRs on mine". I thought that the Duo laser was/is a very popular laser? How come it doesn't like CDRs?

I'll source for more types of cds and I'll post my findings here later, but I think I did what I could adjustment wise.
This Toxic Turbo Turd/Troll & Clone Warrior calls himself "Burning Fight!!" on Neo-Geo.com
For a good time, reach out to: aleffrenan94@gmail.com or punchballmariobros@gmail.com
Like DildoKobold, dildos are provided free of charge, no need to bring your own! :lol:
He also ran scripts to steal/clone this forum which blew up the error logs! I had to delete THOUSANDS of errors cause of this nutcase!
how_to_spell_ys_sign_origin_ver.webp

OldMan

Quote5 tracks total, 71'29''
...
4 - 22'56'' - 1956 Beethoven 9th concert 4
5 - 03'24'' - Ti Amo (Be-2)
...
 Tracks 4 and 5 don't start at all
Probably not. The cd player was only designed for 60 min cds.
Track 5 is definitely out of range, and track 4 would have an end point out of range (making it an invalid track)

Psycho Punch

Very interesting, thanks TheOldMan. Guess I need to find a better way of testing discs. Do you know if there's any limitations in the CD BIOS search and play routines or is it something from the audio player program itself? Can't find anything on Hu7 documentation about max length.


edit: if you mean the disc drive itself was meant only for 60 mins max, that explains a lot. But I thought 74 min was the max. playback/storage time :/
This Toxic Turbo Turd/Troll & Clone Warrior calls himself "Burning Fight!!" on Neo-Geo.com
For a good time, reach out to: aleffrenan94@gmail.com or punchballmariobros@gmail.com
Like DildoKobold, dildos are provided free of charge, no need to bring your own! :lol:
He also ran scripts to steal/clone this forum which blew up the error logs! I had to delete THOUSANDS of errors cause of this nutcase!
how_to_spell_ys_sign_origin_ver.webp

NightWolve

Quote from: TheOldMan on 07/09/2016, 04:37 AM
Quote5 tracks total, 71'29''
...
4 - 22'56'' - 1956 Beethoven 9th concert 4
5 - 03'24'' - Ti Amo (Be-2)
...
 Tracks 4 and 5 don't start at all
Probably not. The cd player was only designed for 60 min cds.
Track 5 is definitely out of range, and track 4 would have an end point out of range (making it an invalid track)
Good eyes old man! ;) I wouldn't have caught that.

OldMan

QuoteDo you know if there's any limitations in the CD BIOS search and play routines or is it something from the audio player program itself?
I haven't yet seen any limits in the bios on track lengths or position. But that's not where I would expect it anyway.
The cd system works by sending command packets to the scsi controller. Play is actually sent as 'seek to position ' and 'play to position' (from current). One of the things the routines have to deal with is a 'bad parameter' value - which is detected by the controller.

Basically, what that means is the scsi controller itself probably checks the locations, and returns an error if its out of range.

Quoteif you mean the disc drive itself was meant only for 60 mins max, that explains a lot. But I thought 74 min was the max. playback/storage time :/
Yes, the drive/controller can only reliably use 60 min / 650 M cds. Technology marches on.
I suspect that the controller limits were set higher then 60 min to allow for 'new' technologies on the near horizon, or for larger, in-print cds.

I remember something about the developers wanting all of a bach piece on 1 cd, so thats how they set the initial size. I also remember when 70 min cds came out, and being disappointed they wouldn't work in my 2x burner :(

I suspect that's also part of why some discs cause the laser to stick. The seek doesn't return an error (because the limits are larger than they needed to be, for the future), but the drive mech can't handle it.

Psycho Punch

That's a good explanation for the stick laser problem.

I think I calibrated my Duo the best I could this time, and guess what, I'm able to play the full 72 min. audio from the CD I was using. The problem is when seeking later tracks (again). When playing from beggining to end it has no trouble.
Something very curious happens, in fact... Fast forward is very fast on the Edge of the disc (like if the CD laser was reading 300% better!). I feel like the problem lies with the "coarse" seek since mechanically when it tries to coarse seek a track, it overshoots a little bit then self corretct going backwards. It seems that it has no room for error in the Edge tracks so it ends up getting stuck.

My next purchase will be an oscilloscope or a Duo-RX. :lol:
This Toxic Turbo Turd/Troll & Clone Warrior calls himself "Burning Fight!!" on Neo-Geo.com
For a good time, reach out to: aleffrenan94@gmail.com or punchballmariobros@gmail.com
Like DildoKobold, dildos are provided free of charge, no need to bring your own! :lol:
He also ran scripts to steal/clone this forum which blew up the error logs! I had to delete THOUSANDS of errors cause of this nutcase!
how_to_spell_ys_sign_origin_ver.webp

Keith Courage

If it's too fast at the end or at the inner tracks try adjusting V101 slightly. The trick is to get a happy medium to where both the inner and outer areas can fast forward at about the same speed.

tomiii

Hello Guys, got the following Problems:

Got a broken PC Engine Duo and i switched all caps and one Vram (had some graphic issues, one via was broken but i fixd it).
Now i got a new Hop M3 Laser and now the test:
It only reads Music CDs (No game cds)
I try to fix it with the pots but not really anything happen.
Is this a Laser adjustment Problem (with Pots) or another Proplem ?

blueraven

The laser is probably out of focus. I would "put back" the pots to as close as stock and start with VR102, moving 1/16-1/8 of a turn each time until the CD's start booting. Use an ocilloscope if you have one and check the readings on the pots with a meter.

Did you change the caps that were under (below) the plastic hold-down for the CD player wires?

tomiii

Dear blueraven,

i adjust every pot with my ears except VR102.(dont have an ocilloscope)
Then i start with VR102 (just a little bit up) and the game cd are booting.
I testest 3 games and every game is playing now. From one Level to another level it take some time to load (maybe i need a finetune) but it works now .

Thank you blueraven :)

thesteve

if it plays cd audio perfect, its most likely bad cd work ram (the ram chip near the controller port)
any dead traces/vias around that ram would also do it

cueball1897

Quote from: blueraven on 11/20/2010, 08:12 PMAdjusting the Pots:

Advanced Users/Modders only! (unless you really want to risk it...)

BEFORE YOU TOUCH ANY POTS, USE A THIN PERMANENT MARKER TO MARK EACH POT'S ORIENTATION.
Does this apply to the CDROM2 as well? Or are the pots labeled differently? My unit plays retail games fine, but I'm trying to get a demo level from a game I supported on Kickstarter to work. The CD-R works with MagicEngine, but not on my hardware. Thanks.

blueraven

Quote from: tomiii on 11/16/2016, 02:02 AMDear blueraven,

i adjust every pot with my ears except VR102.(dont have an ocilloscope)
Then i start with VR102 (just a little bit up) and the game cd are booting.
I testest 3 games and every game is playing now. From one Level to another level it take some time to load (maybe i need a finetune) but it works now .

Thank you blueraven :)
Glad you got it working! You're welcome, Cheers! :D

blueraven

Quote from: cueball1897 on 12/27/2016, 10:58 PM
Quote from: blueraven on 11/20/2010, 08:12 PMAdjusting the Pots:

Advanced Users/Modders only! (unless you really want to risk it...)

BEFORE YOU TOUCH ANY POTS, USE A THIN PERMANENT MARKER TO MARK EACH POT'S ORIENTATION.
Does this apply to the CDROM2 as well? Or are the pots labeled differently? My unit plays retail games fine, but I'm trying to get a demo level from a game I supported on Kickstarter to work. The CD-R works with MagicEngine, but not on my hardware. Thanks.
BlueBMW has pointed out that the SuperCD Rom2 is so similar to the Duo that having a duplicate post would be redundant. The CDROM2, (white/black) however is completely different internally, and would take some fine tuning to get a bootleg or burn or demo working. I've personally tuned a few of them but it was so long ago I don't remember which pot to turn.

thesteve

the CDR2 is actually still the same chipset, and tunes much the same (with good laser)

cueball1897

Quote from: blueraven on 01/04/2017, 02:52 AMwould take some fine tuning to get a bootleg or burn or demo working. I've personally tuned a few of them but it was so long ago I don't remember which pot to turn.
That's good to know, I wasn't aware that the CDROM2 needed adjusting before it would read CD-Rs. I knew the media made a difference, but I was under the impression that they were just supposed to work.

Mrwoodchuck

Hi all,

I'm working on my pc engine duo this one has had some work done,
replaced all caps, ic502, cpu, cover switch, vr105....
After all said an done right now it loads card with no issues, cd's wont work.

I have got it where the disc spins, but after adjusting for about an hr the best i get is set disc, the worst I get is the disc don't spin..

I have a tektronix 2236 scope with a built in counter, the lowest the clock seems to hit is 4.4467 and then it goes back to the top..

Also the wave form tutorial is a little confusing. 
Pull the RF signal from pin 2 on the P5 connector, and ground it on pin 1 of P5.
so If i connect pin 2 to pin 1 the disc does not spin,but if i just put my probe on pin 2 and hit start I get a signal but it is super weak! approximately .25v pk-pk.

At this point I am thinking about buying a new laser, but at $20 I was hoping for some input first.

Thanks guys!

thesteve

.25V is too low
adjusting the focus and tracking pots will change the Vpp, so try that first (target is between .7Vpp and 1Vpp)
the pot on the laser will directly effect it, but too high and the laser fails (shouldnt need to touch it)

Mrwoodchuck

 Thanks for the reply thesteve,

That's what I assumed but was not 100% sure, as such adjusting vr102 and 103 did nothing really, it would increase the voltage but it was still maxing out at .25 any change would decrease the voltage.

I did break down and bought a new laser, it should be here today but that low voltage has me worried that it wont do anything to fix the situation.

Update,
That did it replacing the laser made it work with no issue. just did some adjustments after and bam loading perfect!
Thanks for the tutorial and help!

Cordelay

Hi there, I hope I don't break any rules reviving this post... :oops:

I recently adquired a PCE Duo with CD reading error; I've already cleaned the board thoroughly and changed all caps, also made sure (to my really limited knowledge) that they all work well, no lifted pads or broken traces, but cd doesn't even want to spin.
I've read that the first step before adjusting pots is marking the "initial" point to be able to go back to safe settings, but the thing is that the former owner of the console told me that he "adjusted" them already.

A forum member kindly told me that TheSteve and Turbokon made a couple videos showing how to adjust them using an oscilloscope, but I haven't been able to find them, and the thing is that I don't have the knowledge to start fiddling with an oscilloscope without a proper tutorial or guidance...

What should I do?

Thanks a lot for your help.  =D> =D> =D>

NightWolve

Quote from: Cordelay on 05/01/2018, 03:41 PMI recently acquired a PCE Duo with CD reading error; I've already cleaned the board thoroughly and changed all caps, also made sure (to my really limited knowledge) that they all work well, no lifted pads or broken traces, but cd doesn't even want to spin.
I've read that the first step before adjusting pots is marking the "initial" point to be able to go back to safe settings, but the thing is that the former owner of the console told me that he "adjusted" them already.

A forum member kindly told me that TheSteve and Turbokon made a couple videos showing how to adjust them using an oscilloscope, but I haven't been able to find them, and the thing is that I don't have the knowledge to start fiddling with an oscilloscope without a proper tutorial or guidance...

What should I do?

Thanks a lot for your help.  =D> =D> =D>
OK, I slapped some screencaps together, and the comment section of Steve's video has even more information to tune those 3 CD potentiometers like a pro, although it's "rough" so I'll try to make sense of what you must do.

** Proper CD waveform when tuning a CD laser/player **

https://www.facebook.com/steven.hanely/videos/10201717056086907/

https://i.postimg.cc/cHQvBRjB/3-Pot-PCECDOscilloscope-01.png
https://i.postimg.cc/Bb4XY8f9/3-Pot-PCECDOscilloscope-02.png
https://i.postimg.cc/pX0pCX04/3-Pot-PCECDOscilloscope-03.png
https://i.postimg.cc/9Qrzn5KM/3-Pot-PCECDOscilloscope-04.png
IMG IMG
IMG IMG


* You hook the oscilloscope to P5 pins 1 and 2 (1 is ground, 2 is RF signal).

* Pots VR101, VR102, VR103, VR104 each effect the signal differently

* Once you play with it for a min, you should get a feel for it.

* The signal is comprised of a sign wave with a fixed slope and varied amplitude.

* So when the pulse is taller the frequency is lower, the peak/frequency variances are in fixed steps causing a grid effect.

* Your adjustment goal is max amplitude with minimal line jitter.

* VR105 is your sync hold pot.



Anyway, best I can do at this time, it's a real tough job to translate "steve-speak" for the common man (But I try on rare occasion like this YPbPr Component Guide we worked on together).

So, in a nutshell, you must get the CD waveform to look like [this] what it does towards the end of his video while adjusting the pots. Since you say a new laser was installed and the installer adjusted those 3 pots away from factory defaults, it definitely needs to be done right, and this may help you if you solve the spinning problem first.

Personally, I think using a slow-burned CD-R of a game may/might be a smart strategy, you get it fine-tuned with a CD-R and they'll all work which should -- in theory -- guarantee that the laser works with original factory-pressed silvers. Although you may need to test that in practice.

On the other hand, if you only have originals, don't play burned CD-Rs for fan translations or downloads, then maybe don't bother on such an idea - stick with an original factory-pressed CD for tuning.

Good luck!

Cordelay

Oh man! Thanks a lot! I'll check it out when I come home from work, but this looks super detailed and useful.

What scope did you end up getting? I've seen a cheap 2channel 2MHz standalone.


Thanks a lot for taking the time to gather all the info.

NightWolve

Quote from: Cordelay on 05/03/2018, 09:09 AMWhat scope did you end up getting? I've seen a cheap 2channel 2MHz standalone.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to gather all the info.
Me ? I own the SainSmart DDS-140 USB Digital 40 Mhz Oscilloscope, bought it many years ago on eBay for $80-$90 USD. Together with a 7" Windows tablet for another $30 USD ('Twas a "Black Friday deal" via a local brick'n'mortar retailer), it becomes a full portable oscilloscope. The interface software was developed in MSVC++ for Microsoft Windows, so yeah, you need a Windows PC, tablet or laptop, etc. to use it.

sainsmart.com/.../dds140-pc-based-usb-oscilloscope-40mhz
DDS-140-Digital-Oscilloscope.jpg


QuoteThanks a lot for taking the time to gather all the info.
Sure! But didn't you say the CD doesn't even spin ? You got other problems to deal with before even thinking about this I think ??

Cordelay

Quote from: NightWolve on 05/05/2018, 10:27 PMSure! But didn't you say the CD doesn't even spin ? You got other problems to deal with before even thinking about this I think ??
Yup, it wasn't spinning at first, but it was troubling me and had spare time on the weekend so I decided to give the first page tutorial a go.

As a starting point I used the xls file where a forum user wrote his ohms readings on the pots of a working Turbo Duo, and then I started tweaking using BlueRaven's and BlueBMW indications on the first page of this post. I got it working to the point that some original music cd's worked (minus some slow loading and a bit of trouble reading con the outer tracks) and the five or six burned games I tried worked alright. I knew it wasn't a permanent fix, but I was able to play games.  :dance:

But yesterday I tried to hook up a small 2MHz portable oscilloscope to try adjusting the pots using your tutorial indications and couldn't get a proper waveform so I assembled again the console and called it quits. I don't know what I touched, but the thing is that now it has problems reading CD's again, so I guess I'll reset the pots to the starting point and and try to get it at least reading burned CD's.

I think the moral of the story is: "You need proper tools and knowledge to do a good job" or also "If it's working don't fix it!"  :lol:

Here are some pics during the process:

TurboDuo.jpg
4K: https://i.imgur.com/Pxy6LMx.jpg

TurboDuoYs.jpg
4K: https://i.imgur.com/gK9LDWD.jpg

soop

this is really good stuff.  I might have to consider an oscilloscope.  I've seen Ben Heck use one to great effect, but it was always a bit mystifying to me, I'll have to watch a tutorial and see if I can work out what's going on (the sheer amount of buttons and dials is a little overwhelming)
Quote from: esteban on 04/26/2018, 04:44 PMSHUTTLECOCK OR SHUFFLE OFF!

Cordelay

Ok, I've reset all pots back to "average" values, also tweaked a little bit the white laser pot (counterclockwise an 8th of a spin) and the screeching noises have disappeared and works again, music cds read super fast, but burned cds take a little more time.
I think the laser pot might have been adjusted too strong (due to failing caps) and with the new caps maybe it needed to be set back a bit...
As long as it loads games it's fine by me...

Cordelay

Quote from: soop on 05/08/2018, 09:03 AMthis is really good stuff.  I might have to consider an oscilloscope.  I've seen Ben Heck use one to great effect, but it was always a bit mystifying to me, I'll have to watch a tutorial and see if I can work out what's going on (the sheer amount of buttons and dials is a little overwhelming)
I've been watching reviews of the Hantek DSO5000 series and they seem to be a nice value for the money, but I find it difficult to justify forking down 250€ for something I still don't know either how to use or what to use it for... Just a couple months to my bday, so I might get one anyway :lol:

soop

Quote from: Cordelay on 05/08/2018, 09:35 AM
Quote from: soop on 05/08/2018, 09:03 AMthis is really good stuff.  I might have to consider an oscilloscope.  I've seen Ben Heck use one to great effect, but it was always a bit mystifying to me, I'll have to watch a tutorial and see if I can work out what's going on (the sheer amount of buttons and dials is a little overwhelming)
I've been watching reviews of the Hantek DSO5000 series and they seem to be a nice value for the money, but I find it difficult to justify forking down 250€ for something I still don't know either how to use or what to use it for... Just a couple months to my bday, so I might get one anyway :lol:
Yeah that seems too much.  Check ebay for a second hand one, I just looked and there are some old ones going for like £30
Quote from: esteban on 04/26/2018, 04:44 PMSHUTTLECOCK OR SHUFFLE OFF!

mouth78

Hi.
I know this post is very old, but I begin to Lost my mind and I think you are my last chance.

I bought long time ago a Duo Whitout caps and with caps new to install.

Board was really bad, a lot of pads missing, no volume control, no switch of CD cover open and close...
With a lot of time and patience I have get to star system card 3, repair volume and start games en hucards.
My final problema is CDs doesn't spin...I have try to configure all pots and I have revised all caps several times but always the same result:
-lens comes to the center
-lens go up and down 3 or 4 times.
-message of "revise CD"...
CD never spin.
I am desperate, long time spends and I begin to think I cant repair...
Someone can give some advice?
If I watch lens, I can see the red light of laser without CD.
Motor works, if I connect 3V to the motor, motor spins.
Thanks a lot.

NightWolve

Quote from: mouth78 on 03/12/2024, 05:13 PMCD never spin.
I am desperate, long time spends and I begin to think I cant repair...
Someone can give some advice?
If I watch lens, I can see the red light of laser without CD.
Motor works, if I connect 3V to the motor, motor spins.
Thanks a lot.
Hola m78, sorry to hear. So, one of the last active NEC console repair guys is @Keith Courage (Chris Brown). If you click his profile link you can PM (assuming he didn't turn off email notify) or reach him on Facebook where he's most active/available. I'll go ahead and inline his contact info, try:
1) https://www.facebook.com/chrisrocknrollbrown
2) chriscomputers @ hotmail.com

Since you're in Spain, I don't know anybody in Europe who you could cheaply ship it to for repairs. I know Jodi in Canada, or Chris in US/Indiana, and a few handful of others on Twitter that are US or Canada based, so shipping would be terrible. Sorry.

Also, if you do register on Facebook, try asking @thesteve:
3) https://www.facebook.com/steven.hanely

If you still think you can fix it yourself, he may be able to guide you, give you the right tips. But given your language barrier and his sparse communication style, it'll be tough.

Tak-MK

Quote from: mouth78 on 03/12/2024, 05:13 PMHi.
I know this post is very old, but I begin to Lost my mind and I think you are my last chance.

I bought long time ago a Duo Whitout caps and with caps new to install.

Board was really bad, a lot of pads missing, no volume control, no switch of CD cover open and close...
With a lot of time and patience I have get to star system card 3, repair volume and start games en hucards.
My final problema is CDs doesn't spin...I have try to configure all pots and I have revised all caps several times but always the same result:
-lens comes to the center
-lens go up and down 3 or 4 times.
-message of "revise CD"...
CD never spin.
I am desperate, long time spends and I begin to think I cant repair...
Someone can give some advice?
If I watch lens, I can see the red light of laser without CD.
Motor works, if I connect 3V to the motor, motor spins.
Thanks a lot.
Quote from: NightWolve on 03/12/2024, 06:28 PMSince you're in Spain, [...]

If you still think you can fix it yourself, he may be able to guide you, give you the right tips. But given your language barrier and his sparse communication style, it'll be tough.

Hi there! I'm from Spain too :P I never checked a Duo per-se but I have my hobbyist electronics workshop where I (try to) fix consoles and everything that falls into my hands, so depending of your location you can come or send it to me if you're willing to do so.

SkyeWelse

Thanks so much for this guide and especially the potentiometers and what each of them do. Knowing what each of them is actually doing really helps isolate some of the issues I was facing when I installed a new laser. I believe I have everything working or close to working now, including CDRs and all audio tracks, though I've really only experimented with one game for a Sound Test so far (FX Unit Yuki's Audition mode). Anyhow, I know this thread is many years old now but it's very useful today!

-SkyeWelse