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[Off-Topic / PAX East 2013 - Registration Open]

It's over 5 months away, but registration for PAX East 2013 started today. I'll be there on Saturday. Anyone else attending?

March 22-24, 2013
Boston Convention Center
http://east.paxsite.com

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Scan: TurboExpress in Playboy magazine]

While cleaning out a box of old Maximum PC, PC World and Stereophile magazines, I came across a Playboy from 1991. It had been over 20 years since I'd laid eyes on it, so of course I had to thumb through the pages. In addition to the lovely ladies, there was a small piece on cool gear that featured the TurboExpress. Here are some scans. If anyone that runs a fansite wants to offer these files, feel free.

Download Link: turboexpress_playboy199104.pdf

Here's what the PDF contains:


If you just want the money shot:

/turboexpressplayboy1991.jpg

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / White PC Engine should be white]

Had great success whitening my PC Engine, CD-ROM² and IFU-30. I went with Arkhan's method of using just hydrogen peroxide and light instead of the various Retr0bright recipes. And I used artificial light instead of natural sunlight because I wanted a more controlled environment. First I made trips to my neighborhood pet supply, beauty supply and dollar stores and came home with a canopy light fixture (normally used atop reptile terrariums), UVB bulbs, many bottles of hydrogen peroxide, and various plastic food and storage containers. Here's a rundown.


MATERIALS:

• Exo Terra Compact Top Terrarium Canopy, 17.7 x 3.5 x 7.8-inch, Max 26W spiral, Max 25W tube, PT-2226
• 2x Exo Terra Repti Glo Tropical Terrarium Lamp, 5.0 UVB Compact, 26W, PT-2187 (Power should be in the 300-350nm wavelength)
• Salon Care 40 Volume Clear Developer 32 oz. (Hydrogen Peroxide)
• Plastic food or storage containers
• Rubber or latex gloves (hydrogen peroxide burns skin so these are a must)

Mmm, minty boxes

/pce20120729304setup.jpg



BEFORE

The RAU-30, which is in its original super-bright white condition, is used as a point of comparison. I recorded the Serial Numbers and removed the stickers with Goo Gone. Then I disassembled and cleaned the consoles with dish washing liquid and an old electric toothbrush.


/pce20120729234before.jpg


/pce20120729255before.jpg



SETUP

UVB bulbs installed in the light fixture.

/pce20120729262setup.jpg


All of the plastic pieces float so I weighed them down with small rolls of pennies. The larger pieces had rolls of pennies taped to their undersides, while smaller pieces were taped to rolls of pennies. The pieces were completely submerged. The tape would come loose so I checked on the consoles periodically, dried the pieces, and re-applied tape as needed.

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The whitening process in action.

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These types of containers are perfect if you need to whiten the edges. NOTE: This photo was taken after the process. Make sure you don't see a DIN connector or power switch when you
pour in the hydrogen peroxide!

/pce20120729301setup.jpg



AFTER

Neither the PC Engine nor the CD-ROM² came out as white as the RAU-30, but they look dramatically better.

/pce20120729289after.jpg


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BEFORE

The Super System Card is quite yellowed and was not put through the process allowing you to see the change in color of the consoles quite clearly. The white tray of the IFU-30 was also whitened although it's not as easy to tell in these photos.

/pce20120729180before.jpg


AFTER - Much better

/pce20120729294after.jpg

[Off-Topic / PAX East 2012]

I had a ton of fun and saw a lot of stuff. On Saturday evening I watched the Retrogame Roadshow, in which attendees brought their valuable games and collectibles to be discussed and valued by a panel of experts. I got a little bit of swag and bought one item: a Qanba 4 arcade stick that is compatible with the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. I didn't wait in any lines to play demos but I did take a lot of photos. Click the link below for a sampling:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/deletion/sets/72157629408884452/

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Got a CoreGrafx II & Super CD-ROM2, but...]

I purchased a CoreGrafx II & Super CD-ROM2 combo from a Japanese seller on eBay and it arrived today here in the USA. It was packaged extremely well and both units were in really good shape, unfortunately something did not survive the trip. The CoreGrafx was modded to play both PCE and TG Hucards; it has a toggle switch near the controller port to switch between the two modes. When I unwrapped the unit I could tell something was wrong because the toggle switch was flopping around and there was something rattling inside. The toggle switch is clearly broken as it moves freely and even disappears into the CoreGrafx.

Based on the light being off, the CoreGrafx is in PCE mode. Sadly I don't have any PCE Hucards to confirm it works with them. With a TG huey the system displays a blank white screen. On the bright side, the Super CD-ROM2 appears to work fine. Well, as far as I can tell it does. I don't have any SCD games either to fully test it. But it does load and play music CDs. Below is a video showing the broken toggle switch and a pic showing how it should work.

I've contacted the seller to see what can be done. Instead of returning the unit to Japan to be repaired and then shipped back to me, I proposed for the seller to refund some of the money. Then I'll look into replacing the switch myself. I'll keep you guys updated.

Video of broken toggle switch:

Closeup pic of toggle switch and LED:

[NEC Console Resource / New member]

Hi all,

I recently started collecting for the PC Engine and now I'm here to learn more about the systems and games. The first time I laid hands on a TurboGrafx-16 was in '92 where I played Bonk's Adventure for all of 5 minutes. 19 agonizingly long years went by without any PCE goodness until I finally got a system of my own a few months ago. I picked up a TG16 and 5 games (Alien Crush, J.J. & Jeff, Legendary Axe, Legendary Axe II, and Vigilante) and everything was in very good shape. Prior to this, the only thing I owned was a 10-minute TG16 promotional video on VHS (which is still in mint condition).

I love how many iterations and form factors there are of the PC Engine and it's going to be so much fun growing my collection. With that said, I have perhaps the sexiest combo on its way from Japan: a CoreGrafx II & Super CD-ROM2  . It should arrive next week. Until then I'll while away the time reading through the forum and watching PCE-related videos on YouTube (futurematt5, if you read this, your videos are superb).

Thanks for reading and I look forward to being an active member.