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[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Arcade Card Duo vs. Pro?]

So... if I understand correctly it goes something like this.

A PC Engine Duo with an Arcade Card Duo can play Arcade CDs.

The Arcade Card Pro is basically a 3.0 system card and the Duo card combined to allow a PC Engine + CD to play Arcade CDs.

Correct?

I ask this because I just picked up a Duo-R and an Arcade Card Duo, but the start up screen still says "Super CD-ROM2 version 3.00" and Arcade CDs won't play.  Does this just mean that my Arcade Card Duo doesn't work or needs to be cleaned?  Other HuCard games work on the system, so it is not an issue with the slot.  So far the only Arcade CD I have to test this with is Fatal Fury Special, but I've also ordered Fatal Fury 2, Art of Fighting, and World Heroes 2 and they just haven't arrived yet.

On an unrelated note, I'd really like to find Sapphire and Strider Hiryu, but there wasn't a single copy of either on Ebay when I looked.  Seeing as there are only 12 Arcade CDs I've considered just trying to get all of them.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Looking for some input on a TG16 related article I have written.]

So, did you get the job?

I haven't heard anything yet.  They didn't read it right there on the spot, they just told me that they would be in touch after they had time to read it over.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Looking for some input on a TG16 related article I have written.]

there is no such game called castlevania: rondo of blood, since the name castlevania wasn't use nor really known in japan until 2002, when konami started to use the oversea name for the GBA title of Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (for some unknown reasons). luckily they changed back to akumajo dracula when starting with the DS titles.

Yes, the official Japanese title is "Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo", but the game is much better known in the US as "Castlevania: Rondo of Blood", as that is the name that was used for the PSP port and will most likely be used if it is ever released on the Wii Virtual Console.  Since this article is written primarily about US releases, and is intended for people who know nothing about the TG-16 to be able to understand it, I figured it would be better to use the English title.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Looking for some input on a TG16 related article I have written.]

You're forgetting the LT, which was released a year or so after the GT.

While it is a portable system, I wouldn't really call the LT a handheld.  Also, aside from the brief mentions of the original PC Engine and the PC-FX, this article is primarily about things that were released in the US, which the LT was not.  I didn't really feel the need to mention both the LT and the GT.

... or the functionally similar TurboBooster+, which added save capabilities in addition to AV out.

I've never heard of that, actually.  Was it released in the US?  I don't know too much about the stuff that was only available in Japan.  I had heard of something to do with a save function, but never knew too many details about it or how to use it.

There are 22 titles (25 if you include the 3 unofficial booby titles).  You've probably omitted the 2 bisexual games: Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective 2 and Syd Mead's Terra Forming.

PCE Daisakusen lists both of those as Super CD-ROM2s.  I didn't realize they worked in the original TurboGrafx-CD as well.  Also, I did not include any unlicensed games in the numbers, as you probably figured out, so the booby games were not included.

True, though the TG-CD did come with a super awesome CD+G.

I was not aware of that.  I don't recall my TG-CD coming with anything, so either it did not or I no longer have that CD+G and don't remember it.  Or, there is the third option of it only being included in Japan, is that the case?

This implies that Dracula X was available at (or near) launch, when it actually came out years later.  Furthermore, that's a SuperCD title and can't be played on a TG-CD without the 3.0 card.

I didn't intend for that to be implied, and I am aware that it is a SuperCD.  Really, that was just the first game that came to mind when I was trying to think of a TG-CD game that could be called a "classic".

I'm not sure about your numbers here, so here's a breakdown that you can compile in whatever way works for you:

HuCard -- 94 games + 2 system cards
CD -- 20 licensed games + 3 unofficial games
CD/SuperCD -- 2 licensed games
SuperCD -- 24 licensed games + 3 unofficial games + 1 Lords o' Thunder demo disc

Like I said above, my numbers came from PCE Daisakusen.  According to that, there are 27 SuperCD games (Including Sherlock Holmes 2 and Terraforming).  In that 27 were 2 unlicensed games (Implode and Meteor Blaster DX) and the Lords of Thunder Demo, so that makes 24 licensed games.


Anyway, thanks for the feedback.

I actually turned this article in yesterday, so while I wouldn't mind improving it more, for the purpose of the job interview it is done.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Looking for some input on a TG16 related article I have written.]

1. Be 100% consistent with all terminology and treat them as proper nouns (TurboGrafx-16, "System Card", etc.)

Fixed.  Let me know if I missed anything.

3. You failed to explain how FEKA conquered the market with poison and skulduggery.

Um... What?

4. When explaining the "failure" of our beloved TG-16, you can explain how, in addition to NEC/TTi's shortcomings (price points, selecting games for North America, etc.), success was largely determined by marketing campaigns, marketing budgets, brand equity, third-party support, etc. Sega and Nintendo spent $$$'s for ongoing, national marketing campaigns (print and television). NEC (and later, TTi) couldn't match a fraction of these budgets. Sega's  aggressive, edgy marketing, plus its strong library of sports games, really helped distinguish the Genesis in the North American market. Both Nintendo (via NES) and Sega (via arcade games primarily; SMS only helped a tiny bit) were long-established, reputable brands.

I did briefly mention the fact that Sega had better advertising, as well as the fact that part of the problem for NEC was the lack of brand recognition, but I'll look into possibly putting more emphasis on those points.

6. Wait...WHAT? I find it difficult to believe this article is part of a job interview. The entire scenario seems unbelievable to me. Forgive me for being rude. I'll tell you what: I won't bring it up again.

7. OK, I lied. If this article is for a job, you might want to make a few statements sound more "objective" (especially when you discuss flaws/weaknesses).

As I said, the company I am applying at is a small video game store, and the position I originally applied for was customer service.  There was also talk about a possible position in sales, dealing with some overseas wholesale customers.  Somehow during the course of my interview we got into discussing things relating more to creative projects, and the company owner asked for a writing sample.  I honestly have no idea what he is looking for or even what type writing he may need.

This was something I had already been working on and I described a brief outline to the owner, so he does have an idea of what it is I will be showing him.  This was originally written differently, with some opinions and humor thrown in, but for the purpose of showing it as a writing sample I edited it to be more fact driven and less opinionated.  I even had it formatted as sort of a script at one point, with the idea that I may make it into a video review of the console in order to give more visual aid such as showing what the console and accessories actually look like.  Basically, this has gone through many forms, but in this current form the goal is for it to read as an educational article that will help someone who may have never heard of the TurboGrafx-16 better understand the console's history and why it is that they haven't heard of it.

I tried to make the article objective and non-biased, so if you feel there are some points that still feel like they are opinions then I would appreciate it if you could point them out to me.  Also, I have already implemented some of the suggestions you made, which can be seen in the newly edited original post.

Lastly, thanks for the feedback!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Looking for some input on a TG16 related article I have written.]

Hey everyone, I'm fairly new to this site and this is only my third topic here.  I'll just go ahead and confess right now, the other topic I have in this section was an attempt to get information for this article, but was also true as I am thinking about buying a PC Engine Duo.

Anyway, on to the point of this post.  I recently applied for a job at a small local video game shop that specializes in carrying games for all consoles old and new.  somehow I went from applying for a customer service position to the store owner requesting a video game related writing sample, so I plan to submit this article I had been working on to him.  What I'd like to ask of the great community here is for you to please read it over and tell me what you think, as well as letting me know if I have gotten any facts wrong.  Without further ado, the article!

The History of the TurboGrafx-16
On October 30th, 1987, the PC Engine was released by NEC in Japan.  The system was the first ever 16-bit console, being released a full year earlier than the Sega MegaDrive.  Fast forward 2 years to August 29th, 1989.  This is when the PC Engine was released in the US with a new look and a new name, the TurboGrafx-16.  The troubles for the TurboGrafx-16 started right out of the gate in the US.  Early advertising for the console touted the fact that it had graphics and sound superior to that of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), but didn't even acknowledge the existence of the Sega Genesis.  While it had a one year lead over the MegaDrive in Japan, in the US the Sega Genesis was released two weeks prior to the TurboGrafx-16.  Sega used a marketing campaign in which they smeared the TurboGrafx-16 and mocked NEC for claiming that they had made the first 16-bit console.  Due to its two week head start, its price being $10 lower, and much better advertising, the Genesis took an early lead over the TurboGrafx-16.  Another minor fault that the TurboGrafx-16 had was that there was only one controller port on the system while the NES and Genesis both had two ports each.  If you wanted to play a multiplayer game on the TurboGrafx-16 then you would need an accessory called the TurboTap which allowed up to 5 controllers to be plugged in.

As for the games, this is another place where the TurboGrafx-16's ingenuity shined.  While their competitors used bulky cartridges, the TurboGrafx-16 used what were called HuCards.  These cards were about the size of a credit card, but a little thicker, and they were packaged in a case that looks like a CD jewel case.  Unfortunately for NEC, the games are another area where they were lacking.  While the NES was an established console and Sega had the Master System, as well as a large catalogue of arcade units, prior to the Genesis, the TurboGrafx-16 was the first console from NEC, and developers feared risking their money on new things.  Due to this, there was virtually no third party support for the system.  Most of the games released were made first party by NEC, or by their partner company Hudson Soft.  This resulted in only 94 HuCard games being released for the console in the US.

One year after the release of the TurboGrafx-16, NEC released a handheld console called the TurboExpress.  While it was not the first system with a backlit color screen, as that was the Atari Lynx, nor the second, as that was the Sega Game Gear, it was the most powerful handheld of its time and had a better quality screen than either of its competitors.  The TurboExpress was yet another innovation in the video game industry, as it was the first handheld to play the same games as its console counterpart.  The only other official system to do this was the Sega Nomad, which played Genesis cartridges, but that wasn't released until five years later.  Despite its superior quality and convenient compatibility with the same HuCards that were used on the TurboGrafx-16, the TurboExpress was also a failure, being held back by its excessive price that was twice the cost of a Game Gear as well as the small library of games available.

Also in 1990, NEC released an add-on for the TurboGrafx-16 called the TurboGrafx-CD.  As the name suggested, this was an expansion that allowed the console to play CD-ROM based games as well as audio CDs, yet again making it an industry first as no other console before it had used the CD format.  With the advent of CDs, this allowed for even better quality audio, as well as CD quality music in games, and also made way for some of the first ever "Full Motion Video" or FMV games.  Another advantage to the TurboGrafx-CD is that it added the ability to use composite video and stereo RCA audio output.  Previously the TurboGrafx-16 only supported RF output unless you had an accessory called the TurboBooster.  In order to play CD-ROM based games you had to insert a special HuCard into the system which was called a System Card.  The TurboGrafx-CD came with a 2.0 System Card, but only 20 games were released in the US that could be played with it.

As with all things TurboGrafx-16 related, the TurboGrafx-CD was also a failure.  It really had too much going against it for it to possibly succeed.  First of all, only people who already had a TurboGrafx-16 would even consider getting the TurboGrafx-CD, and as we know the TurboGrafx-16 install base was rather small.  Next, you have the restrictive launch price of about $400, which made it so that even most of the people who had a TurboGrafx-16 weren't interested in buying the TurboGrafx-CD.  And lastly, it all comes back to the games.  At this time, pretty much every console out there came with at least one pack-in game, except for the TurboGrafx-CD.  Also, there were only two games available for the TurboGrafx-CD at launch, Monster Lair and Fighting Street, the latter of which is better known by its arcade title, Street Fighter.  There was a bit of a silver lining for people who did fork out the cash for the TurboGrafx-CD though.  Unlike the HuCards, CD-ROM games were not region protected at all, so if you were willing to import games from Japan then you would have a much larger library to choose from including classics like "Castlevania: Rondo of Blood".

When TurboGrafx-16 was on its last legs NEC tried to save the system with another update, and the TurboDuo was born.  Basically, the TurboDuo was a console that combined the original TurboGrafx-16 and the TurboGrafx-CD into one package while sporting an updated system BIOS and an additional 192k of memory, allowing it to play more advanced games.  The TurboDuo also removed the need for the CD System Card, as now you only needed to insert a disc into the console and it could be played while the HuCard slot was empty.  While the TurboDuo was not technically a new system, it did cause an update to be made to the games.  The discs used for the original CD-ROM based games were called CD-ROM2 discs, however the new games being released for the TurboDuo were called Super CD-ROM2 discs.  In order to make these new games compatible with the original TurboGrafx-CD an updated System Card was released.  The new 3.0 "Super" System Card had an additional memory chip inside of it that the system could use to be able to run the Super CD-ROM2 games.  Unfortunately, this 3.0 System Card was fairly rare even when it was brand new, as it was only available by mail order directly from NEC.

In order to make up for the utter lack of pack-ins with the TurboGrafx-CD, the TurboDuo came with what amounted to 7 games on 2 CD-ROMs and one HuCard.  First, you had the previously released "Ys Books I & II" on a CD-ROM2.  Then a second CD-ROM, a Super CD-ROM2, included the new game "Gate of Thunder" as well as the games "Bonk's Adventure" and "Bonk's Revenge" which had previously been released as HuCards.  This CD-ROM also had a fourth game hidden on it as an easter egg, and that game was the original "Bomberman", which had also been released previously as a HuCard.  The final game included was a randomly chosen previously released HuCard game.  Unfortunately for NEC, Sega was there again to steal their thunder.  Around the same time that the TurboDuo was released, Sega released the Sega-CD add-on for the Genesis.  Despite the lavish pack-ins included with the TurboDuo and the fact that the TurboDuo and the Sega-CD had the same starting price, most people opted for the Sega-CD as they already had a Genesis and therefore saw it as just buying an accessory rather than investing in a whole new console.  As a result, only 24 additional games were released in the US on the new Super CD-ROM2 format, bringing the total number of US games available to 138, and NEC discontinued support for all US consoles two years later, in 1994.

In Japan however, everything was quite different.  The PC Engine was extremely popular there, as was the PC Engine-CD, and together there were over 700 games released for the two.  In fact, NEC's console was so popular in Japan that there was actually a second generation console released called the PC-FX, but by the time it came out the Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation had already been released, and NEC had lost its foothold on the Japanese market.  As a result, there were only 62 games released for the console.  In 1998 NEC gave up on making game consoles all together and shifted their focus to making other consumer electronic.  Their partner company, Hudson Soft, continued developing games for other consoles, and was bought out by Konami in 2005.

EDIT:  Minor update to fix a typo and add a little more consistency to the usage of "Super CD-ROM2" and "Sega-CD".
EDIT2: Made some updates in response to esteban's post.  Standardized references to CD-ROMs, TurboGrafx-16, TurboGrafx-CD, & System Card.  Other changes are marked in bold.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: TurboDuo + System Cards?]

Short answer: get a Duo R.

Long answer: The Duos all have the Super System card built in so no card is needed to play any CDs except Arcade Card CDs. The only thing it won't play are Arcade CDs and SGX games, so out of the 700+ PC Engine games that are out there the Duo R will play all but a dozen or so. You can also buy either of the Arcade Cards to play Arcade Card CDs which will leave you with a machine that will play everything but the 6 SGX games, which is no real loss.

That's exactly what I was hoping to hear, thanks!

Your recommendation of the Duo-R does raise another question though.  I just did a quick search and found that Wikipedia says this:

Duo systems

    * PC Engine Duo (1991)
          o Combination PC Engine + CD ROM system + System 3.0 card, dark grey, has a CD door lock and headphone port
    * PC Engine Duo R (1993)
          o Same as the Duo, but white/beige with a more streamlined case style, and lacks the lock and headphone port.
    * PC Engine Duo RX (1994)
          o Same as the Duo R, slightly blue in colour. The only PCE packaged with a six-button pad.

This makes it seem like the only differences between the three models are cosmetic, is this true?  If so, then I don't particularly care which model I get and would probably just go for whatever I can get for the lowest price.  Is there any reason that you are recommending the Duo-R specifically?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / TurboDuo + System Cards?]

I do not have a TurboDuo, nor do I have the 3.0 Super System Card.  What I do have is an original TurboGrafx, the CD add-on, and a 2.0 System Card.  I've been thinking about trying to get some Super CD-ROM2 games, so my question is this:

Does the TurboDuo require the use of a system card to play CD games, or can you play CD-ROM2 and Super CD-ROM2 games in it without anything in the HuCard slot?

Seeing as there isn't too big of a difference between the price of a US 3.0 card and a Duo, I was thinking I could just get a Duo if it does not require the card.  I may even go as far as getting a Japanese Duo so that I could play PC Engine HuCard games as well, while continuing to use my current TG16 for US HuCards.

To add to this question, does the Japanese Duo require the Arcade card to be able to play those Arcade CD games?

If any of this has been asked/answered before then I apologize, but I did use the search function and could not find anything.

EDIT:  I just checked Ebay, and I guess I was a bit off on my price estimates.  The cheapest US 3.0 card is about $154 w/shipping, while the cheapest PC Engine Duo is about $250 w/shipping.  Still, I would much rather get the PC Engine Duo than pay over $150 for just a system card if possible.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Issue with TG16 Composite video output.]

You can disregard my previous questions about the Sony Discmen.  I went ahead and bought one of the new KSS-220a from the Ebay link BlackandBlue posted.  Now I just hope that once it arrives I can manage to follow the guide on here and not break anything, and that replacing the laser does indeed fix the problem and make my CD drive as good as new.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Issue with TG16 Composite video output.]

After seeing the photo of your video problem, I am now virtually certain you are dealing with a device issue in a device other than your TurboGrafx, as I originally thought. I can't explain why the problem persists on your different TVs, when you use different cables, etc. On the other hand, it's even more strange that in my 20+ years with the console (a number of those spent actively repairing systems for people) I've never seen this problem on any deck until you show up with 2 exhibiting the same symptoms. IIRC, 15.5 DCV is the correct output for that power supply but I'd make it my first order of business to track down another one and give it a try before anything else.

Just for the sake of wanting to play with my new camera, I recorded a video of the screen now as well.  It can be seen here.
However, that video is kind of pointless now.  I don't really now how to say this without sounding like an idiot but... I'm an idiot.
I know I exhausted every possible option by testing it in all the ways I described above... I just know I did.  I did this all a few months ago when the first system started having issues, because I wanted buying a new system to be a last resort.   Just out of curiosity since everyone was saying it looked like it was an issue with something other than the TurboGrafx, I tested it again.  Guess what... It worked.  I am completely confused now, but for some unexplainable reason it now works when I hook it directly into the TV, making it seem as though the issue is with my receiver.  I tried to fiddle with the options on the receiver to fix the issue, but it appears to already be set to just pass the video signal without doing any scaling, so I don't know what the issue is.  I guess there may be some sort of scaling that can't be disabled being done when it converts the signal from composite to HDMI to pass it to the TV.  Between this and the fact that it has some sort of issue passing a component video signal from my Wii, I am getting really fed up with this receiver.  Anyway, the video problem seems to be solved for now.  If it turns out that this is just it's intermittent tenancies showing themselves again to mess with me then I will post again if/when the problem reappears I suppose.

Your best bet is to get one out of an old Discman, such as the ones I have listed here. It's highly unlikely you'll find a brand new laser of the proper type at anything approaching a reasonable price, so just hit up eBay for a Discman in good condition at a good price and go with it.

In the comments on that post the D-2 and D-11 are mentioned as being compatible in addition to the 3 listed in the main post.  Is that confirmed?  The cheapest one on Ebay right now seems to be this D-2, but I am hesitant to buy it since the seller can't confirm if it works properly or not.  There are two other auctions that I am watching, one for a D-4 and the other a D-34, which are currently at about the same price as that D-2, so hopefully no one bids on those and I can get one.  What do you think I should do?  Risk getting the D-2 or just wait out the 2 days (approximately) left on the other two auctions and buy one of them?

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Issue with TG16 Composite video output.]

Are you using the original power supply?  If so, have you tested it for proper output?

I just did a little checking online to make sure I knew what I was doing, since I was kind of afraid I was going to electrocute myself, but now I have tested the output of the power supply with my multimeter.  The output written on the power supply is 11 DCV, but the reading I got from it was about 15.5 DCV.  I know it is normal for it to read a little higher than what is printed, but a difference of 4.5 seems like a lot.  Is it possible that this is the problem?  Do you think that the system being over loaded could somehow damage the composite video output, since the video output and the power input are so close together on the unit?

I plan to take apart the CD base to see if there are any obvious issues inside, such as parts that have burned or melted due to overloading, but I don't have the right bit to remove the security screws that hold it together.  Luckily for me there is a video game specialty store nearby that sells the bit I would need, but I don't think I will be able to make a trip there until this weekend.  Does anyone know what size the screws in the CD base are?

The only time I have seen this problem (multiple times), which was on the TE, was when I disturbed the HuCard while the game was running.  So either the various cards have their pins in various stages of corrosion and/or dirt, or the socket on the TE itself is dirty.  In either case, I usually re-seat the card and recycle the power.

This seems to happen no matter what game I am trying to play, and I try to keep my games in good condition.  All the games I own are clean and have nice shiny pins.  If the problem was corrosion or dirt on the actual console, then I would think that it would be a constant problem and not just an issue when using composite output.

I should point out, however, that the "quad" screen is usually a case of 4 dups of the original screen; that is, the horizontal and vertical resolutions seem to have doubled.

The screen is not four smaller duplicates of the original screen, it is the original screen split into four sections then shuffled around.  I can't really show it in a still picture, but in the picture above just imaging that the black line horizontally across the screen is constantly scrolling upwards and looping back to the bottom when it reaches the top.

Don't know if that is actually the case, or even if it applies to your problem.

Good luck
Charlie

Yeah, it would seem that that is not the case, but thanks for trying anyway.

As for your issue with the cd deck, it could either be the gear for teh cd track is stuck or the laser is dead.  To see if the cd gear is stuck, open up the unit and move the circuit board out of the way.  There are 2 ribbon cables that need to be removed.  Then gently move the gears (the only ones in the unit, there are 3 in succession).  It will move the laser on the track.  Try not to use force on the middle gear as it shreds easily.  If it is already missing its teeth, that is probably the issue.  Once you know the track will be able to move, pop it back together as see if it works.  You can see the guide I posted later on to see how to disassemble the unit.  While its open, might as well grease the gears.

Here is a recent thread about the gear getting stuck.

If it still doesn't work, open up the cd unit (as if you were going to put a cd in it) and use a paperclip out thin screwdriver to hold in the door switch (you will see the hole to the front of the unit on the side with the LCD).  Try to start it up as if you were going to play a game and see if you can see the red light in the lens.  I assume you know not to stare directly into the light and to look at it from an angle.  If you do not see a led light, laser is probably toast and needs to be replaced.  You can follow my handy dandy guide if you feel up to it.

I think I may have made some progress on this, or I am just remembering the issue incorrectly.  When I looked at the CD player I noticed that the laser was all the way at the far end of the track, so I gently moved it back to the center then tried turning it on.  The PC light on the top does light up now (I could have sworn that it did not before), but the disc does not spin up and instead the screen just hangs on the "please wait a moment" loading screen.

Upon opening up the CD player the first thing I noticed is that the plastic connector that the smaller of the two ribbon cables goes into is cracked, making it so that you can remove it all the way instead of just sliding it down to remove the cable.  It seems to hold in place as long as you don't bother it, but I don't know if this is affecting the connection made by the ribbon cable.

The gears seemed to be a bit stiff, like they may have been jammed, but when I gently rotated them they came loose and now seem to move freely as they are supposed to.  They all appear to be in tact, so the issue is not the gears being worn, but they look like they could probably use some new lubricant, though I don't have the slightest clue what to use for that.

Lastly (and likely what the issue is), I checked the laser like you said to do, and it does not appear to be giving off any light.  I would really like it to not be a dead laser, as the guide you linked looks big, and scary, and I suck at soldering, but if I must replace parts I think I can probably manage.  My only question is this, where do you get the replacement parts?  I tried searching on Google for KSS-220a, but didn't find much in the way of reliable vendors to purchase one from.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Issue with TG16 Composite video output.]

Does wiggling the composite video connector at the console while in operation have any effect on the distorted image? If so, you could be looking at a bad video jack or something to that effect.

Wiggling the cable seems to do nothing at all.

Rolling, black & white, and whatnot sounds like a sync problem and probably not with the TG decks.  There's little chance you have this exact same problem with both systems as you and nat have said.  No doubt you're seeing it, that's not what I'm saying.  But the problem has to be caused by something else as has also been alluded to.  Are you using the original power supply?  If so, have you tested it for proper output?  Do you have a TurboBooster to test the composite output directly from the TG16? 

One last thing.  You're not using a gray PAL TG16 are you ;)  ?

They are all US consoles, and I do not have a TurboBooster.
As for the power supply, it hadn't even occurred to me that that could be the problem.  Upon giving it some though, I believe I kept using the same power supply when I received the new console rather than swapping it for the new one, so that is a constant between both systems that are having the issue.  Unfortunately, I can't for the life of me recall where any other power supplies are (I should have 3, I think), so I will have to do some digging to be able to test out that theory.  I am kind of confused as to how the new system was able to work for a couple months before displaying symptoms if the power supply is indeed the problem, unless the bad power supply actually caused damage to the console itself in which case swapping the power supply now may still not fix the problem.
I'm not really sure how to go about testing the power supply for proper output, so could you tell me what I would need to do that?

Alternatively, is there any chance that something is causing EMI/RFI/ground loop?

A long shot, but...

Er... Um... I'm not entirely sure I know what that is, but if it is what I think it is then I don't think it is the problem.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Issue with TG16 Composite video output.]

I've never heard of this problem, and I've repaired many TurboGrafx decks in my day. At the risk of stating the obvious, have you considered that perhaps your TV has an intermittent problem on the composite inputs?

Also, have you tried a different composite cable, etc?

Ah, I meant to mention this in the original post.  I've tried a few different composite cables and the problem appears on all of them.  I've also tried connecting it to all of the inputs on both my receiver (5 inputs) and directly on my TV (2 inputs), and it appeared in every single one.  I even went so far as to connect the system to a different TV, and the problem still persisted there.  Also, everything else I have hooked up works perfectly fine.  I only have 6 things connected at the moment, with one of them being composite, but in the past I have had as many as 17 things connected via various switch-boxes and the like, and of those 17 I think 4-5 were composite.  I believe that I have safely ruled out some other device being the culprit, and can say with a fair amount of certainty that the issue does lie with the TurboGrafxs.  I too thought that it was odd that the problem presented itself on two different systems since I had heard that TurboGrafx generally had a low failure rate and was one of the most reliable systems, so my first instinct was the same as yours, to blame some other device for the issue.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Issue with TG16 Composite video output.]

First of all, let me say that this is my first post and I just joined these forums.  I just recently learned of this site's existence and I'm pleasantly surprised to learn that there are other people out there who still love the TurboGrafx.  Now, on to my issue.

I own 3 TurboGrafxs, and 2 of the CD add-ons.  I also have a TurboExpress, but that is irrelevant to the rest of this post.  Everything I own is the US versions.

One of the CD players does not seem to work at all.  It does not spin when a disc is in it and the light on it does not turn on, it appears to be completely dead.  I really don't know how to describe the problem well enough for anyone to suggest ways to fix this.  I was thinking that perhaps the motor that makes the discs spin may be burned out, or after reading some other threads on here that it could be the problem of the gears wearing down.  Could someone maybe describe the symptoms of a system with worn down gears so I can figure out if that is the issue?

The second issue (the one from the topic title) afflicts both CD bases (or PowerBase, or whatever the official name is).  It started on my original system first, which is why I bought the second one, then a couple months after purchasing it the issue appeared on the second one as well.  When outputing video over the composite cable the picture is not displayed properly, though the audio seems to be fine.  The problem seems to be intermittent, but occurs more often then not.  In fact, I have only had it work properly once since seeing the problem appear, which conveniently enough was when I tried to show the problem to someone else.  I'll try to get a photo of the screen to show what is happening and add that later, but for now I will just describe the output.  First of all, the image is in black and white.  The picture looks as if it was cut down the center, then the left and right sides were swapped, and everything is constantly scrolling upwards, kind of like a TV with bad vertical hold.

Everything still works fine when I output over RF, but I would much prefer to use composite as it gives a better quality image (when it works) and my TV only has one RF input which I prefer to keep available for when I want to hook up something that only supports RF (such as the NES top-loader).

I used to work as a PC technician and I am very comfortable with taking apart electronics, so I am willing to try any suggestions that could fix this problem.  I really hope to be able to fix one or both of these issues, as I already spent about $230 on my first replacement system and really don't want to have to buy a third CD player.  I have been considering getting a TurboDuo, but can't really afford to right now.

Thanks in advance to anyone that is able to offer any help, and I apologize if this issue has been discussed before.  I tried to search the forum but wasn't sure what to use as my search criteria, and couldn't find anything.  If this has been discussed before then please give me a link to the older topic.

EDIT: Here's a picture of the screen:
EDIT AGAIN: Took some better pictures: