Messages

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: My analog A/V setup]

There is a procedure in the service manuals to reset to factory defaults or something like that.  These default settings return the TV to the state it was in at the factory BEFORE it was calibrated by a technician.  You won't have the equipment to recalibrate it properly and you might not even get a picture.

A service manual will tell you what buttons do what, and give you a slightly better idea of what the values you're adjusting are.  Some of them are still cryptic though.  You'll want to stick near the beginning in the DEF category for geometry adjustments.  The manual also has instructions for saving your cyhanges so they're not lost when the TV is unplugged, as well as physical adjustment around the neck.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: My analog A/V setup]

Make it useless as a brick.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: My analog A/V setup]

The service menu?

"with the TV off, press Display, 5, Vol +, Power on the remote to enter a Sony service menu"

Be sure to find the service manual for your TV.  Make a written note of the original values before making any changes.  Never reset to defaults or anything like that or you could brick your TV.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: My analog A/V setup]

Thanks guys!

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

We all have what we could call "guilty pleasures" I guess.  For some inexplicable reason I've played through 100% of Sonic R twice, and yet I know it's crap.  I guess you wouldn't want to call Bonk a guilty pleasure, but Splatterhouse would have to be...

Ninja Spirit is an arcade game.

I'm not sure how much I'll like pinball games, but I'll try the Crush games.  I haven't gotten much into Bubble Bobble yet either, so I'll try Parasol Stars.  I'll look into Dungeon Explorer and Bloody Wolf too.

Keep em comin!

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

I'll keep looking on Racket Boy and Hardcore Gaming 101.  I'll post anything if I find it.

Anyone else?

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Uhh... probably gonna get some flak for this...

I have Bonk 1 and 2 on the 4-in-1 Super CD, which I really only got for Gate of Thunder... and it's sooooo mediocre.  No challenge, and super bland level design.  In terms of platformers, even the original Super Mario Bros. was so much better...

Also, Cadash is an arcade game.  I'm building a cab that will play MAME and real pcb's, so I'm not interested in ports unless they're significantly better than the arcade version.

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Ok, more updates!

Here is my PCE collection so far:

-HuCard-
Blazing Lazers
Final Soldier (NTSC-J)
-CD-
4-in-1: Bonk 1/2/Gate of Thunder/Bomberman
Akumajo Dracula X: Chi no Rondo (NTSC-J)
Lords of Thunder
Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire (NTSC-J, repro)

and here is my shopping list:

-HuCard-
Soldier Blade $
Super Star Soldier $
Air Zonk
-CD-
Alzadick $
Nexzr Special (Summer Carnival Version) $
Rayxanber III
Seirei Senshi Spriggan (NTSC-J) $
Spriggan Mark 2 (NTSC-J) $
Terraforming $
Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise $

Anyhow, I've noticed that of the games I have so far, only Bomberman and Sapphire are multiplayer.  Any good multiplayer games to look for?

The biggest thing is that I've realized that everything on both lists are shmups except Bonk, Bomberman, and Castlevania.  What are the best non-shmup titles I should look for?  (I'm not really into Ys)

For either of these, I'm only interested in games that were either exclusives, or superior to all other versions available (including arcade versions).

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: My analog A/V setup]

Thanks, now that this is done I'm out of excuses to work on my other projects!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: My analog A/V setup]

I've kinda wondered, if I get the RGB mod for whatever game system, would that work on a VGA input?

Only if you have a device that accepts 15khz VGA input

My TV and transcoder  

Seriously though, Deadite is right, don't expect anything below 480p to work on a CRT PC Monitor or an LCD TV or anything like that.  Also most RGB mods put out RGBS or RGB with composite video as sync, not RGBHV which most "VGA inputs" will need, hence the sync seperator in my switch box.

"True VGA" is kind of semantics though.  VGA has several meanings.  It could mean an RGBHV signal OR 640x480p@60Hz resolution OR a DB-15HD connector.

Thanks for the compliments guys!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / My analog A/V setup]

Just wanted to share my gaming setup for 240p goodness.  In case anyone's interested, I put up a big thread over here:

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=43992

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Composite sync stripper for the schematic illiterate]

Durp!  You're right, didn't look closely enough.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Composite sync stripper for the schematic illiterate]

2SC1815 transistors are hard to find these days

Not really... http://tinyurl.com/a3zvt6a

LOL, ok.  Well they didn't have them in stock with the vendors I normally use.  Just thought it could be useful to know that NTE85's are equivalent.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Composite sync stripper for the schematic illiterate]

the sync from the video chip is 0.3V, making it not acceptable for most RGBS monitors.
it can be amped and works fine, but this chip can be in your cable.

Well of course.  Both the RGB and c sync signals coming from the chip should be amplified.  I thought this was a given for a standard RGB mod.  Sorry if it was unclear.  This is a proven amp circuit that I used:

http://www.gamesx.com/grafx/pce_rgb.jpg

2SC1815 transistors are hard to find these days; an NTE85 will work the same.

Of course if you skip amping the c sync, you'll never never need a 1.2k resistor to bring it back down to 0.3Vpp, as it's already there.

well what does work and what should work are not always the same thing. I have tapped my Duo for raw sync when using my rgb and it did not work. Building the sync stripper was not only dirt cheap but effective. You can throw all the technobabble at it you want, but in the end, this simple cheap circuit worked just fine.

Did you not amplify the c sync coming off the chip?  Whether you did or not, it probably wasn't the right level if it didn't work.  Or the monitor could have been really picky about the pulse width.  Both of these are set to a certain level with the LM1881, but it's possible you could gotten them to good values without it if you know what's going on.

Whatever the reason, there is an explanation that you would call "technobabble," that would be helpful to know instead of having to just go by trial and error.

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Ok, I think I'll just try and stick to buying games that are complete with the correct case (easier said than done, I know), now I that I know better how to evaluate that.  Thanks.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Composite sync stripper for the schematic illiterate]

Also, the diagram here is missing something very important.  Using a decoupling capacitor will prevent and kind of shakyness/noise/whatever due to small fluctuations in the +5v line.  This means a 0.1uf capacitor connected between the +5v input on the chip and ground.  There's no reason not to do this with most logic chips, and it's pretty mandatory on a video circuit like this.

You can also try 220uf capacitors on the sync outputs (in line, not to ground), but results might vary depending on the rest of your setup.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: Composite sync stripper for the schematic illiterate]

A few things:

You can get raw c sync directly off of the PCE/TG16 graphics chip, so a sync separator is not necessary needed.

Some SCART TV's/monitors actually need full composite video as sync instead of raw c sync, so you may want to consider a selector switch if you might ever run into this.  However, if do you find something requiring composite, you can try a 1.2k resistor on the raw sync line to knock it down to .3Vpp as it would expect to find in composite.

For a few more dollars you can use an EL4583 to get real separate H and V sync instead of C and V.  Although, this is only needed if you have a picky piece of equipment, as C and V sometimes works fine for RGBHV (VGA).  The EL4583 isn't much more difficult to use though; keep in mind that the video filter is optional, and not needed for clean sources.

Using a pot in place of the rset resistor (680k resistor) will give you a good amount of horizontal position adjustment.  This is useful, as these old systems use different resolutions that can be all over the place.  This works with either the LM1881 or EL4583.

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Sounds like a mess with the hueys.  Were the early PCE cases the same as the early TG16 cases, or were they a black version of the later PCE cases?

I prefer the later PCE ones (assuming my arcade card case is one); know of a good place to buy spares?

White is so much more beautiful when it comes to cd trays.

Distasteful jokes brewing.  Not going to go there...

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Ok, I gotcha.  Thanks, I'll keep that list of seven saved somewhere.

So, how about the card games.  So far, I haven't looked much, but I noticed that my US Blazing Lazers came in a black case, and my JP Arcade Card came in a white case.

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

I agree that from what I've seen for sale, a lot of US CD's seem to come in black cases, the exception I've seen most often being the Gate of Thunder/Bonk 4-in-1.  So the US CD's are what I'm confused about.  It just depends on the game?

I can't think of any PCE disc games that didn't come in a black case

I'm pretty certain about Japanese CD's though, and no offense but unless that's a typo I don't think you're right.  Japanese PCE CD's seem to always come in white cases from what I've seen.

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Are you referring to Japanese CD's in the first sentence?  Do you mean "almost all of 'em originally cam with white trays"?

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Okay, here's a dumb question that doesn't deserve its own thread:

What color cases did American Turbo CD games originally come in?  Whenever I see Japanese ones for sale it's always white, but for American ones it's randomly white or black, even among the same game.  Which should I use to be "authentic," "correct," whatever?

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

mmm... the Super FX games on SNES are pretty impressive for the time.

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Welcome Robocop2; hope you start building back your old library, and discover some new favorites as well.

While Sapphire is no GoT (what is?), it's an above-average shooter and great tech demo to play on original hardware (and multiplayer!). It's only faults are that it's easy and it can't live up to the hype. Faussete Amour and Kaze Kiri have the same problem. They get bad reviews from:
A) dumb rich gamers who can't believe the game isn't worth the four hundred dollars they just spent
B) poor gamers with sour grapes

C) esteban

This made me laugh.

Well, I gave Sapphire another chance on Magic Engine.  I still don't think it's the best in the world, but it's fun for what it is.  It's very playable, and cool to own just as a neat collection piece as well.  So, yup, you convinced me to keep it.  I tore it out of the plastic rap and popped it in.  It's even more fun on the real hardware!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Little known cool tips anyone?]

To avoid long term damage, never plunge your Duo into a bucket of ice cold water while the power is on.

I'm not convinced.  Have any proof?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: TG/PCE/Duo Boss Appreciation Thread]

How about near the end of Rondo of Blood where you have to do a marathon of the Universal monsters.  One of the high points of the series.

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

I had the Molykote around for lubing joysticks.  Supposedly it's the same chemical makeup as the Shin-Etsu grease recommended by Sanwa, but it's cheaper since I don't have to import it.  It's pretty good stuff; it doesn't break down too quickly or eat plastics, so I figured it would work well for this.  The application is pretty much the same, plastic on plastic and plastic on metal; and the types of plastics and metals are pretty similar.

[Console Repair/Mod Center / Re: REPAIR GUIDE - TurboDuo/PC Engine Duo/R/RX: Laser Swap & Adjustment Guide]

Just wanted to say that I used this guide yesterday and got great results as well.  The only thing is, while adjusting VR101-105 perfected some games, others still had problems until adjusting the pot on the side of the laser, as others have mentioned.  More info here:

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=14064.msg281184#msg281184

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cleaning turbo cds]

Ok, last night I decided to make sure and rule out everything on the system side.  I cleaned out all the grease around the cd laser gears and tracks and whatnot with rubbing alcohol, and replaced it with Molykote 44 Light.  After this, Rondo still worked perfectly... and the 4-in-1 wouldn't load at all  

Then I tweaked all the pots according to this guide:

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=8926.msg152736#msg152736

After that, the laser seemed to operate more quietly, and the carriage moved around to find different tracks even quicker and more efficiently in the music test on Rondo... but the 4-in-1 still wouldn't load  

Finally, I decided I'd try the pot right on the side of the laser.  I turned it about 45 degrees clockwise, tried loading the 4-in-1 one more time, and to my delight, it started instantly.  

It seems to be working perfectly now; all the problems areas where it would stall, crackle, or fail to load outright, have cleared up.  In the Gate of Thunder music test, the last track is on the very ragged edge of the disc, and it loads up super quick and plays rock solid.

Of course, everything in Rondo still works great too.  I still don't know why it never had much problem and the 4-in-1 was so bad though.  Granted, the Rondo disc is mint, but the 4-in-1 really only has a few light scratches.  Maybe there's something different about US and Japanese Turbo CD's, I don't know.

Since everything seems to be good now, I'm going to leave well enough alone.  I'll keep the CD cleaning tips in mind for the future though.

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

NightWolve, is there a way to show a small preview pic without having to create and host two separate files?

As for the PC Engine, I spent last night cleaning out all the old grease on the gears and tracks around the cd laser.  I replaced it with Molykote 44 Light, and adjusted all the pots.  Everything is loading fast and consistently now    (the 4-in-1 was pretty problematic before).  More details here:

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=14064.msg281184#msg281184

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=8926.msg152736#msg152736

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cleaning turbo cds]

Ok, yes, his car could certainly use the added stiffness.  Still though, the wheel base is much longer and wider.  It just feels massive looking down that long hood.  Not a bad thing for a muscle car, just not what I'm into.  Not that I don't like Vettes; I think 2nd gen and early 3rd gen are some of my favorites in terms of looks.

I think most standard 993's are around 3075 lbs stock curb weight, so not much difference there.  The 993 certainly isn't heavy, being basically a small, simple air-cooled car.  Maybe they started to get fat starting with the 996, but I lose interest with those.  Anyhow, supposedly you can get them under 2800 lbs, but I wouldn't want to tear it up so badly.  I want it as a reasonable daily driver, at least for the summer time.

$14k huh?  You've certainly got me there.  $30k is the low end of 993 prices.

Anyhow, don't expect to see me in one soon.  5 years is the plan I'd say.  I might get another bike, and a better winter vehicle first.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cleaning turbo cds]

If I was really so worried, I wouldn't ride this:



http://www.kzrider.com/forum/11-projects/519499-the-green-810

Seriously though, the bike is mine the car is not.  Planning to get one in a few years though.  Porsche 993, the last generation of real 911's before they went with water cooled, and just got big and overcomplicated.

Plus, you could probably buy 2 or 3 of my car with the cash you'd spend on that one... and I bet mines faster

Drive one of these, and you may change your taste in cars...

My buddy has a 50th anniversary C5.  Sorry, but I don't really care for it.  I just feels a little big and cumbersome from the wheel for my taste.  Certainly a great drag car, but doesn't really feel right on a windy country road.  Not that the handling is bad, it's not really in terms of numbers (993 is significantly lighter though), it just doesn't feel nimble in the same way.  Depends on taste.

Yes, the C5 would be faster in a straight line, especially considering I'd prefer an N/A just to keep things simple.  I could easily maintain it myself (used to work in a garage, built that bike), and some of the turbo bodywork is pretty gawdy.

Oh, and N/A 993's can be found mint for as little as $30k.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cleaning turbo cds]

LOL, well now I'm going to continue being a dick.  Maybe if I pick that stuff up I can try it on a real driver's car.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cleaning turbo cds]

Cmon man...  You came in here asking what people use and all.  Kinda crappy telling someone that's trying to help you, to drop part of his explanation.  I'm certain he knows just as well as the rest of us, that the chemical makeup is different.

Sorry, my thinking was that it's not a well-reasoned explanation, but I guess he didn't mean to it be.  I was the ass, being humorless; didn't mean to offend.  I'll give it a try.  Thanks guys!

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cleaning turbo cds]

Maybe this does work very well, but just so you know, you should drop the Corvette line.  Auto finish and the plastic bottom of a CD are entirely different chemically, functionally, etc.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cleaning turbo cds]

I don't know about that.  Those car detailing products can leave residue, sometimes intentionally.  I'd at least start with a compound designed for CD's.  Also, the cloths should probably be microfiber cloths.

...not sure if you're screwing with me, but "work straight from inside to outside" is good advice... 

[NEC Console Resource / Re: Hello! I am here to steal your knowledge and use it for my own evil purposes!]

Rondo of Blood is a must have platformer.  For shmups, starting with Gate of Thunder is good because it comes on the 4-in-1 disc with Bonk 1, 2, and Bomberman.

[NEC Console Resource / Re: New member, just got a Duo R]

Thanks!  Here's the portable sticks I'm using for PCE shmups:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,118843.0.html

Eventually they will run in a full-size candy-style cab.

As for Sapphire, I'm not sure if I want to sell it or not (don't worry, I won't claim it's original).  I've heard it doesn't measure up to the better PCE shmups; I have an Arcade Card too, and I think it's the only thing I'd use it for.  I'll play it in Magic Engine some more and make up my mind.

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cleaning turbo cds]

I guess so.  I'll start looking for a local place.  Do you guys have any photos of the results?  How much material is lost; do they feel significantly lighter or thinner?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Re: Cleaning turbo cds]

I had my $200 Suikoden II disc done professionally back in the day, and to my surprise it took off quite a bit of material.   I'm not sure if the system would like the disc being that light, as temperamental as they can be.  Anybody?

[PCE/TG-16|CD/SGX Discussion / Cleaning turbo cds]

I've been noticing that my 4-in-1 Super CD has a lot of problems: long loading times, distorting audio, music just stopping, and sometimes just plain failing to load.  I'll be doing the necessary maintenance on the system side, but I don't usually have any problems with Rondo of Blood, so I don't think it's just the system.

Both are authentic discs.  The 4-in-1 isn't badly scratched, but, no surprise, it's not as clean as Rondo.  I've done what I can with rubbing alcohol and a microfiber cloth, and I'm wondering what more can be done.

What kind of CD cleaning methods are people using for these discs? 

I've seen some products that basically buff out the scratches with a very fine abrasive, as you would do with any other plastic.  Some are just a compound for hand polishing, and then there's also the "Skip Doctor" type contraptions.

Has anyone used any of these?  Anything proven safe and effective with these kinds of discs?

[NEC Console Resource / New member, just got a Duo R]

Hi everybody.

I guess I registered here a while ago, but I finally got a Duo R for Christmas when I bit the eBay bullet.

Since getting it, I've modded region and RGB modded it.  Scroll down to the second post here:

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=43992

If you're interested in that thread, there will be some major updates this week.

Anyhow, so far my collection is:

4-in-1 Super CD - mainly got this for Gate of Thunder, which is amazing
Blazing Lazers - pretty good, but liking Gate more so far
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood - what can I say, this is what I bought the system for
Sapphire repro - haven't brought myself to tear open the packaging yet

Looking forward to:

Lords of Thunder
Soldier Blade games
Spriggan games

[Buy/Sell/Trade / WTB: PC Engine Duo-R System [nm, I bought one]]

[edit: found one, and am no longer looking]

Looking for a Duo-R in good shape. I'm willing to pay good money, but I can't find any on eBay that aren't from Japan with $70-80 shipping. So I'm looking for a North American seller.

It doesn't need to be RGB or region modded, as I'd prefer to do that myself.