What's with the factory melted TG16 consoles?

[GameFreak]

I have seen several (at least 3 or 4) TG16 units on youtube and on Ebay that look like they have burned with a hot plate on the outer plastic. The first one I saw I just assumed some tg16 owner burned it by accident. Then I saw another one from someone different with burns in different places but the same style of burn. It must have happened at the factory but why would they still box them and sell them new like that?

If you don't know what I'm talking about then look at the 3rd picture of the BOTTOM of this turbo booster on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Turbo-Grafx-16-Turbo-Booster-AV-Adapter-/200545184176?pt=Video_Games&hash=item2eb16ca9b0
I have never seen it on a turbo booster but usually on the top of a TG16 but the burns look exactly the same.
What's the story? Some hot tool at the factory being handled carelessly?? : Is there a story to this that anyone here knows about??

[Nazi NecroPhile]

I seriously doubt that they were sold that way originally; it looks to me like someone got a little careless with a hot soldering iron while doing some repairs/modifications.

[nectarsis]

I seriously doubt that they were sold that way originally; it looks to me like someone got a little careless with a hot soldering iron while doing some repairs/modifications.

First thing I thought was soldering iron to.

[Tatsujin]

It's amazing how many pce console, especially core and IFU30 were abused with kind of soldering devices. Even here in Japan. I see them often.

[GameFreak]

I seriously doubt that they were sold that way originally; it looks to me like someone got a little careless with a hot soldering iron while doing some repairs/modifications.

I've only seen several of them that means whoever did that must have done that to many many more.

I didn't really think much of it when I saw the first or the second but now that I've seen more than few it is a real mystery.

Here is a melted one in youtube

Like I said I have seen several but how can you repair many of these things and melt each one?

You are right though (probably not from factory) because the Booster wasn't sold with the TG16 and in this video the burns are aligned. Did NEC take back broken systems for repairs in the 90's?

[Tatsujin]

My only thoughts going in the same direction, some duds repaired/moded the systems and did not take much care while doing it.

[Mathius]

I had a Turbo Booster that I sold last year that had those kind of burns that you are describing. I never knew that this was a somewhat common occurrence.

[SignOfZeta]

Um...that didn't come from the factory like that. NEC circa 1990 was one of the tightest electronics makers in the world. They would never sell something with a melted case, new or reman.

That's just some jack-ass with a soldering iron being a slob. Personally, I've never seen anything like it.

[Joe Redifer]

I always figured it was people resting their cigarettes on the system.  Remember, this was back in those silly days when people used to smoke.

[GameFreak]

I always figured it was people resting their cigarettes on the system.  Remember, this was back in those silly days when people used to smoke.

That's what I thought on the first one I saw.

But really, if you had a few dozen tg16 or turbo boosters you were repairing, would you burn that many of them? I've seen more than 3 or 4 so it seems odd. Don't they have a little stand for soldering? It seems like the trademark of one persons work or one factory/assembly line. How could so many different people be doing the same thing?

Maybe the repairman was a big Sega fan??!! AKA, NEC hater...LOL

[Nazi NecroPhile]

In the factory, no soldering iron would ever get close to the finished products.  It's not like they start with an empty case, install a bare pcb, and then begin soldering in parts.

[GameFreak]

Yeah I now realize it's not from factory. Probably repairman or a someone doing mods. But it's still odd how many have been melted like that. Like Tatsujin said he sees it in Japan also.

[csgx1]

Interesting, I haven't come across any TG16s with burn marks like that.   I can understand that lot of people are repairing broken consoles these days, but what kind of dumb ass puts down their hot soldering iron on the plastic case?   They can't afford a soldering stand? 

I have a Duo that looks like someone spilled acid on it. The top was slightly melted & wavy, with spill marks etched into the plastic. 

Basically comes down to the fact that a lot of people don't take care of the stuff.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Its definitely soldering iron and or cigarette mishaps.

I used to rest the iron on C64s because quite honestly I never gave two fucks about the cosmetics of the ugly bastards.  I left all kinds of funny marks on the cases.   

I have seen people do the cigarette maneuver to a TG16, NES, SNES and Genesis.   My uncle was a rapid chainsmoker when I was growing up, and hed leave burning cigarettes on whatever console he was currently playing.

[_Paul]

Heh, this reminds me of a time when my friend decided to block out the light from his tabletop lamp by putting his PC Engine over the hole at the top. When he removed it later, all the plastic on the underside was melting like goo. Luckily the Engine still worked after that - when he sold it on, the shop wondered what the hell he had been doing to it.

[Arkhan Asylum]

Heh, this reminds me of a time when my friend decided to block out the light from his tabletop lamp by putting his PC Engine over the hole at the top. When he removed it later, all the plastic on the underside was melting like goo. Luckily the Engine still worked after that - when he sold it on, the shop wondered what the hell he had been doing to it.

wow.  I would have de-friended that one.

[blueraven]

I have seen several (at least 3 or 4) TG16 units on youtube and on Ebay that look like they have burned with a hot plate on the outer plastic. The first one I saw I just assumed some tg16 owner burned it by accident. Then I saw another one from someone different with burns in different places but the same style of burn. It must have happened at the factory but why would they still box them and sell them new like that?

If you don't know what I'm talking about then look at the 3rd picture of the BOTTOM of this turbo booster on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Turbo-Grafx-16-Turbo-Booster-AV-Adapter-/200545184176?pt=Video_Games&hash=item2eb16ca9b0
I have never seen it on a turbo booster but usually on the top of a TG16 but the burns look exactly the same.
What's the story? Some hot tool at the factory being handled carelessly?? : Is there a story to this that anyone here knows about??

I bought an IFU from this seller three months ago, and there were burn marks from a soldering iron (that are now covered by the TG16). Definitely not a cigarette, it looks like a flat tip was dragged across about a 1-inch area. It was so inexpensive and sold as "broken" so I didn't care. $28 shipped. I plugged it in after building a power supply and it worked. The reversed ground probably threw him off. I watched it and it sat in his store for 2 months before I finally "splurged".

I had communication with him (eBay sellerid: pompeyparsons), and he was very polite and well spoken. The auction originally listed two IFU's but it was a listing mistake. After buying both he quickly refunded me the extra item and shipping costs when he realized that there was only one item in his inventory. It arrived priority mail a few days later and I was only charged $10 for $12 in shipping.

As far as follow-through as seller he's good in my book, and he combines shipping ($1 per item extra) so you can get the occasional deal. He had a syscard 1.0 for $10 and a decent US copy of Dragon Slayer awhile back ($25 or 30 complete with map)

As a member of the F@ck eBay club I won't comment on any of his other auctions.

[CGQuarterly]

I have seen several TG16's like that as well.  Hard to believe that they are all due to people being careless with soldering irons.

Chris

[Joe Redifer]

What I'd like to know is what is it about the TurboGrafx that would make so many careless people want to heat up a soldering iron around one.  I haven't seen a ton of modded ones.  I see more modded Genesises and NESes than Turbos.  Maybe a large shipment fell onto somebody's grill.

[SNKNostalgia]

My guess would be something like the RF ouputs in the TG-16 become loose. It has do with the plug being on the side of the system and the connector is more like to press against something it is next to. That is what happened to my original TG-16. It rarely looses connection, so it works great to this day. I may do the repair myself without the carelessness of burning plastic. I might as well sell it after this. I just use my modded out Duo for everything. I even have a new controller that replaced the old one that crapped out.

Just think about it this way though, chances are these people are burning their arms and hands if they're that careless.

[blueraven]

Just think about it this way though, chances are these people are burning their arms and hands if they're that careless.

Yeah, no doubt!

[GameFreak]

....And here is another one! Look at the pic of the bottom of the system. 
http://cgi.ebay.com/Turbo-Grafx-16-Video-Game-System-/170597368517?pt=Video_Games&hash=item27b86542c5

[blueraven]

That one is just a few scratches, the unit I received had a section that was literally warped/deformed from where someone was just plain careless.

[GameFreak]

And yet another one here. This one is actually pretty bad. Even one of the controllers not melted...wtf?  http://cgi.ebay.com/Turbo-Grafx-16-Turbo-Booster-Plus-2-Controllers-9-Ga-/280716020356?pt=Video_Games&hash=item415bfa8a84

There has to be some crazy story behind all this. This cant be from average repairs.

[DragonmasterDan]

And yet another one here. This one is actually pretty bad. Even one of the controllers not melted...wtf?  http://cgi.ebay.com/Turbo-Grafx-16-Turbo-Booster-Plus-2-Controllers-9-Ga-/280716020356?pt=Video_Games&hash=item415bfa8a84

There has to be some crazy story behind all this. This cant be from average repairs.

I suspect it has a lot to do with how the system was stored, perhaps the  plastic on the system holds up extremely poorly in high temperatures and gets scratched easily once the plastic has been damaged. Has anyone tested leaving the plastic to one outside in the heat or on top of a dryer?

[GameFreak]

And yet another one here. This one is actually pretty bad. Even one of the controllers not melted...wtf?  http://cgi.ebay.com/Turbo-Grafx-16-Turbo-Booster-Plus-2-Controllers-9-Ga-/280716020356?pt=Video_Games&hash=item415bfa8a84

There has to be some crazy story behind all this. This cant be from average repairs.

After looking at so many different pics of different tg16's, it is clearly from a solder gun being dragged around on it. But the real mystery is why are there dozens (or more) of tg16 consoles looking like this?

[DragonmasterDan]

After looking at so many different pics of different tg16's, it is clearly from a solder gun being dragged around on it. But the real mystery is why are there dozens (or more) of tg16 consoles looking like this? 

That and the fact that it's on a controller lead me to believing it may be a defect in the plastic used.

[thesteve]

i have 3 TG16's.
the plastic is soft, and compresses easily (especially with heat)
i expect 1 of those was from a hot cup and must are from the systems  stored loose in a box/bag

[PunkCryborg]

both of my tg-16s have melted lines over the bottom and i have an rf adapter that is covered in the same marks

[Keranu]

I recall someone on this board, or possibly elsewhere, describing once how a lamp melted the HuCard half of a Turbo Duo system, and continued to regularly play games on it afterward. I think it was CrackTiger, but I'm not sure.

[CrackTiger]

I recall someone on this board, or possibly elsewhere, describing once how a lamp melted the HuCard half of a Turbo Duo system, and continued to regularly play games on it afterward. I think it was Black_Tiger, but I'm not sure.

I haven't had any melted Duos, only a couple that won't play CDs. I did step on the ac adaptor port of my original TurboDuo and snap a circuit board loose and broke the shell a bit. I've patched it up a couple times (and gouged a larger hole before the screw bit became available, just to crazy glue the pcb and port in place) and it works fine to this day.

[GameFreak]

both of my tg-16s have melted lines over the bottom and i have an rf adapter that is covered in the same marks

Since you have one in person, does it look like a solder gun was dragged along it? or something different?

[RoyVegas]

both of my tg-16s have melted lines over the bottom and i have an rf adapter that is covered in the same marks

Since you have one in person, does it look like a solder gun was dragged along it? or something different?

I've actually had a few of these myself.  Mine have never looked like a soldering gun.  What it looks like to me (as odd as it may sound) is some type of chemical reaction between the cords and the plastic used on the systems/av cable box when they are in contact for an extremely long time.  It sounds kinda strange but if you've seen one in person you would understand.

[GameFreak]

both of my tg-16s have melted lines over the bottom and i have an rf adapter that is covered in the same marks

Since you have one in person, does it look like a solder gun was dragged along it? or something different?

I've actually had a few of these myself.  Mine have never looked like a soldering gun.  What it looks like to me (as odd as it may sound) is some type of chemical reaction between the cords and the plastic used on the systems/av cable box when they are in contact for an extremely long time.  It sounds kinda strange but if you've seen one in person you would understand.

That makes perfect sense. That would explain why most of the patterns are in a curved circular pattern as if the cable was wound up and pressed against the system. I knew there had to be a legit reason to this since I have seen so many. That makes much more sense than a person dropping his solder gun on dozens of systems. I think you are 100% correct about that theory Roy!!!

I wonder which cable it is from? Power cable? it cant be the controller cable because lots of us wrap that cable around the controller.  

Now people will know to separate the cables from the console/controller/booster when in storage!

I was kind of correct in my original post when I blamed the "factory"...hehehe. I knew NEC was responsible!      

Please share pics if you have one.

[csgx1]

Not exactly the "cord of death touch" , but here's my extra/backup PCE Duo that had either glue or something that spilled on part of the case that etched into the plastic.  I bought it like this and set was practically new otherwise.  Initially, I thought it was just dirty but whatever spilled had reacted with the plastic.    

Not the prettiest Duo, but it does runs like a champ! 

[CrackTiger]

I have a used boxed Turbo Booster that came with somewhat melted AV cables. The rubber exterior was kind of mushy, not melted and rehardened. I could totally see them oozing through Turbo products.

[Arkhan Asylum]

that is clearly a half finished cyberpunk TG16 mod.

[GameFreak]

I know I already posted this on page 1, but I didn't add a time reference. Skip to 2:07 in the video.

What's up with the av cables? What a weird chemical reaction! I also have never seen this on the cd part, either from the cd having different type of plastic or the lack of the standard av cables. At least the mystery of the marks seems to be solved.



This is the youtube one. The way the marks line up with the installed turbo booster seem to prove that is was from a cable during storage.

[thesteve]

it is common for hard rubber cables to sweat as they age.
if you store them in a clear plastic bag they will yellow it.

[Sleepy Gnome]

maybe people make a hole in their turbo graxf and make love to it?

[GameFreak]

it is common for hard rubber cables to sweat as they age.
if you store them in a clear plastic bag they will yellow it.

Yes I have seen this with some cables I have in plastic bags.

maybe people make a hole in their turbo graxf and make love to it?

Why make a hole? It already has a hucard slot.

[Tatsujin]

Damn that's a rather rad discovering. I've never thought of the cords which could have caused those marks. But now, it's just obvious.