IFU-30 vs IFU-30A

[wolfman]

Obviously there are 2 models, like it is with the CDROM2.

Can someone point out the difference between the two? I am curious how important the change was to release a second model of it.

[Lochlan]

Did you try searching the forums?

https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=9631

[CrackTiger]

The IFU-30A has the 18 megs of Arcade Card ram built-in and can play ACD games using any system card. Because it was so popular, there is a glut of unsold Arcade Cards left on the market. Similarly, because Fatal Fury 2 was the pack-in game, the retail version was also overprinted and sealed copies remain plentiful and dirt cheap to this day.

[wolfman]

The IFU-30A has the 18 megs of Arcade Card ram built-in and can play ACD games using any system card. Because it was so popular, there is a glut of unsold Arcade Cards left on the market. Similarly, because Fatal Fury 2 was the pack-in game, the retail version was also overprinted and sealed copies remain plentiful and dirt cheap to this day.

Are you sure you´re not confusing units here? I am not talking about the SuperCDrom drive.
How would I boot up a game in the IFU without a system card inserted in a pce/coregrafx/lt setup? How would I know which unit is which?
Where did you get that info - in the above mentioned thread it is never mentioned...

[thesteve]

If this is confirmed, a reverse engineering mission is in order

[esteban]

Answer: A solitary letter.

[EvilEvoIX]

The IFU-30A has the 18 megs of Arcade Card ram built-in and can play ACD games using any system card. Because it was so popular, there is a glut of unsold Arcade Cards left on the market. Similarly, because Fatal Fury 2 was the pack-in game, the retail version was also overprinted and sealed copies remain plentiful and dirt cheap to this day.

Would this built in Arcade Card cause issues with earlier games like Altered beast  Can you use an older card if needed?

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Heh, the canuck is on a troll roll.

[rtyper]

nice post, almost fell for it myself....almost.
I can remember all those boxes of FF2 and FFSpec that were quite common place on ebay,
but not anymore. There are probably hundreds of loose CDs or disposed in the trash as
the cases were used as donor ones.
Thought about getting one or two myself, but the postage was off putting.

[wolfman]

So there isn´t any difference between those 2?

[Nazi NecroPhile]

So there isn´t any difference between those 2?

Did you not read the thread Lochlan linked above?  The mostly aesthetic differences are described (there's no major functional differences).

[Lochlan]

So there isn´t any difference between those 2?

Did you not read the thread Lochlan linked above?  The mostly aesthetic differences are described (there's no major functional differences).

Obviously he didn't.  Although seeing as how he was too lazy to search the forums for the answer to his question, it's not much of a stretch to believe he wouldn't even bother to read replies to his own thread.

[wolfman]

So there isn´t any difference between those 2?

Did you not read the thread Lochlan linked above?  The mostly aesthetic differences are described (there's no major functional differences).

Obviously he didn't.  Although seeing as how he was too lazy to search the forums for the answer to his question, it's not much of a stretch to believe he wouldn't even bother to read replies to his own thread.

Sorry that I wasn´t clear enough in my first post.

I was referring to technical differences internally (the hint on the 2 grounding pins was interesting but not quite the point), not aesthethics that were changed.

[SignOfZeta]

I'm pretty sure, not positive, that the main difference was how they were packaged. Original the IFU and CDROM2 were packaged separately to avoid a VAT on "audio products". This way you only paid the tax on the CDROM2, and not the IFU. Considering what this stuff cost back then and how crazy certain taxes are in Japan (%50 on VHS, for example) I would be surprised if this saved people ¥5000 or more.

Soon after the tax law changed. I'm not sure if it changed in a way that this trick didn't work any more or if it changed in some other way. Regardless, they started selling the CDROM2 and IFU together after that.

There are no functional differences.

[roflmao]

He lives!   I hope you stick around.  You are missed.

[esteban]

I'm pretty sure, not positive, that the main difference was how they were packaged. Original the IFU and CDROM2 were packaged separately to avoid a VAT on "audio products". This way you only paid the tax on the CDROM2, and not the IFU. Considering what this stuff cost back then and how crazy certain taxes are in Japan (%50 on VHS, for example) I would be surprised if this saved people ¥5000 or more.

Soon after the tax law changed. I'm not sure if it changed in a way that this trick didn't work any more or if it changed in some other way. Regardless, they started selling the CDROM2 and IFU together after that.

There are no functional differences.

Where the suck have you been mothersucker!?

[wolfman]

There are no functional differences.

Ok, thanks for clearing this up. I thought there might have been minor changes like in how big save memory is.

[CrackTiger]

There are no functional differences.

Ok, thanks for clearing this up. I thought there might have been minor changes like in how big save memory is.

I think that every CD-ROM setup has the same amount of internal memory, for compatibilty reasons.