HuCard Converters

[Maiden Hell]

For any of you new owners of a TG16 or Turbo Duo (like me) and want to play many of the killer Japanese HuCards on your North America system, go here and get a HuCard converter:

http://www.telegames.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=7922

It's not too bad price wise, I mean that's what they go for about on e-bay.  Shipping was ultra fast as well conisdering it came from the middle of England.  About a week or so.  I tried it out with my Gradius and Parodius Japanese HuCards and it works flawlessly.

[nat]

Which converter is it? The purple one?

[Nazi NecroPhile]

That's a decent price (depending on shipping cost), but most everything else NEC related is horribly overpriced.  $900 for a PC-FX, $750 for a SuperGrafx, and $400 for a TG-16; are they serious?!?

[Ceti Alpha]

That's a decent price (depending on shipping cost), but most everything else NEC related is horribly overpriced.  $900 for a PC-FX, $750 for a SuperGrafx, and $400 for a TG-16; are they serious?!?

Turbo Duo - £399.99 = $788.01 CAD = $791.287 USD   

Edit: Oops. Sorry necro.  All those other prices are pretty much right. It's just the Turbo Duo that needed to be changed.

Anyways, those prices are worse than eBay on a really bad day. Do they even expect to sell these? Are they at least all brand new and in the box?

[SignOfZeta]

I already have a converter and I never use it because they suck. For $50 plus shipping you can get a region hack from D-Lite, which is *way* better than a POS converter and these days $50 is about the same as 25 quid anyway.

Avoid converters. Avoid avoid avoid. They suck.

[nectarsis]

Just for those that care...the converters they carry are the Mirai versions 

[Maiden Hell]

Which converter is it? The purple one?

No it's a green printed circuit board with and orange sticker on it.

I'll take a picture of it tonight and post it.

[Maiden Hell]

I already have a converter and I never use it because they suck. For $50 plus shipping you can get a region hack from D-Lite

What does this entail? Do you have to open the system up and do some soldering and wiring?

[Turbo D]

you solder wires to a switch that switches the pin order. This way, no converter is needed. Converters are cool though 

[Nazi NecroPhile]

What does this entail? Do you have to open the system up and do some soldering and wiring?

You can either install a 8PDT switch or a DPDT switch with a PCB to flip the pins' order.  Check out D-Lite's instructions on what all has to be done; his instructions are for the PCB route (which he sells), but the hard-to-find giant switch route is pretty similar.

[SignOfZeta]

I already have a converter and I never use it because they suck. For $50 plus shipping you can get a region hack from D-Lite

What does this entail? Do you have to open the system up and do some soldering and wiring?

Yeah, you have to solder like a mofo, but not if you pay someone else like D Lite to do it for you. The majority of the $50 is labor. The parts are a fraction of that.

I did the job myself, but I suggest most people don't. I made a post about it on my PCE/SS/DC site HERE

[Maiden Hell]

While soldering isn't a problem for me, I do not wish to do this on a system that is pretty rare to acquire. I'm quite satisfied with this converter so for now this will do the trick.  Here are some pics:

[Ceti Alpha]

Nice pics Maiden. 

I desperately want to read that copy of Turbo Force. 

[Maiden Hell]

Thanks, man.  It came with the system in the original box with all the manuals and mail in cards.  It wasn't even open, the original owner decided to never open it up.  It's pretty trippy reading video game magazines from the late 80's and early 90's.  Nintendo Power, Gamepro, EGM and Gamefan were like the friggin best.

[SignOfZeta]

Wow, that's a crazy looking converter. It doesn't stick a mile out of your system just begging for someone to step on your expose Hucard though, so that's cool. Reversing the direction of the HuCard is a good idea.

[nat]

Wow, that's a crazy looking converter. It doesn't stick a mile out of your system just begging for someone to step on your expose Hucard though, so that's cool.

That's the same distance a Kisado sticks out. A Kisado also reverses the cart direction. That looks like a green Kisado clone, actually.

Do other converters stick out more?

[Ceti Alpha]

Wow, that's a crazy looking converter. It doesn't stick a mile out of your system just begging for someone to step on your expose Hucard though, so that's cool. Reversing the direction of the HuCard is a good idea.

I'd most certainly end up doing that. When my modded Duo arrives I'm getting a proper set up for it and my Xbox. I had the poor thing sitting on the floor.  Please guys, don't report my Duo abuse to the authorities. 

[SignOfZeta]

Duos are designed to sit on the floor.

[SignOfZeta]

Wow, that's a crazy looking converter. It doesn't stick a mile out of your system just begging for someone to step on your expose Hucard though, so that's cool.

That's the same distance a Kisado sticks out. A Kisado also reverses the cart direction. That looks like a green Kisado clone, actually.

Do other converters stick out more?

Have you not see the green diving board model? The thing is almost a foot long with a Hucard in it. The one everybody calls Barney due to its purple color (even though I've only ever seen them in brown) has the entire unprotected HuCard sticking almost fully out of the system. Its extremely precarious.

[Maiden Hell]

Well I only have it on the floor there because of the pictures I took earlier this evening to show you guys.  I actually have it placed on top of my DVD Recorder when I play it just in case someone needs to walk by.  Other then the occasional feline walking by I don't get much foot traffic in my basement.

[Maiden Hell]

Duos are designed to sit on the floor.

Doh...

[SignOfZeta]

My Duo is actually sitting on my PS2...which is sitting on the floor.

[nat]

Wow, that's a crazy looking converter. It doesn't stick a mile out of your system just begging for someone to step on your expose Hucard though, so that's cool.

That's the same distance a Kisado sticks out. A Kisado also reverses the cart direction. That looks like a green Kisado clone, actually.

Do other converters stick out more?

Have you not see the green diving board model? The thing is almost a foot long with a Hucard in it. The one everybody calls Barney due to its purple color (even though I've only ever seen them in brown) has the entire unprotected HuCard sticking almost fully out of the system. Its extremely precarious.

A foot long? Are you serious? No, I haven't seen that model.

No wonder you hate converters so much-- if those two are the only ones you've seen.

[Turbo D]

I have a version 1 diving board, mirai, kisado and brown barney. I like the kisado the best.

[nat]

Jesus, how many do you need? How many Japanese games are you planning to play on your system at one time? Quite driving up the market by bogarting all the adapters!

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Nice pics, Maiden Hell; I have the exact same type of converter.  Don't you just love the ghetto HuCard socket on these things?  It looks like they used a portion of something like a VLB socket, and while it ain't pretty, it gets the job done.  It's too bad that the bottom half of the socket scratches up HuCards, but I can live with it.

[Turbo D]

Don't worry Nat, I paid under market for some. I only paid $60 for a kisado on ebay in 2007. I guess I got lucky because I've seen them sell for $200 on there, lol. I once used the diving board, mirai and kisado simultaneously on my turbo express!