Hi Guys!

[trapjaw76]

Just found the site after my reemergence into the world of the TurboGrafx!
I'll tell you my sob story...
I had a pretty decent setup a few years back, the TG console with the cd periphial, and a nice bunch of games....it all got wiped out in a flooded basement, minus a few HuCards my friend had borrowed...I really miss Dracula X.

Anyways, I recently got jazzed because I found those old HuCards and I decided to reclaim the Turbo as my own...I found a nice ebay auction that the guy had spelled funny, so not many people saw the auction.  I won a TG console, 8 games, AND a TE for 90 bucks!  (I NEVER had the TE back in the day!!!) I got it in the mail today, and the console works fine, but the TE doesn't work properly.  It powers up, I get the glow from the screen, but it stays black.  No sound, no nuthin.  It seems that the connector pins in the TE isn't picking up the game information.  The games work fine in the regular console, but no dice in the TE.  Is there any way to clean the connector pins?  I looked all over for some sort of gameboy cleaner or something, nothing.  The guy has offered for me to send it back to him and he'd try to fix it for me, or refund some money, but I want instant gratification!!!!  Besides, if he refunds the money, I'll just have to go buy another TE for much more than I got this one for.  Bleh.

Anyways, HI!  Can't wait to check this forum from time to time, hope to get into some decent discussions!

~Frank

[DragonmasterDan]

My Turbo Express has done that occasionally but blowing on the inside usually solves it. I'm not sure of any other way to clean it offhand. Those old style NES cleaning kits with the long plastic/cloth strips might be effective if you can still find them.

[esteban]

while i have often blown "hot breath" on stuff (i.e. NES carts, you dirty minds)... you shouldn't really add moisture to your carts / consoles.  Instead, use 100% alcohol (isopropyl, i think) with some sort of applicator (lint free... check out radio shack, or similar store, for foam or pads that you can safely shove in an out of the tiny TE HuCard slot).  Q-tips are fine, usually, but sometimes fibers rip off and get stuck, which is annoying with tiny cartridge slots on TE / TG-16 console.

You should look for stuff that folks would normally clean cassette tape heads / assembly with...

Now, for cleaning HuCards themselves... well, that's much easier.  Q-tip + alcohol.

[DragonmasterDan]

while i have often blown "hot breath" on stuff (i.e. NES carts, you dirty minds)... you shouldn't really add moisture to your carts / consoles.  Instead, use 100% alcohol (isopropyl, i think) with some sort of applicator (lint free... check out radio shack, or similar store, for foam or pads that you can safely shove in an out of the tiny TE HuCard slot).  Q-tips are fine, usually, but sometimes fibers rip off and get stuck, which is annoying with tiny cartridge slots on TE / TG-16 console.

You should look for stuff that folks would normally clean cassette tape heads / assembly with...

Now, for cleaning HuCards themselves... well, that's much easier.  Q-tip + alcohol.

Being a former Funcoland employee (for those of you who ever bought used systems at Funcoland in their heyday would know what I am talking about since we were forced to peddle cleaning kits) I should probably mention that the need for cleaning kits on systems that don't begin with Nintendo Entertainment System is minimal. As far as breathing most breathe on carts or the inside, that's typically not a big deal provided you don't let dust build up around the slots and allow it to corrode or you don't have the system stored in an incredibly wet and humid area.

Blowing isn't really that bad for it , it clears dust. Just don't spit or sneeze into your system and make sure if possible you dry it probably and quickly if using alcohol.

[jlued686]

Hey, I used to work for Funco too!  At the corporate headquarters before they sold to GameStop.

[Keranu]

Funcoland is such a cooler name than Gamestop, I wish they would stick to Funcoland .

[DragonmasterDan]

Hey, I used to work for Funco too!  At the corporate headquarters before they sold to GameStop.

Heh, Funco employee abound on a retro game site. What a coincidence. Anyway, that's how I got started many years ago with various jobs in the games industry, eventually getting into the media (online, then print) then other things. In any event I kind of miss Funco, the old games and platforms they supported are all but completely dropped from Gamestop

[trapjaw76]

I took the TE into a Gamestop last night to see if they had anything I could use to clean it, NOBODY there know what it was.

Anyways, thanks for the suggestions.  After hours of trying, I finally just shipped it back to the guy who sold it to me.  Hopefully he can fix it, or maybe refund some money.  Bleh.

[Keranu]

Haha, major pros go to you for showing a Turbo Express to Gamestop!

[DragonmasterDan]

I took the TE into a Gamestop last night to see if they had anything I could use to clean it, NOBODY there know what it was.

Anyways, thanks for the suggestions.  After hours of trying, I finally just shipped it back to the guy who sold it to me.  Hopefully he can fix it, or maybe refund some money.  Bleh.

The only thing that came to mine was those old(Maybe on ebay you can find the DOCs brand) NES cartridge cleaners. You might be able to use that to clean it.

[trapjaw76]

Haha, major pros go to you for showing a Turbo Express to Gamestop!

It was a blast.  Even the guy working there that said he had a TurboGrafx didn't recognize it.  One kid who was shopping there looked at it and said "why don't you get a Nintendo DS?"
 

[DragonmasterDan]

Haha, major pros go to you for showing a Turbo Express to Gamestop!

It was a blast.  Even the guy working there that said he had a TurboGrafx didn't recognize it.  One kid who was shopping there looked at it and said "why don't you get a Nintendo DS?"
 

Heh, Gamestop, EB and GameCrazy employees really don't know much about games. That's not to say "ALL" employees of said gaming retailers don't, but very few do. In any event good luck with getting it cleaned out. And when you do watch out because the TE is the black hole of double A batteries (far worse than a Lynx or Game Gear).

[Jared4781]

Hey Trapjaw ... I tried to IM you last night. I also live in Richmond, VA and love me some Turbo Grafx / Duo. Give me a shout sometime.

[trapjaw76]

Hey Trapjaw ... I tried to IM you last night. I also live in Richmond, VA and love me some Turbo Grafx / Duo. Give me a shout sometime.

That was you?  Aw, man, I'm sorry.  I just got wiggy when an IM popped up from somebody I didn't know tried to shoot me a message....I'll keep my eyes open for ya.

[doomfarer75]

Hey..the name TrapJaw...that's an old Masters of the Universe character..he had a bunch of different implements you could attach to his arm, and a movable jaw...one of skeletor's henchmen...jeez I am such a geek

[trapjaw76]

Hey..the name TrapJaw...that's an old Masters of the Universe character..he had a bunch of different implements you could attach to his arm, and a movable jaw...one of skeletor's henchmen...jeez I am such a geek

Yup...my favorite MOTU character

[jlued686]

Holy Crap!  Now THAT'S hardcore!

[Keranu]

Hey, trapjaw, I just checked out your site and those movies look awesome! I'd like to see one (especially the history one with the nerds), but I'm too cheap to pay $15 dollars for them. They do look a little promising though . I am also very interested into getting into film making of my own, but I need to find the right camera first. I want to pick up an old one from the 80's that records using VHS tapes or something - I can't stand digital video cameras for movies.

[esteban]

trapjaw, damn i forgot about him.

i want to get a she-ra tattoo, myself

[trapjaw76]

Hey, trapjaw, I just checked out your site and those movies look awesome! I'd like to see one (especially the history one with the nerds), but I'm too cheap to pay $15 dollars for them. They do look a little promising though . I am also very interested into getting into film making of my own, but I need to find the right camera first. I want to pick up an old one from the 80's that records using VHS tapes or something - I can't stand digital video cameras for movies.

Eh, I really like the movies, but mainly because I was so involved in them, writing, acting, editing, etc.  I don't know what somebody who wasn't involved would see them.  We used the handycam, recorded straight to vhs, edited with 2 vcr's slapped together with a stereo for music and sound editing.  Very primitive, but it ot me through high school.

[Keranu]

I'm all for the old school film editing.