PCEngineFans.com - The PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 Community Forum
NEC TG-16/TE/TurboDuo => TG/PCE Repair/Mod Discussion => Topic started by: someitalian123 on December 15, 2015, 03:29:20 AM
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So I just bought a PC Engine Duo-R from yahoo auctions Japan, the console didn't include a power supply or any hookups and it was listed as untested or "junk". I have no way of knowing if the console works till it gets here which will probably be a while due to international shipping and going through the whole import proxy thingy. But if I find that it doesn't work when I receive it is there anyone on this form I might be able to commission to repair it?
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It's probably just a worn out laser, not really that hard to fix. The difficulty is in finding a new laser that actually works. If you buy a new laser on eBay, buy two.
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to be honest, depending on what it needs, you're probably better off getting a working one. That's what happened to me and my AES, I ended up spending more money on shipping and repairs I couldn't do that made the "junk" buy worthless. However, my Pc-Engine DUO-R that was junk, ended up just needing some solder joints repaired on the power, AV and controller ports.
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actually several of us are experienced on repairing these, and i keep new tested lasers on hand
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OK so I just received the console today and it won't power on. I'm not using an offical power supply, I'm using this one if it makes any difference
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009ZKWE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
It outputs 9v 1a.
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these dont have power lights, so are you sure it doesnt power?
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Put in any music CD in. When you turn the system on, press RUN button and see if it tries to spin or if the CD light comes on. If there's nothing, check the power supply and also check for problem with regulator chips inside as well as switch.
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I actually already sent it out to turbografxfan on ebay to get it repaired. I thought the pc engine duo-r's had a power light? Is the light just for cd bassed games? I don't have any cd based games yet, I only tested the system with a Japanese hucard before sending it out.
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Yes it is only for CD, there is no power light at all. I modded my Duo-R to have LED that comes on when the power is on and it goes off when the CD light comes on so I can get red for drive and blue for power/no drive: http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=19491.msg416483
A couple dollars worth of parts and a few minutes is all the mod needs.
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I like that led mod you did since it's sometimes hard to know from looking if these systems are getting power.
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Yes it is only for CD, there is no power light at all. I modded my Duo-R to have LED that comes on when the power is on and it goes off when the CD light comes on so I can get red for drive and blue for power/no drive: http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=19491.msg416483
A couple dollars worth of parts and a few minutes is all the mod needs.
What a great idea. I'd love to do that to my DUO's. Is there a guide you followed or did you simply do the mod yourself?
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I did it myself using a quick guide for a transistor based NOT gate. I've explained how I did the mod and posted the schematic I ripped from some random site, the 5v and ground is pretty easy. The 3rd spot that goes to transistor base is on one side of the resistor that goes to the CD activity LED. I'll post a close up picture, it is for Duo-R and probably same on RX. Black Duo may have the part in different location, you will need to trace and verify that the drive LED has cathode directly to ground and anode goes to a resistor, then tap on the other side of the resistor.
Blue's cool color to use. Green also works as power on. Red and orange would be too close to drive LED to be useful and yellow seems ick. Purple (lighter shade, not dark UV) would probably look best on R and RX due to purple lettering.
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Updated the original thread with a picture of the board showing the LED wire at the original thread: http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=19491.msg416483
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OK so I just got the console back and it powers on fine now. I also had turbografxfan region mod it. And everything appears to be fine but I'm getting this weird issue with Bonk's Adventure. The game is really glitchy and kind of unplayable, I recorded a video on my elgato to show you guys
https://youtu.be/ueHspUGTLMY
The thing is I cleaned the pins on the hucard multiple times with 91% isopropyl alcohol and a q-tip. Has the game gone bad, should I try to return the game, or can this be fixed?
Also I didn't mention this but there is kind of a pulse on the video, is this because I'm using a shitty genesis 1 av cable?
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Yikes, That looks to be a RAM addressing issue? (Steve please correct me if i'm wrong) Was the system doing this before the region mod? And do you have the same problem with any other Hu-Card games?
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Well this is my first time actually using the console, I had it repaired by turbografxfan because it wouldn't power on, so I have no idea if it did this before the region mod, but he said that he tested it with six games with no issues. The only other game I tested it with was Hu Tatsunoko Fighter, the only other hucard I own at the moment, I played for a few minutes and I didn't see any abnormalities. I just bought another copy of Bonk's Adventure off ebay, and I'm returning this copy, since turbografxfan says that it's likely to be the hucard. If the problem exists with another copy of the game then apparently there is more work to be done on the console.
Edit
If it means anything I just tested the CD demo of Bonk's Adventure off a burned copy of the 3 in 1 DUO Demo CD out of curiosity. This did not have any glitches.
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If it was ram issues then CD games would be all messed up as well so I guess we can rule that out.
Also, the 3 in one disc has the full version of Bonk on it. It's not a shortened demo version.
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First: the video noise could be caused by shit power supply. When I used genuine PS2 Slim power supply on my Duo-R the noise went away. Try a different power supply to see if the noise goes away. Maybe the glitch would also go away as the power supply may be barely enough to keep the system working.
If not, it does look like something is fouled up somewhere. A tiny solder blob maybe?
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Also, the 3 in one disc has the full version of Bonk on it. It's not a shortened demo version.
The pack-in retail game has full games, but the demo version is just one stage.... or so BT led me to believe.
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Ok, maybe the Huey is totally f*cked. It's been known to happen a few times. Do you have another game to test it or are you running solo with Bonk?
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I *think* I had some problems with the naked copy of PC Genjin 2 I got with my original IFU system in 1995. Is there something with that game that causes problems? I only played it 2 or 3 times because I found it quite boring. Hu's, like carts are usually pretty indestructible which is why I found it weird. I think there was 25+ Hu's and another 30 or so CD-ROM2 games included with it and no other games had problems. I just wish that the ownder had owned the "good" Hu's! No Splatterhouse, no Saigo no Ninden, no Bloody Wolf, no Hana Taka Daka?!?. Same could be said for the CDs but there was quite a few good ones.
OFF TOPIC
I still think "BONK" is one of the WORST character name changes, ever. I still remember in one of my Mean Machines mags where they were making fun of the Summer CES booth promoting "BONK". It apparently said; "Bonk'em hard, bonk'em fast, bonk'em any way you can!". They then commented "ooh er, obviously the word does not have the same meaning over there (the US) as it does here (the UK, but same counts to Australia)...." Still makes me giggle when I think about it.
On a side note, I remember reading a comment by an over zealous PCE "fanboy" on youtube (yes, I know :-$) about how wonderful the HuChip was and how NEC were so much smarter than SEGA and Nincrapo when they invented them. He had obviously never seen a SEGA SG-1000 or early Mark III game before :P
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The only other game I tested it with was Hu Tatsunoko Fighter, which is the only other hucard I own at the moment, so I have one japanese hucard and one north american. I played Tatsunoko Fighter for a little bit and I didn't notice any issues. I actually just sent Bonk to be returned to the ebay seller for a refund, and I ordered another copy from a different seller. If the new copy has the same issues then I will be borrowing an oem genesis 2 power supply from a friend of mine to see if it makes any difference, and then if there is still an issue my assumption is that it has to do with some sort of complication with the region mod.
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could that issue happen if 2 of the data lines are swapped for the US side of the mod? Ive never seen that happen, but could explain why there is only an issue with a US card. Not sure though if that would just cause the game not to boot at all
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If the data line were swapped, even just 2, you will get solid blank white screen. Data carries more than graphic data, they also carries game code and if the console can't understand the instruction due to flipped data, they just hang and do nothing.
The problem is somewhere else.
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it is possible to have bad work ram or an open address that doesnt cause issues with all cards, but working cards are the exception in that case
cd games would have also been effected unless it was a bent pin in the card slot (seen on 3 units, caused by TED)
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I just tested another game, the fan translated hack of Castlevania Rondo of Blood. No issues with it, which leads me to believe it's not a ram issue, but I still won't know for sure if the hucard was bad until my next copy of Bonk comes in the mail. I don't know if it's worth mentioning, but those Bonk glitches weren't random, the same sequence of glitches would happen every time I booted it up and let it play out on the title screen.
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Sorry to bump the thread, I just wanted to provide everyone with an update. I received my new copy of Bonk today and I tested it. It runs with no issues. I tested it with the original generic power supply I was using and an oem genesis 2 power supply, it ran fine with both. Whatever was causing the problem with the other copy of bonk must have been a problem with the hucard itself. Turbografxfan aka Keith Courage was correct, and I just want to thank him for fixing my console and providing excellent customer service.
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Send the suspect card to someone and have him or her test it. There's a small chance it still works but there's quirk that makes it not work right on yours. Or it could be dead.
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It's too late, I already returned it for a refund.
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Also, the 3 in one disc has the full version of Bonk on it. It's not a shortened demo version.
The pack-in retail game has full games, but the demo version is just one stage.... or so BT led me to believe.
Correct. The 3 in one demo that has Zonk only has the first stage for the games.
Sent from my iPhone using your mama
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Sorry to bump the thread
Don't be. We're glad to hear it was just the huey and not a bad chip.
Turbografxfan aka Keith Courage was correct, and I just want to thank him for fixing my console and providing excellent customer service.
I've heard Keith Does excellent work, so this does not surprise me. He is one of the few who provides a crucial service for the community, and has been providing a steady stream of systems for people who have wanted to get into PCE/Turbo. Keith's a man of few words and many systems.
Glad it all worked out.