Turbo Duo - repair / advice

[TTIr0x]

Hello!  I'm new to the forum here, good to see this system has a lot of interest.

I have a Turbo Duo that I bought around 1997 from TZD, I have maybe 30 games at this point.  I was playing a CD game, and sure enough, I had the "sound issue."  I am attached to the system, but not sure where to go next.  Here are the choices I have come up with:

1.  Buy an RGB modded DUO-R or DUO-RX from ebay (when sellers say "new lens" do they mean the whole laser assembly has been replaced?)
2.  Buy a used DUO-R, and send it to someone for a region mod, and take my chances with the laser etc.
3.  Just fix the capacitor issue, and keep using my chip adapter.  I can probably do this, but would have to buy the game-bit etc.

There are not a lot of hours on my Turbo Duo.  Is it generally true that the DUO-R holds up better for sound issues?  How many "hours of play" is the CD unit good for in the Turbo Duo vs. the DUO-R?

Any information is appreciated.  Thanks!

[chop5]

1. i seen those units on ebay,just the laser is replaced. the assembly doesnt usually break down. lasers are like lightbulbs and if you never changed yours its looong over due
2.duo r or duorx are pretty but they are pricey as well as a region mod. i would have both a duo and a duo r or rx.
3.i would just do that if your able to. once you fix the sound and laser you should be good to go for many years.
Seen some lasers on ebay as well as gamebits but i use a nut driver to open mine but they are in there good. Will take alot of pressure.
if you cant solder the new caps i can do it or other techys on here. I dont do regions mods but others can do the repair,laser,and region mod all together on your duo in one sitting.

[nat]

I'd go for #3. I mean, you already HAVE the Duo. It would be different if you were simply trying to decide which system to pick up, but you've already got the Duo. Get it fixed. Once you replace the caps you never should have to worry about the sound issue again.

[Necromancer]

I also vote for option three - it's the cheapest route, plus the TurboDuo is easily the sexiest looking of the Duo clan.

[TTIr0x]

Hello!

Thanks for the advice.  I got the impression somehow that the Duo-R/RX models were more reliable in some way than the previous.  I think I heard that heat was a contributing factor to Duo failure, but that somehow the R/RX models were not affected.

If doing the caps in my Duo will keep me going for a while, I should be set!

Thanks again!

[blueraven]

Option 3. Don't waste money, keep your bad-ass machine on the road.

[nikdog]

I think I heard that heat was a contributing factor to Duo failure, but that somehow the R/RX models were not affected.

From what I have heard, it was that low quality caps were used in the manufacturing of Duo models and that they revised that for r/rx models

[nat]

The whole "heat" story is more or less an urban legend. It originated from the fact that the sound capacitors happen to be right next to the heat sink in the first generation Duo. In reality, the sound capacitors are going bad because they are from a bad batch. The heat has nothing to do with it. And it's not just the sound capacitors-- it's all of them.

The reason you've heard the -R models are more reliable than first-generation Duos is because, as noted, of the capacitors. If you're replacing the capacitors in your first-gen Duo you're eliminating the only components that are less reliable than what's in the -R series.

Replacing the caps in your Duo will "keep you going" just as long as any -R model would, if not longer.

[TTIr0x]

Wow, thanks for the info, this encourages me to get it fixed.  Should I do just the sound caps for now to solve my issue?  Or should I really try to do them all when I have it open?

I have a soldering iron that I'm pretty good with, currently shopping for a desolder/pcb rework station.  It will come in handy for other stuff too.

Lastly, I have inspected the screws and it does not look like the game bit or standard torx, or anything I have seen.  Is there any other variant of screw?

[nat]

Wow, thanks for the info, this encourages me to get it fixed.  Should I do just the sound caps for now to solve my issue?  Or should I really try to do them all when I have it open?

You probably ought to do all of them if you're at all handy with the soldering iron. The "bad batch" you've got in there right now is going to start leaking electrolytic gunk all over the board. If you just replace the sound capacitors, the others are likely to leak that crap onto, uh, "inconvenient" spots potentially causing actual component failure due to short-circuits.

I also always put the logic board through the dishwasher after removing the old caps and before installing the new ones. This will remove all traces of that gunk, if any has leaked out so far (and you can bet it has). Some people like to try to use alcohol to spot-treat areas they suspect may be contaminated with the gunk, but I have two problems with this: a, the gunk is incredibly hard to see sometimes and you're virtually guaranteed to miss some, and b, often times the gunk has already penetrated areas (under ICs, etc) that are basically impossible to clean without a soak. And if you're going to soak the board anyway, you might as well go the extra mile and run it through the wash.

Just make sure you take it out before the dry cycle; the heat from the dry cycle can damage it. Let it air dry.