PC Engine durability - Which lasts longer?

[Trenton_net]

Hey Everyone,

Given that I'm rather green when it comes to PC Engine hardware (especially compared to others here), how durable are the respective CD based machines?

I assume from least durable to most durable would be (?):

CD-ROM / Super CD-ROM unit
PC Engine DUO
PC Engine DUO-R
PC Engine DUO-RX

I assume this just goes logically with when the unit was manufactured right? In addition, if a unit was competently repaired, (like a CD-ROM module for example), how long should one expect it to last from that point? I assume it would be better just to buy a reliable DUO-R machine instead?

[SignOfZeta]

The R and RX are identical internally. The CDROM inside is identical to the OG Duo and Super CDROM2.

The OG CDROM 2 units have completely different lasers and sleds.

The OG CDROM2s fail because of a combination of the greese getting old and thick, the gears getting old and brittle, and lack of use. Lack of use really exacerbates the other two problems.

OG Duos and Super CDROM2s fail because of leaking capacitors. If you recap them they will be as durable as a Duo R/RX.

Duo R/RXs probably fail the least, but the lasers can still crap out. Mine has 1000 hours on it at the very least and is still going. They do fail though.  

No matter what you buy you should either get something recently serviced that actually gets played once in a while, or buy something with plans to get it serviced. It's not that they are junk or anything, far from it, but the PCE is literally the oldest consumer CDROM product. They are starting to break down.

[Necromancer]

Each system has problems, but you've probably got 'em ordered about right.  If they haven't already, original cd add-ons will eventually need a gear change and original Duos/SuperCDs will need caps (as will laseractive pacs), leaving the Duo-R/RX as the least likely to need help.  But it doesn't really matter, as gears, cap jobs, and laser swaps can be done on 'em all.  If anything, the Duo-R/RX are probably most likely to end up being dead and unrepairable due to their lower quality pcbs.

As for how long a refurbished unit will last - there are some units still in use that've never been repaired, so I wouldn't be surprised if they lasted for another ten years (or more) before needing help again.

[Duke.Togo]

This gets me thinking about older optical drive systems in general. I suppose I should investigate some preventative maintenance for them. Any suggested reading?

[Trenton_net]

Ah, thanks for the feedback gang. It's too bad some interface couldn't be made so that a regular USB CD-ROM could be hooked up to a PC Engine console. I can't imagine anything terribly special it might need. Maybe just a little ram in the converter that translates all the IO commands, and room for a BIOS perhaps?