Turbo Grafx/PC engine CD Gear replacement available! $12 shipped

[storino03]

so when these replacements are done, how long do they last in the system?

[thesteve]

should be considered a permanent fix

[Keith Courage]

They should be a permanent fix. I haven't heard of any falling apart but then again I have only been using these gears for about a year now. I believe the reason the old gear breaks is due to friction since it spins on a stationary spindle. With this setup everything moves together so no center spindle friction on any of the gears.

[Marll]

So, you say the gears cut loading time in games? That sounds awesome sicne the loading time on some can be quite long.

This just makes me realize that I'd like to get quite a bit of work done on my systems that I just don't have the time for any more.

[ul][li]This gear fix if it reduces load times
The TGCD register issue that you mentioned in a different post (my TGCD has had that noise since day 1 out of the box in 1990 or so)
DIN 8 installed for a DIN to SCART cable for RGB installed in my TGCD base unit
Region switch mod
Full cap replacement on my Express
Potentially updated screen for Express[/li][li][/li][/ul]
Wonder how much someone would charge to do all these things as a 1 stop shop kind of deal. I'd be really nervous about sending my prized system out in the mail, but some of this work would just increase enjoyment.

[Keith Courage]

Being that you want an updated screen for your express I'd get a hold of Thesteve here in these forums. I have no experience updating express screens.

[Marll]

That'd actually be the lowest on my list and more of a wish than anything. I'd really like all the other stuff done though.

[thesteve]

well im around when your ready

[mrjiggs]

Sent you a PM!

[herr-g]

Received the gears today. Thank you very much!!
I'll try to repair my broken drive the next days if i can find the free time.

[storino03]

Another question: If I bought the gear(s) mentioned here, would I be able to get them installed by you if I sent the CD unit? Can you quote me a price too?

[SegaCD]

For people on the edge about purchasing one of these:
I ordered one of these gears about a month ago and only just found the time to install it now on my Japanese CD-ROM-ROM.
It was a fairly painless install. The guide made it sound like the laser assembly was a bigger pain in the butt to remove from the shell than it actually was. However, there was a plate I had to remove that wasn't mentioned in the guide (when removing the the grounding wire from the larger ribbon cable). It just slid out though so it wasn't a big deal. I laughed when I found that I didn't have to pull the old, threadless middle gear off, but, instead, it just broke in half and fell off the shaft when I touched it! 
After I popped in the gear and put it all together again, I tried it with a CD and found that on later tracks it would skip ahead or behind a good 20 seconds or so every 30 secs to a minute. I tried adjusting the "speed" pot as mentioned in the guide but it did nothing but make it worse (only when I turned it to the extreme ends). I tried greasing the laser's sled with some clear silicone grease...and it fixed the problem!

Overall, its taken about an hour and a half to do this mod at a normal-to-slow pace (not including the full audio CD run-thru which I'm currently doing) and its made a totally useless CD-ROM-ROM work again! I could not be more pleased!   Definitely get one of these if you've got a dead drive!
And thanks, Keith Courage!

[Keith Courage]

yeah, the guide makes it sound like a lot of work even though it's not. I just wanted to try and cover everything in detail as much as possible.

Also, you didn't really have to take off that black cover for the laser assembly that you mentioned but it can't hurt anything. With just a slight bit of force you can slide the new gear in without taking that plate off.

[FiftyQuid]

I just finished up taking mine apart.  The only part I had difficulty with was removing that small metal piece and putting the screw back in.  The entire teardown took 10 minutes, but getting that screw back in took another 15.  Damn my huge hands!  Ha!  My CD is ready for the new gear.  I am anxiously waiting for the mailman to deliver it.

Keith, if there are any photos you want me to take to upgrade your guide just let me know.

[YAGRS]

I got my gear today, installed it, switched the blue and pink wires, put everything back together, turned on my Turbo CD and . . . the disc won't spin. The laser is moving, but for some reason, the disc is stationary. My Turbo CD had been working previously (I just had to keep opening it up and moving the middle gear to loosen it, which is why I wanted to do this mod).

Anyone have any ideas what I might have done? Everything appears to be intact, so I'm having problems determining what might have gone wrong.

[thesteve]

you might have lost connection to the laser sled (broken or unplugged cable)