Neo Flash cart doesn't work with my new TG16

[guyjin]

Wouldn't it be easier to, say, alter the hucard by putting a 5 volt battery on that line?

[Chuplayer]

Wouldn't it be easier to, say, alter the hucard by putting a 5 volt battery on that line?

But then you'll have to change the battery, and if it kicks the bucket while you're playing, you might be screwed.

[Supremo_Lagarto]

I've had a Neoflash 64 mb flash cart since they first came out, and it works perfectly fine in my Japanese Duo R or my US Turbo Express. I recently acquired a Turbografx 16 at long last, but the cart doesn't work on it. The menu comes up, but when you select the game it either freezes immediately, or will play the game with really odd issues, like garbled graphics or simply being in slow motion. I can then take the same card and toss it in my Express and all games work perfectly.

I did some searching, and I found where nat said that the card sometimes has issues with power consumption if the AC adapter wasn't putting out enough juice, and sure enough I was using a Sega AC adapter since I don't have the original TG16 plug. I randomly found a universal AC adapter today that can output up to 12V, 1300 ma, which exceeds that of the original AC adapter. I tried it, and it works fine with the system, but still no luck with the flash cart.

Anyone have any ideas? This isn't a big deal since I can always use the Duo instead, but it's irritating.

I had the opposite problem. My Japanese Duo does not work with the flash card, but a $15 Turbo Grafx from eBay (the seller thought it was dead) works with it fine.  The Duo has no problems playing real Hucards though.

[BigusSchmuck]

Wow, after reading these comments, I'm just going to wait for an everdrive. It just sounds too much of a hassle if it works only half the time.

[Supremo_Lagarto]

Wouldn't it be easier to, say, alter the hucard by putting a 5 volt battery on that line?

But then you'll have to change the battery, and if it kicks the bucket while you're playing, you might be screwed.

Umm... wouldn't that just crash the game making you have to change out the battery? Why would it destroy your system if the 5 volt battery died?

[nat]

Wow, after reading these comments, I'm just going to wait for an everdrive. It just sounds too much of a hassle if it works only half the time.

Well, it works 100% of the time... on systems it likes. The problem is, you won't know if your system is one of these until you buy it and try it out.

On systems it doesn't like, it works 0% of the time.

[Supremo_Lagarto]

thats what im talking about
even just hooking a capacitor across the card slot +5 pin to ground would likely solve it
it could be a weak 5V regulator as well, also fixable

Could someone put up a diagram that shows where this +5v line is in relation to the card slot?

[SignOfZeta]

Wow, after reading these comments, I'm just going to wait for an everdrive. It just sounds too much of a hassle if it works only half the time.

Well, it works 100% of the time... on systems it likes. The problem is, you won't know if your system is one of these until you buy it and try it out.

On systems it doesn't like, it works 0% of the time.

What does it do when it doesn't work? Does it just not boot, or does it just work like shit? Mine basically acts like a dead HuCard.

[nat]

On the system I have that it doesn't like, it will boot up to the game selection screen but freezes up either right when you select a game or the game will play for 30 seconds or so (usually with lots of graphical glitches) and then freeze up.

Mine acted like it was dead one time, right after I'd loaded a bunch of ROMs on it. I verified I'd set the region switch correctly in the software, loaded it again, and it started working again. I figured something must have gone wrong in the first ROM dump.

Short answer to your question: it just works like shit if your system has a poor +5v line on the cart slot.

[D-Lite]

On the system I have that it doesn't like, it will boot up to the game selection screen but freezes up either right when you select a game or the game will play for 30 seconds or so (usually with lots of graphical glitches) and then freeze up.

Mine acted like it was dead one time, right after I'd loaded a bunch of ROMs on it. I verified I'd set the region switch correctly in the software, loaded it again, and it started working again. I figured something must have gone wrong in the first ROM dump.

Short answer to your question: it just works like shit if your system has a poor +5v line on the cart slot.

Nat, you try adding a second +5V to the cart slot?

[Duo_R]

Should we test voltages on the 5+ lines on systems that work and don't work using a voltmeter? Be.interesting to seewhat readings people are getting

[Supremo_Lagarto]

What does it do when it doesn't work? Does it just not boot, or does it just work like shit? Mine basically acts like a dead HuCard.

On my Duo it will load the menu and load most games. You then play the game and after about 30 seconds to 1 minute the graphics just fall apart and eventually everything freezes. It also seems to actually corrupt the information on the flash drive. When I would take it back to my PC to reflash sometimes my PC could not read the data on the card until I formatted it again.  On the my $15 Turbo Grafx the exact same game plays fine. I played all the way to level four on Legendary Axe II with no problems.  Each time I reflash the PC reads the card just fine.

Here is an example of the problems on the Duo with the flash card:

I have a lot less knowledge of how these consoles work electrically than most of you guys do. I would love to know more about where this +5 volt rail is located and a method of supplementing it with power. I'd love to test that out and see if it really works. The most sophisticated thing I've ever done is recap a few Dell motherboards, computer power supplies, and a few DVD players.  So I know my way around enough not to be electrocuted and that is about it.

However, I just remembered something and thought I should point this out...

The Turbo Grafx is using the original AC Adapter which is 10.5 V and 730 mA, the Duo is using an AC adapter that is 10 V and 2000 mA.  That might not mean anything but there is a difference of half a volt there.  I know this has pretty well been ruled out, but just so I can witness it myself I might see if I get different behavior on the Turbo Grafx with a different AC adapter.

Okay. Tried 9 volt, 12 volt, 10 volt AC adapters. All with mA over the original Turbo Grafx range. No difference with the flash card on the Turbo Grafx. It always works. It must be internal to the Duo and Turbo Grafx.

[thesteve]

the duo manages data routing somewhat oddly.
on the duo all data (system rom, CD Data, Cart) runs across the cart slot.
the 5V Rail is simply a 7805 chip (very basic/common 5V regulator)
if the data on the cart is getting corrupted, it means the cart is going in to write/flash mode during operation.

[D-Lite]

The Turbo Grafx is using the original AC Adapter which is 10.5 V and 730 mA, the Duo is using an AC adapter that is 10 V and 2000 mA.  That might not mean anything but there is a difference of half a volt there.  I know this has pretty well been ruled out, but just so I can witness it myself I might see if I get different behavior on the Turbo Grafx with a different AC adapter.

Okay. Tried 9 volt, 12 volt, 10 volt AC adapters. All with mA over the original Turbo Grafx range. No difference with the flash card on the Turbo Grafx. It always works. It must be internal to the Duo and Turbo Grafx.

If you test the actual output from any of those adapters they are guaranteed to not be the same as the listed spec on them.  Usually higher by a volt or two.

[thesteve]

the man the legend D-Lite.
i suspect its got nothing to do with power.
the cart is going into write mode most likely duo to improperly terminated pins on the flash chip (poor design)
the PCE logic and processors work fine at 4.5V as do most 5V logic chips (flash included)