What is the latest and greatest with TGCD gear replacement?

[Lost Monkey]

I replaced my middle gear a few years ago with the larger gear which makes one of the gears redundant and requires rewiring the motor--- is that still the norm for gear replacement or is there a more OEMish solution available now?

[BlueBMW]

I believe there are direct original replacements available now.  Though to convert back you will need the original small gear that was on the motor spindle.  They're all over ebay for around $10 now.

[Lost Monkey]

I believe there are direct original replacements available now.  Though to convert back you will need the original small gear that was on the motor spindle.  They're all over ebay for around $10 now.

Thanks - see them on there now.. Otakus in Europe and gamedoctorHK in Hong Kong..  probably same fab source for both. 

Will have to dig through my parts box and see if I have the other gear still...

[Keith Courage]

Are you having issues with the two gear setup? If not then I would just keep using it.

[Lost Monkey]

2 gear set up is working - but I am curious to see what effect the original 3 gear set up has on CD-r compatibility.  With certain games - they will work to a point and then get stuck accessing and the drive goes into a death cycle - loudly spinning up, then returning etc etc...   I can play the Ys IV translation up to the first cut scene and then "death cycle"... 


For example - I put together a patched GOT (Gate of Thunderforce) from Bonknut's site and it works gloriously.  A CDr of the U.S. GOT freezes and "death cycles" on the spotlight before the game select screen, but if I press "Run" it will load the select screen.  If I choose GOT - it will load and play.  Choose either Bonk title and it will go into a death cycle.

FWIW - The backups were ripped from original discs with TurboRip and verified with TocFixer before burning.

[Lost Monkey]

I found my spare parts - I am going to order one and see.  I have a second, unmodified motor from a junk PCE CD unit, will drop that in place of the modded TGCD motor...

[Keith Courage]

CD-r function will probably be a bit better depending on how fast you CD lens motor turns. I will say that the original 3 gear setup is better than the 2 for CD-r discs. It's too bad the replacement middle gear was not easily available a couple years earlier. I'm sure there are a good number of drives running the 2 gear setup out there now.

[Lost Monkey]

The 2 gear set up did its job - it took dead units and made them able to run, putting many smiles on many faces, including mine.  My TGCD was revived after being dead for over a decade...

[Lost Monkey]

I received the replacement gear today and switched my TGCD back to a 3 gear set up.  It now loads all the CD-r's I have tried out, except some gold Kodak (74 minute) ones. 

I can reiterate what Keith said, and say that the 3 gear set up works much better with CD-r's than a 2 gear set up.

[gtsamour]

Just out of curiosity.... does the black (American) TG Cdrom2 suffer also from the gear problem or just the white (Japanese) cdrom2?

[Keith Courage]

yes, it does. both types of CD drives have the exact same gearing

[wilykat]

Both CD units are the same with different colored shell.  So both uses the same capacitors and same laser assembly, and same crap gear.