Are "Home Made" TG-16 Composite cables dangerous?

[Mgridgaway]

Hello all,

Is it dangerous to use a Home made Composite cable, connected directly to the pins on the back? I was just told I could fry the system if I wasn't careful. The dozen or so guides I've looked at over the last year never mentioned that possibility. I'd love to get my console component modded, but I can't seem to find anyone to perform the mod for me, and I don't really want to shell out for a turbo booster.

That being said, I reeeeally don't want to kill my system, so if there's a possibility my cables could fry my console, off they go.

Thank you for your help! Still learning about the TG-16.

[CGQuarterly]

Not only are they dangerous for your system, they pose a serious fire hazard.  Whoever that dipshit is who runs that "Classic Gaming Quarterly" site that has the DIY composite cable tutorial should be sued into poverty before he ruins any more lives.

[Mgridgaway]

Annnnnd off they go. If you don't mind, in what way are they dangerous?

Thankfully, I've only played a total of 1-2 hours with the composite cables on, so I don't believe I've caused any damage.

[SignOfZeta]

My God...

Are people who doing this suposed to use a resistor or something for impedance/protection purposes? I honestly don't know but it doesn't really matter because if you're really concerned with TG-16 and video quality you need to dump your TG-16. It's a big dumb piece of crap with its own stupid controller ports and and no way to play CDs except with a fragile hard to find drive. It needs to be modded to play JP games and only has terrible video out.

Cut your losses now and get a Duo or at least a CoreGrafx.

[esteban]

My God...

Are people who doing this suposed to use a resistor or something for impedance/protection purposes? I honestly don't know but it doesn't really matter because if you're really concerned with TG-16 and video quality you need to dump your TG-16. It's a big dumb piece of crap with its own stupid controller ports and and no way to play CDs except with a fragile hard to find drive. It needs to be modded to play JP games and only has terrible video out.

Cut your losses now and get a Duo or at least a CoreGrafx.

Stop dissing the NA hardware.

And HuCARDs are awesome.

Dammit.

Not only are they dangerous for your system, they pose a serious fire hazard.  Whoever that dipshit is who runs that "Classic Gaming Quarterly" site that has the DIY composite cable tutorial should be sued into poverty before he ruins any more lives.

Quoted for truth.

I have the scars on my arms to prove it.

Skin graft, my ass. Literally.

[Mgridgaway]

I'll be honest here, my interest in TG-16 is not going to go CoreGrafx deep, at least for the time being. I'm a *gasp* Nintendo guy at heart, but I pick up the occasional TG-16 game when I can.

That being said, aside from modding, what are my options for *at least* safe composite? eBay user spacemonkeyfromthefuture has a breakout box touting something similar to a turbo booster:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TurboGrafx-16-Composite-RCA-Video-Output-out-Box-Turbo-Booster-Alternative-Grafx-/252400734075?roken=cUgayN&soutkn=ZwMx6W

Can anyone recommend this item? Or, if anyone can point me to a reputable person who can component mod my system, I would certainly appreciate it

[rxmage]

I have seen two types of these soft mods.  One has a large connector that plugs into the expansion port.  The other that seems to be more common is just loose individual connectors.  I think that this second type holds the most peril for your TG16.  The possibility exists that you could simply plug the connectors into the incorrect pins.  Since the expansion port has audio, composite, rgb, address bus and voltage; the potential for permanent damage exists by mixing up the connections.  And at the very least, you could simply trip on or snag that cable and jack your expansion port pins up.

Use with caution...or get a TG16 that has been internally modded...or a cd dock.

[SignOfZeta]

I'll be honest here, my interest in TG-16 is not going to go CoreGrafx deep, at least for the time being. I'm a *gasp* Nintendo guy at heart, but I pick up the occasional TG-16 game when I can.

That being said, aside from modding, what are my options for *at least* safe composite? eBay user spacemonkeyfromthefuture has a breakout box touting something similar to a turbo booster:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TurboGrafx-16-Composite-RCA-Video-Output-out-Box-Turbo-Booster-Alternative-Grafx-/252400734075?roken=cUgayN&soutkn=ZwMx6W

Can anyone recommend this item? Or, if anyone can point me to a reputable person who can component mod my system, I would certainly appreciate it

If anything the TG-16 is "deeper" than a CoreGrafx. A CoreGrafx uses much easier to find controllers, taps, games, boosters, CDROM2s, etc and already has stereo composite out from the factory. If you had gotten one in the first place you'd never be asking this question. Now you're stuck with paranoia (small "p") and Keith Courage.

Speaking of your question, your original source was paranoid and these guys are just f*cking with you. Nothing rxmage said is untrue but as ghetto as this mod is "dangerous" is not a word I would use. The worst thing that can happen is that you break your TG-16 and who gives a shit?

[Mgridgaway]

Well, considering I paid $5 for my TG-16 at a yard sale last year I can't say I'm too broke up about the situation...

Still, thank you for your answer, though. I would care if I broke my TG-16, even I hated it that's $100 I could have in my pocket.

So you're saying it's safe-ish? As long as I don't screw up the pin positions, etc?

[rxmage]

If you are careful, you won't jack up your TG16.  If you were considering a Turbo Booster, I would suggest looking at a CD Dock instead.  The CD Dock can be a little more expensive than the Turbo Booster, but it gives you expandability options down the road.  The CD Dock has AV outputs and also has memory back up for games that support it.  Just be sure you get one that includes a power adapter.  They use a different adapter than the TG16 and can be somewhat difficult to obtain at a reasonable cost.  Now getting a working CD unit down the road is a different story...they can be flaky as hell...

Stick with what you have now, as ghetto as it may be, but if you totally fall in love with the TG16 and move that Nintendo to your second shelf, then follow my advice above.

Have fun.

[Mgridgaway]

Thank you for the response. Probably won't go for a turbo booster, but I may buy that adapter I listed above. I talked to the seller and he says he isolates each output with capacitors. The extra shielding may also be nice as my cables give my system a slight hum.

Maybe if I'm successful recapping a Game Gear I'll consider giving that component mod a try. At least with the game gear it can't get any worse...

[CGQuarterly]

OP, I was just screwing with you.  If you build that cable that I did the DIY deal for on my website, it will work just fine.  Just make sure that you use the heat-shrink so that each connector is insulated.  You can build that cable for literally a couple of dollars.  Paying $50+ for a home-made TurboBooster alternative is nuts.

[Mgridgaway]

Heh, wow. I can't believe I fell for that. Too much tunnel vision tonight.

Sooo composite cable I've had on for a year now = ok? Ok then.

[CGQuarterly]

Heh, wow. I can't believe I fell for that. Too much tunnel vision tonight.

Sooo composite cable I've had on for a year now = ok? Ok then.

Yeah it's totally fine.

[SignOfZeta]

You've had it on for a year and you're asking us if it's OK? Guess what, you're a leading expert on this hack.