SuperGrafx-16 + CD-ROM

[nat]

Joe, are you prepared...



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...to be blown away?

[Michael Helgeson]

By a large near blank post???

[nat]

This f*cking setup is so big I had to have a garage sale so I'd have a place to put it.

So big I had to buy a smaller TV so there'd be room on the shelf.

So big... You get the idea.

The TurboGrafx-CD deck looks like a chump next to this behemoth:

[Joe Redifer]

WTF?  I am very confused.  How does this work?  Did NEC sell a box to put in the suitcase CD-ROM bay and a cable to hook it up to the thing slapped on to the SuperGrafx-16?  Or is this some type of 3rd party contraption?  I am confused.  You will explain immediately.

[termis]

Did NEC sell a box to put in the suitcase CD-ROM bay and a cable to hook it up to the thing slapped on to the SuperGrafx-16? 

That's pretty much it.  Since the SuperGrafx obviously doesn't fit neatly into the original briefcase CD-ROM unit, they released that adapter you see above (RAU-30, IIRC).

[nat]

WTF?  I am very confused.  How does this work?  Did NEC sell a box to put in the suitcase CD-ROM bay and a cable to hook it up to the thing slapped on to the SuperGrafx-16? 

That is exactly correct. 100% authentic NEC. The "box" and cable contraption are, indeed, called the RAU-30. The boxy part has the exact dimensions of a CoreGrafx but lacks a HuCard slot.

[termis]

Did you replace your multiplayer tap with a longer cord, nat?

[nat]

Did you replace your multiplayer tap with a longer cord, nat?

f*ck yeah I did.

I took the cord from a dead Avenue 6 Pad I had laying around. I actually had to re-wire the internal connector because the multi-taps use a funky pin out that doesn't match the pin outs on the connectors inside Turbopads. It's not a plug 'n play deal.

Now the 'tap can actually make it to the coffee table, where it belongs, rather than dangle haphazardly like a limp pendulum.

[esteban]

Wow, I never thought I'd say this, but the SuperGrafx + SCD is looking mighty compact compared to the RAU-30 contraption. Awesome.

[vestcoat]

Hey Nat, does your SGX + SCD work if you connect them with the RAU-30 in between?  I realize this is unnecessary, but I got a used RAU-30 dirt cheap (in case my SCD ever has problems) and I'm trying to figure out if it works.  I don't have a briefcase and I'm wondering if I can test the adapter through my SGX-SCD.

[vestcoat]

I took the cord from a dead Avenue 6 Pad I had laying around. I actually had to re-wire the internal connector because the multi-taps use a funky pin out that doesn't match the pin outs on the connectors inside Turbopads. It's not a plug 'n play deal.

That's probably why multi-taps have problems if you plug one of those grey TZD extension cords (Mac cables) between them and your console.

[grahf]

You know, that whole RAU-30 setup may be obnoxious and clunky, but it was decent of NEC to release it. Suitcase owners who faithfully bought a supergrafx weren't forced to buy the newer CDRom addon. Unless they wanted to of course. And who wouldnt after seeing the sheer size of the thing?

Great work on the multitap mod nat.

[Joe Redifer]

Does the whole thing power up with just the single SuperGrafx-16 switch or do you need to flip two different switches like the TurboGrafx-CD?  Can that RAU thing plug into the Turbo CD unit?

[nat]

Hey Nat, does your SGX + SCD work if you connect them with the RAU-30 in between?  I realize this is unnecessary, but I got a used RAU-30 dirt cheap (in case my SCD ever has problems) and I'm trying to figure out if it works.  I don't have a briefcase and I'm wondering if I can test the adapter through my SGX-SCD.

Never tried it... I'll give it a shot later and let you know.

FWIW, I got that RAU-30 dirt cheap as well. Only it was brand f*ckin' new, still shrinkwrapped (not a re-seal job-- had the original NEC tape) and everything. The seller lived in Hong Kong and either didn't do any research, misunderstood his research, or didn't care. He had it listed on eBay as "RAU 30 FOR PC COMPUTER" or something like that. I think with shipping I ended up down about $20.

I took the cord from a dead Avenue 6 Pad I had laying around. I actually had to re-wire the internal connector because the multi-taps use a funky pin out that doesn't match the pin outs on the connectors inside Turbopads. It's not a plug 'n play deal.

That's probably why multi-taps have problems if you plug one of those grey TZD extension cords (Mac cables) between them and your console.

Very likely!

You know, that whole RAU-30 setup may be obnoxious and clunky, but it was decent of NEC to release it. Suitcase owners who faithfully bought a supergrafx weren't forced to buy the newer CDRom addon. Unless they wanted to of course. And who wouldnt after seeing the sheer size of the thing?

Great work on the multitap mod nat.

Thanks. If anyone is interested I can write up some kind of text on the correct wiring to do this yourself. It's easy if you know which wires need to go where. I had to figure it all out by my own hand and that was the hardest, most time consuming part. I couldn't find any text online about it, which surprised me quite a bit, given the number of years that the technology has been around. If someone else has already done this, I'd appreciate a link to the text!

Does the whole thing power up with just the single SuperGrafx-16 switch or do you need to flip two different switches like the TurboGrafx-CD?  Can that RAU thing plug into the Turbo CD unit?

There are two switches, just like the TurboGrafx-CD. One on the console and one on the CD deck. Unlike the TurboGrafx-CD, you also need TWO power supplies. One for the SuperGrafx and one for the CD deck. The RAU-30 apparently does not pass power from one to the other.

Can the RAU-30 plug into the Turbo CD interface unit? Don't know. I will give it a shot later when I try to connect an SCD through the RAU-30 and post results.

[Joe Redifer]

Yes, try it.  And hook the TG-16 to the other end and power them up just for the hell of it.

Unlike the TurboGrafx-CD, you also need TWO power supplies.

Awesome!  That means it is almost as awesome as the Sega CD.  Even though the Genesis is capable of receiving power from the Sega CD, they decided it would be best to have two separate power supplies since they were, you know, Sega.  The SuperGrafx + CD is basically an effective Genesis + CD + 32X (the "Super" in SuperGrafx being the 32X part).  But it only needs two power supplies.  The Sega setup needs 3.  That is why Sega has so much awesome in their possession. If only each control pad needed it's own huge AC adapter as well.  That might be perfect!