arcade card duo not working!

[Lost Monkey]

You should also try backing the card out of the slot slightly before turning on the system. 50% of every Arcade  card DUO I've tested has required this even after a good cleaning. Not sure if they are just an odd shape or what.

This is what I was going to say... generally have to back the Arcade card out (on my TGCD) till it bumps against the lock.

[SignOfZeta]

Ah, nah, you got me. I haven't cleaned the system slot yet because the Everdrive always works. But I might as well clean it to rule out that possibility. I'll work on it tomorrow night. Are the suggestions in this thread the best to follow? Your suggestion sounds cool, but I'd like to use stuff I have lying around the house.

My solution costs less than $15. Think of how much you've saved by never paying for a game and put $15 into perspective. You can use the same supplies to clean every other machine you have an Everdrive for for probably the rest of your life.

If the cleaning device is too thick it will mess up the slots, too thin and it won't be effective. If you use regular sandpaper for woodworking etc it will deteriorate and get junk in the system. If you use anything besides contact cleaner for electronics you risk residue or rapid reoxidation.

It should be said that Arcade Cards do fail, seemingly more than any other cards, and the nature of their failure is not understood AFAIK so it's possible that this is your issue. I think failed ACs are usually just dead though, not buggy.

Good luck.

[schadenfreude]

Alas, I've wiggled it around every which way and pulled it out to where it just hits the lock plastic chip and then turned on the system, but the result never changes. I cleaned the system contacts a bit by putting some alcohol on the end of the Arcade Card, but again, same result.

Since my only other HuCARD is an Everdrive, I am wondering if its added thickness pushes it closer to the contacts in the system and thus makes it work every time I insert it. I wish I had another game card here to verify this theory. What's interesting is that Sapphire boots, meaning that the system reads the card, though not well enough to use its memory after the game boots. I'm assuming that the system checks for contact on, say, one of the pins of the card to verify that the card is in the slot, but uses all the pins when a game is playing — and once the game boots, it fails to access the card through these other pins, causing the glitching graphics. Or it's possible that all the pins are making contact, but the Arcade Card itself is fried.

I'll check out my local hobby stores this weekend for some scrubbing equipment and also open up the system to see what the contacts look like on the inside.

[csgx1]

I have a Arcade Duo that does the exact same.  I've never got it to work properly on any of my systems after trying every trick mentioned.   It seems that my card is slightly curved, so that might be a sign its been damaged.  I haven't messed with it in years since I also have a Arcade Pro. 

[geise]

Wow!  Necrobumping!  It was actually an issue now with the way the Kisado Converter handles the large meg HuCards.  It is the way the contacts sit in relation to the converter.  I had a 2nd AC Duo card and it did the same thing with the converter after a while.  Like the converter pushes to much on the contacts over time and wares them down.  It happens with populous and SF II CE.  I have to put some small piece of paper to "lift" the card and make contact with the kisado converter.  Then it works like a champ.  Every other HuCard works perfect.

@schadenfreude 

Do what I mentioned about using something under the card to lift it up a bit.  I know it's annoying but it works.  It's worth it to play Sapphire that's for damn sure.

[majors]

I had once a Duo that would play Hu's but not work with the ACD 100%. I would have missing grafx and empty squares when it played ACD games. I went through all of the OP's routine only to find out that one pin on the card slot had been pushed out. Must not have been needed for regular HuCard games, but needed for ACD. I was able to push back in the missing pin/wire to the card slot but the piece going to the PCB had snapped so I used wrapping wire I soldiered to complete the connection. Worked after that.

[schadenfreude]

Sorry for the late reply, dudes. Since my last post, I've been busy Dreamcasting and Xboxing and doing other sacrilegious activities. Time to expiate for my sins?

I picked up this project again by gradually placing more and more torn-up sheets of paper about the size of the Arcade Card underneath the card, then inserting it. Each successive iteration, the game continued to fail with the same glitching issues — until finally, the game booted! I played three credits with no issues, but on the fourth credit, the game loaded its glitchy self once again. I swear I didn't touch or move the system while playing, so this must be some weak thread of a connection I'm holding onto.

I opened up the system and looked at the pins in the HuCard slot, and none of them look bent. Is it easy to remove the metal shield covering the pin cartridge to get a closer look? I removed the two screws on the left and right of the metal shield, but it feels really sturdy in there. I watched a YouTube video of someone removing it with ease, but pulling on it feels like I'm going to break it.

[780racer]

Is the huey getying hot while playing with the bad sprits? I had a arvade card that would get super hot and had those geapgical issues. Ultimately trashed it after trying everything I could. I then bought a different arcade card and worked great. Not sure if same issue but worth asking.

[schadenfreude]

Nope, it's as cool as a fan, man. One would think that paper stack would catch fire at some point, but alas.

[Groover]

I have an Arcade Duo card as well. It works on all Arcade games I have but not PCEWorks Sapphire. It worked sort of one time and then glitches out on level 3 and now I can't get past the loading screen. I thought it might be the disc and got another one. same deal. I'm running on a Duo-R. Maybe it is the card or the Duo-R.

I'm not sure if cleaning the pins is it but I will try it. Anyone else have similar issue in the past?

[Gypsy]

I have an Arcade Duo card as well. It works on all Arcade games I have but not PCEWorks Sapphire. It worked sort of one time and then glitches out on level 3 and now I can't get past the loading screen. I thought it might be the disc and got another one. same deal. I'm running on a Duo-R. Maybe it is the card or the Duo-R.

I'm not sure if cleaning the pins is it but I will try it. Anyone else have similar issue in the past?

Are the other games you are playing (that work right) retail discs or burns/pressed booties? Could be relevant.

Also maybe tried a cdr of Sapphire and see how that goes?

[Groover]

I have an Arcade Duo card as well. It works on all Arcade games I have but not PCEWorks Sapphire. It worked sort of one time and then glitches out on level 3 and now I can't get past the loading screen. I thought it might be the disc and got another one. same deal. I'm running on a Duo-R. Maybe it is the card or the Duo-R.

I'm not sure if cleaning the pins is it but I will try it. Anyone else have similar issue in the past?

Are the other games you are playing (that work right) retail discs or burns/pressed booties? Could be relevant.

Also maybe tried a cdr of Sapphire and see how that goes?

My other arcade card games are retail. They all play. I also have other PCE Works games thanks to Bernie. They also all work. I don't use CD-Rs on my Duo-R.