REPAIR GUIDE - TurboExpress/PC Engine GT: Video Fix

[osmodiar]

I have done this and my video works but now it is slowly grows darker and darker and then cuts out. I have been at it for nearly a full 24 hours now. I give up! What to do next? anything? ugh!!

[BlueBMW]

I have done this and my video works but now it is slowly grows darker and darker and then cuts out. I have been at it for nearly a full 24 hours now. I give up! What to do next? anything? ugh!!

I guess your turbo express and my turbo express need to get together   Mine gets progressively brighter!

[osmodiar]

Well, interesting story about that. It did that too but then I replaced a couple other caps and now as it warms up it starts to flicker and get darker and darker until it simply shuts off.
So, I got the good one out of my personal collection which I had purchased new from tzd a number of years back. Just so I could feel god about playing one that I new to be working. I had only used it a handfull of times. I fired it up and much to my horror the sound was very low and as I allowed it to play further the screen got darker and darker but didnt shut off completely like the other one. So, I went and got some new caps. now with both the sound cap and the video cap in place my good one is now getting lighter and lighter. Holy crap!! I mean really! why is it that the coolest toys are always crap? I realize I am new on this forum but if anyone can help me out it would be greatly appreciated!

[BlueBMW]

I'll probably just start replacing every cap on the unit until I figure out which one causes the brightness issue

[osmodiar]

do you think it will be simply that? I see from the step by step at the beginning of this thread it says that the one that ended up correcting the issue was the last one that was changed. But given the troubles we are having it dosent seem that it is solely the culprit. so, replacing them all does make sense but ugh! what a job!

[BlueBMW]

I think the issue they were referring to was the backlight on but no video issue.  I suspect our backlight issues are tied to a different source, be it a bad cap or something else.

[nat]

The brighter and brighter issue usually means you are using sub-par (or almost dead) batteries. The Express seems to be finicky-- it wants good, quality name-brand alkalines to work right. It doesn't like any sort of rechargeables or non-alkaline sources.

[BlueBMW]

The brighter and brighter issue usually means you are using sub-par (or almost dead) batteries. The Express seems to be finicky-- it wants good, quality name-brand alkalines to work right. It doesn't like any sort of rechargeables or non-alkaline sources.

Looks like you nailed it!  It had some cheap off brand batteries in it, so I swapped in some fresh brand new energizers, and now it works perfectly!

[Duo_R]

i currently use nickel metal hydride rechargeable batteries with no problems, however i recall the manual saying to stay away from nickel cadmium batteries.

The brighter and brighter issue usually means you are using sub-par (or almost dead) batteries. The Express seems to be finicky-- it wants good, quality name-brand alkalines to work right. It doesn't like any sort of rechargeables or non-alkaline sources.

[nat]

I've never personally tried nickel metal hydrides in an Express, but I've tried [fully charged] nickel cadmiums and I only got about 6 minutes of play before the "brighter and brighter" syndrome set in.

[Duo_R]

yeah hydrides are legit, I get like 4 hours out of a set that I have.

[ApolloBoy]

I was replacing the cap on a TE and I accidentally pulled both solder pads while desoldering the old one. I can't find the traces they were connected to and I need to know what points I can solder to instead.

[Duo_R]

For which cap, the video one? Pix?

[ApolloBoy]

For which cap, the video one? Pix?

Yeah, it's the video cap. I'll see if I can provide a pic on Sunday, since I'm busy tomorrow.

[ApolloBoy]

Ack, wasn't able to get a pic, but I don't think I need one since both the pads for the video cap are gone. I need to finish this repair, so I need to know what other points I can solder the cap to.