PC Engine / TurboGrafx Flash Cart Questions :) (Specifically the 64M Neo Flash)

[dhowerter]

Hi again all. 

I'm on the verge of buying the PC Engine / Turbografx Flash Cart that nat recomended in a previous thread of mine (the 64 Meg PC Engine Neo Flash cart from ic2005.com).

But I have some essential questions before I take the plunge  :



1. Is ic2005.com a reliable online retailer? If the flash cart doesn't work when I get it, I can return it, correct?

        Is there ANY other place (just in case) you can buy the 64 Meg Neo PC Engine Flash cart? (if you have had a good experience with another retailer offering the flash cart, please tell me)



2. Is it true that you need to rewrite the ENTIRE flash cart if you want to change anything on the cart? (adding or deleting ROMS)


3. Which PC Engine / Turbografx ROM extensions does this particular flash cart support? (The only one I know of so far is ".pce")
     Are there any other ones it supports?


4. Is there any difference in video or sound quality between a original hucard version of a specific game played on a TG 16 and that same game as a ROM on a PCE Flash cart played on the same TG 16?
        Any other things like static? graphical glitches, etc in the flash cart version compared to a original hucard? (assuming of course the ROM is not a bad dump


5. Finally, I've read some other threads here on the 64 Meg Neo Flash PC Engine Flash carts (this one specifically) where some people say it does NOT work on a normal USA TG16 and OTHER people have it work just perfectly on their US Tg16s -_- (note: just a TG 16, no cd attachment, tho in my case I will have a Turbo Booster there)

        So is there an inherent problem using this particular flash cart on a CD-less USA TG 16? If there is, how do you get around it / make it work reliably (or at least as reliably as possible   )

Thanks!

.

[nat]

Hi again all. 

I'm on the verge of buying the PC Engine / Turbografx Flash Cart that nat recomended in a previous thread of mine (the 64 Meg PC Engine Neo Flash cart from ic2005.com).

But I have some essential questions before I take the plunge  :



1. Is ic2005.com a reliable online retailer? If the flash cart doesn't work when I get it, I can return it, correct?

Yes. You can return it if it doesn't work, but AFAIK, this has only happened once (to a member here). Be aware they are SLOW about replacing it, because English is not their native language, but they will do it.

        Is there ANY other place (just in case) you can buy the 64 Meg Neo PC Engine Flash cart? (if you have had a good experience with another retailer offering the flash cart, please tell me)

No other place AFAIK.

2. Is it true that you need to rewrite the ENTIRE flash cart if you want to change anything on the cart? (adding or deleting ROMS)

Yes, but writing the entire card takes a matter of seconds.

3. Which PC Engine / Turbografx ROM extensions does this particular flash cart support? (The only one I know of so far is ".pce")
     Are there any other ones it supports?

.PCE ROMs are the one and only format for TurboGrafx/PCE ROMs. So no, it doesn't support any others.

4. Is there any difference in video or sound quality between a original hucard version of a specific game played on a TG 16 and that same game as a ROM on a PCE Flash cart played on the same TG 16?
        Any other things like static? graphical glitches, etc in the flash cart version compared to a original hucard? (assuming of course the ROM is not a bad dump

Once you select a ROM to play from the flash cart main menu, the flash cart essentially "becomes" that ROM and functions identical to a "real" HuCard. There will be none of the anomalies you mentioned, provided the ROM in question is a good dump.

5. Finally, I've read some other threads here on the 64 Meg Neo Flash PC Engine Flash carts (this one specifically) where some people say it does NOT work on a normal USA TG16 and OTHER people have it work just perfectly on their US Tg16s -_- (note: just a TG 16, no cd attachment, tho in my case I will have a Turbo Booster there)

This happened to me on a bare TG-16, and we came to the conclusion the flash cart is very sensitive to minor differences in voltage (same cart played fine on my Duo and briefcase setup). The flash cart requires more power to run compared to a regular HuCard, and an aging TG-16 AC adapter may provide .1 too few volts for the card to properly function. You don't have this problem on a Duo or TG-CD since those use higher-output AC adapters. If you have a bare TG-16 it's best to be aware of this possible issue, but this condition seems rare.

        So is there an inherent problem using this particular flash cart on a CD-less USA TG 16? If there is, how do you get around it / make it work reliably (or at least as reliably as possible   )

Not an inherent problem, seeing as it only happens in a handful of instances, usually with an AC that's seen it's fair share of use. The fix-- get a new AC adapter or get a Radio Shack equivalent to power your TG-16. On the other hand, you might not have the issue at all if your AC is still healthy.

[Duo_R]

I posted about a possible group buy in this forum. We need 10 buyers though which is going to be tough. But there was a group by not long ago by some turbolist members and the savings is significant. I also know of someone else that had theirs exchanged from ic2005.

[Paisa49]

They're painfully slow at replacing defective products. I now have a fully-functioning cart, but I had to wait nearly 6 months to get the replacement. It works amazingly well so far on my CD-less American TG-16, and I'm glad I invested in this product.

[ooPo]

How much of a discount would a group buy get?

[Necromancer]

How much of a discount would a group buy get?

A 64mb card is normally $109 with free shipping, but the price drops to $69 each when buying at least ten.  The only caveat is that wholesale purchases do not include shipping, so expect to add in another couple o' bucks to each card.

P.S. - The prices for a 128mb card are $149 retail and $119 wholesale.

[jperryss]

I decided awhile back that a 64M would be sufficient for my needs and have been holding out for a group buy.

$109 to $69 (plus shipping) is a BIG drop.

[Turbo D]

I would like to advise any potential buyers to go for the 128m version as the 64m version doesn't hold enough to satisfy. Remember that those are megabits and not megabytes! heh. Now, lets do a group buy on the 128m version! 

[Duo_R]

64 megabits would be good enough for me. Hmm.....maybe we need a poll with a groupbuy....

[dhowerter]

They're painfully slow at replacing defective products. I now have a fully-functioning cart, but I had to wait nearly 6 months to get the replacement. It works amazingly well so far on my CD-less American TG-16, and I'm glad I invested in this product.

Geez lol, that is unfortunate, BUT at least they did replace it .
      I've just spent the last hour looking for another online store that carries the PCE Neo Flash cart and ic2005 is the only one I can find. -_-

Couple questions occured to me:

1. Does anyone know their customer service email address? (maybe someone who has dealt with them before)
   Good to know and I'd like to double check the thing is in stock before I order



2. I normally clean my PCE /TG16 Chip games (contacts and the surface of the chip) with Q-tips using a combination of water and isopropyl alcohol.

      Would it be OK to clean the PCE Flash cart like that? or is there some hardware in there that would make it a bad idea?
 
     (I just want to make sure the contacts on both sides of the card are as CLEAN as possible for the best possible connection to the computer / slim loader and to the TG 16 system)


.

[Duo_R]

They don't recommend on their website to use their email address. You actually have to post using their forums. Many times when people say they take forever it is because they waste time sending emails which they don't check.

They're painfully slow at replacing defective products. I now have a fully-functioning cart, but I had to wait nearly 6 months to get the replacement. It works amazingly well so far on my CD-less American TG-16, and I'm glad I invested in this product.

Geez lol, that is unfortunate, BUT at least they did replace it .
      I've just spent the last hour looking for another online store that carries the PCE Neo Flash cart and ic2005 is the only one I can find. -_-

Couple questions occured to me:

1. Does anyone know their customer service email address? (maybe someone who has dealt with them before)
   Good to know and I'd like to double check the thing is in stock before I order



2. I normally clean my PCE /TG16 Chip games (contacts and the surface of the chip) with Q-tips using a combination of water and isopropyl alcohol.

      Would it be OK to clean the PCE Flash cart like that? or is there some hardware in there that would make it a bad idea?
 
     (I just want to make sure the contacts on both sides of the card are as CLEAN as possible for the best possible connection to the computer / slim loader and to the TG 16 system)


.

[Paisa49]

They don't recommend on their website to use their email address. You actually have to post using their forums. Many times when people say they take forever it is because they waste time sending emails which they don't check.

This is correct, you have to post on their Customer Service forums. I did this from the beginning of discovering the defect, and they were very quick to respond when the process first started. However, after they confirmed reciept of the defective card 2 months after my mailing, it was like pulling teeth getting them to respond. Mind you, I only emailed maybe 5 times after they confirmed reciept, and I had given up on even receiving a functional flash cart. Then, on a lark, I decided to check the forum to see if they had responded, and they wound up shipping my replacement to the person that coordinated the mass purchase. The product works great, but, again, their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

[dhowerter]

They don't recommend on their website to use their email address. You actually have to post using their forums. Many times when people say they take forever it is because they waste time sending emails which they don't check.

OK then, so if I stick with the forums and forget email I should be OK


Also could anyone please answer my second question?, that is:

2. I normally clean my PCE /TG16 Chip games (contacts and the surface of the chip) with Q-tips using a combination of water and isopropyl alcohol.

      Would it be OK to clean the PCE Flash cart like that? or is there some hardware in there that would make it a bad idea?
 
     (I just want to make sure the contacts on both sides of the card are as CLEAN as possible for the best possible connection to the computer / slim loader and to the TG 16 system)

I want to make sure the contacts on both sides of this thing are as clean as possible, but without damaging anything 

SO anyone know?
.

[Necromancer]

2. I normally clean my PCE /TG16 Chip games (contacts and the surface of the chip) with Q-tips using a combination of water and isopropyl alcohol.

      Would it be OK to clean the PCE Flash cart like that? or is there some hardware in there that would make it a bad idea?
 
     (I just want to make sure the contacts on both sides of the card are as CLEAN as possible for the best possible connection to the computer / slim loader and to the TG 16 system)

The PCE flash cart's contacts (just like any other PCB contacts) can be safely cleaned with alcohol - assuming of course that you're not soaking it with the stuff, as it is a somewhat powerful solvent.

[Duo_R]

use a 50/50 solution of water and alcohol. That is the formula for the cleaners I used to sell at a video game store I used to work at and it worked very well. Too strong isn't good.