PCE GT - Earphone Sound Issue

[brettlee]

Hi fellow PCE freaks,

I just acquired a GT from eBay. It's my first ever PC Engine!! Always wanted one as a kid. Looks sweet. Everything is in working order. The speaker is also loud. However when I plugged in an earphone, the right channel seem very soft compared to the left. Is there a problem? Or can it be fixed? Thanks guys.

[nat]

Someone did the GT "audio fix" on this but only repaired the left channel (the channel that affects the speaker), apparently.

You have two options-- put a shunt in that jumps the two channels together, or, for a proper fix you can replace the caps that affect the right channel.

[brettlee]

Someone did the GT "audio fix" on this but only repaired the left channel (the channel that affects the speaker), apparently.

You have two options-- put a shunt in that jumps the two channels together, or, for a proper fix you can replace the caps that affect the right channel.

Hey Nat,

Thanks for the reply. I've read that somewhere in this forum. Hmm.. since I don't have experience in soldering, I think I'll just let it be for now. 
I noticed the GT heats up quite abit after an hour's play. Will this affect the components in the long run? Geez.. I'm quite paranoia after hearing so many failed GT stories..

[Duo_R]

Nat,

do you know which cap affects the left or right channels? I have a unit now that has the issue. Would it be one of these caps (besides the circled normally fixes the issue cap)?



thanks,

Duo-R

Someone did the GT "audio fix" on this but only repaired the left channel (the channel that affects the speaker), apparently.

You have two options-- put a shunt in that jumps the two channels together, or, for a proper fix you can replace the caps that affect the right channel.

[agt_dale_cooper]

Replace all four of them, don't bother mucking about with one or two....I substituted 47uF for the two 33s (Nat mentioned this results in louder sound), and straight replaced the two 100s.  I haven't found subminis that will mount in that location yet...RRR...had to mount them down the side.

[nat]

agent speaks the truth. Just replace 'em all. Use 47ufs in place of the 33's for a slight boost in overall volume. (47s are more common anyway.)

[blueraven]

 

Replace all four of them, don't bother mucking about with one or two....I substituted 47uF for the two 33s (Nat mentioned this results in louder sound), and straight replaced the two 100s.  I haven't found subminis that will mount in that location yet...RRR...had to mount them down the side.

I'm going to have to agree that if the console is open, just replace all 4.

[brettlee]

Wowie. Thanks for the replies here guys. I'm not in favour of opening up my GT (at the moment) let alone do some soldering on it! It doesn't seem so bad listening to only one channel with headphones Anyhow I really appreciate and respect those who have shared their hardware knowledge for fixing this problem! Maybe not now but in the future, I will eventually have to get those caps replaced myself..

THANKS!

[Duo_R]

47uf is a great substitute for the 33's, since I have plenty of those "in stock." Thanks for the info. Should there be a sticker on the repaired units that says:

"Warning! Listening to your PC Engine GT with 47uf caps installed could result in hearing loss" 

[Platinumfungi]

Use 47ufs in place of the 33's for a slight boost in overall volume.

Really?  That's awesome news. I'll add that info to that chart I put up here awhile back.

[Duo_R]

I found the cap today that was bad on one of the sound channels. The small 33uf to the left of the cap that is circiled fixed one of the sound channels that were lower than the other. I imagine the two 33uf's are associated with each sound channel.

Nat,

do you know which cap affects the left or right channels? I have a unit now that has the issue. Would it be one of these caps (besides the circled normally fixes the issue cap)?



thanks,

Duo-R

Someone did the GT "audio fix" on this but only repaired the left channel (the channel that affects the speaker), apparently.

You have two options-- put a shunt in that jumps the two channels together, or, for a proper fix you can replace the caps that affect the right channel.

[nat]

Yes, these have already been identified as culprits for the bad sound issue... These are the 33's I suggest replacing with 47's.

[Duo_R]

Thanks nat and others for reply. I had two units exactly described as the first post but now have full stereo with the 4 audio caps replaced.


I was really trying to narrow it down to the main cap that fixes aud, and just the cap related to sound channel. I guess doing the 4 cap combo is the way to go.

[brettlee]

Hey guys. Today I decided to open up my GT and clean its casing and I noticed that there was one leaking cap that is located between the vol and brightness dial as seen in the pic below.




Any idea what that cap affects? So far I've only got the low right earphone vol issue with this unit. Others work perfect. However, Street fighter II Hucard which was working all the time whenever I inserted it is now not booting. But I guess that could be the HU card cause I tried others and they all work.

[nat]

I haven't figured out what that cap does, but in nearly every case I've seen it looks just as nasty as yours. I usually always replace it when I'm in there, but on the other hand, it doesn't seem to affect anything one way or the other. I'm sure it's not part of the sound circuit. Beyond that.... Your guess is as good as mine.