Need help with Turbo Duo repair/region mod

[ddp72984]

Hello, I'm new to this forum, but I was advised by Assembler's to seek out you guys for you are regarded as the best.

I bought my Turbo Duo off eBay about 5 years back, but now, the system's gone to hell.  What happens is that I will play a game and one of the following things will happen.

1.  The sound cuts off in mid-game
2.  The loading times increases vastly or....
3.  The game freezes on a black screen

at the same time, the laser begins to make a grinding, yet whiny noise.  For this, I'm going on a guess to say that the laser is dead.  Also, I am interested in playing Japanese Hu-Cards, and recently, have discovered the magic of region mods.

If possible, I am looking for an experienced modder/repairer who lives in the States that would have no problem helping me fix this poor system, plus add a region mod so I can play some imported games.  Any help/advice would be deeply appreciated.  Thanks

[kattare]

Hi there,

    I've been repairing quite a few of these lately.  Below is the pricing (parts + labor) I'd charge.  You may find others on here that will charge less.  There's quite a few good modders here.

Diagnosis: $free

If it needs a laser: $50
If it has leaking capacitors: $30 (just the usual audio ones and a couple others)
If you want to future-proof the capacitors: $80 (replace all of them, not likely necessary, but many here would recommend it.)
If you want a push-button region mod: $60
If you want a blue access light: $10
If you want a blue power light: $10

Return Shipping: $10



If you want a region-mod'd (plays US cards, plays CD-R's) DUO-R: $300
Or a DUO-R with a region switch: $350

The DUO-R's are the white japanese units that were re-designed and seem to be a bit more reliable.  Most of the ones I've come across read CD-R's pretty well to boot.  On the DUO-R's I recess the region switch inside the card slot area, under the hinged lid.  Works great, and unit still looks normal.

Cheers.

[SignOfZeta]

If you want a region-mod'd (plays US cards, plays CD-R's) DUO-R: $300
Or a DUO-R with a region switch: $350

Wait, what?

[Necromancer]

Wait, what?

Based on some of his ebay listings, I'd guess that he means $300 for a Duo-R permanently modded for US region use (which is utterly retarded) and $350 for one switchable between both regions ($50 to install a $2 switch?!?).

[SignOfZeta]

Ah, I see.

Well it is twice as much soldering to put the switch in, regardless of the price. I've actually charged customers $1000 to install a $6 car part before. Sometimes it just takes a lot of work.

But yeah, perma-modding a Duo R is such a waste. I did that with my US Saturn when I was in a hurry once, but I already have another modded JP Staurn.

[ddp72984]

ok, thats sounds fair

so with the region switch, my usa duo can play both us and japanese hucards right?

can you pm me your info with what you need?  thanks

[termis]

ok, thats sounds fair

so with the region switch, my usa duo can play both us and japanese hucards right?

can you pm me your info with what you need?  thanks

Right, and it also allows you to use accessories/upgrade like the tennokoe sram backup card and the arcade card.  Definitely worth having done IMO.

[kattare]

Wait, what?

Based on some of his ebay listings, I'd guess that he means $300 for a Duo-R permanently modded for US region use (which is utterly retarded) and $350 for one switchable between both regions ($50 to install a $2 switch?!?).

I'll agree with you that for the PC Engine enthusiast a Duo-R set to a permanent US region would seem pretty useless.  But there are lots of folks out there that are perfectly happy with their US Duo and US Games and just want a system that is more reliable and can maybe read CD-R's. 

If you could kindly show me where to get an 8P2T switch for $2, I'd be much obliged.

And then show me how to snap my fingers and have it magically appear inside the Duo, with all 40 (edit: it's actually 50) soldering points connected in all the right spots with nice neat ribbon cables, that'd be nice too - Cuz my time is apparently worth nothing?  For someone with over 5400 posts Necro, I'm really surprised at your response.

I was also pretty open about the fact that there may be other folks on here that charge less.  I just have (in the back of my brain somewhere) a minimum amount of $/hr I'm willing to do hobby work for, and I stick to it.  I certainly wouldn't fault someone else for it, as long as they're open and up front about it.

Cheers.

[Charlie]

I don't know if this will help resolve the issue, or add fuel to the fire, but I charge $250/hr for electronics consulting, both for design jobs and repair jobs (obviously, we're not talking flashlights here!).  Assuming it takes a good hour or so to do the mod, the price may not be too far outside the mark, even if there are a bunch of pre-wired switches in the stockpile just for making this kind of job easier.

Charlie

[SignOfZeta]

Yeah, the shops I've worked in charge $90-110 an hour plus environmental fees, and parts mark-ups. I get about 1/4 of that. This is why I don't do console mods for people. I don't really enjoy doing it enough to justify working for less than the minimum wage. A Duo could be modded in an hour by some people, but since I take forever to do the work (since I like my mods generally lasting forever*) its less profitable for me. I only do work for friends now.






*Except for that one Gamecube I did that one time.

[termis]

I feel the same way - there's no way in hell I'd regularly do the mods for the amount that a lot of people charge here.  (And I probably do crappier work than most of the folks here.)  Hence I don't bother doing mods for anyone -- I guess you can say I'm priced out of the market, which is fine, that's how the system is supposed to work.

Just as an example, I flipped a number of saturns after putting in a simple 2-region switch, and that mod only has a total of 12 soldering points.  End result? I'd regularly get a premium ranging from $50-$75 for the work.  (The premium wasn't determined by me - I sold the systems through ebay auctions starting at $9.99.)  I probably wouldn't have bothered at all flipping them if it was going to be any less than that.

[Necromancer]

If you could kindly show me where to get an 8P2T switch for $2, I'd be much obliged.

That was a guess, but a quick look on the web turned 'em up for $3.50, perhaps even less if I bothered to look for more than a minute.  If you were honestly looking for a way to save a little, sorry I got your hopes up; if you were trying to make a point about 'value', then bravo - an extra $1.50.

And then show me how to snap my fingers and have it magically appear inside the Duo, with all 40 (edit: it's actually 50) soldering points connected in all the right spots with nice neat ribbon cables, that'd be nice too - Cuz my time is apparently worth nothing?

Snippy, eh?  My point was that most of the work is already done for a permanent region mod (grounding of whichever pin, cutting the HuCard slot leads, and soldering on new wires to rearrange the HuCard pins), and the only thing that a switchable mod adds is a switch and a hole.  You list the switched region mod for $60, so yeah, an extra $50 sounds a bit steep for a switch and a hole.  If you think it's so fair, then are you willing to do the permanent region mod for a mere $10?

For someone with over 5400 posts Necro, I'm really surprised at your response.

Maybe if you'd read a few of those posts, you'd see that I abhor the illogical and I've no fear of speaking my mind.

[SignOfZeta]

Snippy, eh?  My point was that most of the work is already done for a permanent region mod (grounding of whichever pin, cutting the HuCard slot leads, and soldering on new wires to rearrange the HuCard pins), and the only thing that a switchable mod adds is a switch and a hole. 

Unless I'm forgetting something, this isn't correct. If doing a permanent region mod (btw, please don't) you only have to cut a the pins and solder a short wire between them (differently, of course). If installing a switch you need to run a much longer piece of wire from the pin to the switch, and then another wire from the switch back to another pin. Therefore there are twice as many wires, and twice as many solder points when installing a switch, as well as the logistics and labor of finding a place to put the switch, and all those wires, that won't mess with with stuff when the case is put back together.

I don't know why you've decided to be the CEO of Walmart about this anyway. Anyone who does a mod for less than $100 is either a hack or are grossly underpaid. If I were looking for someone to mod my shit I wouldn't be looking for the lowest price and with as many NEC fans as there are paying $250 for games these days I can't imagine why they would be such penny pinching cheap-asses about something that is rather important and can leave you will a busted system if it isn't done right.

[Necromancer]

Unless I'm forgetting something, this isn't correct. If doing a permanent region mod (btw, please don't) you only have to cut a the pins and solder a short wire between them (differently, of course).

You left out the grounding of pin #29, which would be required for either type of mod.  Otherwise, isn't that precisely what I stated?

If installing a switch you need to run a much longer piece of wire from the pin to the switch, and then another wire from the switch back to another pin. Therefore there are twice as many wires, and twice as many solder points when installing a switch, as well as the logistics and labor of finding a place to put the switch, and all those wires, that won't mess with with stuff when the case is put back together.

Are you being intentionally obtuse, or does it just come to you naturally?  Obviously the switch would be wired up - it's not magic.  Anyways, that's my point (as clarified in my last post): the work entailed in a permanent region mod is as extensive (if not more so) than adding a switch between the HuCard slot wires, yet he's seemingly charging $10 for the first service and $50 for the second.

I don't know why you've decided to be the CEO of Walmart about this anyway.

Said the hypocrite that's made three decent sized posts to refute a six word comment not directed at him in the first place.  I guess your opinion is just more important than anyone's else, eh?

Anyone who does a mod for less than $100 is either a hack or are grossly underpaid. If I were looking for someone to mod my shit I wouldn't be looking for the lowest price and with as many NEC fans as there are paying $250 for games these days I can't imagine why they would be such penny pinching cheap-asses about something that is rather important and can leave you will a busted system if it isn't done right.

If you weren't so dense, you'd notice that I've never said that a switchable region mod isn't worth the $60 as listed.  I've clarified that what I originally meant was that it seemed silly to charge $60 for a switchable region mod while charging $50 to upgrade from a permanent region mod to a switchable region mod.

[ddp72984]

guys, guys, guys,

personally, I don't give a rat's ass about how much it costs to do the job, but as long as its done correctly.  Hell, I can't even mod a PSone, yet alone fix a Turbo Duo on my own.

Lately, I have been having crap luck on the older CD consoles.  First my Turbo Duo goes out, then my CDX (which I was forced to buy one because no one can replace the laser these days)

kattare, I appreciate your offer and will get on sending out the system as soon as I can.  Thanks again for the help (and to everyone else on the board)