Temporary/Blurry Game Screens on a Turbo Duo

[Senshi]

Hello everyone,

I recently started seeing a problem with my Turbo Duo in which the images on the screen become temporarily blurred. It happens when the laser has to move to a different position. I know this because I can hear it and then I observe the problem. I hardly noticed it in most games but it has become sort of a pain when playing cosmic fantasy 2. When the system loads the the in game fights the enemies appear to be fuzzy but fix themselves within about 10 seconds and then the screen looks fine.

When I inspected the system for something obvious the laser did not move easily so I applied some grease to allow the laser to move along the track easier. This lowered the amount of noise it made when moving but did not fix the problem.

I also noticed that the cd spindle (I believe is the correct term) did not spin very freely.

I've read a lot of other problems people have had with lasers and I'm wondering if the laser needs to be replaced, if I need a spindle/spindle motor, or if I need to adjust certain potentials. Please lend me your expertise and feel free to bombard me with questions.  Thanks.

[BlackandBlue]

Hello everyone,

I recently started seeing a problem with my Turbo Duo in which the images on the screen become temporarily blurred. It happens when the laser has to move to a different position. I know this because I can hear it and then I observe the problem. I hardly noticed it in most games but it has become sort of a pain when playing cosmic fantasy 2. When the system loads the the in game fights the enemies appear to be fuzzy but fix themselves within about 10 seconds and then the screen looks fine.

When I inspected the system for something obvious the laser did not move easily so I applied some grease to allow the laser to move along the track easier. This lowered the amount of noise it made when moving but did not fix the problem.

I also noticed that the cd spindle (I believe is the correct term) did not spin very freely.

I've read a lot of other problems people have had with lasers and I'm wondering if the laser needs to be replaced, if I need a spindle/spindle motor, or if I need to adjust certain potentials. Please lend me your expertise and feel free to bombard me with questions.  Thanks.

Sounds like the cd mechanism is drawing power away from other components.  Maybe just try replacing the spindle motor?  Thats my only theory.  Doubt its the laser, since it would have a hard time reading the games. 

[D-Lite]

Are you using the original power supply or a replacement?

[nodtveidt]

Sounds like the drive motor needs replacing; it's either consuming too much power as previously suggested, or introducing electromagnetic interference.

[gtsamour]

Sounds like an inapropriate PSU is being used.....
Once i tried a stabilized 9V 1Α PSU and when the CD drive was working, i was getting mild distortions on screen. Changed it with a switch mode 12V 2A PSU, no problem after that....

[SignOfZeta]

Yeah, cheap modern power supply on old power hogging game machine. Either that, or I suppose the old one could be failing in some way.

If you buy almost any 9-10V power supply from Target or whatever the amperage rating will be 500mA or less, which leads to the dimming of the screen as the sled moves. It will power a non-CD system no problem, but the sled motor thirsts for power.

Get the Radio Shack one. Its expensive, but perfect for Duos. I can't remember the model number right now, but several people here have it. Its white, has a 1000mA rating, and says "international" on it.

[Senshi]

I am using the original power supply. Can anyone provide me with the proper replacement part number/manufacturer for the spindle motor? Or should I just take it apart and look? It sounds like that would be best place to start since it seems it is obviously not working at 100% and go from there. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

[Necromancer]

I don't know where you can get just a spindle motor, but I'd listen to the three people that told you to check the power supply before I started replacing parts.  Original psu or not, it might not be generating the correct juice after nearly two decades, so bust out the multimeter and be certain.

[Senshi]

I tested the power supply. It reads 13.5 VDC. The output is marked as 10VDC.

[SignOfZeta]

I tested the power supply. It reads 13.5 VDC. The output is marked as 10VDC.

The voltage at rest doesn't matter (or rather, it does, but this isn't what's in doubt).

What you need to know is if it can flow the current when asked. One way to check is to monitor the voltage with the unit on and with the laser moving around. If it drops below 10V then either something is drawing too much inside or the PS is bad. If you see less than 10V during laser movement then hook the ammeter inline with the PS and see if the current hits 1A or not. It will only do this during high demand, so watch as the laser moves. If the laser moves, the display dims, and current never hits 1A then replace the PS.