Ha! That's fantastic. Great guy... He did my Turbo Express and my friend's Duo.
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PC Engine/TG Appreciation and Collecting Thread, Because who needs a 2nd controller?
- Thread starter gryz
- Start date
Ha! That's fantastic. Great guy... He did my Turbo Express and my friend's Duo.
WHAT.
sixteen-bit
Member
lol, that's really neat looking
Shin Johnpv
Member
Today I joined the PCE Duo group. Next month it goes out to get re-capped and RGB modded.
Hopefully the power converter I ordered comes tomorrow while I wait out the month for the official used power supply to come from Hong Kong.
Hopefully the power converter I ordered comes tomorrow while I wait out the month for the official used power supply to come from Hong Kong.
Welcome to the club! It's a wonderful system... by far my most played retro console.
Shin Johnpv
Member
Thanks! Super excited as I've wanted one for years now. I've actually had a couple japanese games and cds for like a decade.
StevieWhite
Member
Guys, as I've got two spare Duos (don't ask), I was thinking of trying to RGB mod one on my own (rather than fiddling with the region modded one I referenced on the last page). My soldering skills are amateurish at best, but from what I have read/seen, it looks like something a beginner like myself might have luck with...
Am I a nut for trying, or should I jump in?
Am I a nut for trying, or should I jump in?
I RGB modded my own duo, but I've done a fair amount of soldering on electronics projects in the past. I had to recap mine as soon as I got it since the sound wasn't working, not that hard just tedious. However I've never soldered wires to the legs of smd chips before and it turns out they are super tiny and hard to see now that I am getting a bit older. It is very easy to accidentally bridge the pins together with solder so you need to be careful and inspect your connections closely with a magnifying glass. also if you should happen to badly damage any pcb traces or break off a leg from the chip then you could ruin the whole board.
Also it sometimes seems that new solder and 25+ year old solder don't always want to play nice together. I'm not using lead free solder since I don't like the stuff, but it was sometimes a pain to reflow the old solder and get fresh solder to melt nicely together.
StevieWhite
Member
Thanks for the advice! I've done simple things like change out LEDs in the past, but this will be a whole new level for me.
Shadowman16
Member
Quick question for those that have Tenchi o Kurau. I understand the game is supposed to have added voices during gameplay but for some reason my copy does not seem to play said voice bites in game. I've accessed a sound test and they play ok from there so I don't think its a issue with the CD itself.
Also on the menu I found a few extra options - running it through a translator there seem to be two separate modes - Arcade mode and PC Engine mode. Any idea what the differences between each of those are. There is also a "voice" option for each of those modes but that doesn't actually seem to play any voices.
Any help would be appreciated
*edit*
Some further testing - played around with my cheap old CRT TV audio settings but that didn't make a difference. Tried headphones, no difference. Then I tried the CD on my PC with the Magic Engine emulator and the voices played perfectly in game. At this point I'm looking toward maybe a developing audio fault on my PC Engine Duo (looking on the Internet it seems like a fairly common fault).
Also on the menu I found a few extra options - running it through a translator there seem to be two separate modes - Arcade mode and PC Engine mode. Any idea what the differences between each of those are. There is also a "voice" option for each of those modes but that doesn't actually seem to play any voices.
Any help would be appreciated
*edit*
Some further testing - played around with my cheap old CRT TV audio settings but that didn't make a difference. Tried headphones, no difference. Then I tried the CD on my PC with the Magic Engine emulator and the voices played perfectly in game. At this point I'm looking toward maybe a developing audio fault on my PC Engine Duo (looking on the Internet it seems like a fairly common fault).
Quick question for those that have Tenchi o Kurau. I understand the game is supposed to have added voices during gameplay but for some reason my copy does not seem to play said voice bites in game. I've accessed a sound test and they play ok from there so I don't think its a issue with the CD itself.
Also on the menu I found a few extra options - running it through a translator there seem to be two separate modes - Arcade mode and PC Engine mode. Any idea what the differences between each of those are. There is also a "voice" option for each of those modes but that doesn't actually seem to play any voices.
Any help would be appreciated
*edit*
Some further testing - played around with my cheap old CRT TV audio settings but that didn't make a difference. Tried headphones, no difference. Then I tried the CD on my PC with the Magic Engine emulator and the voices played perfectly in game. At this point I'm looking toward maybe a developing audio fault on my PC Engine Duo (looking on the Internet it seems like a fairly common fault).
It's possible your duo might need to be recapped.
I didn't even realize there was an option for Tenchi Kurau. Just messing with it right now. On the Title screen just press SELECT button to access it.
Using the directional pad press up or down to move between the different options or just press the SELECT button. Then press either left or right to select between pc engine or arcade.
モード - mode
ボイス - voice
There is definitely more spoken voice dialogue in in the pc engine mode. There is also voices heard in the arcade mode but the pc engine mode has a lot more!
サウンド - sound
in the sound option use direction pad select between; 00-11 is the CD red book audio tracks. 12-1E is the music generated by console sound chip, 1F-55 that's the game's sound fx.
予告編 - intro and then into the game.
Shadowman16
Member
Thanks for the info, its quite strange my console has an issue playing the voices on this one game. I'm getting my PC Engine modded for RGB soon so I'm having the capacitors replaced also which is a fix for some sound issues on the console.
Though weirdly all other audio on other games I've played is ok - Dracula X has a ton of CD audio and that plays just fine, and it also has a fully voiced into which was fine when I checked it today. Very strange, not sure what's going on!
Anyone interested in my Turbo Express? I want to turn it into photography equipments.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=301855865805&alt=web
I'll drop the price by $50 for a gaffer. It does include the flash card.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=301855865805&alt=web
I'll drop the price by $50 for a gaffer. It does include the flash card.
man if I wasn't after a a couple of super cd games that are worth around 200+ bucks each I would hit that buy it now button.....
You should do it!
I think my pricing is quite reasonable, are you in agreement?
I wanna make sure I'm being realistic in what I can get.
The Shapesmith
Member
After months of hemming and hawing over spending the money I think I'm about to throw some money at a recapped briefcase setup. Anything I should know as far as using an import system in the US? Do I need any voltage adaptors or anything? I don't wanna burn up my money by frying the system on day 1. Thanks for any help guys.
You'll get a variety of answers but I've used Japanese systems for years on USA power without a step down.
That fourth image looks like something you see in a mag ad back in the day, great shots.
That's what I was going for. I love old magazine ads for 90s things.
I'm actually considering gutting my collection of everything but PC Engine, honestly. It's the only retro system I really play regularly, and travel with my family is looking way more enticing...
sixteen-bit
Member
Lords of Thunder is up there
Well I've permanently put the price on eBay to $449. Hell of a deal.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=301855865805&alt=web
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=301855865805&alt=web
Shin Johnpv
Member
Disappointment today, the used power adaptor for PCE Duo showed up from Hong Kong and it's dead on arrival. Hope I can get my money back on ebay. For now I'll have to continue to use Console5's converter with my Genesis 1602 power adaptor.
On a good note I played a bunch of Forgotten Worlds on it today. I also noticed when I booted it up that it said system 3.0. Years ago I had bought a 3.0 system hucard, thinking Duo's and such were only 2.0.
On a good note I played a bunch of Forgotten Worlds on it today. I also noticed when I booted it up that it said system 3.0. Years ago I had bought a 3.0 system hucard, thinking Duo's and such were only 2.0.
Star Parodier, Any Ys game, Spriggan, Gate of Thunder.
Spriggan MkII, Kaze Kiri (expensive), Dungeon Explorer II
foobarry81
Member
Spriggan, Spriggan Mk II, Gate of Thunder or Star Parodier aren't particularly cheap either anymore these days. ;-)
Shin Johnpv
Member
Maybe you guys will have some ideas on this. So that AC Adapter I got that wouldn't power my duo. If I check it with a Multimeter it now says it produces 15.77 volts consistently, but it still won't turn my Duo. Meanwhile if I use the adapter from Console5 with my genesis 1602 power supply it turns right on.
Any thoughts on why the official adapter wouldn't be working with the system?
Any thoughts on why the official adapter wouldn't be working with the system?
I'll take a stab at this. I'm guessing you measure 15.77 volts while the ac adapter is not connected to the console. The multimeter doesn't draw any current (ideally) so there is no load, unlike the console. The true test is to measure the voltage supplied by the ac adaptor to the console while you're trying to power it up. But this is harder because you may need to open the console and probe the voltage at the motherboard or tap into the adaptor's wiring.
True nothing really is, unless it's quiz show or visual novel stuff, ugh....
Shin Johnpv
Member
So basically underload it can't handle/provide the current it needs to. At this point I'd like to try and get my money back from it since it doesn't really work. Maybe I'll try that this evening see if the console is actually getting what it needs.
Thanks!
I've joined the gang my pce and cdrom briefcase has arrived.
Panicked like mad at first as it didn't work but all that had happened is the unit had become loose from the briefcase. What with this and rebuying my saturn shmup collection (just won my fav ever shmup battle garraga) I'm in shmup heaven again.
I have a ps4 and xbox1 and is rather play retro shmups.
Dazzyman
Panicked like mad at first as it didn't work but all that had happened is the unit had become loose from the briefcase. What with this and rebuying my saturn shmup collection (just won my fav ever shmup battle garraga) I'm in shmup heaven again.
I have a ps4 and xbox1 and is rather play retro shmups.
Dazzyman
Shadowman16
Member
I'm having some further audio woes today with my PC Engine Duo. I had the console modded for RGB (it looks amazing) and also had the caps replaced as they'd begun leaking.
Now Hu Card audio is ok, CD music audio is ok, but on certain games I'm finding I'm missing audio in places - Tenchi wo Kurau still doesn't have voices and Chiki Chiki Boys has virtually no sound effects. The weird thing is I can still hear the sound effects but oh so faintly, so I'm wondering if its either an issue with the CD drive or something else? Anyone know how to troubleshoot this further? Is there a safe way to clean the CD Rom drive laser?
Now Hu Card audio is ok, CD music audio is ok, but on certain games I'm finding I'm missing audio in places - Tenchi wo Kurau still doesn't have voices and Chiki Chiki Boys has virtually no sound effects. The weird thing is I can still hear the sound effects but oh so faintly, so I'm wondering if its either an issue with the CD drive or something else? Anyone know how to troubleshoot this further? Is there a safe way to clean the CD Rom drive laser?
Sounds like a cap issue rather than a CD lens issue, speak to the person who modded it for you.
Shadowman16
Member
Thanks, I'm in the process of doing that now. Its a real pity as the RGB output looks amazing (can't go back to composite) and I was really looking forward to playing through my backlog but this kinda puts a dampener on things
I second that it could be the caps.
I thought my caps were leaking asI have a weird problem with popful mail where a certain cut scene gets messed up. Sometimes it hangs and freezes, sometimes the graphics keep playing but are messed up during this particular cut scene, sometimes it jut runs perfectly with no hiccups.
I am certain this problem is with the disc even though it looks fine but upon close inspection there are small very fine eyelash size scratches which I think may have been me rubbing the disc trying to clean it. I can't see any disc rot either..
This is when it's running normally. But it seems to be temperamental. This only happens with popful mail.
Shadowman16
Member
Ok, looking into my sound issue, I've been forwarded this youtube vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgxVbtoXziI
As the caps have been replaced already does anyone know if this could be my issue? I'm just waiting to get the right screwdriver to investigate this further myself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgxVbtoXziI
As the caps have been replaced already does anyone know if this could be my issue? I'm just waiting to get the right screwdriver to investigate this further myself.
IrishNinja
Member
ehh i love strider, and it was cool playing the extra level on Mzo's copy, but...you're really not missing much
also i wish i could change your tag to TOP DOWN SCREAMIN OUT MONEY AINT A THANG
Shin Johnpv
Member
Has anyone here ever replaced the battery in a tennokoe bank? I just got one, and while I don't think the battery is dead just yet, it can't have much life left in it. Just wondering about anyone's experience in doing it. I've found some websites talking about it but they all seem to be in Japanese. I have a base idea of what's involved and needs to be done, just wondering if there's anything I should look out for.
*edit*
It also seems it is dead. I just had a chance to try it out and all I get is a black screen, actually the framemeister tells me it has no input when I turn on the Duo with it. Trying to figure out if it's because my caps need replacing, the batteries just dead, or if the whole card is shot.
*edit*
It also seems it is dead. I just had a chance to try it out and all I get is a black screen, actually the framemeister tells me it has no input when I turn on the Duo with it. Trying to figure out if it's because my caps need replacing, the batteries just dead, or if the whole card is shot.
try cleaning the contacts on there.
You should get a title screen in english saying ten no koe. I am guessing that without a working battery it should still appear on screen but you won't be able to keep any saves....
There is a french site that has an explanation of how to operate it. Unfortunately you can't select individual save files to be copied back and fourth..
http://nekofan.free.fr/tenotest.htm
Shin Johnpv
Member
I was going to clean them before posting but they just looked so damn fucking clean. Like shiny as hell, but I cleaned them anyway and bam it worked. I feel dumb for posting and then it being such a simple solution.
I really thought they were clean as hell that it couldn't be that. Now I just feel dumb.
I really thought they were clean as hell that it couldn't be that. Now I just feel dumb.
Yeah, I'm glad I got that Strider for a deal but I wouldn't pay a high price for it. Some cool cutscenes.
Double Dragon II is the jam though.
Ban Puncher
Member
I am shaking my head at those prices.. So glad I bought it back around 2005. I had owned Cotton 2 back in 1997 and decided to get back into the Saturn scene again around 2003 and re-bought Cotton 2 again. I had never even heard of Cotton Boomerang till I was looking online on rarer Saturn titles and chanced upon it. Even back then I thought paying around 60+ GBP which is around 90+ USD kinda expensive. It's pretty decent game although personally I find Cotton 2 a bit more polished. Boomerang doesn't really have a story to it but the crazy gameplay and action has been cranked much higher. I think passing on the pce strider and saving for Cotton B, you did the right thing. Hoping you can get it cheaper than the current ebay prices.
My latest haul..
Does anyone here have tips for fixing controllers? I got a second PC Engine controller a few months back and only got around to trying it out yesterday.
The I button seems to only be working intermittently, I haven't opened it up yet but I'm guessing the rubber part under the button is failing. Are there replacement parts available anywhere or would parts from other controllers possibly fit?
The I button seems to only be working intermittently, I haven't opened it up yet but I'm guessing the rubber part under the button is failing. Are there replacement parts available anywhere or would parts from other controllers possibly fit?
I remember taking those rubbers parts out of a EU master system controller an replacing them.
Ban Puncher
Member
Full Disclosure - I got Cotton Boomerang for a song. Those scumBay prices it goes for these days can go jump up their own arses.