Jump to content

Recommended Posts

All I got is a stock TG-16. They sell cards to allow Japanese PCe games played on a US turbografx but not visa-versa. Since only the US Turbo is truly region free, why not just get a stock Turbo and a region converter?

Basically I got a good deal on the Duo, and in theory I can play everything with it. I did not know Everdrives may cause problems before buying.

I am quite happy with that aside from this problem, it is the nicest model of the console imo. A stock TG16 would not have been very cheap either (I live in Germany, the system was not released here), and I would have to get such a card adaptor and get it RGB modded still.

 

And from a pure collector's standpoint, I fund the TG16 looks really ugly.^^ In the end, relatively high price, no CD-ROM and the fact that I don't like its looks just made a fully modified Duo the more logical choice. Just the issue with the Everdrive sucks, but well... it is all the more motivation to save some cash and look for good deals on those must-have-games.^^

  • Like 1

 

1: if the CD system powers up but won't read disc, odds are it's bad gear or dried lube on the rail. Not an easy fix with all those tiny pieces and such but it is fixable. Removing the gear requires removing a very tiny clip that can get lost easily if one isn't careful and they are a bitch to get back on as well. It is not something an average Joe should try.

 

2: assuming you are using correct adapter for TurboCD and not TG-16 adapter (they won't fit), you need to make sure the 2 cut off switches are in the on position. One on the bottom push in and rotate to lock the TG-16 then the front switch will work. There's a small rotary switch on the side of the base unit that locks the CD drive in place, it needs to be all the way in to also enable power, it is to prevent one from removing or inserting CD drive while the system's on (yes CD base will run w/o CD drive). If both are correctly set and you still don't get anything, it's probably either fuse or bad power supply. Worse case: bad caps.

 

3: bad caps. CD system (both USA and Japanese PC Engine), Turboexpress and GT, and black Duo all suffer from leaky cap issues and needs to be recapped soon. TG-16 console (and white PC Engine) as well as white Duo are not suffering from them since those used better quality caps back then.

 

I have CD system that are 100% working I can help you check yours for issues and if possible fix it.

Hi 7800fan, thanks for the reply! Let me re-test all my connections here in the next few days and try some of these suggestions first. Last time I used the Turbo CD before this summer was about 8 years ago and it worked fine then. After sitting in storage for multiple years, I may have forgotten how to properly hook it up (like you said, making sure the dock is all properly set up with the lock fully engaged, etc.). I will try it one more time and get back to you. I am assuming, though, at the very least, the gear will have to be replaced as it seems everyone is now having issues with this gear now that 25 years have gone by. I see a guy on eBay sells replacement gears, and he is based in Hong Kong.

 

I will send you a private message with my findings.

The gear suffer from "yellowing" sorta and get brittle. Also you can regrease the moving rod that pull and push the laser - the original grease is usually turned into a thick stick goop that put strain the th gears.

Maybe you could clean the goop off and replace it with a few drops of silicone oil, which is much better for plastics than the petrol jelly often used and will not go rancid or absorb grime. At any rate, no lubrication at all is better than sludge, although some lube is needed to prolong the life of the parts since they will wear without it.

I was playing Neutopia the other day and really enjoying it. I had the old woman give me password and when I tried to use the "file cabinet" the game said "this does not exist" I take it thats the save feature available if you have the CD dock?

 

I would love to play through this nice looking zelda inspired game but man that password would be cumbersome as hell.

 

Still having tons of fun with my TG 16!!!

  • Like 2

I was playing Neutopia the other day and really enjoying it. I had the old woman give me password and when I tried to use the "file cabinet" the game said "this does not exist" I take it thats the save feature available if you have the CD dock?

 

I would love to play through this nice looking zelda inspired game but man that password would be cumbersome as hell.

 

Still having tons of fun with my TG 16!!!

You need either the CD drive or a Turbo Booster Plus, which adds save RAM and composite video. :)

 

Or you can just send Neutopia my way... :P

The gear suffer from "yellowing" sorta and get brittle. Also you can regrease the moving rod that pull and push the laser - the original grease is usually turned into a thick stick goop that put strain the th gears.

I feel dumb for asking this, but...what is the moving rod? I am not the most techinally inclined person, but if you tell/show me something, I can usually follow along. What kind of grease would I use? Thanks for the answers, guys and the help!

I was playing Neutopia the other day and really enjoying it. I had the old woman give me password and when I tried to use the "file cabinet" the game said "this does not exist" I take it thats the save feature available if you have the CD dock?

 

I would love to play through this nice looking zelda inspired game but man that password would be cumbersome as hell.

 

Still having tons of fun with my TG 16!!!

 

Yup, you need a CD or TurboBooster Plus to save. Otherwise, get a big notebook for the huge passwords.

Edited by Gentlegamer
  • Like 1

I used a notebook and wrote down ALL passwords for Neutopia. It was a lot. :lol: But there was no CD player back then for us in the US.. and I don't recall the Turbo Booster being out either. But whatever, I was used to writing down passwords anyway for all sorts of games back then, especially on the old SMS, etc. :P

  • Like 1

Maybe you could clean the goop off and replace it with a few drops of silicone oil, which is much better for plastics than the petrol jelly often used and will not go rancid or absorb grime. At any rate, no lubrication at all is better than sludge, although some lube is needed to prolong the life of the parts since they will wear without it.

This part in metal, not plastic you have to lubricate it. But yeah, the gears aren't supposed to be lubricated ever.

I used a notebook and wrote down ALL passwords for Neutopia. It was a lot. :lol: But there was no CD player back then for us in the US.. and I don't recall the Turbo Booster being out either. But whatever, I was used to writing down passwords anyway for all sorts of games back then, especially on the old SMS, etc. :P

Friend of mine has a Turbo Express, and the screen on that is not the real TG16 res. He has such trouble deciphering the passwords in Neutopia, he will actually get his Express modded with a modern screen that displays the full res.^^

Writing down passwords is a thing of the past! Whip out your phone and take a picture, you'll never have another bad code.

 

I replaced my gear on the turbo CD. Was a pretty big pain plus the tiny washer flung off never to be seen again.

 

The next thing you'll want to do is region mod it so you can buy a Japanes 3.0 card. Lots of the CD games need it and the us ones are expensive.

I feel dumb for asking this, but...what is the moving rod? I am not the most techinally inclined person, but if you tell/show me something, I can usually follow along. What kind of grease would I use? Thanks for the answers, guys and the help!

Sorry for my poor english, the part I mean is this one :

hqdefault.jpg

the spinning endless screw that move the lense attachement is greased, and you should clean it as the old grease turned into gunk usually.

 

Alos shows how the middle gear is yellowing; it's that one causing troubles when he breaks, as the CD lense simply can't move anymore.

 

Also, fun trivia:

the name CD-ROM² is reall written with a small 2, the square symbol.

The name of the Japanese CD unit is meant to be "CD-ROMROM" and not "CD-ROM TWO". NEC-Hudson though that this fun sounding name would halp to introduce the CD-ROM technology more easily to consumers.

Edited by CatPix

Sorry for my poor english, the part I mean is this one :

hqdefault.jpg

the spinning endless screw that move the lense attachement is greased, and you should clean it as the old grease turned into gunk usually.

 

Alos shows how the middle gear is yellowing; it's that one causing troubles when he breaks, as the CD lense simply can't move anymore.

 

Also, fun trivia:

the name CD-ROM² is reall written with a small 2, the square symbol.

The name of the Japanese CD unit is meant to be "CD-ROMROM" and not "CD-ROM TWO". NEC-Hudson though that this fun sounding name would halp to introduce the CD-ROM technology more easily to consumers.

Thank you, CatPix! I will try some of these suggestions you and 7800fan gave...probably this weekend. I will try to report back shortly...I really appreciate you guys willing to help! One of the reasons why I love AtariAge: most engaging and helpful retro gaming community on the web!

Sorry for my poor english, the part I mean is this one :

hqdefault.jpg

 

 

Alos shows how the middle gear is yellowing; it's that one causing troubles when he breaks, as the CD lense simply can't move anymore.

 

That's so out of place. Why does the yellowing only affect that one part? It's like someone removed that one gear from the system, pissed on it, and put it back in thinking nobody would notice. Like a lot of SNES consoles i've seen... :evil:

Edited by stardust4ever

I guess that this gear come from another manufacturer than the first two and that they used a wrong formula in the plastic.
It's a know thing in many industries; items are manufactured from parts made from different factories than can either change over time or be mixed up as they ask multiple factories at the time.

 

Like the BitCorp Gamate screens that are poorer or better depending on??? well luck, as it appears they used 3 different manufacturers over time.

 

Or in automobile industries as well; It's been must seen in the efforts of people to run their Diesel car with reused vegetable oil - older Peugeot and Citroën Diesel engine can have, without any distinctive scheme (model, year, factory of origin) Bosch or Rotodiesel oil pumps, and only the Bosch will resist the superior presure needed o pump vegeable oil.

All I have is a bare Turbo-Grafx 16 and some games. For some reason, I really like the artwork of the game covers that NEC did, and it's amusing how most of them have use that one thin long font. I also like that there's only one controller plug-in. I also like the graphic style of most of the games. It doesn't seem impressive, yet it doesn't seem underpowered. I don't know why, but I seem to be buying more and more games for it. I just bought Final Lap Twin. Here is a list of games I have for it so far:

Alien Crush

Bonk's Adventure

Bravoman

China Warrior

Cratermaze

Cyber-Core

Drop-Off

Galaga '90

JJ and Jeff

Keith Courage (doesn't everyone?)

King of Casino

Klax

Legendary Axe

Pac-Land

Power Golf

Takin' It to the Hoop

Victory Run

Vigilante

You should get Everdrive if you mainly want to play games. It is much cheaper than some of the games. Bonk 3 for example... yikes!!!

This. Many of the better games in the TG-16 library cost more than an Everdrive for the system, and you get the benefit of playing Japanese imports too without an (also expensive) adapter.

Edited by stardust4ever
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I didn't realize there was an official TG-16 thread here, that's great. I've been a member of the PCFX forums for some time, and well, it's great meeting fans of this truly underrated platform. I've been doing a ton of reviews for it lately on my YouTube channel, but that's not why I posted here. Just wanted to say hi to some fans of this great system :D

  • Like 2

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...