pc-engine duo audio - one time audio problem - should I be worried?

[c0ldb33r]

I bought a PC-engine duo lately. I was told it was perfect. I got a good price on it.

I plugged it in, stuck in a hucard (R-Type) and it worked great. Awesome :)

I put in a Super-CD game and there was no redbook audio. Shit. I tried another one... nothing. Shit Shit. I tried a couple more, and the redbook worked. I tried the original couple of games and they work fine. I've since turned it off and kept it off for awhile, tried it again and it worked great :)

Should I be worried?

Based on what I read at PCenginefx.com, I understand that this is a capacitor issue. If this means that occasionally I'll just have to give them a chance to charge properly, that's cool - I don't care. Is it likely this will progress and get out of hand? If I play with it regularly, should I still have problems?

Like I said, I got a good price on it so I don't mind minor sound issues, especially since they're so prevalent with duo's.

[c0ldb33r]

I just left the unit plugged in over night, I tried it again about 10 hours after my last post and it works like a charm.

[greedostick]

it's gonna get worse. I have went through so many duo's that I gave up. There is a pretty good solution though. Go to www.multimods.com and talk to this guy. He is great, and all his mods are professional quality. I would recommend getting a fan installed. I think the cd issues result from a overheating issue. I wish this guy had known the cause of the sound issues before I went through 3 duos.

[c0ldb33r]

it's gonna get worse. I have went through so many duo's that I gave up. There is a pretty good solution though. Go to www.multimods.com and talk to this guy. He is great, and all his mods are professional quality. I would recommend getting a fan installed. I think the cd issues result from a overheating issue. I wish this guy had known the cause of the sound issues before I went through 3 duos.
It's worked fine ever since that first incident.

I've never heard of adding fans to it, I might have to look into having that done. multimods.com doesn't fill me full of confidence though, half the links lead to a 404 :(

[klausien]

multimods.com doesn't fill me full of confidence though, half the links lead to a 404 :(

http://www.multimods.com is D-Lite's site. He's been on this board before. I got a Duo R with S-Video, Region & Power LED mods (like on the site) and it is truly the Ferrari of PC Engines. He does professional-level work, but it is a one man show, so life can sometimes happen (thus the 404's). It may also take some time to receive your system, but he will keep you in the loop, you WILL get it, and it will be worth the wait & then some. I last dealt with him some months ago on the pcenginefx.com boards when he was selling a load of PC Engine games. I think he may be taking a break right now though. Regardless, I 100% vouch for him and highly recommend his services.

I also highly recommend talking with ooXXXoo. Here is his site: http://www.retro-console.com. He also does excellent work. Even if something isn't listed on the site, he can probably do it. If you check out his feedback here http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115650&highlight=ooXXXoo, you'll notice that I had several systems modded by him, and was very, very happy with everything about the transaction.

I know there are others on this board who also can help, but these are the two I've dealth with. Good guys who do stellar work.

[c0ldb33r]

okay cool - thanks for the links/info guys.

Should I wait until the audio conks out, or have it modded preemptively?

When/if I do get it done I'll look into a region mod as well, I don't like not being able to play North American hucards.

[greedostick]

I would ask Dean. He can answer any question you may have about Turbo Grafx, if it can be answered. He is A+ seller/modder. I have bought many, many, turbo grafx games from him. Literally thousands of dollars of rare English games. He never ripped me off. And all my stuff was always packaged very well. Sometimes it arrived so fast I was amazed. Like literally 1 day. The region mod he put on my duo looked like it was installed in the factory when NEC made the duo. His site is just someting he does on the side. I doubt it gets many hits, so it's rarely updated.

[omnedon]

D-lite is reliable, and did the ground work to find the permanent solution.

OSG offers the service as well, plus we have many DUO parts on hand and can deal with any DUO issues (laser issues, transport issues more). We've successfully repaired audio on more than 50 DUO's, and recently have been running into DUO's that resist the traditional audio repair. We seem to have perfected a permanent fix for these stubborn audio units as well.


It's great that people who love classic systems have options like DIY, and multiple well reputed service options.