Turbo CD - Does it work with PCE or Supergrafx?

[evilernLe]

I currently have a working Turbo CD (US) and was wondering if it is compatible with the PCE or Supergrafx (with adapter)?

There's some pretty scant info. online about this.

Thanks.

[WoodyXP]

I currently have a working Turbo CD (US) and was wondering if it is compatible with the PCE or Supergrafx (with adapter)?

There's some pretty scant info. online about this.

Thanks.

Yes, it is compatible.

[A Black Falcon]

Yes, it is compatible.

Turbo CD and PC Engine CD drives are identical apart from color, right?

[ApolloBoy]

Turbo CD and PC Engine CD drives are identical apart from color, right?
The disc doors on both are different, but internally they're pretty much the exact same drive.

[WoodyXP]

Turbo CD and PC Engine CD drives are identical apart from color, right?

Yup, same guts.. just difference coloured shells.

[evilernLe]

Awesome, I assumed as much. Thanks!

[Ze_ro]

Have any of you guys actually TRIED this? Here's a picture I took of the two expansion ports. The top is a SuperGrafx, and the bottom is a TurboGrafx-16:

http://astrocadeage.com/turboexpansion.jpg

The pins are arranged the same, and they're probably electrically compatible, but the shape of the port is a bit different. You might have to hack away at some of the plastic to make it fit.

--Zero

[tomaitheous]

An SGX on a US TGCD attachment? With the right home made extension connector, it should work fine. Although... it's gonna look like a dog humping a goat. I.e. not very attractive, I'd imagine.

[staxx]

Ok, the pins are the same for the TG16 and PC Engine.

http://www.gamesx.com/rgbadd/rgbturbo.htm

http://www.gamesx.com/misctech/pcebp.php

[GarrettCRW]

An SGX on a US TGCD attachment? With the right home made extension connector, it should work fine. Although... it's gonna look like a dog humping a goat. I.e. not very attractive, I'd imagine.

You mean the Turbo + Turbo CD and the PCE + PCE CD combo look good?

[Ze_ro]

An SGX on a US TGCD attachment? With the right home made extension connector, it should work fine. Although... it's gonna look like a dog humping a goat. I.e. not very attractive, I'd imagine.

Well, would it look any worse than

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/2906429978_d0cafd7baa.jpg

or

http://www.shopncsx.com/images1/products/detail/pce_rom_adapter_rau30_01.jpg

? (Can't seem to find a good picture of the RAU-30 hookup option other than the front of the box)

There really are NO good options for hooking a CD-ROM drive to the SuperGrafx that don't result in it looking like a pile of donkey dicks. Come to think of it, most CD-ROM options in the PC-Engine/TurboGrafx world look pretty awful...

--Zero

[ccovell]

Who cares about aesthetics? It's the upper torso and head of a cyclopean robot!

Besides, with that bad combination, you can play every single PCE/CD/SGX/ACD game ever released.

[tomaitheous]

You mean the Turbo + Turbo CD and the PCE + PCE CD combo look good?

The original white PCE+CD combo? Yeah, that looks good. I have it and it looks fine. Kinda cute with the PCE sitting there right next to the detachable CD unit, that's pretty much the exact same size as the PCE. And the cover/shell that snaps on top of it so you can carry like a brief case (has a handle and all), is pretty snazzy.


Well, would it look any worse than

Don't knock it, unless you've tried it ;) I have that setup too (SGX+SCD). I think it's sexy in its own way. Of course, I'm probably one of the few that thinks the SGX itself looks like a sexy beast of a machine ;>_>

[Baloo]

Slightly Off-topic, but I'm still trying to figure out a couple things about the Turbo CD:

1. How much does the Turbo CD cost nowadays?

2. Do you need a System 3.0 card to play Japanese Turbo CD games on an American Turbo CD system? I've heard both yes and no for this one. I particularly want to play Castlevania Dracula X.

[tomaitheous]

Slightly Off-topic, but I'm still trying to figure out a couple things about the Turbo CD:

1. How much does the Turbo CD cost nowadays?

2. Do you need a System 3.0 card to play Japanese Turbo CD games on an American Turbo CD system? I've heard both yes and no for this one. I particularly want to play Castlevania Dracula X.

No, you don't need a system card 3.0 with any Duo units. It's built into all of them (including the Super CDROM2 addon, pictured above with the SGX). The Duo's will play US and JP CDs no problem. The only 'card' upgrade you would need, is the Arcade Card - if you wanted to play those few special ACD games. If you plan on getting into the PC-Engine scene, it would probably be a good idea to join the community over at PCFX forums. They can also all your questions over there. Price aside, I'd go with a Duo-R or Duo-RX (which ever is cheaper). They are the last Duo models made and have the least amount of problems.

[digitalpress]

No, you don't need a system card 3.0 with any Duo units.

This is the reason why people get so confused over what is really a simple system to understand.

He didn't ask about TurboDUO. He asked about Turbo CD.

So the REAL answer is YES. To play SUPER CD's on a Turbo CD system you need a System 3.0 card.

[Baloo]

Haha, thanks. I did ask about the Turbo CD and not the Duo, as I already have a Turbografx-16 system already, I don't want to buy another full system if I don't have to.

[tomaitheous]

Ahh, my bad ;>_> Heh, but you still got the answer from the above info (just assume the promise, that implies that you do need systems cards for anything other than SUPER CDROM2 addon or the Duo units) ;) Also, a note about using the term Turbo CD. If you mean TG16 CD addon unit, I would use the term TG16CD or TGCD. NEC, or rather TTi (which took over when the Duo came out) started branding the word Turbo without the 'Grafx'. TurboDuo, Turbo CD, TurboForce, are analogous to the Duo marketing era of the system. (No, I'm not making that up to cover my ass ;) ).

The price it's going to cost you to upgrade your TG16 to TGCD *and* buy a 3.0 (US 3.0 cards are expensive and JP cards require a mod or converter and still aren't cheap last time I checked), you're probably looking at near the same price as a Duo-R/RX. And they are more reliable than the addon is. Is your TG16 already modded for PC-Engine games or do you have a converter? If not, then even a better reason to buy a Duo-R. You can play PCE hucards without any additional cost of mods or converters.

[Mr. Smashy]

Well, would it look any worse than

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/2906429978_d0cafd7baa.jpg

Hey, I took that pic! Anyway, this is definitely the way to go if you want to run a CD drive on your SuperGrafx. The system 3.0 software is built right in to that CD drive so no additional card is required unless you want to run one of the few games that require an Arcade Card (which you probably will). The Arcade Card Pro and Arcade Card Duo will both work.

I've tried the setup with the RAU-30 and that briefcase-looking thing. It works, but it takes up much more space.

I should start getting used to seeing pictures from my Flickr account pop up on other websites (Kotaku used a different picture just last week). It's kind of nice.

[sniperCCJVQ]

Who cares about aesthetics? It's the upper torso and head of a cyclopean robot!

Besides, with that bad combination, you can play every single PCE/CD/SGX/ACD game ever released.

That would be the best piece of electronic Frakenstein...better than the Sega Genny/CD/32X madness!

[Ze_ro]

Besides, with that bad combination, you can play every single PCE/CD/SGX/ACD game ever released.
Ah, but you still won't be able to play Manhatten Requiem or Vajra!

The sad fact is that, when it comes to PC-Engine, there is NO single perfect setup that will allow you to play everything. You always have to leave out either the SuperGrafx games or the LaserActive games.

This page at PCEngineFX (http://pcenginefx.com/main/nec_compatibility_guide.html) gives a good rundown of what setups can play what games. It gets pretty confusing, especially with some of the weirder hardware.


US 3.0 cards are expensive and JP cards require a mod or converter and still aren't cheap last time I checked.
Yeah, the TG-CD route is not cheap at all. Which is very unfortunate, because that would normally be a great option for newcomers to the world of TurboGrafx (buy a TG-16, and if you like it, upgrade later), but in reality, it's far better to just jump right into the deep end with a Duo.

Oh, and there's really no point in owning a Japanese 3.0 card... you're better off just getting an Arcade Card Pro. They're pretty easy to find on eBay, and they perform all the functions of the regular 3.0 card.


I've tried the setup with the RAU-30 and that briefcase-looking thing. It works, but it takes up much more space.
I'd love to see a good picture of the RAU-30 setup. When I was looking for one for my post, the best I could find was the front of the box :(

--Zero

[theclaw]

Yup... Money is no help when the item you wanted was NOT available for sale. Way too difficult to find a working TG-CD by itself now. I gave up and sold the TG-16 in preparation for my current Duo.