TG/PCE CDROM repair and more

[chop5]

My email if you wish to do buisness thru that than on this site: jetblue7@gmail.com
Our european friends can contact member Fidde_se  or at   fidde_se@hotmail.com
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=14630.0




Hi,before I start I have no paypal. Cash for any of these items is thru concealed letter in envelope,dvd case in bubble mailer or trade goods. For console repair cash hidden in the cd lid or slot door or where ever you think no one would look. I know its risky but I was sending/receiving cash all over in letters for years and never lost a one. Some were returned to sender because the address got worn off.
Also I do not do mods,just repairs. For mods seek others on this site. They will give you a good combo deal on a cap change and region/av mod combined
Disclaimer:
Many have these devices in their machines for over a year and are happy. Many months have been used in researching these and the science is sound. But as always I am not responsible for misuse,wrong installation or your console dying from these. But if something does go wrong I'm sure we can fix it.
Prices can change at any time. But probably wont,mainly if I dry up the supplier and have to get slightly more expensive stuff.
This thread will be updated as supply is replenished or new services added.
Locals in the chicagoland area drop off service available. Save some cash in shipping. Bus and L-train directions at request.
International orders welcomed. Shantytech is a world wide industry!
This is the Shantytech electronics repair division.


Im selling my cdrom gears and duo plugs for any that need it.


TG/PCE Cdrom gear fix $7 a set,because of the slow resupply I must limit 1 set per customer for 30 days.
They are soft brass and are loud when running. Some compare it to a dreamcast. There is no grinding as the gears are curved and polished so no sharp areas. Cannot find them in plastic. This is the difference between a dead paper weight of a cdrom or a working one.

Free install if you cant do it yourself but pay shipping back.
Here's a crude install sheet:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/phatgeartut.jpg

I will do a tutorial here on this thread later. And of course I can be contacted to help in the installation or questions at all hours either here,on msn or on the temporary pcfx shoutbox chat here:
http://pcengine.freeforums.org/

Genesis to Duo ac adapter plugs $10:

Use a model 1 or model 2 genesis ac adapter on your duo,safely tested.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/segaduo.jpg
I also sell the duo male plug if you have a bad one on your ac adapter for $4.00



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TG/PCE CDROM GEARS OF PEACE CHANGE TUTORIAL:
Tools needed,small screwdriver,pen,silicon lube,needle or small piece of thin metal. Please forgive the bad pictures. I only had one hand free so some scenes have unnatural positions. Use your imagination to how it would look properly please. If you are a robot access imagination file now.


First open your system like in the picture.

Use laser change tutorial to open your cdrom:
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=7193.0
Unscrew the back case,the screw on the motherboard,unclip the two laser ribbons and unscrew the 3 screws holding the lasers mechanism in place. Just leave the mechanism partially out of the unit like in the picture. No need to completely have it free from the cd.


First you have to carefully remove the O-ring that holds the middle gear in place. I use a needle but you can use anything,small screwdriver,fingernail,etc,that can get between the split that's on the O-ring so it can be removed.

In this picture you can see the tiny split that allows you to remove it intact. Its made of metal and be careful of shooting it across the room. Sometimes I do it inside of a sandwich bag.

Here the needle pressed against the gear and it split,started to dissolved. Its like butter.


Here it is successfully removed. If you have lost it in the rug get a magnet and it will stick to it. If its completely lost don't worry its a common part and I have replacements I can send you for free.


Here is the whole unit apart for easy convenience and screw holding and parts.


Now take a small screwdriver or popsicle stick or finger and push the motor gear off its axle. Its not glued on but pushed in place. Slides right off.


Now clean the middle gear axle with an alcohol swap as there will be residue. Use a needle to get in the crevice if you have to. No need to clean the motor axle.


Now get your lube,I'm using silicon grease,you can use white lithium. This silicon cost me a couple of dollars off ebay for a tiny tube. Tiny tube is all you will need has lasted me years and lubed many a units. I apply the lube on the end of a toothpick. A little bit is all that's needed.


Lube only the middle axle from base to tip.


Now lube all areas of the middle gear,sides,inside,even the teeth.



Now carefully push the middle gear on the middle axle.

The way the axle is designed is its a little fatter on the tip like a mushroom and feels like the gear wont go through. You need to apply some pressure but BE CAREFUL not to push too hard and accidentally knick the teeth of the big laser gear. The knicking occurs when the teeth of the middle gear are not aligned with the big gear. I've seen some units where some have done this,caused a skipping problem.
You can use a twisting motion. Use a pen like in the next few pictures but on this unit it went right in with almost no effort.

When it slides down turn the big gear until its aligned and locks into place like clockwork.

Once its in add the plastic spacer and lock it all with the O-ring you removed earlier. If the plastic spacer I sent you is too big let me know and i will send another. These are new spacers so if a former customer has an old spacer and it rubs against the motor gear let me know and I'll send you one of the new spacers.


How it all looks put together.


Now push in the motor gear with the groove first. Do not use lube,its made to be tight so it stays on like the original motor gear was. If you look at this picture of the gear you can see the groove in the center of the gear clearly. Pushing in groove first makes it go in easier.

Push in as far as you can with your finger,it is tight.

Then use a pen to push it in the rest of the way.

If it feels too loose you can use a tiny drop of krazy glue on the tip of a toothpick to the gear where it meets the axel to hold it in place. RC car owners do this all the time and it holds. If your not comfy with the motor gear send back for a replacement.
Now align with the middle gear

Middle gear in place,no need to have it completely level with the middle gear.


Now lube all the gears lightly.

Now you are done. You can use that toothpick to move the gears. It should move fluid and easy with no effort. If when turning you get a stuck part you can move the gear away from that area like bending a tight shoelace,only way i can describe this motion,until you get fluid motion.
Now reassemble.

Sometimes,not always,when testing the new geared cdrom with a music cd you will get tracks missing,skips and other stuff. When this happens you need to adjust the pots while its playing. Turning the pot counter clockwise increases power I think. Use this chart as a starting point:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/pots.jpg
Most of the cdroms I've used have this configuration. Also take note of your original pot settings and the older the laser the more adjustment it will need.

The first 3 pots from the left I adjust the most. I think the first pot to the left is laser intensity and the second pot from the left is focus. Adjust one at a time until you get a sweet spot. Also if the cd has scratches and the laser is old it will skip not matter what. Find a near scratchless cd for adjustments. If it plays your whole cd with no skipping then it is done.

some findings:
if the old gear is stuck completely i found it is not swollen gear syndrome as i had thought,as a matter of fact swollen gear syndrome doesn't exist. what i thought was the plastic swelling from friction to a point it can no longer move on its axle is in reality the old lubrication used that has completely hardened and turned the same color as the gear. if the gear is not crumbly but looks solid i recommend a drill bit of 1.60mm or less run thru the hole to loosen and remove the dried lube. you will not remove gear material but the lube. it may look like your removing gear material but it will be powdery. do not force the drill bit,if it is too small use a smaller one. it will remove the lubes and leave behind a smooth hole that will fit perfectly and loosely on the axle.
 learned this from reading kieth courage's advice on another thread. thanks to him for this.

sometimes a axle is too big and the gear i sent is tight,if you get this send back and i will run it thru my drill a few times. symptoms are its not fluid on the axle or the gear motor keeps getting jammed.

if the gear is still getting jammed and the gear moves fluidly and loose on its axle then the  gear motor needs replacing. sometimes the cd is turned on with the damaged gear and since its stuck starts to over heat and get damaged loosing its power. consult with me for a replacement.

Enjoy your now resurrected cdrom.
If you completely loose your mind during this procedure throw all the parts in a box and mail it to me and I will install the gears for free. Hopefully saving your sanity.



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I also do this thing:

Thats 8 duos,8 cdroms,4 supercdrom2,6 turboexpress/gt,5 game gears and 1 duo's sound caps,turbo tap,hitachi saturn, from an epic 4 month work sprint I finished last february. Most of the caps are leaking and smell of vinegar.

Turbo Duo $30 cap change. I have no lasers for these but if you get one I will change it free of charge.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/opeduoafter.jpg

PCE Supercdrom2 $30-I have lasers for these,$8 for just the sound board.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/newcapsoundboardsupercdrom2.jpg

TGExpress/GT $15-Picture has a few regular caps in it because pads were lifted by another so a regular cap had to be used to span the large gap. But sometimes pads do get lifted and will be repaired.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/mysteryrepair2.jpg

PC engine LT $30,its tight in there and the motherboard is fragile.

Sega Game Gear $15
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/soundandpowerboards.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/moboggafter.jpg

Virtual Boy $10-lines on eye fix.

CD-I time keeper battery clip mod $25. this is a very difficult mod so i must charge more. dremel is involved. CD-I cd drive rubber belt change $10.
It will look like this pic from cdi blog:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_60EdE-4xjw...-5k/s400/2.jpg

psp slim screen change or fuse for backlight work $10-i have no screens. if you have a replacement case,change free with order. case changed any order or poychase if you dont need psp work done.

gamecube laser change,cd switch change or spindle motor replacement $10-i have no lasers.

dreamcast laser change or spindle motor change $10. i have no lasers for these,a sac unit from ebay must be provided.

saturn laser change-$10,will provide link where to get laser.

neo geo bios-$10,provide socket and bios chip or will be straight thru solder. old bios will be preserved and returned.

Just about any console not listed is $30 cap change,handheld $15.

This is for a full cap replacement with ceramic and tantalum caps. This should fix any problems that are cap related.
Shipping back to be paid by customer.
I do not do mods.
The Turbo Duo is a finicky beast so 50% of the time what seems like a simple sound issue gets more complicated and more parts are needed so costs will go up. Security screws changed to regular philips screws done free with every order. Also take note it takes me time to return them depending if I can get a ride to the post office.

The virtual boy fix is different than the common method. Its chop's own technique which requires soldering.  Discount of course if you can open the unit yourself and remove the offending eye or eye's and mail it to me in one of those small priority boxes so I can service it. Many already have this fix for well over a year with no recurrence including my own unit.
This is covered by a special chop warranty if the scan lines return.

I also do work on other consoles. Sega cd work,fuse work,various other consoles laser procurement and change,etc.  Advice on DIY home fix and other stuff is always free to friends

and of course I have my little chopsados for a trade if any need them.


If you need references I have some on neo geo and digitalpress under the nickname jetblue and I'm in good standing here just ask anyone. No repair is late or order unfulfilled.  

[chany60126]

Chop is a wizard with the soldering iron. He has worked so many wonders on my systems. Glad he's a local.

[Firebomber7]

You, Sir Chopalot, are a great man.

[roflmao]

I can also vouch for chop's wizardry.

[PikachuWarrior]

The only thing that's wary is the no paypal thing. Makes life easier.

[BlueBMW]

Easier, but at chop's pricing... good grief man, I thought I was cheap!

[GohanX]

Dude, I can't even buy caps for how much you charge to do the whole repair. You da man!

[Sparky]

Does Choppers even need to be vouched for??... He knows his shit & is one of the nicest guys you will meet, besides Beamer ... But chops does give the warmest hugs

I have a gear from chops installed in my TGCD and yes it is comparable to the dreamcast when it reads the game cd, but it works flawlessly.... I even have another one in for repair to him.

 

[Flare65]

How local are you?  I'm in Glen Ellyn Illinois
I could use some of your services on an Express and a gear swap on a Tg-16 cd

[soop]

Wow, your repairs look amazing - but I doubt it will still be a cheap with shipping to the US

[kamiboy]

Paypal takes 10 minutes to set up. The only bothersome process is the confirmation of your bank account which will likely take a day or two. People dump money into it and all you do is ask paypal to transfer the balance to your account which happens sort of like a check transfer.

Do it man, I want some gears for fixing a bunch of dead CD-ROM units that the vile sisters of fate saw fit to bestow upon me. Do it and charge a meaty premium for paying by paypal, say, like 5 or so more.

[soop]

Oh, BTW, the only bad thing is, (and this may not matter so much for those in the states) ordering the gears one at a time for me would be really expensive.  Luckily I don't need any right now, but yeah

[Firebomber7]

The only thing that's wary is the no paypal thing. Makes life easier.

Chop isn't a guy to be wary about. He's a cool dude, bro.

Kind regards,

Breetai/Firebomber7/Mr. Awesome Super Boy

[turbokon]

Damn good prices for repairs!!!

[henrycsc]

Chop is awesomesauce!

[xcrement5x]

I'm also a satisfied chop customer, and very happy with the work he did. 

[DragonmasterDan]

How local are you?  I'm in Glen Ellyn Illinois
I could use some of your services on an Express and a gear swap on a Tg-16 cd

Heh, I'm in Wheaton and originally from Glen Ellyn. It's a small world.

Paypal takes 10 minutes to set up. The only bothersome process is the confirmation of your bank account which will likely take a day or two. People dump money into it and all you do is ask paypal to transfer the balance to your account which happens sort of like a check transfer.

Do it man, I want some gears for fixing a bunch of dead CD-ROM units that the vile sisters of fate saw fit to bestow upon me. Do it and charge a meaty premium for paying by paypal, say, like 5 or so more.

There are tax ramifications that occur when Paypal receives money over a certain threshold.

Added in edit:
Also I can vogue for chop, he has repaired a great deal of my hardware! Fantastic system repairer and all round awesome dude!

[Flare65]

Heh, I'm in Wheaton and originally from Glen Ellyn. It's a small world.

Wow, you literally live like 10 minutes from me!  I'm looking for someone local who can do some of these mod services.  I got the impression that Chop lives somewhere near us.  Is that the case?

[DragonmasterDan]

Wow, you literally live like 10 minutes from me!  I'm looking for someone local who can do some of these mod services.  I got the impression that Chop lives somewhere near us.  Is that the case?

He's in Chicagoland. But not DuPage County.

[Flare65]

I'll have to PM him.  He is close enough I can drop stuff off and pick it up.

[PikachuWarrior]

Oh okay, I'm in Milwaukee. Not too far away ;P

[NecroPhile]

Not that he needs it, but I can vouch for Chops doing top notch work for peanuts.

Oh okay, I'm in Milwaukee. Not too far away ;P

Oh no... not another cheesehead.  You guys are nothing but trouble. 

[soop]

Oh no... not another cheesehead.  You guys are nothing but trouble. 

Every time I see Milwaukee, I think of Alice Cooper in Waynes World.  And then Happy Days.

[DragonmasterDan]

Every time I see Milwaukee, I think of Alice Cooper in Waynes World.  And then Happy Days.

I think of
"1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Shemeal, Shamozzle, Hossenpfeffer Incorporated" that's right everyone's favorite sitcom about people in Milwaukee with incredibly thick New York accents.

[GameFreak]

Chop FYI
I have easily set up a paypal without giving any bank account info. All I did was buy a $10 or $20 pre-paid credit card (mastercard or visa) at the grocery store, activated it, and used all that pre-paid credit card info to sign up my paypal. It was all done within a day if I remember right...and I had all the money i put on the card to buy what I wanted later on.

[chop5]

Thanks guys 

Yeah I was gonna say why but thought you all didn't need to know all that but i USE to have paypal up until january.
I started getting hounded by the IRS. Suspect it was my ebay account that had flagged me to the feds so I cancelled my ebay and paypal accounts.
I am free of them and their monitoring.
There is more,lots more but again you guys don't need to know all this,its boring.

I will add to the front page console drop offs welcomed 
Should build a drive thru window on my house.

[NecroPhile]

Should build a drive thru window on my house. 

"You want chopsados with that?"

[PikachuWarrior]

two please!

[rag-time4]

Thanks guys 

Yeah I was gonna say why but thought you all didn't need to know all that but i USE to have paypal up until january.
I started getting hounded by the IRS. Suspect it was my ebay account that had flagged me to the feds so I cancelled my ebay and paypal accounts.
I am free of them and their monitoring.
There is more,lots more but again you guys don't need to know all this,its boring.

I will add to the front page console drop offs welcomed 
Should build a drive thru window on my house. 

Chop, sorry to hear you've had trouble with IRS. Should you feel the need to buy anything from ebay by proxy feel free to pm me.

As far as the services go, Ive worked with Chop a few times now and must say that Chop's communication and perserverance are top notch. My Duo started as a first time DIY cap change gone bad. After a lot of hard work, which also involved importing a new laser from the State of Israel, and some finishing touches from thesteve, my Duo is once again in tip top shape, as is my express. Sometimes our beloved systems can have tricky issues, chop's fantastic when it comes to getting back up and running!

[chop5]

Tutorial now added on first post! Many pictures 

[ps3repair1981]

Very nice .

[VestCunt]

A big "thank you" to Chop and Shantytech for kicking ass all over my TurboExpress. Lightning-fast service and shipping and lots of timely updates and explanations. While he wasn't able to repair a very unusual problem with my TGCD, he was able to point me in the right direction.

[Sparky]

I recently got back a spare TGCD rom that chops breathed life back into... new laser and gear..... works perfect and this is the second one i have sent to him
Thank you sir Chop-a-lot

[TwinTrouble]

How local are you?  I'm in Glen Ellyn Illinois
I could use some of your services on an Express and a gear swap on a Tg-16 cd

Heh, I'm in Wheaton and originally from Glen Ellyn. It's a small world.

Paypal takes 10 minutes to set up. The only bothersome process is the confirmation of your bank account which will likely take a day or two. People dump money into it and all you do is ask paypal to transfer the balance to your account which happens sort of like a check transfer.

Do it man, I want some gears for fixing a bunch of dead CD-ROM units that the vile sisters of fate saw fit to bestow upon me. Do it and charge a meaty premium for paying by paypal, say, like 5 or so more.

There are tax ramifications that occur when Paypal receives money over a certain threshold.

Added in edit:
Also I can vogue for chop, he has repaired a great deal of my hardware! Fantastic system repairer and all round awesome dude!

It is a small world, I live in Glen Ellyn too!

[meka]

Those Genesis to Duo ac adapter plugs are cool, I only have a few PC engine controllers but about a dozen genesis one's. Would the six button genesis controller work like the six button avenue pad?

[chop5]

Price changes coming this monday. those who have pm'ed me and those that do before monday the 27th of august at 7pm will be locked in the old rate.

[tpivette]

Just got my Turbo CD drive back from Chop... awesome, top notch work! Thanks again!

[DragonmasterDan]

It is a small world, I live in Glen Ellyn too!

I'm now convinced the TurboGrafx was in-proportionately popular in the Glenbard school district in the early 90s.

[laevateinn]

Thanks again for all your help Chop. Everything works lovely!

[dead_man94]

thanks a lot for this great thread, helped greatly in diagnosing my cd rom system.
now i have my ifu up and running great!

[Mishran]

I'll be sending chopster a couple of CD-ROM drives soon for some gear work. Great guy and he knows his stuff. Choppy da' man!