Loose Duo A/V port?

Mobius · 02/26/2008, 01:08 AM

Hey all... Just wondering if there was a known fix for this. My Duo has what I'm assuming to be a loose A/V port. The connection is very sensitive. Tapping the A/V cord while playing a game can make the picture flicker. Also, the picture occasionally dims on its own. Jiggling the plug can bring it back to life.

nat · 02/26/2008, 01:12 AM

Are you (or anyone experiencing this problem, Necromancer, I'm looking at you) using an aftermarket A/V cable? As in, one other than the one that CAME with the Duo when new?

If so, that is your problem, not the port.

It seems any A/V save for the official NEC ones will have this problem. It always appears like the port is at fault because wiggling it around even when plugged fully in feels "loose." When I got my Duo (used) it came with a cable like that, and it appeared the port was to blame. However I swapped it with the A/V cable that came with my SuperGrafx (an NEC original) and the problem disappeared 100%. It doesn't even feel loose anymore.

The funniest part is, I swapped the crappy aftermarket cable over to use on the SuperGrafx (since it gets used less than the Duo) and it actually doesn't exhibit those symptoms on the SGX! Imagine that. Anyway, it was a win-win situation in A/V land that day.

Mobius · 02/26/2008, 01:19 AM

Hm, it's original, as far as I know. But I bought the system on eBay, so who the hell knows. It feels like a solid connection, but when I jiggle the plug, it seems like the port itself moves around, rather than the plug within the port.

nat · 02/26/2008, 01:22 AM

That's how it feels with these aftermarket cables, I'm telling you. Take the cable out and use your finger to try to move the port. If it moves, it's the port. If it doesn't, I'm right, and it's the cable.

Mobius · 02/26/2008, 01:26 AM

Hmm... The port moves a little without the plug in, but not as much as I would have thought. I tried the cable in my CDZ and it was a nice, tight fit.

Are there any telltale differences/markings that would show this to be an aftermarket cable?

SignOfZeta · 02/26/2008, 07:26 AM

If you post a pic I can tell you if its original or not.

OldRover · 02/26/2008, 08:06 AM

Yeah, the original cables are very easy to tell if they're legit or not if you know what they look like...nothing else looks like it.

NecroPhile · 02/26/2008, 09:55 AM

Quote from: nat on 02/26/2008, 01:12 AMNecromancer, I'm looking at you

No you're not; I don't have a web cam. Are you a peeping tom?

I'm not using some Monster Cable quality, aftermarket poop. It's the NEC original that came with it in '92; it's most definitely the port that's giving me fits. D-Lite has said that inadequate soldering is common enough that he re-solders the a/v (and controller) ports on every Duo that he sells.

nat · 02/26/2008, 12:21 PM

When I get home from work I'll post a side-by-side of an original and aftermarket cable.

Mobius · 02/26/2008, 09:56 PM

Not sure what you guys need to see to tell if it's original or not... Here's a picture of the connector. Let me know if you need a different angle.

SignOfZeta · 02/26/2008, 10:17 PM

That looks original to me.

nat · 02/26/2008, 10:41 PM

Yeah that's an NEC original. Guess it IS your port after all.

D-Lite · 02/26/2008, 11:40 PM

Quote from: guest on 02/26/2008, 09:55 AMD-Lite has said that inadequate soldering is common enough that he re-solders the a/v (and controller) ports on every Duo that he sells.

This man speaks the truth. Resolder your contacts on the AV port and while you're in there, do the AC port and the controller port. Those three parts always get wonky. I reflow the solder on any system I open up.

Jared4781 · 03/01/2008, 02:28 PM

I have the same problem .. but mine is the AV cable. Does anyone know if there is a component mod for the Duo?

Mobius · 04/19/2008, 09:50 PM

Alright, I decided I want to fix this. Can anyone give me a picture of what exactly to re-solder? It wasn't immediately obvious when I opened it up. Keep in mind I've never soldered anything before.

Mobius · 12/16/2008, 06:46 PM

Quote from: Mobius on 04/19/2008, 09:50 PMAlright, I decided I want to fix this. Can anyone give me a picture of what exactly to re-solder? It wasn't immediately obvious when I opened it up. Keep in mind I've never soldered anything before.

I'm pretty tired of this problem, and my blind first foray into trying to resolder it didn't fix anything.

Can someone explain, in detail, how to resolder the A/V port?

nat · 12/16/2008, 06:55 PM

Open it. Wiggle it. It shouldn't move at all. If it does, find the parts that are moving. Solder the fuckers down.

Mobius · 12/23/2008, 11:02 PM

Well, that did not work at all. None of the solder points were loose, but I redid them anyway. No change. I think the problem is with the port itself -- like maybe pins inside are bent, or something. I can't figure out how to get the little black casing off of the port to take a closer look, though. There are a couple tabs on the side that I bent back to try to lift it out, but that didn't do the trick.

nat · 12/24/2008, 12:19 AM

I don't think you're supposed to get the plastic off.

I don't have it in front of me, but it sounds like the port itself is no good.

Duo_R · 12/24/2008, 03:27 AM

Mobius - if you grab a desoldering tool from Radio shack you can remove that port and put in a new one. You will just need to order the new port from mouser.com or something.

Quote from: Mobius on 12/23/2008, 11:02 PMWell, that did not work at all. None of the solder points were loose, but I redid them anyway. No change. I think the problem is with the port itself -- like maybe pins inside are bent, or something. I can't figure out how to get the little black casing off of the port to take a closer look, though. There are a couple tabs on the side that I bent back to try to lift it out, but that didn't do the trick.

Mobius · 12/24/2008, 01:00 PM

Quote from: Duo_R on 12/24/2008, 03:27 AMMobius - if you grab a desoldering tool from Radio shack you can remove that port and put in a new one. You will just need to order the new port from mouser.com or something.

I would be open to this, but I have no idea what part I need. Anyone have a part number? Or, better yet, a donor port from a scrapped Duo?

nick3092 · 12/28/2008, 08:30 PM

Quote from: Mobius on 12/24/2008, 01:00 PMI would be open to this, but I have no idea what part I need. Anyone have a part number? Or, better yet, a donor port from a scrapped Duo?

Its a 5 pin "DIN" connector. Specifically 180degrees. I couldn't find it on mouser, but at digikey it's part CP-2350-ND.

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=CP-2350-ND

Also, I thought i saw you say earlier you have no soldering experience. I would highly suggest working on your soldering skills using some old junk PCB, or buy a little PCB project board at rat shack and and practice soldering and de-soldering before doing this. It's easy once you get the hang of it, but you don't want your Duo to be the first thing you ever work on.

Mobius · 12/29/2008, 08:20 AM

Awesome, thanks!

And yeah, I was thinking I'd play around with a dead Xbox motherboard before trying to do any more work on the Duo.

nick3092 · 12/29/2008, 05:54 PM

Look for some "through hole" components on the Xbox PCB. Chances are, any jacks on there are through hole. Meaning the contacts of the device go through the PCB, and are soldered on the other side. A lot of stuff these days is surface mount, and is a little different than working with the SMD stuff. Might as well practice on the surface stuff too though. I'm willing to bet some day you'll have to replace your caps ;)

Duo_R · 12/30/2008, 09:07 PM

If you are going through the hassle of replacing the AV port, my suggestion is to replace with an 8-din socket instead of a 5-din socket. The reason being is that if you ever want to add RGB capability, you are one step ahead of the mod (and it isn't any extra work to replace with 8-din). There is one 8-din socket that drops in, I can try to post up the part number later.

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Loose Duo A/V port?