turbo duo repair

chop5 · 03/19/2006, 02:54 AM

hi

I was wondering has anyone used retrogames to repair their turbo duo or tg-16? Im thinking of sending my duo to them for repair.

Also do any of you know where i can get the cd eye for the duo? Laser eye model Hop-m3 by hitachi,or do you know of any old cd models that used the same eye so i can scavenge from them. I looked on the net at the chinese import/export but they wont answer my emails.

TurboXray · 03/19/2006, 04:16 AM

How do you know it's the lens/laser unit?

chop5 · 03/19/2006, 03:00 PM

oh,my turbo duo stopped working long ago. i have no idea why it stopped. No disc reads and the hucards show a blue pixleated screen.
I need the laser unit for another turbo duo that doest have a laser that i found in a dumpster along with a nes. This was when i lived in a huge apartment complex about 7 years ago. I use to find such interesting things in communal dumpsters.
My duo still has the screws so i dont want to mess with it and open it and do a transplant. The found one has no screws.
I want to try and save it

VestCunt · 03/19/2006, 06:59 PM

Welcome to the forum, Chop5.

As far as i can tell, Retrogames never officially "shut down" they just sort of dropped off the map. From what i heard they are very honest and trustworthy but somewhat unreliable (in that they needed friendly reminders to get around to things.)
You could try to contact them, but their email address is no longer active. If you know what you're doing it sounds like you could just take the lens out of your other Duo if you get the security screw bit. people were talking about this recently here:
https://www.pcengine-fx.com/forums/index.php?topic=1448
if you don't know what you're doing, i'd recommend contacting someone who modifies systems and sending them both of your decks.

My old Duo has lens problems too and i've been meaning to look further into getting it fixed. Everything works but it loses the music track on most CD games while i'm playing. If i move to a new level or screen it loads the new music and everything works again for a brief amount of time before the music cuts out again. I don't know if i can just get my lens "aligned" or synched-up or something or if i need a whole new one. If anyone knows where a new CD eye can be found, i'm also interested.

joe123 · 03/19/2006, 07:58 PM

try http://www.oldschoolgamer.ca/

chop5 · 03/20/2006, 03:23 AM

I forgot to ask if anyone knows the size of the turbo duo screws so i can get flat/star replacement for the duo i found with no screws.
I found on search that turbo grafx-16 screws are 2.9 x 19mm. They dont quite fit in turbo duo holes even when helped by a drill

Also can a pc engine controller work on a turbo duo?

That oldshoolgamer site looks cool,il try them if i cant get through to retro.

Keranu · 03/20/2006, 04:30 AM

PC Engine controllers will work on a Turbo Duo, and Turbo Duo controllers will work on a PC Engine. The only controller that won't work on a Turbo Duo or PC Engine system is the Turbo Grafx 16 controller, though there are converters.

chop5 · 04/22/2006, 05:20 AM

Woo hoo!,I found a place in ohio that sells HOP-M3 lasers for $18.95. I found it at: http://www.electronix.com/catalog/. Just put in their search hop-m3. No minimum orders and low shipping.
Finally i can stop emailing chinese laser pickup distributors.

It arrived fast in a few days and fits like a glove. All wires connect and everything.
But Im worried about the big cog that fits onto it. It was seperated and bouncing around inside the duo when i found it. I fitted it in place on its axel and couldnt find any screw or thingy to hold it in place. Is it supposed to be loose like that or is another cog missing?
I dont want to plug in the duo and have the laser pop right out of it.

Update:
Pluged it in anyway,no power getting through. Cant understand why.
Gonna see if i can send it off somewhere for repair.

Also found a good replacement screw. Size 4 sheet metal philips screws from ace hardware. !/2 inch long.

chop5 · 12/10/2006, 05:12 AM

sweet gods,it took effort but i got my turbo duo working with the new laser. Works like its brand new. But i must tell the tale in case it can be of use to others and i have a new problem that i hope some of you can help.

First the problem i had powering up the duo when i first got the new laser months ago was 3 things. Too low power in my replacement ac adapter,problems with my home made av cable and with my home made turbo pad/duo pad converter cable.
As soon as i fixed all of those problems i turned it on with a cdr of castlevania x. It started with a lot of noise coming from the laser like clicking and searching noises. It showed me the intro and the sound was great then it stopped and the laser went towards the center and wouldnt budge.
I remembered reading about cdrs causing the laser to get stuck and to unstick the gears manually. I did this but would work for a few minutes on the games then go towards center or just stay on the main screen saying to center disc.

Mad i decided to do some part swapping with my original turbo duo that still has the original screws in it to see if i can find out the problem.
It took some time to get the safety bit to open it but soon as i looked at the laser assembly i saw the problem. I didnt push the cables on the new laser all the way in. As soon as i pushed them in all the way(be careful doing this cause the wires seem extremely fragile) the clicking noise stopped and it worked as good as new accepting every game i put in it without the laser going to the center. And thank the gods this turbo duo had no sound issue like my old one did. So let this be a confirmation that the new laser from electronix.com works. Spread the word.

Now the other problem. Now that i had my original turbo duo open i think i figured why it stopped working. At first i thought it was the laser so i took off the new one from the other one and put it on. The laser was jammned,wouldnt move at all. Just like the old one did so i knew it wasnt the laser. So i moved the gear and it wouldnt budge so i took it off and noticed the gear was eaten in some parts.

I suspect its the tiny motor(sled motor) that turns the gear cause after i removed the gear it was hard to move. I wanted to transplant the gear from the other one but was afraid it would also get eaten up.
I need help from anyone that has info on the gear and the tiny motor that moves it. Where i can find replacements. And any other helpful hints and ideas. Thanks.

forgot to mention the plastic laser cover thingy. My old one has one but the duo with the new laser didnt. So i did a swap to make it look complete. It wouldnt work with it on for some reason. I guess there all custom fit for each console.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/jetbue7/lasercoverduo.jpg
But i must say that the nes and snes were first on my list for badly made consoles. Mainly the 72 pin in the nes and the use of inferior brittle plastic on the snes shells. But now the Turbo duo is number one on my list. Its so fragile and so many things can go wrong with it its frustrating. But i still love it. Its on my list as my most favorite console next to my neo geo.

jlued686 · 12/10/2006, 05:28 PM

Don't forget this:
http://www.teamfremont.com/features/TurboDuoRepair.shtml

chop5 · 12/10/2006, 06:09 PM

oh snap,cool site. I did some search on the forums and there seems to be much discussion on the laser from electronix.com. Shows how late i am and should be beaten for not coming to the forums regularly.

I thought they were sold out but they seem to have some in stock. will order another just in case. Nuts for winter

But theres always other sites. Il just look for more. Plus ive decided to look for the HOP-3MA wich is the mechanism and laser combined. The laser is the same but the mechanism is slightly diffrent but seems to have similar parts and same gear size and gear motor and i should be able to repair my original duo with that.
This will take time but i will find one here in the U.S.A. and cheap. Motherland china will not get my buisness. I will post the sites here that i find.

I forgot,heres some miscellaneous tech i discovered during my turbo quest:

The little motor that turns the gear(sled motor) is a RD-050Y mabuchi motor.

NO LONGER SOLD,DISCONTINUED BY SEARS
The sears professional 5/32x2-1/2 usa 41866 by craftsman mini screwdriver/nut driver works good to unscrew those pesky td & tg screws if your desperate and want a cheap alternative. pictured here:

you have to make sure its perfectly center to the screw head and turn slowly with light pressure going down on the screw head. It may take you a while and make your hand sore but once you get that first screw off youll be a pro and use nothing else.

The HOP-M3A,laser with mechanism,are 2 versions that i see on the net. These pictured here:

are very diffrent and are useless.

These 2 are more similar to the duo's mechanism and are the ones im trying to get:

A good replacement turbo duo ac adapter that i use for my duo is walmarts Powerline 1300 mA high power universal ac adapter,3-12 volts dc,pictured here:

I think it costs $15 unless they discontinued it.
Just buy a "Q" tip at radio shack and attach it to the end of the cord and set the tip to positive. Then set the voltage selector to 9v. Your good to go. Always double check the tip that its positive. And that the voltage selector is 9v and not its maximum of 12v. Wrong polarity and too much juice and you have a fried box of circuits.
Do not use this configuration for a turbo grafx! Diffrent polarity and voltage. Will not work.

Will post more stuff here in modified post as they come...

termis · 12/11/2006, 12:26 PM

Oh cool. Electronix was often sold out on this part, and just a month or two ago, people couldn't even backorder it from them - it seemed as it they had taken the part off from their website completely for some time.

I haven't found a cheaper place myself, so for those of you that want some spare laser pickups, it'd be a good time to place an order!

And definitely let us know if you find the whole laser assembly, that would be some GREAT info for all of us!

GUTS · 12/11/2006, 02:25 PM

Do these work with Duo Rs? My duo R works fine, but it refuses to play any CDR games, even ones that played on my old regular Duo. I've been wanting to play through Ys IV again for months but I can't find a CDR media that will play on my stupid Duo R, it's frustrating, so if a new lens would solve the problem I'd buy it in a second.

rolins · 12/11/2006, 05:35 PM

@GUTS

Yeah, the HOP-M3 laser will work on all Duo models US/JP. Good luck finding a domestic distributor, I think everyone here bought out the last stock.

chop5 · 03/06/2007, 03:55 AM

I was at my local salvation army last night eying an old stack-on-style cd player made by Scott,1989 and wondered if it might have a hop-m3 and mechanism so i can use it to rebuild my turbo duo's mechanism. It was the same age as my duo and it only costed 6 bucks so i thought what the hell,if its useless il just leave it at the donation bin on my next trip.
When i got home and opened it up i struck paydirt. A nice hop-m3 laser inside:

Sorry for the crappy pictures my camera takes,i took many and this was the best one where you can see the letters HOP-M3 on the laser. I plugged it in and it plays cd's so the laser eye is functional.
The sled motor,not pictured but i can see it on the side,that i mainly need is square and not round and the main cog is slightly smaller than the duo's. But thats ok I still have many usefull parts here. The fragile connectors and the laser eye.

But now im gonna hit as many thrift stores as i can and look for old stand alone and stack-on-style cd players of the same time period as the duo and see if i can get more parts. I know its butchering old cd players but its for a good cause.
Il tells ya,my search for a hop-m3 with mechanism aint yielding fruit. The chinese company's i emailed say they will only sell in 100 pieces or more. And this one place in ireland: www.donberg.ie/search/search.pl?query=hop-m3&maxlines=100&wordflag=and&group=&page=0
wants almost 50 bucks for a mechanism and im not even sure they will ship overseas. But man thats pricey and its not an exact match.

If you guys find other cd players with the same laser or mechanism post them here,maybe we can make a database or something. Cause theres way more cd players than duos. Even after all these years theres still enough of them around to build walls and dams with. This sucker was heavy,thick gauged steel casing and i had to walk 4 miles home with it in a trash bag cause they didnt have a bag big enough for it.

Heres other pics of the unit:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cd players with hop-m3 lasers and stuff:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CD player/model: compatible mechanism: Useful parts: has been opened and confirmed:

Scott DA970-manu.1989 no connectors, yes
laser.

Denon UCD60,UCD70,
UCD100,UCD110,UCD250 unknown laser unconfirmed,only pics
dates unknown of the units laser online

Linn Karik models from unknown laser unconfirmed,only notes
01/1992 to 11/1996 to online.
serial number 12999

Hitachi DA-C501 yes,identical mechanism,spindlemotor, yes
laser and connectors.
everything.

chop5 · 03/22/2007, 02:41 AM

My turbo duo repair saga is over.

I finally had some time yesterday to transfer the laser i got from the cd unit to my duo. Heres a pic of the cd players mechanism,bottom view:

(The spindle motor is the same size as the duo's but the length of the shaft is longer so its useless. And the connectors are wider on the other end connecting to the cd players mother board so they wont connect to a duo but I'm sure a transplant can be made in the future if needed.)

First before putting the new laser in my duo i put in the duo's old laser in the cd player. The laser would move,light up but wouldn't read cd's. I cleaned the lens and nothing.

So i installed the cd units laser in my duo and powered it up with dracula X. I heard a rubbing sound and turned it off immediately. I was afraid it was the laser but it was the top half of the spindle connector. So i powered it on and ignored the noise and the game started right away. I played for an hour.

All this time i thought it was the gear motor or sled motor and it was just acting against a faulty laser. No wonder the cog started rubbing at it. Looking around the net for info i learned that the sled motor in cd players almost never gives out. That the spindle motor will go out before a sled motor.

Then i realized why didn't i put the laser i had bought from electronix.com in it in the first place before putting it in my other duo. I could of saved me months of searching and stuff. I'm an idiot.

So i took a swab and put a tiny bit of 4 in 1 oil on it then swabbed in one area on the side of the top spindle connector. Just dabbed in one spot very fast with a minuscule amount of oil. The rubbing noise was gone.

Now i decided to see if i can fix the plastic cd laser cover. Man that took a while to adjust just right. I noticed it would rub against the spindle. So i put one finger on the spindle and another on the sled motor and moved the laser around adjusting the laser cover till there was absolutely no rubbing.
I played an hour with the cd laser cover on with no problems.

So my friends its the end of this thread. Thanks for your help. Both duo's are functioning and one with its laser cover. The other duo didn't have a laser cover but i would like one just to see it complete.
I still would like 2 more hop-m3's and mechanisms just in case for future breakdowns so il still search thrift stores for old cd players. IL update the cd player list as i find them. Maybe even give away any extra lasers i find down the way cause cd players are cheap and plentiful in the chicago area.

Now i can post in other threads now that i have free time yay

and play many duo games to talk about.

termis · 03/22/2007, 03:12 AM

Thanks for sharing the info. I'm sure they'll be people (including me) who'll be able to use this info wisely for the future.

chop5 · 03/31/2007, 03:49 AM

Ok this is the last thread

But im stoked about my newest find.

I found this cd player at another salvation army for $7: Hitachi DA-C501

And it has identical laser and mechanism as a turbo duo. Same dimensions and everything. And when i look on the sides it has the same cog,sled motor,screw holes,etc and serial numbers on the base of the mechanism like the duo's. I can remove this and place it in a duo easily.
Now my saga is truly over now that i have a spare mechanism without shelling lots of money to china and other places.

Heres some pointers for those of you seeking old cd players at thrift shops:

Check the back for the year first that it was made. Between 1989 and 1995 HOP-M3 lasers were used in many cd players. Don't bother with looking at Sony and jvc cd players from that time period cause they manufacture there own lasers.
Try and plug in the unit at the store and open the cd tray. Take a small flashlight or look in the store for a small table lamp and look inside to see the familiar box shape of the HOP-M3 laser. It is visable in most players and the cd tray has a huge gap in the middle of it to accommodate it so that is also a sign there might be a HOP-M3 in it.
Not all cd players have a manufacturing date or the label came off with age so if it looks old and not recent technology then peek inside through the open cd tray with flashlight.
And if you can take a cd and play it. Even if all the player has are plugs it will display tracks and indicate its playing on the display. If it does its a keeper.

I also discovered something disturbing. I was at one thrift store as it was closing and they were going through aisle's dumping stuff on the floor that they couldn't sell. I heard workers saying it was all going to the back. That store had an exposed dock area like a old post office and there was a some dumpsters back there. A smaller one and a larger one. The smaller one was one of those grinder ones that destroys and compacts stuff. I thought thrift stores keep stuff till it sells but they destroy it and send it to the dump after a while. So who knows how many good cd players they've disposed of over the years and games and possibly turbo grafx16's and turbo duo's!

ASSEMbler · 05/24/2007, 02:16 AM

I'm arranging production and delivery of 200 units of HOP-M3.
If it works out, I'll post an update.

chop5 · 05/27/2007, 01:54 AM

Cool. Are they newly manufactured by another company or new old stock from hitachi? Im curious

ASSEMbler · 05/27/2007, 06:50 PM

Well, the units are newly made.

However, I have to buy 200 units, and they only ship DHL. So the shipping alone is $270.

I would love to order them, but I am starting to think demand is so slow it's not worth it.

If I could get 50 or even 100 people interested, I would be willing to
foot the expense. The lasers would wind up sub $20.

Unfortunately with the currency conversion, the US dollar isn't so strong anymore.
They would however, be inline with the $18-20 price of the previous ones bought.

Let me know what you think.

Seldane · 05/27/2007, 06:55 PM

Sounds like a not so great idea, as you can already buy these laser units at electronix.com for $20 each. Too bad they rip you off on the shipping unless you live in USA.

ASSEMbler · 05/27/2007, 07:39 PM

Pretty much what I thought as well.

The per unit cost was appx $13.

chop5 · 05/28/2007, 03:40 AM

Can you get the mechanism made with the laser. A exact mechanism with or without wires might increase demand. And youd be the only one with them.

guyjin · 07/09/2007, 02:07 AM

I recently had a minor panic that came to a successful conclusion.

One night last week, was playing Gate of Thunder, then went to bed. Got up the next morning to play some more, but it wouldn't run; eventually discovered the lens had gotten stuck close to the spindle.

I didn't have the neccesary bit to open it, so I ordered one from the nintendo repair shop. Just in case, I also got the Hop-m3 part from electronix. (it's back in stock, incidentally, if you've been waiting for one.)

turned out I didn't need it; i just jogged the twister on the motor and it runs fine now. (though I'm concerned for it's long term health, since I touched the thing with my bare fingers and took a lot of grease off, and probably put some dirt on)

I still have the hop-m3, just in case I need it one day. (it seems to be the same one depicted on TF's page.)
Incidentally, if any of you europeans on this board need one, PM me, and I'll send it to you at cost.

guyjin · 07/09/2007, 06:52 PM

the hell? the lens is right back in the freakin' center again. Before I take the damn thing apart again, Is there anything I can do to stop this from happening?

Turbo D · 07/09/2007, 07:13 PM

I don't know if it will work or now, but maybe try lubing up those two bars that the lazer slides on and the lube the gears as well. Just a suggestion though, hope you can fix your problem

nat · 07/09/2007, 10:41 PM

Can't you just push the laser assembly away from the spindle on it's track? Shouldn't need to take anything apart to do that.

The lasers in my various systems will sometimes end up "stuck" in odd places and I can usually just move them with my finger.

guyjin · 07/09/2007, 11:20 PM

I tried that before I got the bit - wouldn't budge. Haven't tried this time, but I'm guessing the results will be the same.

incidentally, the game I was playing before the laser went to center was Gate of Thunder, both times. Maybe I should avoid playing that for a while and see what happens.

nat · 07/10/2007, 11:28 PM

Quote from: guyjin on 07/09/2007, 11:20 PMI tried that before I got the bit - wouldn't budge.

Strange. Never had one get so stuck it would "freeze" in place.

guyjin · 12/06/2007, 01:05 AM

Okay, so I took the damn thing apart again. i jogged the laser back out.

However, before I put the screws back in, I wanna ask: how close to the center should the lens get?
if possible, I want to stick something in the works to keep it from getting stuck in the middle again, without preventing it from playing games by making the inner tracks inaccessible.

also, it kinda looks like there's a little pressure switch meant to be triggered if the lens goes too far. it seems to be in the intended place, but could I move it? what is it's real function?

the other option is to not screw the thing back together: essentially leaving the top cover loose, so I can easily access the jog dial. how risky is that? I don't generally jostle my duo around, but accidents happen.

chop5 · 12/06/2007, 03:31 AM

same problem happens to me sometimes. I'm not sure what causes it. I had many crazy theories like just happens with burned games,a loose wire,dying laser,disc spinning too fast cause of old motor,etc. Usually when any cd laser goes to the center its because its either scratched or a ribbon came loose somewhere,like a default setting when somethings wrong. But with the duo who knows. It like gremlins in that bitch.
When i unstick the laser i turn the sled motor screw gear thingy gently with one finger on the square part and leave the laser in the center.

But don't stick something in there,i can imagine the spindle motor spinning wild.

guyjin · 12/08/2007, 01:21 AM

I just had an idea.

Does anyone know what kind of voltage the motor (the one that moves the eye) expects? it should be easy to run 2 wires from the motor to the outside of the box; then attach those to a battery or DC power source when the lens gets stuck.

chop5 · 08/21/2008, 02:44 PM

found this little bit of salvage:

nice hop-m3 laser and mechanism

just something for me to harvest parts from if i need. But i wonder if i connect it to my pc

chop5 · 10/04/2008, 06:45 PM

i did a few side projects with the duo.

First i harvested the laser cover from that NEC cd drive (look above post) to replace the missing one in my duo:

perfect fit. Might paint it brown or black but i think it looks ok.

next i recycled the NEC cd drives power supply by changing its tip to a duo's sized tip i got from a electronics supply:

works great,tested it for over an hour of play no overheating on the unit or adapter.

when i ordered that turbo duo sized plug i decided to order some other plugs for a ac adapta plug side project.
Plugs were ordered from http://www.electronicplus.com/. they don't seem to have a minimum order.
This place also has plugs but they have a $20 minimum http://minute-man.com/

I wanted to be able to use the ac adapters of the 3 main common systems on my turbo duo. The SNES,Sega genesis 1 and 2.
I was able to get the plugs for the genny 1 and genny 2. The snes plug is harder to find and i found it at the $20 minimum order place but all i want is 1 plug.(is a cheapo)

/duoplugs.jpg

just has the turbo duo male and genny 1 and 2 female. The genny 2 was straight through wires the genny 1 has the wires reversed.
Behold as i bend sega hardware to do turbo duo's bidding!:

If i can get that really small sega ac adapter that was with the genesis 3 i can have a really tiny adapter for my duo

The specs are:

TurboDuo
Input: 120V AC 60HZ 16W
Output: 10V DC 1000Ma
positive tip
plug Outer Diameter 6.3mm. Inner Diameter 3.0mm
radio shack adaptaplug type Q

Super Nintendo Entertainment System SNS-002
Input AC 120V 60Hz 17W
Output 10V DC 850Ma
Negative Tip
INLINE POWER PLUG WITH CENTER PIN
O.D. 7.5mm I.D. 4.5 with a pin 1mm
No radioshack plug

Genesis MK-1602
Input: 120V 60Hz 17W
Output: 9V DC 1.2A
Negative Tip
plug O.D. 5.5mm I.D. 2.1mm
radioshack adaptaplug type M

nomad,32x,genesis 2,pico MK-2103
Input: 120V AV 60Hz 15W
Output: 10V DC 0.85A
positive tip
plug O.D. 4.75mm. I.D. 1.7mm
radio shack adaptaplug type C

there technical names are coaxial plug type or coaxial power plugs and pcb mount power female or pcb mounted coaxial jacks.

I tested the genny 2 plug for over an hour with my duo with no problem. No over heating on either the duo or ac adapter but genny 2 ac's do get hot even when plugged in a genesis. I haven't been able to find my genny 1 ac adapter. Gave it away or its in this maze of a house. It is untested but will be soon.
The SNES one will have to wait till i can find a cheaper female plug.

Odd things i noticed when putting the original ac adapters to a multimeter is that all of them have higher voltages than whats printed on the label. snes 13v,genny 2 12.5v,genny 1 ?(cant find) I don't have a original turbo duo ac but if its like the one i recycled it has a reading of 12 v.

The Universal ac adapter ive been using is at 9v 900 ma and has an accurate reading on the meter.

As soon as i started using the nec recycled and the genny 2 ac adapter cd games seemed to go faster. faster loading times especially with Dracula x. Could just be my eyes playing tricks on me but i never seen the konami logo show up so fast before. I think my old ac adapter was way underpowered and effected everything. I don't even hear that much searching noises from the lens and stuff. I cant say anything for sure till i do more testing like have my 2 duos run with my old ac and the new ac and connect them to 2 tv's. But il do that later.

If you guys make anything like this be very careful and make sure the wires are rightly set to negative and positive and stuff. Don't explode your system

Duo_R · 10/17/2008, 06:03 PM

can someone post up the specs to the Duo-R DC Adapter?

Keith Courage · 12/12/2011, 01:16 AM

The voltage on a Turbo DUO lens motor is the same as the motor that moves the lens on a regular black turbo grafx CD drive. This means you can use a FF-050S motor as a replacement since the holes line up just fine.