Turbo Express Capacitor

takashirose · 07/04/2006, 01:18 PM

I want to geta new Turbo Express for $179.99 from TZD. They said that because the sound system capacitor failed, they are sending a little bit at a time to get it fixed. Is this a big deal. Now that the sound will be fixed, I am just wondering how good a job they can do. The guy says that they are new except that the capacitor was replaced. Should I worry. I asked him whether the screen is scratched and he said no, but I wonder whether there are any scratches from the repairs. Do you guys have any opinions on this?

grahf · 07/05/2006, 01:51 PM

The quality of the repair depends on whos doing it. I think TZD would know what they are doing, but i cant say for sure because i havnt seen their work. I wouldnt worry about the screen, I am sure they wont scratch it. TZD is a reputable company from what i hear. I had good experiences buying games from them.

takashirose · 07/05/2006, 02:17 PM

I know the company is reputable. I rather get the Turbo Express from them than somewhere else. This place online is selling a new Turbo Express for around $95 with box and everything. The only thing is that the site acknowledged that the sound capacitor is not working properly. SOund could be heard from the headphones though. The guy who talked with me, Steve, was very friendly. I wonder, does TZD have many customers now?

I have been searching for other places to get Turbografx/PC-Engine games. I found some one ebay and some American, Hong Kong, and Japanes store sites. Right now I am trying to find games that are either new and sealed, or in excellent condition with the case and box. Though if I find one with a box and case with the games, I try to find new ones, though. By the way, do you know anyother places that sell anything to do with TurboGrafx/Pc-Engine?

GohanX · 07/05/2006, 10:38 PM

I've bought from TZD a few times, and they've been top-notch, if they are getting them fixed then I wouldn't worry about them.

The sound fix, from an electronics point of view, is stupid easy. You just solder two points, it takes longer to take the Turbo Express apart than it does to actually fix it.

Personally, I just bought one of the discounted ones from Mindrec and fixed the sound myself.

grahf · 07/05/2006, 10:46 PM

www.jameco.com sells the same smd electrolytic capacitors that are in the TurboExpress. Although you can use regular ones, as many people have done. If you want to use the surface mount caps, you will have to desolder the shielding to get to some of them. I ordered a few of each, and plan on replacing every cap in my Express. Only downside to jameco is that you have to order a minimum of 10 pieces, but they are dirt cheap anyhow.

If you looking for games, I have to recommend Dream Stars Japan. I know i recommend these guys all the time, but they really are that great. I bought 90% of my collection from them. Order from them once, and you'll see what im talking about. http://stores.ebay.com/DREAM-STARS-JAPAN

takashirose · 07/06/2006, 02:02 AM

So when they say "new", it's really new? Are there even fake HuCard games? CDs can be copied, but Hucards? Do they sell Duo games that might be fakes that look real and sealed? They do have a nice selection of new games.

esteban · 07/06/2006, 06:37 PM

takashirose: You might want to wait a little bit before buying your TurboExpress from tzd. They often have a Buy One Get One 1/2 Price (BOGO) sale once a year... and it might happen this summer. Make sure you join their mailing list.

I say this only because I'm planning on buying a few things from tzd as soon as they have the BOGO offer. Of course, there is no guarantee they will have this offer anytime soon...

TZD is very reliable.

Otherwise, you might try contacting D-lite. He has offered to fix TurboExpresses for a nominal fee + shipping.

takashirose · 07/06/2006, 10:34 PM

TZD says that they are sending all of their sound malfuntioning Turbo Express to get the capacitor replaced. Some place in Norther California is fixing it. I wonder, is the TZD business big? I mean are there a lot of people that buy Turbo stuff. Are there a lot of people interested in the systems? If I tell people to get the sysems they'll say that the PS3 will have the best graphics, I don't need 2-d games. I actually put my DS lite purchase on hold knowing that Turbo systems are getting rarer and rarer. Better get some before its too late.

esteban · 07/07/2006, 12:10 AM

Quote from: "takashirose"TZD says that they are sending all of their sound malfuntioning Turbo Express to get the capacitor replaced. Some place in Norther California is fixing it. I wonder, is the TZD business big? I mean are there a lot of people that buy Turbo stuff. Are there a lot of people interested in the systems? If I tell people to get the sysems they'll say that the PS3 will have the best graphics, I don't need 2-d games. I actually put my DS lite purchase on hold knowing that Turbo systems are getting rarer and rarer. Better get some before its too late.

Yes, I know how you feel. Until recently, TZD was selling DUOs. They had been selling them for a LONG TIME. I was stupid and just thought they had a never-ending supply. Well, finally, they ran out of DUOs and I still regret not getting one when I had a chance.

takashirose · 07/07/2006, 12:27 AM

So they will not have them anymore?

takashirose · 07/07/2006, 12:27 AM

How long ago did they have it?

GohanX · 07/07/2006, 12:44 AM

Quote from: "takashirose"So when they say "new", it's really new? Are there even fake HuCard games? CDs can be copied, but Hucards? Do they sell Duo games that might be fakes that look real and sealed? They do have a nice selection of new games.

If it is from TZD, it is new. When TTI shut down in the 90's, TZD got all the overstock and has been selling it for years. Unfortunately, they don't have a whole lot of good games in stock now, but are still a good source for new hardware. I don't remember exactly when theys topped selling Duo units, but I bought mine about five years ago, and they had them for quite some time after that.

As far as Hucards go, you don't have to worry too much. It is definately possible to pirate them, but it's a lot more difficult and expensive than a CD, as you have to get really tiny flash memory or eprom chips. There are flash cards available to load hucards on, but they usually are much more expensive than any individual hucard would be ($140 for mine.)

takashirose · 07/07/2006, 12:58 AM

When I said this:

So when they say "new", it's really new? Are there even fake HuCard games? CDs can be copied, but Hucards? Do they sell Duo games that might be fakes that look real and sealed? They do have a nice selection of new games.

I was talking about an ebay store called Dream-Stars-Japan. But it's nice to know that TZD is official. I don't like buying copies. I like offical products. It's just me. Others don't care.

grahf · 07/07/2006, 02:22 AM

Most of the used games i got from them come looking like new 90% of the time. The only ones that look used are the loose hucards ive got.

If you can believe it, the dreamstars guy (his name is Toshi), actually went to another store for me to get me batteries. (Sayno eneloop batteries, which are not sold in the US). On top of that, he charged me exactly what he paid for them. I was ordering games at the time of course, but i was really blown away. I guess what im trying to say is the guy is 100% trustworth in my book.

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Turbo Express Capacitor