DUO-R sound problems

[Menegx]

I recently bought a PC Engine DUO-R and it has some audio problems. I've got 3 CD games and no (PCE) hu card games at the moment so I'm not sure whether the problem is only with CD games or if it also applies to hu card games.
Anyways on games with "cinematic intros" (YS 1&2, Far East of Eden 2) the sound skips a lot during the intro. There's weird noises, no sound at all, then I hear the sound clearly for 1 or 2 seconds then it goes mute again and so on, it barely works. But once I start playing the games there really aren't any problems with the sound quality. But in YS 1&2 and Wonderboy III the music suddenly just stops playing at times.

In YS everything works fine once I start the game. No problem with sound effects or anything like that, and music plays completely normally. I can go to buildings, talk to people etc with out any audio problems. But once I get outside of the starting village and attack an enemy, the music just suddenly stops. It wont start playing again untill I go outside of the screen to another area, after that it starts playing again and plays as long as I dont attack any enemies.

In Wonderboy III there is a very similiar problem, it just doesn't seem to follow any kind of pattern. I start the game, everything works fine. No problem with sound effects or any of that stuff. Music plays normally. Then suddenly the music stops playing and the game will become (music wise, sound effects still work) mute untill I finish the stage. I can play some stages from start to finish with music playing normally, in some stages the music dies mid-level, in some levels music is mute untill I encounter a boss but after that it starts working. It's really weird.

I live in Europe and I'm using a step down converter with the console. I got the console from hit-Japan on ebay and it came with the original power supply and AV cable. Atleast I think it's the original AV cable. I've tried using two different step down converters (PAL->USA and PAL->Japan) and a C64/SMS/Mega Drive 1/Genesis 1 compatible AV cable but it didn't have any effect on the problem.

I dont have the tool required for opening the console at the moment so I sadly can't take any pictures of the insides. Based on what I just told you guys, do you think that the capacitors have gone bad or could there be another explanation?

[PCEngineHell]

You probably need a new laser if its a Duo-R deck. You need a HOP-M3 laser.

[Menegx]

I just played YS for a bit and made some observations:
During the intro scene the CD drive makes a small noise often, like it's trying to get the disc spinning over and over again but doesn't have enough power to do so.

The combat music outside the village stops after few seconds of playing regardless of what I do, so even if I don't attack the enemies it will still go mute. The music in the first dungeon stops after few seconds of playing. So it seems like certain songs can't be played. The music in the first/second village and inside people's homes, shops etc plays with out a problem.

One thing I forgot to mention about the console itself: the cd cover is a bit loose, there's about 1.5 cm of open space between the cover and the power on/off light. I can press the CD door down gently but it doesn't seem to make any kind of difference.

[PCEngineHell]

If games are loading but the cd audio is cutting out, like I said, you probably need a new laser.

[Frank_fjs]

I had the same problem. In my case cleaning the lens and lubricating the tracks solved it.

Another thing I discovered is that my Duo-R is very sensitive to vibration, the sound from my TV speakers was enough to mess with it. So place it on a firm, level surface that's free from vibration.

P.s. Mine had a new lens fitted and still exhibited the problem.

[Menegx]

If the lens is just dirty, is it possible to clean it from the outside or do I still need to open up the console? What kind of grease/oil should be used for lubrication?

I took some pictures of the system
http://i47.tinypic.com/ziu537.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/11m3q8g.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/302qc2g.jpg

The console isn't in an unstable place where it would be affected by vibration and I dont have any loud speakers for that matter.

[PCEngineHell]

To re-grease the rails and gears you will def need to take it apart, strip them of all the original grease, and use something like a toothbrush to clean out the teeth of the gears well, then re-grease with lithium grease. The laser lens itself can be cleaned with a soft q-tip and a tiny dab of alcohol.

[Game-Tech.US]

I would suggest trying to adjust it in before flat out replacing the laser.
There's a sticky-ed thread here about how to do it.
I've posted such a vid on my youtube channel.

[monads]

nice vid!  just checked it out, very helpful before one goes and starts to replace the laser.