PC Engine CDrom2 unit troubleshooting

[Skykid]

Need help!

After months thinking my PC Engine CDrom2 unit (part of the briefcase setup) had died, I opened it for a second time today and freed up what must have been a stuck gear. Next thing I know it's reading discs, sweet.

However, the probs aren't over. I was pretty careful when I opened it, I needed to re-insert the two main ribbon edges into the plastic clasps as they came loose, but otherwise there wasn't much fuss.

Oddly, I've now got sound channel issues from the PC CDrom2 unit I didn't have before.
Here's the breakdown:

-I'm running the system through RGB hard wired scart from the HU Card unit into an XRGB2+
- The HU Card Unit has no sound issues, which means the XRGB2+/TV is set up properly
- The CDRom2 Unit is channeling selected sounds through the TV - and only sound effects. There is some music but it's barely audible, but it's just a low crackle (turning up the volume to max does very little.)

If I plug headphones into the CDrom2 unit phone jack, I can hear music crisp and clear, but on Shubibinman 3 for instance, the sound effects of his sword swipes are coming through the TV speakers. This is the same with all games - split channel sound. On Dracula X, I can hear the Konami logo jingle through the TV, but the intro sequence sound through the headphones only.

If I leave the Scart out and use basic AV inputs into the LCD (urgh!) then it all works properly.

I never had these issues before and I don't know why the sound channels are being split between the headphones and TV rather than all coming through the TV. Any ideas? Is there something inside the unit I could have accidentally moved (I know there are some pots in there.)

Any troubleshooting ideas would be great, I'm hoping it's something stupidly obvious.
Thanks for the help in advance folks.

[Herr Schatten]

That's interesting. My briefcase unit is acting in much the same way. Occasionally, it will not play music during the games, just like you described. My guess is that all the sounds that are generated somehow by the running game play fine, but when it comes to streaming music directly from the CD, it doesn't work.

[Skykid]

That's interesting. My briefcase unit is acting in much the same way. Occasionally, it will not play music during the games, just like you described. My guess is that all the sounds that are generated somehow by the running game play fine, but when it comes to streaming music directly from the CD, it doesn't work.

Hi Schatten, the plot thickens.

May I ask how your system is wired up - do you also have the Hu Card system next door wired via RGB scart?

Have you tried using standard AV cables, as that produces normal sound for me.

Now I cast my mind back to the time when the chap who sold me the hardwired RGB modded Hu Card unit, I distinctly remember him saying it would work with an interface unit and provide an RGB image for the CDrom2 unit.
However, I'm struggling to remember if I ever got to use the CDrom2 unit before it died on me... it's been ages.

There's a possibility I've been had. If my CDrom2 unit wasn't working at the time I got the RGB modded Hu Card unit then this is probably the first time I've been able to test the two together. That means that CDrom2 image is fine, but it can't produce sound via the scart because they're not properly linked (The scart is sticking out of a different console after all.)

Anyone else got an RGB modded interface unit that does produce sound from both systems via scart?

[Skykid]

Here be the answer to the prob Mr Schatten:

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=88295

You do need to pipe audio through the interface jacks and need a daisy chained scart to do it. As my Hu Card is hardwired, there will be some work to be done here...

Now I need to find someone who can do it.

[Fudoh]

Your initial posting was unclear. When you wrote that the CD unit is channeling selected sounds through the TV I assumed you were using the RCA (Cinch) outputs in the interface units, so the internal mixer of the Interface unit would be to blame....

In general it's like this:

the PCE's audio's output carries everything the PCE audio chip produces
the CD Rom's audio out (headphone jack) carries just red-book audio
the Interface's audio output (RCA) carries a mixed signal and that's what you want.

there will be some work to be done here...
Now I need to find someone who can do it.

Na, you can do this by yourself. Leave the RGB mod on the PCE alone. Just open up the Scart end of your cable, detach the two or three sound wires (L/R + possibly audio ground) and attach a 2-line cable with 2 RCA (Cinch) plugs instead. These go into the audio outputs of the interface unit. That's really terribly easy.

[Skykid]

Your initial posting was unclear. When you wrote that the CD unit is channeling selected sounds through the TV I assumed you were using the RCA (Cinch) outputs in the interface units, so the internal mixer of the Interface unit would be to blame....

In general it's like this:

the PCE's audio's output carries everything the PCE audio chip produces
the CD Rom's audio out (headphone jack) carries just red-book audio
the Interface's audio output (RCA) carries a mixed signal and that's what you want.

there will be some work to be done here...
Now I need to find someone who can do it.

Na, you can do this by yourself. Leave the RGB mod on the PCE alone. Just open up the Scart end of your cable, detach the two or three sound wires (L/R + possibly audio ground) and attach a 2-line cable with 2 RCA (Cinch) plugs instead. These go into the audio outputs of the interface unit. That's really terribly easy.

Ha ha, not for me! Well, I could probably do it with a bit of effort actually, I've done enough soldering to figure it out. Would be a sloppy job though.
if I splice the hardwired cable will it affect the sound that's coming through the lead now for the Hu Card unit - or will it be fine getting sound from the interface also?

[Fudoh]

The sound from the Interface unit is always fine - for both CD and HuCard only games. Remember the first, white PCE which only had RF output. Here the composite + stereo output from the interface unit was a huge step up already.

[Herr Schatten]

Here be the answer to the prob Mr Schatten:

http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=88295

You do need to pipe audio through the interface jacks and need a daisy chained scart to do it. As my Hu Card is hardwired, there will be some work to be done here...

No, that's not quite it. My unit is modded in much the same way as the one that is linked in the last post of the thread you linked in your post. I use a custom SCART cable that can channel the sound either through the PC-Engine unit or through the interface unit as shown. Obviously, when I set up the two together, I use the sound output from the briefcase unit. However, without changing anything regarding the wires, sometimes the sound from the CD comes through, sometimes it doesn't. I blame the laser on the CD-ROM2, actually. I suspect it doesn't read the redbook audio properly.