Considering the quality and promptness of the answer I got to my last question here, I figured I’d ask this one as well.
I picked up a US Turbo Express. The sound is loud and clear and the picture looks good to me. This is kind of a bucket list pick up I’d been postponing for a decade.
I know the caps on these systems are prone to leak, but if the console doesn’t exhibit any tell-tale signs of cap failure, is it worth it to have a preemptive cap replacement job done to it?
Any input appreciated, gents. Thanks!
KG
NEC Turbo Express preemptive recap?
NEC Turbo Express preemptive recap?
Muchos años después, frente al pelotón de fusilamiento...
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XtraSmiley
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Re: NEC Turbo Express preemptive recap?
Absolutely. Open it up and if it's the original caps, replace them.
I have two TEs, I got them both in a deal. Both worked, but poorly (low sound, poor screen). I sent them off to both get recapped. Both now work, however, the leakage was so bad in one, it took a long time to repair, costing me more, and now the screen brightness knob doesn't work as well as the other one.
Save yourself the headache and get it done. They ALL leak.
I have two TEs, I got them both in a deal. Both worked, but poorly (low sound, poor screen). I sent them off to both get recapped. Both now work, however, the leakage was so bad in one, it took a long time to repair, costing me more, and now the screen brightness knob doesn't work as well as the other one.
Save yourself the headache and get it done. They ALL leak.
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PC Engine Fan X!
- Posts: 9094
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:32 pm
Re: NEC Turbo Express preemptive recap?
I got my Turbo Express brand new back in February of 1995 on clearance. It hasn't been recapped but upon powering it up from a "cold start," it takes a few minutes for the LCD screen to get brighter and does stay bright once up & running for a few minutes.
NEC used Epson of Japan's (known nowadays as Seiko/Epson) TFT-based LCD screen setup (which was very expensive to manufacture and state-of-the-art/cutting edge -- NEC wanted the absolute best that yen could buy back in 1990 and spared no expense to attain it, hence the initial high MSRP of $299.99 usd with a proper January of 1991 grand debut in the USA courtesy of NEC Home Entertainment {NECHE} themselves). This same manufacturing process applied to it's Japanese counterpart, the NEC PC Engine GT (Game Tank) handheld also.
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If you check out the PC Engine GT prototype article titled "The TurboGrafx-16 Goes Through the Shrinking Ray Machine" in the July 1990 issue of Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine, that lone & one-of-a-kind NEC PC Engine GT prototype has a very different A/V interface (compared to the mass-production GTs/TEs that NEC made later on).
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Be sure to pick up the NEC Turbo Vision TV Turner add-on accessory as it turns the TE into a portable A/V monitor setup with it's handy 3.5mm A/V input jack -- it'll even accept the odd-ball 54kHz sync rate signal from a Seibu Kaihatsu SPI arcade motherboard + Viper Phase 1 U.S.A. cart setup. How cool is that? Yes, the TE can be used as a "portable arcade jamma pcb monitor" if you have the right hardware to pull it off. There are two user-end adjustable dials marked "Tint" and "Contrast" (for further "fine tuning" of the TE's impressive LCD screen if it needed be) located on the right side portion of the Turbo Vision TV Turner itself.
Prior to the USA transitioning/switching to all-digital HD TV broadcasting signal in 2009-2010, it was possible to use a TE as a portable TV that could receive both incoming VHF & UHF channels analog TV signals (this applies to the rare NEC PC Engine LT as well with it's built-in TV turner functionality). A TE, nowadays, can be used as an old-school "portable gaming monitor" by using a necessary mini A/V phono jack to 3.5mm stereo jack adapter setup -- easy as pie.
Both the GTs & TEs are quite notorious for being "battery guzzlers" by devouring six brand new double AA batteries in about three hours or so -- those Sanyo/Panasonic Eneloop rechargeable Ni-MH batteries fare much better with high-drain/power-hungry devices such as the GT/TE handhelds -- they're regarded as the "Rolls Royce" of portable gaming handhelds and are held in high esteem/highly sought after nowadays as the one to buy/acquire for your own personal portable gaming stash. It doesn't get any better than that, folks. So be it.
What's awesome about a GT or TE paired up with a Krikzz Turbo Everfrive Pro flash cart is, the ability to play all your favorite CD-Rom2, Super CD-Rom2 & Arcade CD-Rom2 games "on the go." Again, how slick is that? The ability to play the SCD title of "Gates of Thunder" or even the ACD of "Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire" stgs with a TE is absolutely incredible/priceless!
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
NEC used Epson of Japan's (known nowadays as Seiko/Epson) TFT-based LCD screen setup (which was very expensive to manufacture and state-of-the-art/cutting edge -- NEC wanted the absolute best that yen could buy back in 1990 and spared no expense to attain it, hence the initial high MSRP of $299.99 usd with a proper January of 1991 grand debut in the USA courtesy of NEC Home Entertainment {NECHE} themselves). This same manufacturing process applied to it's Japanese counterpart, the NEC PC Engine GT (Game Tank) handheld also.
----------
If you check out the PC Engine GT prototype article titled "The TurboGrafx-16 Goes Through the Shrinking Ray Machine" in the July 1990 issue of Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine, that lone & one-of-a-kind NEC PC Engine GT prototype has a very different A/V interface (compared to the mass-production GTs/TEs that NEC made later on).
----------
Be sure to pick up the NEC Turbo Vision TV Turner add-on accessory as it turns the TE into a portable A/V monitor setup with it's handy 3.5mm A/V input jack -- it'll even accept the odd-ball 54kHz sync rate signal from a Seibu Kaihatsu SPI arcade motherboard + Viper Phase 1 U.S.A. cart setup. How cool is that? Yes, the TE can be used as a "portable arcade jamma pcb monitor" if you have the right hardware to pull it off. There are two user-end adjustable dials marked "Tint" and "Contrast" (for further "fine tuning" of the TE's impressive LCD screen if it needed be) located on the right side portion of the Turbo Vision TV Turner itself.
Prior to the USA transitioning/switching to all-digital HD TV broadcasting signal in 2009-2010, it was possible to use a TE as a portable TV that could receive both incoming VHF & UHF channels analog TV signals (this applies to the rare NEC PC Engine LT as well with it's built-in TV turner functionality). A TE, nowadays, can be used as an old-school "portable gaming monitor" by using a necessary mini A/V phono jack to 3.5mm stereo jack adapter setup -- easy as pie.
Both the GTs & TEs are quite notorious for being "battery guzzlers" by devouring six brand new double AA batteries in about three hours or so -- those Sanyo/Panasonic Eneloop rechargeable Ni-MH batteries fare much better with high-drain/power-hungry devices such as the GT/TE handhelds -- they're regarded as the "Rolls Royce" of portable gaming handhelds and are held in high esteem/highly sought after nowadays as the one to buy/acquire for your own personal portable gaming stash. It doesn't get any better than that, folks. So be it.
What's awesome about a GT or TE paired up with a Krikzz Turbo Everfrive Pro flash cart is, the ability to play all your favorite CD-Rom2, Super CD-Rom2 & Arcade CD-Rom2 games "on the go." Again, how slick is that? The ability to play the SCD title of "Gates of Thunder" or even the ACD of "Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire" stgs with a TE is absolutely incredible/priceless!
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
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PC Engine Fan X!
- Posts: 9094
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:32 pm
Re: NEC Turbo Express preemptive recap?
There's this versatile usb based GT/TE power cord (it properly upconverts 5v into 9v to power up either PC Engine GT or Turbo Express handhelds) sold here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/126485715297?i ... R6Cap6GnZA
You can use a handy portable power bank (in the 20,000-30,000mAh range should suffice just fine) to power up either GT/TE handheld if so desired. It certainly does bring a vintage GT/TE "alive & kicking" in the 21st century. Neither NEC nor TTI could not have forseen/predicted an alternative modern-day method to power up 'em nowadays. What will they think of next within the cult classic PCE/TG gaming platform (just around the corner)?
Enjoy!
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
You can use a handy portable power bank (in the 20,000-30,000mAh range should suffice just fine) to power up either GT/TE handheld if so desired. It certainly does bring a vintage GT/TE "alive & kicking" in the 21st century. Neither NEC nor TTI could not have forseen/predicted an alternative modern-day method to power up 'em nowadays. What will they think of next within the cult classic PCE/TG gaming platform (just around the corner)?
Enjoy!
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~