Help needed getting a PC engine working outside of Japan.
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 5:51 am
I finally got hold of the Core Grafx system I've been waiting for but I've encountered a few problems and I'd like to get some advice if possible.
I made a pretty dumb mistake in my eagerness to get it up and running. I had assumed that Japan used the same voltage as Thailand (since I've always charged up my portable Super Famicom here fine). That was a mistake as about ten seconds later I heard a pop as the AC adaptor overloaded.
I feared I had fried the Core Grafx unit but thankfully this has turned out not to be the case (probably because it wasn't switched on at the time or properly connected up).
I took a trip to nearby game store and purchased a similar adaptor probably used to power the famiclones they sell. It takes in the correct voltage for Thailand and outputs 9 volts DC which is what I believe the PC engine unit takes.
Switching it on I got a flickering purple image (worryingly identified online as: Purple screen of death), however after trying a different cart I was relieved to see the Hudson soft logo show up...but then freeze.
I realised I had another similar adaptor for the TV Boy (a knockoff gameboy/famicom device I bought a while ago.) This one, however, only outputs 6v.
I tried this one and got a much better picture with Populous and the game ran normally, recognising controller inputs, etc. Although I get some kind of odd refresh effect like a line moving down the screen. I tried it with New Zealand Story and while that game now loaded, the image was very wobbly and seemed to be getting a lot of interference.
The 9v power supply has also since produced similar types of image.
At this point I'm relieved that the PC Engine seems to have avoided being fried by my dumb mistake but I'm unclear what the problem with the display is. It further occurred to me that the TV (which is an old CRTV) might just be 50hz only and this might be causing a problem/that the AV output is somehow faulty or that it's a problem of voltage.
I remember now why I usually stick to handhelds living in this part of the world.
Does anyone have any advice that might help me get to the bottom of the problem because, as I've ably demonstrated, I'm quite hopeless with this technical electrical stuff and don't want to blow up the console or myself?
I made a pretty dumb mistake in my eagerness to get it up and running. I had assumed that Japan used the same voltage as Thailand (since I've always charged up my portable Super Famicom here fine). That was a mistake as about ten seconds later I heard a pop as the AC adaptor overloaded.
I feared I had fried the Core Grafx unit but thankfully this has turned out not to be the case (probably because it wasn't switched on at the time or properly connected up).
I took a trip to nearby game store and purchased a similar adaptor probably used to power the famiclones they sell. It takes in the correct voltage for Thailand and outputs 9 volts DC which is what I believe the PC engine unit takes.
Switching it on I got a flickering purple image (worryingly identified online as: Purple screen of death), however after trying a different cart I was relieved to see the Hudson soft logo show up...but then freeze.
I realised I had another similar adaptor for the TV Boy (a knockoff gameboy/famicom device I bought a while ago.) This one, however, only outputs 6v.
I tried this one and got a much better picture with Populous and the game ran normally, recognising controller inputs, etc. Although I get some kind of odd refresh effect like a line moving down the screen. I tried it with New Zealand Story and while that game now loaded, the image was very wobbly and seemed to be getting a lot of interference.
The 9v power supply has also since produced similar types of image.
At this point I'm relieved that the PC Engine seems to have avoided being fried by my dumb mistake but I'm unclear what the problem with the display is. It further occurred to me that the TV (which is an old CRTV) might just be 50hz only and this might be causing a problem/that the AV output is somehow faulty or that it's a problem of voltage.
I remember now why I usually stick to handhelds living in this part of the world.
Does anyone have any advice that might help me get to the bottom of the problem because, as I've ably demonstrated, I'm quite hopeless with this technical electrical stuff and don't want to blow up the console or myself?