PC ENGINE Core Grafx Mini | DEAD USB Ports! | Can I FIX It?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ย. 2021
- I got this TurboGrafx-16 Mini from eBay, sold as new but faulty. Seemingly the USB ports are dead and the controllers don't work.
Let's try and fix it!
(Apologies in advance for any singing contained herein.)
Hope you enjoy!
Steve
PS. I'm not an expert in repairs at all. I do this for fun, and it may not be the best or safest way to go about repairing broken stuff. I'm pretty good at melting plastic though. Please don't copy me - I'm an idiot.
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The heat is on
@@mikejm79 😉
Said Glenn Frey to Eddie Murphy.
I legit sing this in the winter to my wife when I ask her to close the windows… because ya know… the heat is on.
@@marcianzero_yt Yes I always think of Beverly Hills cop when I hear this song, not many people get the reference ♥
Lord I hope not, because it's hot outside already right now lol
Nice fix Steve👍👍
Cheers Vince! Well happy with this one! 😍
the fact your the first person to ever find the solution to this problem is amazing you just replace a faulty/dead ship
He didn't find the solution to the root cause of this problem, just repaired the broken chip. The true problem is the board lacks a DC protection circuit and if the unit is plugged into the wrong power plug just once, it would fry the same chip again. He just replaced the broken chip, but the design is flawed. He should add in a zener diode or other protection circuit to prevent it from happening again.
One of the biggest problems that plagues online help forums, people find a solution and then never share it.
This is absolutely fantastic! I own one of these units myself and while I didn't experience the problem myself, I am aware of it and therefore always a little bit frightened that mine will experience that problem one day, too. It's great to know that it is possible to fix.
I've seen a few of your other videos as well and must say they're really valuable for a retro game enthusiast with a bit of soldering experience like myself. Thank you very much!
Thanks D.C.! Really appreciate that! 👍
I struggled getting the little bulb to come on in science class when we were tasked with connecting it to nothing more than a battery and a couple of resistors.. so the fact you connected a new chip to games consolejust seems like otherworldly levels of magic to me... Which I guess in some ways it actually is, really. Cool that you took the punt despite being sceptical, as you saved a lovely bit of kit from becoming landfill material 👏. Have you been contacted by anyone else and been able to offer your services on other faulty items for remuneration?
Absolutely loved the complete and utter joy when that controller worked. Nice fix 👍
Nice one! You are getting so quick with fault finding now! Another console saved from the bin. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Keiron. I think the fact that this was "new" helped me with this one. It was so clean inside and I couldn't think of anything else other than that chip being the problem! Really happy to find the fault and fix it. 😊👍
You’re reaction when it worked was so awesome. Well done stez
Absolutely loving your channel! Your dry sense of humour is perfect for TH-cam. Keep up the good work👍
"GET IN!"
Me: Gets in
I actually like how you don't show your excitement when you fix things. It takes a lot of constraint to be able to hide such feelings. But you manage to control them... lol Thumbs Up!
Great little fix Steve :) You found the fault on this quick time as well! Lovely soldering job also 😊
Cheers Joey! I was very pleased with this one, took a punt on that chip and remarkably I was right! 😁
What a result , well done loving your vids please keep them coming , the comedy and fixes are excellent 👍👍👍
World first fix 😀
😀 thanks G! Really appreciate that! 👍
Well...... you're intune most of the time and certainly better than most who go for the TV talent shows ;) I spent roughly 20 years doing technical support for desktops for games retail, government departments (Home Office, Customs, DVLAS) etc. It's quite cathartic to watch you go through your own process of error tracking and elimination. I've got to say there have been some major improvements regarding soldering than I last did any (erm....30 years possibly). Great stuff :)
I don't know what is more exciting the repair or the singing? Awesome repair plus more singing please!
🤣 thanks Joseph! I should probably start doing some Christmas songs! 😬
These chips fry when you power the console with an USB adapter outputting anything higher than 5V even though V_BUS max spec for USB 2.0 is 5.5V. I killed mine with a 5.1V Raspberry Pi power supply which is well within USB spec but was too much for the console.
Great job mate. You had way too much fun on that game for a grown man though 😂
😂 cheers mate. Never too old to have fun with a terrible old game! 🤣
Yeah! I love how enthusiastic your response is.
The best part of repairs: the joy when it runs 😅
Good to see you fix the TurboGrafx-16 Mini there good repair and singing too Steve - Nice 1 mate 👍
Cheers mate, really happy to fix this one! 👍
Back when these things first launched, within weeks I saw this exact fix on Facebook. I can’t remember who it was that shared it but I recall meeting some legendary Japanese PC Engine developer in the process so maybe it was him.
The issue has something to do with hot-plugging the controllers with certain power supplies. Is seems that a certain high-amperage Raspberry Pi PSUs were notorious for this but I don’t think it’s the PSU’s fault. The device would have to be engineered improperly for a high amperage PSU to make a difference. I recommend sticking with whatever PSU you have that works and never hot-plugging it.
I bought my Turbografx mini at launch and lucky for me, I couldn't open it to play as I was away on business for almost 5 months. Good thing too because I had heard people were damaging their minis by using cheap USB power supplies that were not outputting the correct voltage and damaging their units.
I can't even finish the rest of the video... That stupid hand gag has me rolling! 🤣
🤣 yeah, I'm sorry about that Tidder! 😂
Wow! That's the Steve I know! Or better, that's the Steve I remember, because I don't really know you besides these interactions. The heat is on! As I've said on other occasions, you are an entertainer, and a good one! 😃 As for the repair,, you did it again! You've found the fault without blinking! I'm amazed! 😯😉😀
Thanks Pedro! Glad you enjoyed this one, I really did too! Really pleased to have diagnosed correctly and then get it working! 😁
Good work Steve, word of warning though regarding your magnetic board holder. I would recommend you don't use them when you're using a hot air gun, why? Because you have a very high chance of heating the surrounding components up until the point the solder liquefies and then those magnets holding the board can and will pull all those components off, and if you don't know where they go, you'll be screwed like Dave in the epoxy resin!
Thanks BeoGeek! I have actually fallen foul of that before! I think it was on a Switch. I obviously didn't learn my lesson. You're dead right. I'll remember for the next one 👍
Nice job, love your excitement
Thanks Darc! 👍
What a great feeling to fix it like that. Brilliant channel
I don't think Glenn Frey could have fixed this. But look at you go! Great job!
I'm just here for the singing anymore, the fixing stuff bit is just a nice bonus.
I'm not terribly surprised that you found loads and loads of people having this exact problem, but no one thought to replace the USB controller. I feel as if not a lot of people think to take things apart fully, or they're intimidated.
😁 Thanks Sixty! Yeah, I'm sure others must have fixed these but I just couldn't find anything online. So, you're probably right, I suspect most don't think to open them up, and they probably just deem the USB ports as broken and chuck them out!
You won't believe how much SMD components are frightening hobbyists in electronics ^^
Really nice fix Steve 😉 You found the problem in minutes.
Thanks Kiki! Really pleased to diagnose this one so quickly! I probably won't be as lucky on my next one! 😬
Well done 👏 , first one to find a fix and post it online
I'm starting to get hooked on these songs, Don't Stop Me Now! I'm having a good time! 😉👍
😁 thanks Buddy!
I've literally had this sat in the box gathering dust, just ordered the chip to see if that fixes the issue too. great vid, thanks for the help!!
Aaaaaaaaand I'm a failure, queue a private message and special request
Ohhh buddy. Thank you for posting this video. I have finally resurrected my Turbografx mini! I thought she was a goner.
Get in! Like it and very enjoyable. I think the singing is getting slightly better and room for improvement LOL. I think soon the singing will surpass the soldering! 😂
Haha 😄 thanks M m! I'll be on the X Factor before you know it! 😬
Well done! Nice fix! Great singing 😂 🤣
Thanks Technic! 😊
Great entertainment as usual and also a nice fix.
Thanks Philip! 👍
That laugh of joy when you succeeded... that was awesome :)
Thank you, Steve!!! You are awesome!!!!!!!!!!!
Surprised you don't have more views for maybe the only fix for this online
Great video . Thank you for sharing ☺️☺️☺️
Thanks Froz! 👍
Great video Steve!👍🏻
Cheers Travis! 👍
I seriously thought it was gonna be the USB ports but you replaced that IC and BOOM! You're getting pretty good at it. Keep the videos coming! Cheers!
The problem seems to be related to the DC output voltage coming from the PSU, if it exceeds 5V even slightly it may damage the USB controller chip and fry it :(.
The engineers who made this thing really suck :), it's a cheap design by Hori, none of the other minis ever had this problem.
Most people who experienced this were using Raspberrt Pi3 chargers lying around, which fried their USB chip sooner or later.
The worst thing is, Hori doesn't deliver you a rated AC/DC adapter in the box, so using just one you can find in your house from another device may accidentally fry your USB controller.
I've used USB multimeter to measure the output voltage and power draw of my power supply which luckily was ok in my case, it has not exceeded 5.05V, and I'm fine with mine so far, hope it won't break down one day :). The power draw hardly exceeds 0.5A, so a 1Amp PSU with a smooth 5V output voltage will do it just right.
Thanks Eduard, your analysis there seems to be spot on. It's exactly as I suspected. The 5v (or more if you use the wrong adapter) goes straight to the USB controller chip and it doesn't appear to have any protection. It looks like there is a space on the board just prior to the chip, but perhaps they decided against it to reduce production costs! Bad design, and I fear lots of these things are going to end up in the trash!
I’ve also heard of people using them fine until hot-plugging their controllers so I’d avoid doing that too.
Hori actually made an official charger for it, but it is hard to find and expensive.
@@tom11zz884 Yeah. Only sold in Japan
I'm about to tackle this again tomorrow on a TG 16 mini and figured I’d search the webs again for info because like you encountered there was no info to be found. I bought mine with the same problem as you in the spring and changed the usb chip with a different model (cause I couldn’t wait on one from china), which didn’t work. I haven’t touched it since then but had ordered the correct chip that came in a while back and waiting for the install.
I'll install it and reply back asap with my results. Your video gives me hope that I can have a successful swap this time around. Thanks for this!
Thanks BitDigital! Good luck with the swap and I really hope you get it working! Please let me know how it goes! 👍
@@StezStixFix The TG16 mini is back! I fixed it today, so happy! I also used hot air for the install. I tested and It didn’t work at first, so I used my multi to check connections and found pin 15 and another pin needed reflowing. Reflowed, tested again and the controller is working! (Same reaction as you lol)
I knew it was that USB chip, and now we have a second confirmation that replacing it with a new MA8601 fixed another dead port.
Thanks again for your video. I played it the whole time doing the replacement.
Looking for a dead pc engine mini for cheap now 😁since I got a few chips left.
Respect!
Incredible! Thanks for letting me know! Great to have confirmation. I wonder how many of these things have been thrown away because of it! 😬
The Heat is on...🤣🤣🤣 Love it. Great video man!
😁 thanks James! 👍
seeing him get excited is top notch stuff 😅
😁 thanks William! 😃
Nice one. I'm going through a phase of every component I need isn't manufactured anymore. I've got stuff piling up here.
Yeah, that is frustrating when that happens! I guess that's when donor boards come in handy, but it's difficult, time consuming and costly to accumulate them! 😬
Awesome and the fix was pretty good too 😆
Great fix again, I'm sure I know you, but can't think where I may have met you!
👍 Thanks David! I wonder where from?
Always sing man. One thing I noticed right away that set your channel apart was the singing lol
found for the tech fixes, subscribed for the singing
This deserves a thousand likes. Bravo. Amazing that a legitimate company like hori could manufacture such fragile garbage. Question - does your serial number begin with 009 or 010? Thanks
Thank you! Yeah, it's really disappointing that Hori don't appear to have even rectified the issue, it still seems to be happening to these things all the time. Mine is still working, so hopefully it will carry on working well 👍 I'll have to have a look at the serial and let you know 👍
@@StezStixFix please do mate. Much appreciated. Me and some others are really trying to get to the bottom of this. These companies need to be held accountable
Very likable chap.
Alright! brother Steve! I don't wish to know were that 3rd hands been, I'll live in ignorance! 😁 But that Song! & Singing 😍 Beverly hills cop! comes to mind, You Legend!! 👍🏻👍🏻
'This game though' for second there, I swear it sounded like you said something else. I'm Not! saying a word... 🤣 Oh and that Joy! *GET IN* You look so happy & deserve to be.
Thanks brother Steve! Can't beat a bit of Beverly Hills Cop! One of my favourites! 😍
I got a bit excited with this one. I think it was a combination of waiting a couple of weeks for the chips to arrive, and the fact that I accurately diagnosed it in the first place! 😁
Oh now I can test my one !! Thanks.
The Heat is Onnnnnn 🔥
I'd love to see you get your hands on one from the US. I'm lucky I didn't fry mine...yet
More singing, don't stop till it's fixed 🤣🤣 quality video as always buddy and I'm glad Daves keeping an eye on things. Great fix mate
Thanks Lee, appreciate that mate 👍
Love it so funny 🤣 😆 😄 so enjoy your videos 📹 😄 please keep them coming and here to help get your videos 📹 😉 out to everyone to enjoy 😉 😀 cheers 🍻 Steve
Many thanks Roger! 😊
You must be a fim star, you have so good mid entertainment. thanks a lot for your movies. :)
😁 thanks mkodel! Glad you enjoy them! 👍
Evrytime.... :)
Fantastic job on the fix Steve? Plus you should definitely apply for euro vision song contest your singing will definitely cause wide spread window and glass and TVs to blow up just like a EMP blast the UK's new weapon to counter Russia? Keep safe bro
Thanks DR! Yeah, you're right! I'm gonna get my Eurovision application in for 2022 now! 😁
Steve 🤣 I know l keep saying no more singing but it’s all part of the entertaining 🤣🤔 well done good fix as you keep saying get in there 🤣
Great fix Steve ... any clues why the chip, and many of its mates, died the death? Is it getting overly warm when in use? Is there a lot of ripple on the power supply to the chip?? PS ... I’m looking forward to a ‘Greatest hits’ compilation video we can all sing along-to for after the Queen’s Speech 😀 keep up the great work 👍
Thanks Chris! Will definitely get working on that greatest hits compilation! 👍 I think the problem with the chips is that (as far as I know) they don't bundle a usb cable and plug with them, and I suspect they are very fussy about the voltage being supplied. If you were to use a Rapsberry Pi 5.1v adapter for example, it probably fries them. Looks like they scrimped out on any kind of internal voltage regulator, as the voltage from the power supply just goes straight to the chip!
@@StezStixFix can you mod it by adding a voltage regulator? I'd be interested in seeing that, as well as adding one to my PC Engine to prevent this from happening!
OMG you figure out. thanks a lot
Nice one!
Thank you! 👍
Before buying a new chip I think you should try reflowing the current chip at least once.
GET IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol, love the vids, thanks.
And what Chip is it for Replacement? Where can i get it?
Its possible to install a 5v regulator on the 5v pin of the chip?
Brilliant!!
now you are an expert
You know I only ever tested it with the top USB man. Maybe I should make an effort although I do have the official multiport adapter for this device so should I wish it I could play 5 player bomberman...but thats not the point!
great fix as always steve... what's the name of the song at the end of the video thought?
AWESOME JOB!
I need to repair a Taito Egret II Mini, and this is interesting info for me. They did the same mistake as the PC Engine/TG-16/CoreGrafx by NOT providing a PSU, and by being even more vague as to the required specs. Even worst, the Taito one is SO MUCH more expensive, and more complexe, since it has a screen, etc. The reason I cannot find anyone who fried theirs, is that almost nobody have one, or at least not outside of Japan, unlike for the PC Engine where it is a common issue people complained about. Not to mention that the Egret will not work correctly at the widely used 5V/2A. It will seem to work fine most of the time, but then it makes everything lag and perform badly. It's optimal power draw was calculated to be so far of the various standard USB PSU that people commonly have, so not including a PSU was idiotic ( Let's not forget that the console + ALL the controllers and added games will cost a total of around $400, so completely inexcusable).
Out of curiosity, what is the optimal power draw from the Egret?
@@naughtydog9843 Believe it or not, it absolutely does vary. To such a point, that taking it for granted, I've used the exact same power draw as found by the first person (in English at least) who measured it, and this fried my unit. I though that my equipment was at fault for some reason, but NOPE! So far I've seen 3 very different power draw out of the 4 units I have.
Obviously, they completely screwed the pooch on many levels, especially in relation with the production line
But anyway, what would be thus more useful for you would be to know the ONLY freaking USB charger model that I am 100% sure not only won't break or damage your system, but also won't deliver too little Amps for it to work badly (most won't at first, but the system will start chugging after a while, with lag and other issues; this one won't even after days of being plugged in and ON). Would you be interested to know? It's the only one that passed all of my tests with every single unit I've had in my hands.
I forgot the exact model number, but I can look later tonight. Let me know.
@@Unholy_Louie Thanks for the long detailed answer, yeah that would be great if you don't mind. Cheers.
@@naughtydog9843 No problem dude. I've had so many issues related to this product that I needed to vent a little anyway :P But I still love it! I've also been looking FOR AGES for such spinner and trackball controllers!
Anyway. I just checked it out, and what you need is the
ANKER NANO II 30W USB C CHARGER.
Not only will it power correctly any Taito Egret II Mini, but can be used safely with basically any other devices at or under it's output range :
5.0V==3.0A 15W
9.0V==3.0A 27W
15.0V==2.0A 30W
20.0V==1.5A 30W
It's powerful enough to charge some laptops, but also 100% safe to use with low powered devices (like 5V 1A).
I've examined both unit I bought, and no corners were cut.
Anker does sell more powerful units within the same model range (45W and 65W instead of 30W), and they should work just as well with your device, but I can't be 100% sure.
Oh, I just checked Amazon USA and it seems to be out of stock there. But IT IS in stock (+Prime shipping) on Amazon Canada. Even if you are in the US, you should still be able to get it shipped to you (you just have to open an account there). I don't think stocks will last a long time, so I would totally buy 1 or 2 if I were you.
Let me know if you have any issue ordering one and we'll find an alternative or other solution.
Cheers!
@@Unholy_Louie I'm Canadian based, so that's perfect, thanks. I will endeavor to retro-game in your honor Sir! 👍
That t-shirt? Nice!
Awesome fix Steve, Can you check something? it seems there is a fixed revision of the board that don't have issue with usb ports.
The consoles with usb issues have a SN# start with 009, but the newer one with fixed revision boards starts with 010.
2nd request, can you post high res picture for the board of the console, I want to compare it with my PCE mini i bought from japan couple days ago, mine starts with 010.
Hello. Did you figure out any more information on that? My mini is also a 010 and I’m hoping I’m in the clear
The heat is on! 👍👍👍👍👍👍
The black and silver thing on the bottom right of the usb controller board is missing from my board. Is it a transistor and if so what value? I see a bunch of them on the unit but that one is missing. Replaced my usb controller board today and no go. I think I am missing an electronic component. Any ideas?
I now have the song stuck in my head......but it will only go away if I watch Beverly Hills Cop.
😁 you should definitely watch it now! 👍
What do you do with this stuff after you fix it? I been wanting one of these for a long time! Any chance of making a deal? P.S. Im a huge fan!!!!
I love you!
Greets from Germany ;)
How much would you charge on this repair I have same problem
Lol exellent entertainment sir, as always.
Thanks N! 👍
I wonder if you can remove/replace this chip without a hot air gun?
I've come across this because I'm at a loss, I've got no response from my machine at all. It's obviously not got a power light so I don't know if it's getting any power at all, so I've no idea if the problem is power based or if the HDMI port is dead. Is it possible this chip problem can affect the rear USB port too?
Can't help but wonder if just reflowing the solder on the original chip may have worked as well.
the joints didn't look too good but the chip was certainly fried.
GET IN
GET ON THERE
I love this channel. Thanks Steve.
Good work on the fix kind of sad on the song I thought you were going to do something more Christmas-e
😊 thanks Overdriv3! Oh, there's still plenty of time for some Christmasy songs! 😬
@@StezStixFix Just imagine you could be the Mariah Carey of the yt fixing community 😂🤣👍
🤣 😂
Great job. Any link to the chip itself? I haven't found one with the full Moai ID name.
Thanks! As long as its MA8601, it should be good. This is the one I bought:
a.aliexpress.com/_mruvWmm
@@StezStixFix Thank you so much. I have just o rdered. Great job fixing it. Now I have them in case any problem arises.
I LOVE DAVE
GET IN!!!! -V
So a chip was bad, not the USB ports as reflected in the title? Do you resell the items you repair?
Is that Monkey Island on your desktop background? Neat!
MERCI!!!! 👏👏❤
De rien! 👍
Found your videos about a week ago and I've been absolutely loving them. A shame that these are so shotty, I really wanted one but it looks like I might just turn to emulation instead
From reading other comments, the real issue is power supply frying the USB controller chip you replaced. Are there any approved power supplies that are safe to use on these?
It was a strange decision not to include a power adapter with the device. I think people are incorrectly using a Pi power adapter which is 5.5v. I've been running 5v through this since I fixed it and I've not had a problem. 👍
@@StezStixFix I'll have to look for one. I stopped using the one that came with my PC Engine as soon as I saw your video. Thanks!
@@StezStixFix Nintendo Switch and 3DS don't come with a power adapter also. Even Famicom didn't ^^ Think about the actual move to the universal charger that many countries want go to. To "avoid wasting ressources " they say. But it implies that all power adapters must be within the USB specs, that obviously many cheap adapters aren't :/
Great work! I own one and a PC Engine mini, will keep in mind if USB goes out.
Get in!
I didn't watch the end for the moment... but what if the program freezed and not a usb problem?
The song your singing reminds me of Beverly Hills cop
😁 yep, love that film! 👍
Hello! Sorry. Could you put a link to buy the chip on Aliexpress please?
I don't understand electronics, and very little English 🙂
Hello Daniel! This is the one I bought:
a.aliexpress.com/_mruvWmm
@@StezStixFix Thank you! thanks to you I'm going to stop having a nice paperweight 😊
😁 Good luck with the repair, Daniel! 👍