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NEC PC-Engine/SuperGrafx => PC Engine/SuperGrafx Discussion => Topic started by: Vimtoman on June 22, 2016, 06:47:38 AM

Title: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Vimtoman on June 22, 2016, 06:47:38 AM
Is this a copy?

I did not notice that the potting was the full length of the card. Are they all like that?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEC-PC-ENGINE-Hu-card-ARCADE-CARD-DUO-card-only-Japan-for-DUO-/361603324353?hash=item54313cd9c1:g:XCAAAOSwPc9W1cYx
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: MNKyDeth on June 22, 2016, 07:17:35 AM
This one looks exactly like the one I have. I bought mine brand new sealed.

I don't think it is a fake or copy of any kind. Not sure there are fakes of these out there to be honest.
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Bonknuts on June 22, 2016, 07:31:43 AM
That's exactly how the Duo cards look.
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Necromancer on June 22, 2016, 08:04:35 AM
'Tis normal..... but what's "potting"?
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Vimtoman on June 22, 2016, 09:53:01 AM
Potting is a process of filling a complete electronic assembly with a solid or gelatinous compound.

I had a  Pro card but never really used it and sold it recently.
Obviously did not look at it properly.

The stickers on the Duo just didn't look right.
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: SignOfZeta on June 22, 2016, 02:41:39 PM
They look completely different from one another. The Duo looks a bit cheaper...which I guess it was. :)
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Necromancer on June 23, 2016, 02:29:20 AM
Potting is a process of filling a complete electronic assembly with a solid or gelatinous compound.

Gotcha.  It's strange that they made the Duo card's pcb full length but used a smaller pcb on the more heavily populated Pro card.

The stickers on the Duo just didn't look right.

Yarr, they look cheap compared to the screen printed humps.
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Black Tiger on June 23, 2016, 04:00:13 AM
Maybe the PRO uses some of the millions of pcbs they made for SFII' and maybe one was released before the other?
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Bonknuts on June 23, 2016, 05:23:24 AM
I have the Pro card, a part right now, and it's definitely not the SF2 PCB. It uses three SRAM chips just like SCD cards (not sure why they didn't use one), a rom chip, and the mapper chip - and four large dram chips. On the Pro version, the extra stuff takes up space, so the last two DRAM chips are actually on top of the PCB under that bubble - it needs that bubble.
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Bonknuts on June 23, 2016, 05:28:27 AM
(http://www.pcedev.net/arcard_card_pro/pic1.jpg)
(http://www.pcedev.net/arcard_card_pro/pic2.jpg)
(http://www.pcedev.net/arcard_card_pro/pic3.jpg)
(http://www.pcedev.net/arcard_card_pro/pic4.jpg)
(http://www.pcedev.net/arcard_card_pro/pic5.jpg)
(click on them for the higher res version)
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Black Tiger on June 23, 2016, 06:28:40 AM
Does that mean that the PRO is the only HuCard that makes use of the bubble, or does the Populous card also stick out?
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Bonknuts on June 23, 2016, 06:38:17 AM
I don't know. I never own the Populous hucard. Given that it has 32k of ram and probably a logic gloptop for address translation, it shouldn't need to fit under the bubble. When did it come out? About the same time SCD 3.0 upgrade card came out?
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Vimtoman on June 23, 2016, 07:04:35 AM
So its not potted but just stuck in with double sided.

The ripple layer on the top must be some kind of paint ?
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Necromancer on June 23, 2016, 08:19:32 AM
Ah, so it is full length just slightly narrower under ze hump.  I wrongly assumed the pcb was sized like the other humped cards.

The ripple layer on the top must be some kind of paint ?

Yarr, it's a black epoxy coating same as the games.
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: wilykat on June 23, 2016, 09:58:15 AM
Populous have bubble on the back but I've checked (glue had dried out anyway) and it's empty. It looks like a spot for a small button battery, like the card shell is based on Tennokoe Bank card but never used the extra space.

It is a bit odd Duo card has bigger circuit than Pro even though Pro has extra 64k RAM added on top of the total RAM needed for Arcade games.
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Necromancer on June 23, 2016, 10:22:33 AM
It is a bit odd Duo card has bigger circuit than Pro even though Pro has extra 64k RAM added on top of the total RAM needed for Arcade games.

It looks like they're roughly the same length (both leave room for the thumb grip area on the end), so it's just the width that's a bit less.  Presumably that's so the hump could be bonded directly to the bottom shell, lessening the stresses placed on the pcb itself.
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Bonknuts on June 23, 2016, 11:12:47 AM
What Necromancer said. (To the tee). The Pro card has 256k of rom, and 192k of ram that the Duo card does not. The base 64k of ram from the original CD unit, is always on the system itself (sys card 1.0 to 2.x have no ram on the cards - only rom upgraded. i.e. code).
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: imparanoic on June 23, 2016, 03:27:05 PM
i wonder whats in the hump on a tennokoe bank card?
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: imparanoic on June 23, 2016, 03:28:46 PM
i wonder whats in the hump on a tennokoe bank card?


http://nonta6913.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2007-09-29

a battery!! cr2302 battery
Title: Re: PC Engine Duo card
Post by: Johnpv on June 24, 2016, 03:19:24 PM
2320 not 2302.

Finding one with the solder tabs on it is a royal bitch.  Let alone finding one with solder tabs in the same position as the OEM ones.