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PGM CAVE carts randomly stop working

mmmmaerk

mmmmaerk

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A follow up to my last thread.

After getting a new motherboard, both Espgaluda and DOJ boot. However, both games will eventually just go black in the middle of gameplay. It seems like Espgaluda does it more often, as I can't get out of level 1 before it dies. Usually, I can get a lot further in DOJ before it happens, but the timing may just be a coincidence. The game boots like normal after turning the cab off and back on again.

Maybe a power issue? Shipping damage? Let me know what you think. Thanks for the help.
 
Came here to ask this.

The Fluffy carts are made with 5V parts and generally are issue-free. The other conversions are made using 3.3V parts and can be sketchy depending on who put them together. Do you have any games that aren't Cave bootlegs (since they're usually 3.3V conversions unless they're Fluffy carts) to verify it's not a problem with the conversions?

At the risk of making silly suggestions, you could also try cleaning the edge connectors on the carts and see if it makes any difference, but considering your symptoms, I am inclined to think it's a problem with the conversions.
 
Damn. I probably got the bad kind. They have translucent red cases, unlike the carts I saw when I looked up Fluffy carts. I have learned some expensive lessons in this PGM journey.
 
Tbh this hobby is fraught with hidden perils if you cannot repair/solder.
Don't feel too bad.
 
mmmmaerk said:
They have translucent red cases, unlike the carts I saw when I looked up Fluffy carts
Click to expand...
The case has absolutely nothing to do with it, you have to check the pcb to know for sure (but if you didn't explicitly bought/looked for fluffy carts it's very likely that they aren't)
 
Yeah, can't know for sure unless you open them up to look. But most likely they are 3.3V conversions.

ForestOfDreams said:
Tbh this hobby is fraught with hidden perils if you cannot repair/solder.
Don't feel too bad.
Click to expand...

I can repair/solder and even I would not be able to fix this without expert guidance. 5V-3.3V voltage translation circuit is way beyond my pay grade.
 
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