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VERY Unusual Problem (Brook Retro Board Troubleshooting for PCE)

Joko3

Joko3

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Got a weird one for you guys, I'm truly stumped on this one.

I have two Brook Retro Board equipped sticks that suddenly decided to stop working with PC Engine. They had previously worked fine, and then sat in storage for the last year. Here are the steps I took to troubleshoot:

1) tried both cables on each stick, same result
2) try a normal PCE controller to ensure the console can read inputs, it worked.
3) open the sticks up, check connections, ensure blue LED powers up on Brook retro board: it does
4) try a different system, SNES. It worked on both sticks just fine.

I had a hard time believing both controller cables could be the culprit so I tried on a different PCE I have laying around. Same result on both sticks and both cables. What the hell???

For giggles, I ordered a brand new RJ45 PCE cable from Arcade Shock. I tested it out just now on both consoles and guess what, same result.

I am 100% positive everything worked on PCE before. I even built one of my sticks with freaking side buttons to play Alien Crush pinball like a pinball machine. I reached out to Brook, but I'm not sure if I'll get any help.

I never messed with firmware on the sticks because I'm a Mac user.

I do have a THIRD retro board equipped stick in storage at my dad's house I could dig up later, but at this point I'd bet my right nut it's going to be the same result lol.

Is there something I'm missing here??? Why would three cables, two different retro boards, and two consoles all have the same result??? It makes zero sense. The ONLY thing I can think was that I plugged a Turbo ED Pro and EDFX into both systems, but why would that affect the Brook at all? For giggles though, I hooked up the CoreGrafx WITHOUT either attached and a real Alien Crush HuCard installed and it was the same result.

Final troubleshooting will be that I actually did just purchase a boxed CoreGrafx from ebay. I will try that with my third stick in storage and all three cables (without Turbo ED Pro or EDFX).

Anyway, I'm truly fucking stumped here.
 
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So I plugged in the new cable again for giggles and it suddenly worked on both sticks.

Then I tried out one of the old cables and it didn't work.

Plugged in the new cable again and it doesn't work on both sticks again.

Fuck me...
 
Hey guess what........now the new cable wants to work again. Just going to trash the old cables because maybe something with them is the culprit. That is unless somebody wants to take a look at them for giggles; I'll ship them to you free of charge. After the tantrum I just went through I'm just going to hit the "I believe" button and be done with it.

Leaving this thread here for posterity in case somebody else has the same problem and can Google there way here.

I'm going to go get a bottle now....
 
Okay, I have to add this, because this is fucking weird!!! It works fine with a real Alien Crash HuCard, but not the Turbo Everdrive Pro menu. Once a game is loaded using a regular controller though, then it works. To make sure this I'm not crazy, I played the first level of Gate of Thunder with the stick then powered off the console without touching the connection. Turned the console back on, doesn't work. HOWEVER, if I exit a game using the button on the Turbo ED, then I can navigate the menus using my stick. I have no idea why I can't do it on first power on lol.

Both of the old cables don't work whatever I do.

Just had to add that for anybody else that owns a Turbo ED Pro and is wondering why the hell their stick isn't working on the menu on initial power up. It makes zero sense.
 
END RESULTS

1) Two possibly bad cables. Remedied with new cable.

2) Turbo ED Pro menu does not receive inputs from Retro Board upon power up, but will after selecting a game via a normal controller. If you exit the game via Everdrive Pro button, then the stick works on the menus. Makes no sense, but yeah, that's whats going on lol

Will post a YouTube video here either late tonight or tomorrow demonstrating that second point.

Okay, NOW I'm going to go get that bottle...

Edit: If somebody wants the cables that weren't working I'll ship them to you free of charge in USA. Just post your findings on this thread. Like I said, they worked fine for years, so I don't know what is wrong with them. Will trash in seven days after this posting if no takers. I could definitely fix them, but I got pretty heated over this and just want to be done with it lol.
 
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I was going to suggest soldering a new RJ-45 Cable or something

Or even using a multi meter to test continuity first with a break out RJ45 adapter

I remember I was too cheap and shipping was expensive to buy cables for my SNES

I didn't have a RJ45 crimper so I just decided to solder the wires instead
Used a multimeter and the breakout adapter to figure out which wires belonged to which and I soldered them together

Worked like a charm and easy to do if you have the tools
Doesn't take long at all
 
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