SlowCoder Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Looking around, I only see the bare board of the Turbo EverDrive available. Apparently there is no way to fit this inside a standard cartridge, like is done for other consoles. I understand this, as the size of a TG16 card is rather small. I may be interested in purchasing one soon, but am concerned about the life of an unprotected board. I've heard of people dipping or painting USB sticks with polyurethane, or something similar to protect them. What do you think of this as an option? If you have one of these cards, what steps have you taken to protect it from static or other damage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 (edited) Didn't take a look at the flash cart thread, didya? Something similar to this is the most likely bet: http://www.atariage....00#entry2555051 *edit: I am curious to hear if anyone has any alternatives though. I will definitely be investing in one of these in the future. Probably not any time soon, but eventually. Edited July 14, 2012 by Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Honestly, people are making this more of an issue than it is. Take a little care when removing the cart from the system and you can keep a anti-static bag to store the cart when not in use. If you're planning to leave the cart in the system 24x7, then you have even less to worry about. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 (edited) Didn't take a look at the flash cart thread, didya? Something similar to this is the most likely bet: http://www.atariage....00#entry2555051 *edit: I am curious to hear if anyone has any alternatives though. I will definitely be investing in one of these in the future. Probably not any time soon, but eventually. Yeah, I scanned and even searched by the console name within the thread, but I did not READ the entire 35 pages. The heat shrink wrapping would be a great idea if we could find some big enough. A condom? Honestly, people are making this more of an issue than it is. Take a little care when removing the cart from the system and you can keep a anti-static bag to store the cart when not in use. If you're planning to leave the cart in the system 24x7, then you have even less to worry about. I disagree. All it would take to kill the card is a little static from your fingers on a cold dry day. It could happen when you're removing it from the console to store in your safe anti-static bag. At $80 a pop, I'd rather minimize the risk as much as possible. Today's electronics are not the same as they were in the 80's. They cannot withstand nearly the same amount of static discharge as they used to. Edited July 14, 2012 by SlowCoder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenegg Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 The majority of electronics are not anywhere close to being that fragile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 The heat shrink wrapping would be a great idea if we could find some big enough. A condom? Just make sure it's not a used one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqoon Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I have seen this and my initial thought is a vinyl Hucard sleeve from another TG-16 game. Nothing will zap the electronics through that thick vinyl sleeve. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Personally, I'd be fine with artwork and a spine label for a TG jewel case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 Yeah whatever option your thinking of you have to keep in mind the clearance required for insertion into the console slot. You will be better off inserting the TurboEverdrive and then making note of what is still exposed then go form there on trying to coat it or whatever solution your considering. Obviously you don't want to attempt anything that might cause and issue with static or over-heating though I am not even sure who much of an issue that might be. I look forward to getting mine, I will keep an eye on suggestions and ideas given, once I actually have my own I look forward to seeing for myself what the situation is, if no ideal solution is figured out by that time then Goldenegg's suggestion would probably be best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneAgeGamer Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 I bought a vacuu-forming kit to try and cover it with a shell. I am sure it will take some playing with and still may not be practical. We will see how it works. Just waiting on the kit and a Turbo EverDrive to use as a mold. I do agree, people think electronics are more fragile than they really are. Especially something that has no power going to it when you are handling it. KRIKzz did include 4 holes on PCB just in case someone could use them for a shell or some type of protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhan Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Looking around, I only see the bare board of the Turbo EverDrive available. Apparently there is no way to fit this inside a standard cartridge, like is done for other consoles. I understand this, as the size of a TG16 card is rather small. I may be interested in purchasing one soon, but am concerned about the life of an unprotected board. I've heard of people dipping or painting USB sticks with polyurethane, or something similar to protect them. What do you think of this as an option? If you have one of these cards, what steps have you taken to protect it from static or other damage? Just slide it into one of those plastic things you stick trading cards in, if it fits. Or, get a NeoFlash instead. They're covered in plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsychedelicShaman Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Just slide it into one of those plastic things you stick trading cards in, if it fits. Trading card holders always seem static-y to me, personally, I would not do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhan Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Just slide it into one of those plastic things you stick trading cards in, if it fits. Trading card holders always seem static-y to me, personally, I would not do this. get the rubbery ones. That's basically what the PC Engine cards come in. Look rubbery sleeves that feel like shower curtains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I have the old parallel port TurboGrafx / PC engine flash cart. It also has bare electronics on it. I just put strips of black tape over the chips to keep them safe.... Has been working for years, although it is not the most elegant way of protecting them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneAgeGamer Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 What it looks like in the system. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSchoolRetroGamer Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 What it looks like in the system. Ah cool. Well then instead of tinkering with the card I will simply find some basic method to cover the port. I don't have a Cd attachment so I don't see myself removing it often. My microSD card is just sitting here waiting with all the PCengine / TG16 roms on it, LESS THAN 1GB lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Nice! Yeah, rather than trying to protect the board directly, I'll probably just try to cover up the whole card slot area. Maybe I could trim half of a project box to fit over the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneAgeGamer Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Vacuu-form shell test. Yes it looks like crap, but this is my first time ever vacuu-forming and this was just a test. If eventually I will make mold so plastic isn't molded directly to chips like that. Also need to figure out way to more cleanly cut holes. Rectangular hole punch may work for reset and region switch. Not sure about microSD card slot yet. I will be posting my progress as it happens. Please do not get your hopes up for a Deluxe yet, this is just the first step, but good news it it fits in slot with plastic on it, this was first major concern. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 That doesn't look as bad as you think. So your goal is that the cover will be flat, so a label can go on it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneAgeGamer Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 That doesn't look as bad as you think. So your goal is that the cover will be flat, so a label can go on it? Kind of yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 I like this solution. Good work! As far as I'm concerned, you could leave the form-fitting shape as long as it doesn't cause problems with heat. Then you could just put a small sticker on the large chip saying it's a Turbo EverDrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhan Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 With all those components sticking up, it'll be tricky to get a nice flat surface. We're having enouhg of a fun time doing a flat surface with a flat homemade HuCard over here, lol. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg2600 Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 I like this solution. Good work! As far as I'm concerned, you could leave the form-fitting shape as long as it doesn't cause problems with heat. Then you could just put a small sticker on the large chip saying it's a Turbo EverDrive. Assumption is he needs it to be thicker than that, so there's room for the screw column of some kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Dart Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 (edited) With all those components sticking up, it'll be tricky to get a nice flat surface. We're having enouhg of a fun time doing a flat surface with a flat homemade HuCard over here, lol. Good luck! Stick a piece of cardboard/card stock over the chips' surface before applying plastic cover? Edited July 18, 2012 by Rex Dart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhan Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 With all those components sticking up, it'll be tricky to get a nice flat surface. We're having enouhg of a fun time doing a flat surface with a flat homemade HuCard over here, lol. Good luck! Stick a piece of cardboard/card stock over the chips' surface before applying plastic cover? If the cardboard is rigid enough, sure. But, depending how hot the thing gets, cardboard could be a bad idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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