Palmtex super micro help

krae_man · Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 1:47 pm Post subject: Palmtex super micro help

Hi,

This seems to be one of the only places on the internet that has every discussed this thing so I figure here is a good place to ask.

I just bought one off eBay and the first time I fired it up I couldn't get any sound to come out of it. I decided to put it down and try again later and the second time, I couldn't get the system to turn on at all.

Is this thing really temperamental or something?

I think I get what everything does. It seems to have two d-pads for lefties and righties. The 6 buttons seem to be R=reset, M=sound on and off "Music"?, P=Pause and A, B and C seem to be action buttons.

There's a switch that's the power button, and a black knob thing that is contrast?

Am I missing anything.

Are there any tricks to getting this thing working, or did this thing die in my hands?

Rik · Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:19 pm Post subject:

Seems like you got most of it figured out... But, yes, it's temperamental... The power switch itself is kind of flimsy, and frequently just doesn't contact the motherboard well. I think if you push it upward and press down on it a little and hold it there, see if the game will respond.

What cartridge do you have? If you have React Attack, the first thing it will do is beep 3 times. If you don't hear that, either the sound isn't working, or the game isn't on. R is reset, that will cause the 3 beeps again. Check the battery contacts (esp the ones deep in the game), make sure they look nice and shiny. Any dirt/corrosion should be cleaned off.

If you get the 3 beeps, pressing B will start the game, and at that point the directional buttons on the right will move you around. I don't think it's a lefty/righty joypad, I think the left one is for something else.

And the wheel on the bottom is contrast. With React Attack, when the game comes on the whole LCD should black out. When you press B to start the game, a few of the LCD while turn white so you can see where you are (flashing square iirc), and a wall roughly down the middle. Here's where you can adjust the contrast. In theory, you shouldn't be able to see anything behind the blacked-out squares (but LCD aren't really that dark), but that's the plan anyway.

Also, do you have the back-light? (And does it work?) If you are in a lit room, might be easier to just take it off. And, it should have 6 points of light. If any are burned out, I wouldn't use it. That leaves a little too much power going to the other 5 (or less) and they will burn out quickly. They are actual glass light bulbs...

krae_man · Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 7:50 am Post subject:

I have Aladdins Adventures.

Thanks for the tips, I'll give them a go. My light box doesn't work, I was holding the system up near a lamp. So I can assume that sound should be on by default when you turn it on then?

Rik · Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:56 am Post subject:

I'll double check Aladdins when I get home tonight, not 100% sure about that one (React Attack was the one I was testing a couple of systems with recently, so I remembered it...) But I'd assume sound would be on by default, most games work that way.

Rik · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 1:32 am Post subject:

Okay, so Aladdin's makes a single beep when you turn it on (and every time you press R). When you press B, it plays a 6-tone song and a face lights up (and some other symbols), and the character on the very bottom row starts moving back and forth.

Your character lights up in the upper-left corner. In this game, both D-pads do seem to do the same thing (you can move him up and down)...

That's as far as I played with it... Mr. Green

krae_man · Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 5:10 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the help. I still can't get it to turn on. I'll see if a friend can figure out what's wrong. He managed to take two broken Game Pocket Computers I had acquired completing my game collection and made a working one out of the parts so he knows his stuff.

Hopefully it's something simple like a lose connection.