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Repair/Mod General - GameTechWiki

Anonymous Fri 18 Sep 2015 14:59:11 No.2688179 View Reply Report Delete

Quoted By:

Mods, repairs, and technical questions go here. What are you working on?

http://www.gametechwiki.com/w/index.php/Main_Page

The majority of problems with cartridge-based consoles can be remedied by cleaning the cartridge slot and the contacts of your games even if they are not visibly dirty. Consult the Game and Console Cleaning guide here:
http://www.gametechwiki.com/w/index.php/Game_and_Console_Cleaning

If you have any questions about a non-/vr/ console, try posting on the forum ( http://forums.gametechwiki.com/ ) and letting us know here that you did.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 11:35:25 No.2764843 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765342

>>2764778
They are functional. Just pain in the ass to get a game to not "BLINKING LIGHT" because old connectors.

>>2764779
>You wouldn't even get $3 each at a garage sale imo.

Thanks. No way I'd sell working NES's for 3$, but appreciate the replies.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 14:06:48 No.2765069 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765380 >>2767474

Got a Dreamcast VGA, but my tv says "Out of reach" pls help.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO ac_port_snes.jpg, 2MiB, 3264x2448

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 16:48:18 No.2765329 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765442

>>2764564

Thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed reply. I think you may be on to something here... Today it started acting up with every single cartridge (no matter if it had an enhancement chip or extra tabs or not... everything is buzzing when played now)... So I started looking into the power source... I do have an original AC adapter, but apparently the AC adapter port has become broken over time and is missing the ring in the center, leaving just the 2 pins that were apparently holding the ac adapter in place... The console will always turn on fin, but I'm guessing that has something to do with it changing the voltage along the way... I was hoping this would be an easy fix.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 16:49:59 No.2765331 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2688308
Oh!
I've got experience with this stuff. I have an MVS that (thankfully) the previous owner replaced all the microswitches in before I got it...

But I do understand how that stuff works, and helped a friend replace all the buttons and switches when he got his.

Give me a few to type some shit...

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 16:55:36 No.2765342 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765426 >>2765428

>>2764843
In all fairness I doubt your average person looking to pick up a console for themselves will know how to fix an NES and probably won't be motivated to learn how to do so. Your best bet would be selling to a flipper, but they probably won't pay too much.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:07:36 No.2765357 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765369 >>2765449 >>2765652

>>2688308
First up... How much do you already know? There's lots of general info which applies to MOST to ALL arcade controls that can help you here. But if you don't know much, it's still a pretty straightforward fix.

It's likely one of three things... Arcade buttons are comprised of the actual plastic housing you see from the outside (the pushbutton,) the micro switch that gets activated when you push down on the button, and the 2 wires that connect the switch to the main board.
1. The plastic button works may just be sticky or dirty.
2. The microswitch is worn and needs replacement.
3. The wires connecting the button are worn or faulty. (This one's unlikely, but troubleshooting 101 says we shouldn't rule that out yet.)

So again, how much do you know?

Also, again, this is a general arcade button fix. Neo Geo-related forums will likely help, but you needn't over specialize here. You can probably find how-to's on YouTube.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:20:34 No.2765369 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2765357
Yeah, if his MVS is something purchased from arcade-use, it might just be time to replace the buttons.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:25:27 No.2765380 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765423

>>2765069
Move it closer. Lolololol.

No srsly...
It probably means the TV doesn't support the format. This is the common reaction when the game you're trying to play doesn't support VGA.

That's right. Not ALL DC games support VGA-out. It's a bummer.
Double check. Make sure the game you're playing does. Should say it on the game case. You should also make sure you can at least get the DC menu when you start it up with no game in / the lid open. You wanna rule out the box itself being the issue.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:47:02 No.2765412 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2719245
DualShocks typically don't have your run of the mill Printed Circuit Board (PCB.) It's usually this thin celophane-ish affair right below the buttons. Personally, I feel like that's just inviting malfunction into the picture. They're mostly good, tho I'm always quick to blame it when stuff like this goes wrong.

I've had the X button give out on my favorite Dual Shock too. It was the bright semitransparent island blue one, if that gives anyone any insight as to when I got it or when it was manufactured... if thats's even relevant. Didn't even use this one in a PC adapter. It just gave up after a while.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:52:08 No.2765423 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765439

>>2765380
The Dreamcast itself doesn't show up, when I use a monitor everything works.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:54:57 No.2765426 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2765342
True

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:57:02 No.2765428 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2765342
>Your best bet would be selling to a flipper

WTF is a dolphin gonna do with a NES?? smh

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 17:58:31 No.2765429 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765434

I bought one of those alien famicom consoles with the shape of a psx for 10 dollars, it works fine but it just looks horrible. Any ideas for a hardware dummie?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 18:04:33 No.2765434 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765447

>>2765429

I'm gonna guess this is a PolyStation you're talking about... or at least that's what they call them here... The console where you lift up the CD cover to reveal a cartridge slot. lol

What kind of ideas are you looking for other than using that more realistic looking gun for Duck Hunt?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 18:08:34 No.2765439 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2766785

>>2765423
My friend has a Retrobit VGA box. He ran into this problem briefly. Seemed like the box was outputting composite (TV-related) sync data along with the other standard VGA data. His TV didn't like that and wouldn't display it, but the monitor I brought over for troubleshooting WOULD display it. Modern flat panel monitors tend to support a wider range of sync rates, whereas TVs with VGA-in don't always. It's finnicky and depends on the make, model, when it was made, blah blah blah.

Some questions for you:

The monitor it works on, is it a CRT or flat panel? Wide screen?

Is the VGA box official Sega, or aftermarket?

Does it have a switch on it? Are you sure the switch is in the right position?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 18:12:51 No.2765442 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2765329

Does it make sense that the console would power up fine and only have the sound affected by the lack of that power adapter ring? Because it's odd that the video would be so perfectly crisp whereas the audio is just absolute crap.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 18:17:15 No.2765447 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765479

>>2765434
I wanted to put all of the electronics into a famicom or NES case, or even just a box. I was thinking about doing it with a 3D printer or something

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 18:19:30 No.2765449 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765652

>>2765357
>>2691296
OK. Missed this post initially.

Yeah. Switches alone can be cheap depending on the brand and life expectancy. If you just want something functional, you've got lots of options. If you want something quick, snappy, and responsive, check with fighting game entusiasts. Tho you'll probably end up dropping considerably more then, and unless you're a big fight fan, might not even notice or care about the difference.

Consider swapping out the switches from the start buttons, or even the select button if you've got a multi slot MVS.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 18:46:23 No.2765479 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2765447

but the faux-psx casing is too hilarious to get rid of if you ask me.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 20:12:00 No.2765617 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2764413
With enough time and money you can fix anything.

Thing is, it's not worth the cost.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 20:38:32 No.2765652 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2765357
>>2765449
Yeah I went ahead and purchased buttons from groovy game gear because they looked reasonable.

This thing has very clearly been through the arcade, its fairly new to me.(september) and I decided to do the buttons since a few were unresponsive and more importantly it was just grimey as fuck all around. The control panel overlay was pretty fucking disgusting and theres some surface rust on the underside of the control panel so I'm gonna strip it and re paint it, but the weathers been shitty and I havent gone out.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 21:15:26 No.2765713 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2765979 >>2766397

>>2721374
update: I pulled apart the neo geo CD and found that the flex cable connecting the CD drive to the main board has two lifted pins on the cable itself. Anyone got any ideas on what to do?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 28 Oct 2015 23:39:51 No.2765979 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2766397

>>2765713
Uh.....

pics?
I'm having a hard time following. I'm a dummy.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 06:38:47 No.2766397 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767084 >>2767110

>>2765979
Not him, but you know the contacts on the ends of a flex cable? They came up and are hanging off the cable.

>>2765713
You can try gluing them back down with some sort of heat setting glue and an iron, if the contacts haven't broken off.

If they have broken off, you're stuck with the task of finding a new cable.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO tumblr_n711imLoDe1qj4kb9o1_500.jpg, 92KiB, 444x750

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 12:42:38 No.2766712 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2766845 >>2767029

I recently purchased a bunch of new N64 controllers that all have really tight, good condition sticks, that completely blow my old flaccid analog controllers out of the water

Is there a recommended brand of electronic/plastic safe grease that I can use on these to reduce future wear?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 12:48:43 No.2766717 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2708825
responding to an old ass post might be a waste of time but not many people realize that it's pretty easy to take out screws with pliers one they're sticking out enough to get a grip on them

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO $_57.jpg, 191KiB, 1600x1600

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 13:46:55 No.2766785 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2766861

>>2765439
flat panel, wide screen, I actually have a VGA cable not a box, it doesn't have a switch

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 14:37:04 No.2766845 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767015

>>2766712
Maaaan
The level of teardown necessary to grease up the moving parts in a 64 stick? Screw that, I'd say. If you ask me, it's more worth your while to wait til they need to be replaced and swap out the whole thing. It's quicker and easier.

Is it cheaper though?
Thought I saw N64 replacement sticks going for about $11 USD on the page the Wiki in OP's post points you toward for N64 repair.

For less labor and knowing it will last years, $11 is a fair compromise in my book.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 14:53:23 No.2766861 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767156

>>2766785
Hmm.
Take this with a grain of salt, as I'm not personally there troubleshooting your situation...
I would assume from the sound of things that the sync data being output is composite compliant rather than VGA standard, which your monitor is supporting but your TV isn't.

Few more quick questions...

Does your monitor have an "info" or "status" display that has any hertz (hz or khz) data on it? If yes, what does it say when you're displaying Dreamcast on it?

When you're playing Dreamcast on it, is the picture kind of fuzzy or blurry? I assume the definition of individual pixels is still better than using the the composite red-white-yellow connectors, but if it's NOT pixel perfect crispness (or damn near it) that could certainly help the diagnosis.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 15:04:32 No.2766879 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2759216
PAL isn't inherently worse. It's the games that were developed for NTSC (as in, most of them coming out of Japan) that were later ported to PAL that no one bothered to change or compensate for speed differences, thereby altering gameplay.

Sloppy porting is the problem, and it's common on JP games that get ported to PAL regions. It's not PAL's fault.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 16:19:02 No.2767015 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767030

>>2766845
>The level of teardown necessary to grease up the moving parts in a 64 stick? Screw that, I'd say.

One screw.

One single additional screw.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 16:25:27 No.2767029 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2766712
>Is there a recommended brand of electronic/plastic safe grease that I can use on these to reduce future wear?

No recommended brand, just avoid anything petroleum-based.

White lithium is always a good bet, and you can find it everywhere.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 16:25:46 No.2767030 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767039

>>2767015
You're right. Sorry.
Screws that, I meant. Lolololol.

Nah.
I thought the stick had its own little plastic box inside the controller to pop open. I may be thinking of something else.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 16:29:21 No.2767039 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2767030
>I thought the stick had its own little plastic box inside the controller to pop open. I may be thinking of something else.
It does. It's one screw more effort to open that up than to replace it entirely. Once it's open you can drop some grease in, close it, and wobble the stick around.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 16:49:57 No.2767084 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767808

>>2766397
I tried gluing them back down with super tiny amounts of superglue but it didn't work obviously, since the pins popped back up. I might try that suggestion though, or say screw it and try to find a compatible cable on digikey or something.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 16:58:24 No.2767110 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2766397
>>2766397

Oh. Right right right. Flex cable.
For some reason I was thinking pins and sockets and individually sheilded wires. Fuck me.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 000pt1.png, 21KiB, 256x224

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 17:04:05 No.2767120 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767157

I have this SNES that won't work with composite cables, however RGB and S-Video are working fine. What the hell?

Haven't tried with coaxial because I don't have that cable.

Could it be some blown capacitor?

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO DSC_0008.jpg, 530KiB, 2048x1536

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 17:24:29 No.2767156 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767265

>>2766861
This is what I got.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 17:24:32 No.2767157 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2767120
Do you have a NES coax, or N64 coax?

Shit, even a Genesis (original model) coax? Any of those will work.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 18:37:41 No.2767265 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2767156
60 hz. Pretty common for VGA... and NTSC TVs.

You using a PAL-compliant TV? That could be why.

Sorry, I'm still learning all this stuff about signals and sync rates. If you're on the EU side of the pond, incompatibility with PAL may be the issue. Otherwise, it may be a cheap cable, in which case I'd recommend a VGA box instead.

Either way, you may want to check in the CRT thread. This isn't necessarily a CRT problem, but those are the kind of videophiles who could probably help you out way quicker.

Over this way:
>>2758694

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 20:28:36 No.2767449 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767462

Okay, I want to play PS1 imports on my PS2 without installing a modchip or doing a disc swap while the disc is spinning. I thought Free McBoot would let me do that, but it apparently doesn't. I heard that I'd be able to with a PS1 Gameshark...Is this correct? If not, are there any other options?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 20:36:00 No.2767462 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2767465

>>2767449
you still need a swap card. One prog in FMCB will stop the disc for safer swapping.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 20:37:31 No.2767465 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2767462

I need one if I'm using a Gameshark disc?

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 29 Oct 2015 20:41:19 No.2767474 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2765069
Probably the usual Dreamcast resolution quirk.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 30 Oct 2015 00:50:26 No.2767808 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2768768

>>2767084
update: after carefully reinserting the flex cable back into both ZIF sockets, and cleaning the laser, I can now report that the Neo Geo CD is alive again, working off a spare external IDE power supply.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 30 Oct 2015 15:30:49 No.2768768 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2768774

>>2767808
>ZIF sockets
>Neo Geo CD
>early 90s

Whoa. Whoa.

Mind blown. My first encounter with ZIF wasn't til around Pentium 4s.

Then again, it wasn't til then that I actually started getting down and dirty with hardware. I may just be oblivious.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO fc1_thumb[1].png, 7KiB, 200x150

Anonymous Fri 30 Oct 2015 15:35:00 No.2768774 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2768780

>>2768768
these have been around forever, the NGCD certainly wasn't the first to use them

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 30 Oct 2015 15:43:43 No.2768780 Report Delete

Quoted By: >>2768802 >>2768889

>>2768774
Is that a true ZIF tho?

ZIF is Zero Insertion Force. Usually you just lay the component effortlessly in its slot and pull a slide/lever to lock it in place.

That looks a lot like any other flex cable slot where you do indeed have to exert a small amount of force to achieve insertion.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 30 Oct 2015 16:06:25 No.2768802 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2768780
>exert a small amount of force to achieve insertion

Lolololololololol.
I laughed because I'm a giant 8 year old.

Anonymous

Anonymous Fri 30 Oct 2015 17:29:48 No.2768889 Report Delete

Quoted By:

>>2768780
it is true ZIF

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