Controllers no longer respond

Discuss modifications you have done or plan to do to your Dreamcast or any other hardware, or discuss devices you want to build. If your console does not work or is acting up, ask about fixing it in here.
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TheDumbAss
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Controllers no longer respond

Post by TheDumbAss »

If you look at the topic about putting LEDs in your controller you'll see what caused the problem....

I had blown the resistor on the controller board (that all kinds of people have blown) while trying to figure out how to put LEDs in the controller. So I replaced that resistor and the other one on the board (cause I broke one of its leads off... its only for the battery backup anyway) and my controlers still dont work. I'm not useing the controler I experamented with eather.

My question... is there anything else I could/should try? Or should I just go get a new/used dreamcast?

(BTW Funcoland's used DC's are $55... I didnt see any brand new ones on the shelf at any of the 5 differant electronics/games stores I checked today. I know a pawnshop with them for $39 used.)
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Post by TheDumbAss »

Anybody?

To make sure wether or not my problem was the resistor I crossed the leads (bypassing the resistor itself) and my dreamcast did work... controllers responded like normal but some odd noises came from my rumble pack. (I expected it would do something weird... hence the reason for the resistor)

Radioshack does not have an exact replacement for the resistor in the DC. I bought the closest I could find.

I got
4.7k Ohm, 1/4watt, 5% tolerance
and
4.7k Ohm, 1/2watt, 5% tolerance

neather work. Do I have the 1/4watt installed now...

Are eather of these correct? None of the tutorials I've seen mention what wattage it should be.
(er... I take that back. The tutorial on GameFaqs says to use a 10k Ohm, 1/4watt, 5% tolerance resistor. I happened to have one and it did not work in my DC eather)
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Post by BobsShadow »

Doesn't K mean thousand? I'm not sure if it does or not but if it does that would be your problem. The one I used says this exactly on its packaging, 4.7 ohm 1/4 watt 5% tolerance flameproof reisitor. Mine was made by NTE. Try looking for a 4.7 ohm resistor with no k.
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Post by TheDumbAss »

$#!^

Guess I screwed up. The radio shack I went to doesnt have 4.7 Ohm just 4.7k Ohm. I'll have to find another source.

Er... Just checked the RadioShack catalog The lowest Ohm resistor they have avalible is 10 Ohm. They have 47, 470, 4.7k, 47k, and 470k Ohm... but no 4.7 Ohm.

Where did you get yours from?
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Post by Oz »

Radioshack has 4.7 ohm resistors in there online catalog, but when you click on the link it says not availble in stores.

However, you said they have 10 ohm resistors right? Just wire two 10 ohm resistors in parallel and they will act the same as a single 5 ohm resistor.

:wink:
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Post by Oz »

You could also try to salvage resistors from an old junk radio or walkman you might have lying around. They can be identified by their color bands.

4.7 ohm = Yellow, Violet, Gold, Gold
5.1 ohm = Green, Brown, Gold, Gold
10 ohm = Brown, Black, Black, Gold
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Post by TheDumbAss »

Forgot to thank bob's shadow... heh

Thanks to you too OZ.
I avoid buying online whenever possible... expecially since I dont have a bank account let alone a credit card. So no ordering from RadioShack.com The catalog I was looking at is a printed one anyway.

2 10 Ohm resistors in parellel makes a 5 Ohm load?

I should have remembered that from my car sterio design days. The whole 2 4 Ohm speakers in parellel = 2 Ohm load to the amp = up to double the wattage output from the amp (If the amp is 2 Ohm compatable. otherwise it equals a fried amp) You could also get crazy and do 4 4 Ohm speakers in parellel which gets you down to 1 Ohm which would fry all but the most expecive high end amps.

Hmm wonder how many 4.7k Ohm resistors in parellel it would take to get around 5 Ohms... I got 10 sitting here. Too much math. Dont think thats enough anyway. Think I'll just get some 10 Ohm ones (Unless ShadowofBob or someone tells me a source for 4.7 Ohm)

I dont have any broken electronic devices sitting around (Used to have tons though... damn it) or I would have tried to find a replacement that way already. Er... wait. I just realized some things I could break... Still wouldn't mind a real source incase it blows again.
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Post by BobsShadow »

I got my 4.7 ohm resistor from Fry's Electronics. If they don't have one of those in your area just ask one of the employee's at radio shack for a place that does sell them. The employee's at the one in Palo Alto told me to try Fry's and that's where i got mine so it's worth a shot to ask. They probably will know of someplace in your area that sells them. Or you could ask them to order some in for you.
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Post by TheDumbAss »

Thanks... probibly wont make it back to radioshack until this weekend do to work. (UPS... peak season for shipping)
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Post by TheDumbAss »

I got my DC fixed...

I used two 10Ohm resistors in parrellel.

I've only tried it with two contollers plugged in so far. (One had a rumble pack and VMU other had 2 VMUs in it) If it doesnt work with 4 controllers and 'enough' exessories I'll break down and order a 4.7Ohm to replace the 10's with.

While I had my DC open I replaced the LED with a 3.7v Blue LED. I made a new (better) switch for the LED I'd put inside the lid and added a plug inside the case to plug that LED into instead of having it permentantly hard wired. (which required both halfs of the shell to be near eachother)

Thinking about painting it now...
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Post by BobsShadow »

Congrats on fixing your DC :D Would mind posting some pics of your finished DC project? I Kind of want to do a LED mod like yours too.
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Post by TheDumbAss »

If I had a digital camera I'd do it right now... but I dont. Unfortunatly I'm the only tech minded person I know so nobody I know has one I could barrow.

I'll try and get around to takeing actual photos and scanning them but I already got 7 rolls of other stuff that need developed.

Its a really simple project though... I could write up a general guide and let the builder decide where to put their LEDs. I had to melt plastic to put mine exactly where I wanted... Now it doesnt seem like the best place.

The plug I put in isnt really the best I've seen eather... I'm thinking about replaceing it with a differant one so it actually plugs/unplugs when you put on/ remove the top of the case. Right now its got loose wire that lets you open the case enough to uplug it manually.

Anyone know how to work with epoxy and mold it into a shape? I'm wanting to replace a couple things (like the triangle LED 'lens') with clear epoxy for better light transfer.
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