can you repair non working control ports

DemoniusX · Post by **DemoniusX** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 2:43 am

I was wondering I know messed up control ports is a common breakage in DCs can it be fixed at all, I have one that workds and one thatt has the controller port problem, don't want to sound stupid but I am just curious.

Disheveled DrFreeze · Post by **Disheveled DrFreeze** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 5:14 am

yup, open up the dc, take out the controller board, on top of the board there is a resistor marked F1, no there are two ways to fix it:

- short the resistor, turn it around till both legs are making contact, or put solder between the two legs

- replace the F1 with a small resistor, i dont know what the right value is, but someone here is bound to know

i used method 1, and no problems yet!

DaMadFiddler · Post by **DaMadFiddler** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 5:40 am

...Wouldn't that first option expose some components to more current than they were designed for and eventually cause some sort of burnout?

riva16 · Post by **riva16** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 5:50 am

Twisting the resistor is only a temporary fix, until you can get a new one. Thats for someone who has NOTHING else to play, and needs their DC. Just becasue the controler port doesn't work doesn't mean its the F1 resistor. IT could be a short between 2 pins, the ribbon may be cross talking, it may be damaged, OR the f1 resistor is shot. I thinkt he resistor is a 3.7 OHM one. i just used a 10. Thats all they had. Works.

Disheveled DrFreeze · Post by **Disheveled DrFreeze** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 6:40 am

well the f1 is a built in security, it is there to stop the dc from giving to much current and overheating/burning down, in case you hook up something wich requires a lot of current

if you hook up some 3rd party perifs, they might require a lot of current, and combined with the other things you have hooked up, they all together might require more power then the people at sega thought would be safe for the dc to put out, so basicly i think shorting the f1 is no problem, as long as you are carefull with what you do with the dc, so dont hotswap, or hook up any weird stuff, the only 3rd party stuff i have are my lightguns, but for the rest it is all official sega stuff

Alexvrb · Post by **Alexvrb** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:18 pm

I'd still recommend replacing it at some point, even if it isn't an identical value, some protection is better than none. In the meantime, don't go putting any strain on it, hot swapping, etc.

orntar · Post by **orntar** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 6:09 pm

DrFreeze wrote:
- replace the F1 with a small resistor, i dont know what the right value is, but someone here is bound to know

i find this useful all the time...

http://www.ee.upenn.edu/rca/calcjs.html

just put in the stripes and it will tell you the value it is, get the right replacement

noz6 · Post by **noz6** » Fri Mar 26, 2004 8:52 pm

twisting the fuse works! i did i to mine ( really took it out and brigedthe gap with a like of solder.) and it has worked since before Xmas. Just dont move controllers or VMUS around while it is on.

DemoniusX · Post by **DemoniusX** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 9:55 pm

ok, they're seems to be lots of options to fix it, cansome one tell me how to work it and tell me in dummy terms since I am pretty stupid, I would like to fix, it, so someone help me , please?

DemoniusX · Post by **DemoniusX** » Thu Apr 01, 2004 10:05 pm

my friend used a controller that he bought from gaystop (that is their new name} and he put it in , the DC reseted twice after that , my controler ports stopped working, any help.

Disheveled DrFreeze · Post by **Disheveled DrFreeze** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 3:20 am

tip 1. even if you repair it, dont ever use that controller again, it will fry it again, just try to take it back to gayspot, if they wont take it back, just start hitting them with it, the cord should have some decent whip action going

allright, about that resistor value site, i dont think the f1 is a regular resistor, i tried matching it myself, and its kinda weird, i think its a special fusable resistor of somekind

Alexvrb · Post by **Alexvrb** » Fri Apr 02, 2004 1:25 pm

Right, but what's a good value for a regular resistor? Something is better than nothing, just shorting it could lead to worse problems in the long run.

drybed · Post by **drybed** » Wed May 04, 2005 7:09 pm

This is a whole year old thread

but i'll still help people with the controller problems, go to this site and it'll tell all

http://devcast.dcemulation.org/mods/repair/repair.php
and here is a txt file of it if u dont understand the first site
http://www.classicgaming.com/saturn/con ... repair.txt
JUST USE OFFICIAL DREAMCAST CONTROLLERS SO THE CONTROLLER PORTS DON'T DIE OUT:)

Smiley · Post by **Smiley** » Wed May 04, 2005 7:24 pm

DemoniusX wrote:I was wondering I know messed up control ports is a common breakage in DCs can it be fixed at all, I have one that workds and one thatt has the controller port problem, don't want to sound stupid but I am just curious.

It is only common for the resistor to fry when you are using third party peripherals that are NOT LICENSED by Sega.....Pay the extra money, and use the good stuff. Cheap gamer!

Alexvrb · Post by **Alexvrb** » Thu May 05, 2005 11:07 am

Common, yes, but it can happen otherwise - fully loaded with 4 controllers and peripherals, hot swapping, etc. But yeah, most 3rd party controllers suck, and especially for DC. I've never used a worse third party ripoff pad than the Astro pad... man that thing is terrible, even just from a comfort/usability point of view.

mikozero · Post by **mikozero** » Thu May 05, 2005 12:14 pm

i'd be nice if someone could nail down the correct value of this fuse-resistor (there are several pages i have seen that are very wrong in the sizes they recommend, and i'm sure there are also diffrent parts used in different regions) possibly from specs or from asking Sega (i mean they are designed to blow after all, the might/should tell us what they are imo).

we could then maybe find a miniature overcurrent circuit breaker which could be soldered in its place, giving the same protection but with a handy 'reset' capability...

imo a very worthwhile mini-mod.
thoughts ?

Georgie · Post by **Georgie** » Thu May 05, 2005 1:09 pm

DrFreeze wrote:yup, open up the dc, take out the controller board, on top of the board there is a resistor marked F1, no there are two ways to fix it:

- short the resistor, turn it around till both legs are making contact, or put solder between the two legs

- replace the F1 with a small resistor, i dont know what the right value is, but someone here is bound to know

i used method 1, and no problems yet!

Did this along time ago http://www.dcemulation.org/phpBB/viewto ... ht=georgie

Just shorting the resistor will work but you will have the chance
of blowing the controler port board
thats the reason the resistor went in the first place Right ?

BTW The GD-rom finaly went in that dc

drybed · Post by **drybed** » Thu May 05, 2005 3:35 pm

Just go to the sites i posted for your controllers to work, it's very easy, all u need is a solder gun, solder, plyers and a 10 ohm resistor.
If you hate that your controller ports keep breaking down, don't use 3rd party controllers, just use the official dreamcast controller.

mikozero · Post by **mikozero** » Thu May 05, 2005 4:35 pm

drybed wrote:10 ohm resistor.

this is very wrong (it's closer to 0.something from what i can work out),
also,
dangerous, (it generates heat, in the case of 10 ohms, quite a lot of heat)
buggy, (not enough current gets through for various things to work properly)
and i'll say it again wrong (it's not a resistor, but a fuse-resistor which is closer to a fuse than a resistor, really)
your doing away with protection and shortening the life of your DC considerably.

paulbecky2004 · Post by **paulbecky2004** » Fri May 06, 2005 4:46 am

twist the fuse, i did it a few years back. dcs are getting so cheap nowadays, you could also try and get a broken one from ebay and port the parts over

can you repair non working control ports

can you repair non working control ports

Re: can you repair non working control ports