Dreamcast cannot read discs after cleaning controller...???

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fubunics
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Dreamcast cannot read discs after cleaning controller...???

Post by fubunics »

I bought a used DC a few days ago, it's been working fine. I bought two controllers with it, and the joystick on one of them felt like it might need to be cleaned, it wasn't as smooth as the other controller but it did work fine. So I took it apart, cleaned it up (I used no chemicals or liquids, just wiped off old dust and grime), plugged it into the DC and went to boot up the DC again. It kind of 'hung' at the 'Dreamcast' and following screen, showing the screens longer than normal. Then it went to the 'boot' screen with the 'memory card', 'music' etc. I thought the controller was all put back together properly, the only thing I noticed was the start button seemed as if it was sort of jammed, so I took it apart and it's no longer hard to push.

:evil: :x After this occuring, the system no longer recognizes discs. It just gives me the 'Please Insert Game Disc' screen after I put in a disc, whether it be an original game or CD-R emulator disc, etc. The Laser lens is at the center, inner portion of the disc. When I insert a disc and close the lid the disc will briefly spin up and the laser will focus up and down - I know it is trying to focus because if I quickly take out the disc after opening and closing the lid I can see the lens move up and down. But the lens never moves from the inner portion of the disc. Is this normal or should the lens be towards the outer part when trying to read an inserted disc? It doesn't matter which controller I have plugged in, the 'cleaned' one or the other. Also, all controls work fine on both controllers, even the one I 'cleaned' worked fine even with the jammed start button, it was just stiff until I took it apart and put it back together a second time. And no, I did not take it apart while it was plugged into the DC.

Considering the fact that it worked fine before I cleaned the controller and it no longer can read discs after I ???cleaned the controller??? :? :roll: :| , what do you think is the likely problem here? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I may be able to return it as I bought it at EBGames.com, but naturally they no longer have them in stock online and the closest store to me is a good drive from here. And I doubt they have any in stock at their local store, and obviously I'd like to have a working DC....

Any suggestions on what may have happened to my DC and what I might want to look at would be very appreciated. Thanks a lot
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Post by Caboose »

Push the laser a little to the outside with your finger (be careful not to touch the lens). Probably just a coincidence with the controllers.
fubunics
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Post by fubunics »

Crazy Caboose wrote:Push the laser a little to the outside with your finger (be careful not to touch the lens). Probably just a coincidence with the controllers.
Ok, I tried this, I pushed it towards the center. When I turn the DC on I can hear the lens quickly zip back to the center and it still gives me the 'Please insert game disc' message when I select to play the game. I then pushed it all the way to the outer edge, same result. It doesn't sound unusual to me when it's moving.

Is there a way to 'reset' the system, beyond just turning the machine off, that might be worth trying? Any other suggestions? Thanks again for your help.
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Post by LyingWake »

Does the disc spin and does it seem to bog down after a second or two? I've had that problem and I just happened to me the other day, actually. It sounds like you have to adjust your laser calibration, or it's possible the GD-ROM motor is bad. If the disc seems to spin then just bog down, that's probably a good thing since there's an easy fix for that.
fubunics
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Post by fubunics »

It will spin up for just a brief moment, when I close the door to the DC it will spin the disc and the lens will move up and down for a moment to focus, but then that's it. I don't know that I'd say that it seems to bog down, it just spins the disc for a moment though.

Obviously you'd think that the controller wouldn't cause a problem like this, even if it was severely damaged. But I'd been using this DC for several days without any noticeable issues, not once did I have a problem with this 'please insert disc' message. I clean the controller, plug it in, turn the DC on, and now I get nothing but this 'please insert....' message. Pretty frustrating because I never would have imagined cleaning a controller could turn my DC into a paperweight... :roll: I don't know what the hell is going on here :|
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Post by LyingWake »

It has to be just a coincidence, because I don't think it has anything to do with the controllers. I can give you the link to the fix regarding the laser calibration if you feel safe trying to fix it becuase I feel pretty confident that is what the problem is and that it will fix it up for you.

http://www.consolevision.com/members/fa ... alib.shtml

When it talks about adjusting the potometer, remember to turn it clock wise.
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Post by fubunics »

I took apart the DC to attempt to adjust the pot, but it looked like a reddish pink epoxy or glue may have been put on the back side of that screw, I tried to turn it but I honestly don't think it moved at all, I wasn't in the greatest lighting but I'm almost certain it never did turn. I unplugged a couple of the cables when I removed the drive and also noticed the cable that goes to the lid switch was at an angle, even though it seemed plugged in.

Anyway, I turned it back on and now it's working again... :roll: Like I said, I'm almost certain I wasn't able to actually turn the screw whatsoever, so I don't know if one of the cables had a loose connection, voodoo, or what. :o

I've already decided to buy at least one more DC to have as a backup, but now I'm not sure if I should keep this one or exchange it as well. I still have no clue what was wrong with it, but at least it seems to be reading discs again. :)

Thanks for your help, hopefully it decides to behave from here on out.
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Post by LyingWake »

That might of been the problem then (the cable not entirely plugged in). Glad its working now.
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