I'm screwed! My Sega Dreamcast is broke! HELP!

[MrTeressaBond]

I'm screwed! My Sega Dreamcast is broke!

i'll try to give as much details as i cxan, but this has been going on for awhile since i have bought it in a gameStation in Camden Blockbuster around 2 years ago.

basically what happens is, there are many times where it just simply wont work! as in, sometimes wen i play a game, it just cuts me off ito a black screen, and i can hear as well see that hte disc has stopped spinning.

another variation of this is that happens and it starts from the begining again (where the Dreamcast boots up) and i can hear the disc start up again as well.

the only way to fix this wen the Dreamcast cuts me off, is to slam it with my hand on the top, then i can hear the laser start up and move, then i get the console to load.

but now, its gone to the extremes, where it just keeps on happening and it came to the point where slamming doesnt help as much anymore sa it did luckily.

also, wen it comes into already into having the game loaded up, it cuts off at some times at specific points and either does or doesnt load up at all. slamming, no, power on and off continuosly, no.

i have a feeling it miight be the power card inside, but i really dont know anymore. maybe overheating? i couldnt think of that either.

i would really really appreciate it if anyone can help me here! my beloved Dreamcast is leaving me...

ohh swet Dreamy, you are the only one i lov....

[SnesR0X]

the slamming probably made it die completely faster, even if it temporarily made it work. Buy another Dreamcast

[MrTeressaBond]

well it was like it when i first bought it.

wen i connected it up all together, it didnt boot properly, which confused me abit, cause i didnt knew wat a Dreamcast sounds like, so all i did was restart it a couple of times and it worked, but this was an ongoing thing, and just a few days ago, or weeks, it was sort of dying on me.

i also do admit, wen i first got it, i didnt use the power cable that it originally was supplied, i used another, then after wards i started using the original that came with.

[steve520]

wow thats sucks

[Mark30001]

It might be easier to just buy a new one off eBay (http://www.ebay.com/).

[V3N0M]

You’re better off with just replacing that sucker than going into all the effort to fix it. Now and days you can find used Dreamcasts for relatively low prices. There are game shops around where I live that sell them for as low as $20. It’s just that I wouldn’t personally put the time and effort needed into fixing something that can be replaced cheaply.

[Dull Blade]

I'd pop it open and see if there is a loose connection. I dont know about you, but I couldn't imagen playing a Dreamcast that isn't my current one. Check out ebay to see if and see if they're selling replacement lasors. Who knows, maybe it will be cheaper.

[MrTeressaBond]

i have opened it many times before, and i still couldnt find what would be the problen. i did assume at first it might have been the laser, but it just couldnt be, cause then, my Dreamcast wouldnt be playing games in the first place would it?

i understand you about its better going to buy a new used one cheaply than going through to fix it, but wat if i were to say it was sedimental (probably bad spelling)? like for example i got my Sega Saturn still in its box that i have kept with everything when i got it for my birthday in 1998. wat if it were like that for the Dreamcast then now?

and i dont think anything was loose inside it, not due to the many times i have opened it and my friend who had a looked at it as well too.

could it be power failure? and where can i get replacement parts too?

[Xiaopang]

If your power board died then there is a way out. I saw a replacement board at wolfsoft.de for 40 euro. I also found a much cheaper one from a shop in HK for only $13 (http://www.goldenshop.com.hk). They also have a replacement gd-drive. If your dreamcast still powers up, it's more likely that it's the drive than the power board.

The easiest would be to buy a dead DC and swap the defective parts. This, of course, only helps if the other dead DC doesn't have the same problem ;)

[MrTeressaBond]

i see, i would definatly take that into consideration, but first off, i really need to know what is it that is making my Dreamcast behaving like this, thus i can know what to do precisely.

i have describe the happening above, can u probably know wat the problem is?

anyone?

[Xiaopang]

if the dc starts then it won't probably be the power board. souns more like an issue with the gd-drive to me

[MrTeressaBond]

is the GD ROM known for it to have this kind of problem then may i ask?

if so, where can i get a replacement?

[Xiaopang]

is the GD ROM known for it to have this kind of problem then may i ask?

don't know...many people talk much about broken dc's, but what you don't hear is how they treated that piece of technology. stepping on it, dropping it, exposing the laser lens to direct sunlight, keeping it in too warm/cold environments and the such may all influence lifetime, performance and stress on several components. so you can't really say anything about it, since you never know the conditions other dreamcasts have to perform under.

i bought mine used 6 years ago. i use it on a regular basis, try to avoid the above things and it still works like a charm



if so, where can i get a replacement?

dude, didn't you read my first answer??

[Christuserloeser]

The best you could do is to recalibrate the laser. - Try this tutorial:

http://www.ilovetheinternets.com/index.php/2004/04/23/dreamcast-laser-calibration-trick/

It's very easy and you can test it and you'll hear if you got it or are getting close :)