Dreamcast Controller Problem

I'm having a major problem with my Dreamcast. When I turn it on, it won't detect my controller. What I mean by this is I press buttons the system does not respond (I'm not getting an error message saying I need to plug a controller in). I've tried both of my controllers and neither seems to work.

The weird thing is, this is my second DC. My first one was having this problem, so I bought a new one and it worked fine for a few days, then all of a sudden the controllers no longer worked. Why??

Lastly, I'd prefer not to take stuff apart because I'm probably not too good at it, but I'd appreciate any feedback and suggestions on this matter.

Thanks.

you probably burned the fuse on the controller board (maybe one of your controller is faulty since it broke a new dreamcast).

If you don't want to open the beast, then bring it somewhere to be repaired.

i am profession dreamcast repairman. and i do charge. however as a dreamcast owner i will accept dreamcast related hardware as payment. do you have and industry standard philips head screwdriver? if you do then place the console on its face. and undo the 4 screws (1 is under the internet adaptor which has to be removed.) unscrew and remove the power board get a cotton bud or q tip as americans would have it. dip slightly into a highly achololic substance and finely go over the board completle and dry it with the other end of it. do the same with the gd rom laser, the fan and the controller ports. this has to be done at least every 3 months

it is simple just take your time and place it on a table or flat surface.

Hi there! I searched the net to resolve my problem, but I can't find nothing. One of my DC controller got broken, the analog triggers stops working. Everything else is works fine. The controller PCB has 4 SMD fuses, but I don't know the triggers are even fused, and if they are, which fuse I have to replace? Thanks, Gabor

First off its not a blown fuse, its a blown resistor. Its easy to fix even for a novice and is a very common problem. Here is a link to a tutorial that should tell you everything you need to know, you should fix both your systems at once so you have them both out of the way...

http://devcast.dcemulation.com/mods/repair/repair.php

no it's a fusing resistor, much more like a fuse than a resistor, this tutorial is wrong. If you use a 10 ohms resistors, your controllers may malfunction, but it's not dangerous for the dreamcast.
second it's something else that is broken, everyting's working fine but the triggers.

Check the fuses with an ohmmeter SakmaN, they should read about 0ohms (maybe 1 or 2ohms if you've got a cheap ohmmeter).

Is it an official sega controller ?

fusing resistor?

Interesting term...

It is a resistor that acts as overcurrent protection, sounds kinda like sega wanted to save a few buck where it could.

Ya Ive never had this happen to me so I could only dig up a tutorial.

And I was talking about Big Prof's post, Sakaman has something different.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by semicolo

no it's a fusing resistor, much more like a fuse than a resistor, this tutorial is wrong. If you use a 10 ohms resistors, your controllers may malfunction, but it's not dangerous for the dreamcast.
second it's something else that is broken, everyting's working fine but the triggers.

Check the fuses with an ohmmeter SakmaN, they should read about 0ohms (maybe 1 or 2ohms if you've got a cheap ohmmeter).

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If you cannot repair with another resistor, what should I repair the blown resistor with? I put in a 10 ohm just like the tutorial says, but now everytime my rumble pack vibrates, my controller loses power. I can tell since my VMU keeps beeping everytime I get hit in a game. Any help?

some use plain wire, but you lose the fuse benefit.
You may use a fuse, someone just did a mod to be able to change it easyly : http://www.dcemulation.com/phpBB/vie...=932727#932727

Quote:

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Originally Posted by matthewmcg

i am profession dreamcast repairman. and i do charge. however as a dreamcast owner i will accept dreamcast related hardware as payment. do you have and industry standard philips head screwdriver? if you do then place the console on its face. and undo the 4 screws (1 is under the internet adaptor which has to be removed.) unscrew and remove the power board get a cotton bud or q tip as americans would have it. dip slightly into a highly achololic substance and finely go over the board completle and dry it with the other end of it. do the same with the gd rom laser, the fan and the controller ports. this has to be done at least every 3 months

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That's bullshit. To anyone having this problem, I've had it before and it's easily fixable. So long as you've got a soldering iron and a 10 ohm resistor all will be fine. Check this page for instructions. http://devcast.dcemulation.com/mods/repair/repair.php

where would I be able to find new resistors or fuses to buy

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MIKE L

where would I be able to find new resistors or fuses to buy

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It depends on where you live, I live in East Coast USA and my local shop for nerd supplies is Radio Shack. Im sure you can find the resistor you need in basically any home electronic, look up the chart for determining the value of a resistor. I have forgotten all the values but its not too hard to read and figgure out. Anyway rip apart any broken old thing and you will probally find what you need if you know what you are looking for. Usually when I need a resistor that I dont have the first thing I do is look at an old Atari 8-bit computer I use for salvage, and If I cant find it there then I look at a broken microwave in my basement...

There are more then one issue with the controller board problem.

1. Several Dreamcast controllers especially 3 party controllers cause the D.O.A controller board.

2. Gun's,Samba de amigo maraca's,arcade fighting sticks
cause the issue.

3. In several Cases not only does the controller board die the controllers on board controller fry's in the process when this happens here are the top repair methods.


Top repair methods.

1. Replace the MainBoard.

2. Replace the controller board.

3. Replace the resistors.


To avoid this problem.

Make sure your Dreamcast is connected to a surge protector.

Use only Sega issued controllers. sorry to say this does basicly Kill gun use.


Only connect your Dreamcast to the internet when using the internet.

I have followed everything here and my original launch Dreamcast has been running fine.