I was happily playing one day and looked away for a second then looked back at the tv and I'm looking at a black screen.
Horror. I can smell burning. Double horror.
So I open it up and try to find something singed or burnt but nothing. There's hardly even any dust inside and everything looks and smells perfectly fine.
So I put it back together.
Now when I turn it on the drive starts spinning immediately whether or not the lid is open. It does nothing then after an extended time displays the logo and that's it.
So thats where I'm at. I can't find another instance of this happening anywhere.
I wonder if anyone has the faintest idea what I've done and if this is fixable.
Any suggestions welcome.
Hatty.
I bricked my Dreamcast
Moderator: pcwzrd13
- Nz17
- St.Jimmy
- Posts: 386
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: 4x4 Evo
AFO
ChuChu
IGP
Next Tetris
Ooga Booga
PBA
PSOv2
Planet Ring
SEGA Swirl
Worms World Party - Location: A cold basin
- Contact:
Re: I bricked my Dreamcast
My guess is that you aren't at fault. I'm thinking the GD-ROM drive, power supply, or a some other component just fried a little and is dying from regular use and age or a brief power surge. You'll probably need to replace the component or the whole Dreamcast, I'm sorry to say.
If you purchase another DC, I'd recommend buying one from http://www.goatstore.com/Products/Sega/ ... e_hookups/ for $45 + S&H.
If that's too pricey, then I'd suggest buying https://www.ebay.com/itm/z/162734184787 for $26 - $35. It's only the base console and it reportedly works well, it only requires a cleaning.
If you purchase another DC, I'd recommend buying one from http://www.goatstore.com/Products/Sega/ ... e_hookups/ for $45 + S&H.
If that's too pricey, then I'd suggest buying https://www.ebay.com/itm/z/162734184787 for $26 - $35. It's only the base console and it reportedly works well, it only requires a cleaning.
- DV Icy, the Dreamcast VMU Icon Viewer and Converter (ver. 0.9 for Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.)
- Support Nz17 Productions on Patreon to help finance new software for the Dreamcast!
- Nz17 Productions
- News from the Sakura Wars
- GAM Video Game Convention - Naples, Utah
- itsthinkingstill
- Vagabond
- Posts: 789
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: pso, 4x4, max pool, planet ring, afo, chu chu.... all of them
Re: I bricked my Dreamcast
Regardless of what happened make sure you dont throw the Dremacast away! it's ether can be fixed or can be used for parts so dont throw away history
-
- shadow
- Posts: 6
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: none
Re: I bricked my Dreamcast
Oh don't worry, I wouldn't throw it away. In fact I'm hoping to now become a Dreamcast refurbisher. No other console interests me in fact. I'm a little bit obsessed with Dreamcasts especially since my 'family' lost my first one, now this.
I bought myself a multimeter and now want to know how to test all the parts to find the fault.
Can anyone direct me to a good tutorial (not videos please) website to help me?
Thanks.
I bought myself a multimeter and now want to know how to test all the parts to find the fault.
Can anyone direct me to a good tutorial (not videos please) website to help me?
Thanks.
- Nz17
- St.Jimmy
- Posts: 386
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: 4x4 Evo
AFO
ChuChu
IGP
Next Tetris
Ooga Booga
PBA
PSOv2
Planet Ring
SEGA Swirl
Worms World Party - Location: A cold basin
- Contact:
Re: I bricked my Dreamcast
Are any of these helpful to you?
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Sega_Dreamcast
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Sega_Dreamcast
- DV Icy, the Dreamcast VMU Icon Viewer and Converter (ver. 0.9 for Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.)
- Support Nz17 Productions on Patreon to help finance new software for the Dreamcast!
- Nz17 Productions
- News from the Sakura Wars
- GAM Video Game Convention - Naples, Utah
-
- shadow
- Posts: 6
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: none
Re: I bricked my Dreamcast
I actually looked on ifixit when it first happened but there's nothing about testing parts on there.
Also, am in the UK so I would buy from ebay.co.uk.
Also, am in the UK so I would buy from ebay.co.uk.
- Ian Micheal
- Developer
- Posts: 6014
- Location: USA
- Contact:
Re: I bricked my Dreamcast
Well if the drive spins when the lid is open or closed you should be looking at that fixing the door lid switch..
-
- minority
- Posts: 67
- Dreamcast Games you play Online: no one
Re: I bricked my Dreamcast
first, retire the gdrom drive, second turn on the Dreamcast...if it turn on at the bios screen maybe the gdrom controller board is broken.
-
- dark night
- Posts: 56
Re: I bricked my Dreamcast
When you put the top case back on, always have the drive door open, otherwise you can break the lid switch.Hatty81 wrote:So I put it back together.
Now when I turn it on the drive starts spinning immediately whether or not the lid is open.
Sounds like you have other problems but to save possibly damaging another drive, this should always be noted.
As others have said, the best method for troubleshooting is to component swap with another known good unit. My first guess though would be the random reset problem caused by the motherboard power supply pins corroding over time. An easy fix, just need to clean those pins (easily find guides for this). Did the machine load games after the black screen, before you took it apart?
Although that doesn’t explain a whiff of smoke.