"Please insert game Disc" error

Post by **Wheatley** » Thu Dec 12, 2013 4:06 pm

I recently acquired a used, faulty Dreamcast today. The fault was "Please insert a game disc" when inserting a game and attempting to play it.

The first thing I did was to actually confirm if this error was repeatable and not just a random error that pops up from time to time. After inputting a CDR of Utopia boot (since I have no Dreamcast games, yet, although I have ordered Tony Hawk Skateboarding) that I burnt with 8X speed in Disc Juggler, the error appeared on screen when attempting to boot it.
I took it apart and found the "screw" that is most talked about on the tutorial videos and turned it with a pair of tweezers 1/10th clockwise from its original position (flat part facing upwards), connected it back up and tried again. The error still appeared. I repeated this process until I got to about 4/10ths and gave up to look for any sort of possible solution to this predicament.

And now I'm on this forum. This error has me almost pulling my hair out in frustration. I just can't for the life of me locate the source of this error and produce a fix.

The only thing that sticks out to me is the fact that the ribbon connecting the GD-Drive to the laser has this teeny, tiny crease in it where you can only notice it if you place the dreamcast in bright light.

The only possible solution I've found is swapping out the laser for a CD-Rom one (I think I have a few lying about somewhere) but I'm worried that it all may boil down to that crease in the ribbon.

Things I have noticed also is that the disc will not spin up when doing a "disc check" (I've seen a few videos where it does this).

Any help would be appreciated.

*EDIT* After opening back up the Dreamcast and resetting the screw back to its original position I tried turning it 1/10th of the way counter-clockwise, it still displays the error. Also, after inspecting the ribbon cable connecting the GD-ROM drive to the board with a magnifying glass I can feel and see a hairline tear. I read online that I can use any 16 Pin Flex cable (including the one inside the PS1) as a replacement so I'll dig one of those out or purchase a new one if I have to. Something else I noticed was that on all the videos I have seen online, the flex cable connecting the GD-Rom drive to the board is white while my one is black and looks new. Do all or any PAL units have this black Flex cable?

-Ross

Post by **Raen** » Thu Dec 12, 2013 6:23 pm

You are looking for the more complicated problems/solutions and not for the simpler ones...

What you are reporting seems to be the "malfunctioning closing lid" common issue. Place the game disc on the console, and instead of closing the lid all the way down (it makes a click), just lean it and put a VMU or something light but heavy enough to keep the lid in that position and your game should boot

This issue happens because the lid mechanism is not pushing the GD-ROM drive lever all the way down, so the console thinks that the lid is open.

If the culprit was the lens potentiometer, the console would try to boot the game but would simply remain in the menu, it wouldn't show that error.

The cable that connects the GD-ROM drive to the motherboard is white afaik, even on all of my PAL consoles.

Post by **krssn** » Thu Dec 12, 2013 6:41 pm

Don't use a Playstation cable. It's too long and will hinder the lens from moving back and forth on the rail...

You need a 16pin Type A FFC (flexible flat cable) with a 1mm pitch.

I don't remember how long the original cable is, so you'll have to measure that yourself...

Two more things...

Have you made sure the little black lever inside your Dreamcast pushes back enough to make the Dreamcast think the cover is closed?... I had one DC with this problem. Had to put some tape around it so it was thicker and got pushed back all the way when the lid closed. Slim chance that's the problem, but you never know...

Turning that pot screw 1/10th at a time is ginormous. Merely touching it with your screwdriver can change the resistance on the lens. Turning it 1/100th per turn is more like it. Which means you can easily have to turn it 40 or 50 times before it gets back to life. This is not a 10 minute job, unless you're lucky. A weak laser should always be turned clockwise to lower the resistance on the laser. Be careful though, turn it to far clockwise and the laser will burn out. If you have a potentiometer, use it. Check the initial resistance before you start tinkering so you can always go back to the initial setting you started with. Too late for that now, but keep it in mind for next time. And use a small screwdriver, not tweezers... lol

Post by **Wheatley** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 1:20 pm

Today, I decided to try Raen's fix but that hasn't fixed the error. It performs a "disk check" but the GD-ROM drive will not speed the disc up or move the laser along, it just remains stationary and once I press "PLAY" it still says "Please insert game disc".

I then decided to open up the Dreamcast fully and take apart the entire GD-ROM drive for inspection. There are no "burns" on any of chips on the GD-ROM board and the flex cable has a few creases in it. I looked online for a 7cm long 16 pin flex cable but most of them are expensive.

The laser itself looks untouched with no noticeable scratches or marks present.

I will try to take pictures on my phone and upload them to see if anyone can pin point anything wrong.

Should I reset the screw that calibrates the laser and start again but this time move it ever so slightly clockwise?

*EDIT* I decided to test the Dreamcast with a Music CD, it doesn't even read that either.

*EDIT* I read Online that the Laser component should return to its original position on boot but mine doesn't do that. Could the motor be defective?

Post by **Aleron Ives** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 4:12 pm

The Dreamcast must spin the disc in order to check it. If the disc doesn't spin, the motor is broken.

Post by **Wheatley** » Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:50 pm

Aleron Ives wrote:The Dreamcast must spin the disc in order to check it. If the disc doesn't spin, the motor is broken.

So, I think I've narrowed the problem down to one of two things:

The first is the flex/ribbon cable connecting the GD-ROM drive to GD-Rom board. While, the other problem is the motor on the GD-ROM drive itself.

Could I replace the motor with any motor from a CD-ROM drive? Or does it have to be specific to the GD-ROM drive?

Post by **Wheatley** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:49 pm

This is a bit of a topic bump but after ordering a set of 100 flex ribbon cables for the Dreamcast and swapping the "broken" flex ribbon cable out with a brand new one, the Dreamcast will still not read discs and will still not spinning the disc up.

Further research got me to a forum where someone described the same problem as I did but they found the problem was the power board was blown. I can't tell if mine is blown or not or if it's just the fuse that is gone. There are no visible burn marks and everything looks clean and brand new. Could it be that?

Post by **Raen** » Thu Feb 06, 2014 6:20 pm

If you have a spare DC, swap the PSU between the two and see if it works.

Post by **TacT** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 4:37 pm

Did you try simply Cleaning the lens ? Not using alcohol? alcohol can damage plastics
USE THIS STUFF Mcguiars Plastx read about it here

http://dreamcast-talk.com/forum/viewtop ... =42&t=5644

We have fixed many dreamcasts with disc read errors simply by cleaning the lens the right way.

Post by **ch0pzta** » Thu Feb 20, 2014 5:42 pm

Unscrew the case and remove the top. Put a disc on the GD ROM holder thing as usual, power it on, youll get your normal error. At the back of the top of the DC theres a little black lever, press it down, i bet your DC works after you do that.

The lever is pushed down when you close the lid, the disc will not spin if this lever isnt pressed. The levers sometimes become loose and the 'presser' on the lid misses it, so even tho your lid is closed the console thinks its open.

Dreamcast-Talk.com