Controllers won't work

[Clockwork]

Have been playing my dreamcast for awhile now and went to go and play tonight (first time in a couple weeks) since I don't have my son this weekend and low and behold EVERY SINGLE controller has stopped working.

1. I tried every port with every controller and the controller won't "power on" so that I can use it.
2. Dreamcast powers on just fine.

What steps would I take to try to diagnose this?

A couple days ago I bought 2 used controllers and 3 VMUs from a LGS here in Vegas and was trying to use them tonight to make sure they work and neither do they work nor does the controller that I have been using for awhile.

[Roel]

Most likely the controllers are fine, but your Dreamcast isn't. The controller port fuse has a reputation of blowing out, so that would be my first guess. Google (or any other search engine) should provide you with plenty advice on how to diagnose and remedy this.

Here are a few results that seemed promising:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Sega+Dream ... ement/1562
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to- ... oller-por/

Of course it might also be something else, for example a loose wire, so before you start buying replacement parts pop open your Dreamcast and check for anything out of the ordinary.

[krssn]

A question that has been answered so many times before already...

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=dreamcast+controll ... n%27t+work

Even on this very site...

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=dreamcast+controll ... mcast-talk

[Clockwork]

Figured out that it was the tan resistor that is the culprit. So I cut it off of the board and tomorrow will solder a straight piece of metal to officially bypass the resistor.

Was hoping it was the small blue one as that one is so much easier to just twist and test, but it wasn't.

[krssn]

Figured out that it was the tan resistor that is the culprit. So I cut it off of the board and tomorrow will solder a straight piece of metal to officially bypass the resistor.

Do know that if you bypass the resistor, your DC will probably be fried beyond repair if something goes wrong again. If one of the controllers you got with it is the one that killed the ports, it might happen sooner than you think...

Better to order the right part and let the DC rest untill you replaced it...

Was hoping it was the small blue one as that one is so much easier to just twist and test, but it wasn't.

A paperclip of anything metal connecting the two points would've done the trick also...

[Clockwork]

So I bought another controller port board here in town and it worked for all of 10 minutes then in the middle of power stone it paused and said "please connect controllers"

My controller I believe is the culprit as it is the one that came with the used DC.

Notes to mention:

During playtime on my controller, it beeped a couple times like it was/did losing power then reconnecting before it completely went out again.

I think it might be the controller that is bad as it is the common item in this whole ordeal.

What else do you guys recommend that I check before I retire the controller and buy another new board??

[Clockwork]

Figured out that it was the tan resistor that is the culprit. So I cut it off of the board and tomorrow will solder a straight piece of metal to officially bypass the resistor.

Do know that if you bypass the resistor, your DC will probably be fried beyond repair if something goes wrong again. If one of the controllers you got with it is the one that killed the ports, it might happen sooner than you think...

Better to order the right part and let the DC rest untill you replaced it...

Was hoping it was the small blue one as that one is so much easier to just twist and test, but it wasn't.

A paperclip of anything metal connecting the two points would've done the trick also...

Yeah I think it might be the controller as its a common item that has been used every time so far.

And yes a paper clip would've helped the small blue resistor but how would you bypass the tan large resistor? It literally sits upon the face of the board with no room to get to.

[krssn]

No need to check anything else AFAIK. I think it's pretty obvious it's indeed the controller.

Is it an original or third party controller? With the latter these problems are not uncommon.

And yes a paper clip would've helped the small blue resistor but how would you bypass the tan large resistor? It literally sits upon the face of the board with no room to get to.

By using the little islands on the other side of the board. You have to be inventive sometimes. Very spall piece of metal and some sticky tape. Or soldering a mini wire to both points or whatever way you can think of connecting them...

[Clockwork]

All of my controllers are dreamcast originals. I never have liked third party units. Even when I was a kid I hated them.

[TacT]

you didn't have to go and cut it off and re solder a piece of wire lol you could have just Twisted the resistor to short it and problem solved, I did that on one dreamcast yeears ago worked fine