Dreamcast Problem

Zeguna · Post by **Zeguna** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 8:26 am

Okay, I traded some stuff here for a Dreamcast lot but the guy did a terrible job of packing, and now it won't read disks. I'm sure it's the laser assembly but I would like to know what to try before I buy a new one. I opened it up and powered it on; the disk spins at startup then slows to a stop. The main menu pops up, I press the game icon, and it tells me there is no disk. If I open and close it again, it just spins and stops again. Anything I should try?

HotDog-Cart · Post by **HotDog-Cart** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:08 pm

Try cleaning the lense. If that does not work try tweaking the pots on the board. Theres some videos on youtube that show how to do this. There called like "Dreamcast Care and Repair" or something like that. My dreamcast does that too sometimes, but thats only once in a blue moon.

Mister X · Post by **Mister X** » Sat Jun 14, 2008 11:55 pm

Buy another Dreamcast. $15 on ebay. Being poorly packed is FAR less likely to be the cause of a Dreamcast's death than simple use. The system is almost ten years old, and even the laser diodes Sega used do not last forever.

But hey, one Dreamcast could outlast a good fifteen PS2s.

Zeguna · Post by **Zeguna** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 7:19 am

Mister X wrote:Buy another Dreamcast. $15 on ebay. Being poorly packed is FAR less likely to be the cause of a Dreamcast's death than simple use.

Yeah, that's no doubt for sure. I just can't dismiss something as nonworking before I try everything I can.

Mister X · Post by **Mister X** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 10:05 am

If it's not reading discs, and the lens is clean, it's either misaligned or the diode is fried. There isn't anything you can do to fix it, never has been, outside of replacing the components.

I see this kind of thread everywhere, along with "How do I turn a laptop screen into a monitor" threads.

Well, if you can find directions on how to make a low-yield nuclear bomb on Google, but no guides for the LCD project, hmm...

grossaffe · Post by **grossaffe** » Sun Jun 15, 2008 10:16 am

Mister X wrote:If it's not reading discs, and the lens is clean, it's either misaligned or the diode is fried. There isn't anything you can do to fix it, never has been, outside of replacing the components.

I see this kind of thread everywhere, along with "How do I turn a laptop screen into a monitor" threads.

Well, if you can find directions on how to make a low-yield nuclear bomb on Google, but no guides for the LCD project, hmm...

Funny thing about that, I was trying to build a portable one time, and I accidentally blew up Hiroshima.