Brian2 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Well, my dreamcast just won't READ games. When I put it in, it spins, but it acts like there's no disc in it. I don't think its the laser lens because this happened before, and, after trying and trying it worked again. I tried countless times, and it still won't work... I really don't want to buy a new one or mess with the inside of it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+poobah Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Well, my dreamcast just won't READ games. When I put it in, it spins, but it acts like there's no disc in it. I don't think its the laser lens because this happened before, and, after trying and trying it worked again. I tried countless times, and it still won't work... I really don't want to buy a new one or mess with the inside of it.. Retail pressed games (not cdr)? If so, time to buy a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian2 Posted February 27, 2009 Author Share Posted February 27, 2009 Well, my dreamcast just won't READ games. When I put it in, it spins, but it acts like there's no disc in it. I don't think its the laser lens because this happened before, and, after trying and trying it worked again. I tried countless times, and it still won't work... I really don't want to buy a new one or mess with the inside of it.. Retail pressed games (not cdr)? If so, time to buy a new one. I bought this on amazon, I got it a couple days ago, and it was working completely fine... (it just so happens that when I got the VMU it stops working -.-') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathanallan Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 take the VMU out and see if that helps. Also, clean your laser lens. Swap with alcohol and then swab with dry end. Blow out any dust. Is it just me or are Segas lately going hay-wire? Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian2 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 take the VMU out and see if that helps. Also, clean your laser lens. Swap with alcohol and then swab with dry end. Blow out any dust. Is it just me or are Segas lately going hay-wire? Nathan Taking out the VMU doesn't help. How would I clean laser lens, what do you mean swap and swab? Please explain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian2 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 take the VMU out and see if that helps. Also, clean your laser lens. Swap with alcohol and then swab with dry end. Blow out any dust. Is it just me or are Segas lately going hay-wire? Nathan Taking out the VMU doesn't help. How would I clean laser lens, what do you mean swap and swab? Please explain Nevermind, I swabbed the little thing (the circle thing, thats the lens, right?) and it didn't do anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian2 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Share Posted February 28, 2009 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaxda Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I know you said you didn't want to, but your best bet is to just buy a new Dreamcast. I have had about 3 over the past 5 years, there's just no telling with them... great system, but not tops in the reliability department. Notoriously unreliable. I always have a backup on hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathanallan Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I passed it along, hopefully soneone will know more about it. LINK to sega-16 thread. I have a sick Sports model that won't spin a disk, so I feel your pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadlyDiskKun Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 I passed it along, hopefully soneone will know more about it. LINK to sega-16 thread. I have a sick Sports model that won't spin a disk, so I feel your pain. I actually took apart my broken black sports model and used the guts form a working white one to get it working again. I like how the black model looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dommie Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Well, my dreamcast just won't READ games. When I put it in, it spins, but it acts like there's no disc in it. I don't think its the laser lens because this happened before, and, after trying and trying it worked again. I tried countless times, and it still won't work... I really don't want to buy a new one or mess with the inside of it.. I had a very similar problem. Out of frustration I turned the unit on it's side (left side if looking at the front of it) and presto! No more problems. I'm sure this is only a temporary fix and it's only a matter of time before the system totally dies, but if this fixes your problem then it may help narrow down troubleshooting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famicommander Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 (edited) Me and the guys on my site are compiling a list of fix-its for retro game consoles. There's a fix for the Dreamcast that helped a few of my friends with a similar issue. Here you go: http://s1.zetaboards.com/The_Board_2/topic/1421065/ Also, one of the Saturn fixes sounds like it could be of assistance. Edited March 31, 2009 by famicommander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow460 Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Anyone got laser calibration info on the DC? This link is actually for a PS1, but the kind of wear shown in the pictures could theoretically happen on a Dreamcast. The same principles apply. If the lens is sitting at an angle like the one shown here, it's not going to read the disc. I'm sure the calibration is different on the two consoles, though. The jist of the PS1 article is that the sled has to sit level in the console. As it moves back and forth, it scrapes away a little of the material its made of, which, over time, makes it un level. If that's not the trouble, then the drive motor could be to blame. What does your DC do? Does it click, grind, or just sit there? No matter what, though, DCs are pretty easy to come by on the cheap. The one I have sitting here cost me $3. It's probably worth opening it to check cables or check for something obvious (dust/grease on the sled rails, etc) before spending the few bucks on a replacement, but if the laser assembly is dead, I, too, think it's time to get another console. Perhaps you can find one with a good laser unit that might have a damaged controller port or a dead system battery and just pull the laser unit from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
famicommander Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 ^A dead battery is WAY easier to replace than a laser mechanism. And a dead system battery doesn't really affect much anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2600Lives Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 My DC petered on me a couple of years ago, but oddly enough it was the power supply. I had another one with a bad drive, and just put the power supply into my newer one, and voila! You can get DCs DIRT cheap now, too. Places where I live routinely sell them for 20 bucks, and sometimes that's WITH a game, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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