O2 - sorta works sorta doesn't...

[joeybastard]

I got an Odyssey 2 from a friend at work. It's mint in the box,very well taken care off. She also gave me a bunch of boxed carts. When I hook it up and turn it on I get a sound like it's on but no picture. If I press 1 or reset, I get the same sound. I have changed out the RF cable and box, cleaned the carts, and tried a different power supply. No luck. My friend told me it worked perfectly when she boxed it up 10 years ago.

 

Any thoughts on what to try next?

[slapdash]

This might sound stupid, but have you tried changing the channel? Could be 2, 3, or 4... There should be a switch somewhere giving you a better idea of which.

[joeybastard]

This might sound stupid, but have you tried changing the channel?  Could be 2, 3, or 4...  There should be a switch somewhere giving you a better idea of which.

 

The inside RF unit says 3 or 4, which I tried both. I never heard 2 for a console but I'll give it a shot. Thanks.

[joeybastard]

UPDATE: well no good on slapdash's suggestion. This thing turns on and the sound is perfect but the screen is just black. I tried adjusting the pots in the RF box inside it but no change onscreen. I wonder if there a modification to tap right off of the motherboard?

 

Has anybody out there had this problem with their O2?

[Brad2600]

Try it on another TV?

 

How about cleaning out the carts? I had to do this with some O2 carts before they would work.

[joeybastard]

Yeah, I've tried different TVs,cleaning the carts, cleaning the cart ports - everything. I think it has a bad chip in it. A shame I have a bunch of boxed games for it just sitting there mocking me.

[Brad2600]

I dunno what to say dude.

 

I dunno if you already tried, but did you open it up to inspect the board?

 

I'm sure you can find another O2 for cheap somewhere. I almost sold mine today but common sense came to me.

[bcostin]

There are a couple simple things you might want to try. I got an O2 last week that seemed completely dead, but a little poking and prodding got it working as good as new.

 

Open it up (three square-headed screws on the bottom) and carefully reseat the chips on the mainboard. Just push down a bit on each of them until they seem tight in their sockets; it's best to support the board from the back so you don't risk cracking anything. Then wiggle around and retighten the various wire harnesses and the video cable connection on the RF modulator. While you're in there, double-check the channel setting switch on the modulator and make sure it's set right.

 

Of course none of this will help if there are any bad components, but it's worth a try. Good luck.