Does anyone know the procedure for replacing a Dreamcast lens unit? Does it require soldering or is it just a clip in and screw in job? I tried googling for a method guide, but found nothing.
It looks like the lens on my PAL Dreamcast is starting to go south. I was have a problem with random resets a few months ago, but sorted that out by adjusting the pins on the power board. Now the problem is that certain games just won't load. Oddly, it's not the most damaged games. I've got a scratched up copy of Dino Crisis (bought used) that plays fine, but my pristine copy of Resident Evil: Code Veronica won't load at all, it just returns to the DC startup menu right after the Sega logo comes up. Same problem with Chu Chu Rocket and Ecco. Also my pristine SoulCalibur hangs while loading a fight.
Turning the console on its side sorted out the SoulCalibur problem. I can get RE: CV to work if I boot disc 2, then switch to disc 1, but then I get choppy audio in-game and it occasionally hangs when loading an area.
So does my first guess seem likely (the lens)? Or are there known cases of disc rot on the DC? Any other possibilities?
I'm going to try and get hold of some isopropyl to clean the lens, since its been a couple of years since the last time I did that. However, if that doesn't work I may have to replace the lens. Buying a used DC off eBay would be pointless at this juncture, since I doubt most of those consoles would have been as well taken care of as mine.
Dreamcast lens
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PC Engine Fan X!
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Might as well as just bite the bullet and get a 2nd-hand DC console to tide your DC shmup cravings over... ^_~
Plus the fact that getting such a 2nd-hand DC is cheap these days -- it would be probably be more cost-effective to buy such a complete second-hand DC console from the get-go rather than to buy such a replacement DC laser lens assembly unit alone..... ^_~
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
Plus the fact that getting such a 2nd-hand DC is cheap these days -- it would be probably be more cost-effective to buy such a complete second-hand DC console from the get-go rather than to buy such a replacement DC laser lens assembly unit alone..... ^_~
PC Engine Fan X! ^_~
The problem with getting a used DC, however cheap it may be, is that it's going to be at least six years old. Odds are that it would be in equal condition to the one I've already got, or worse. Soon enough it would probably manifest the same problems I'm currently having. While a replacement lens assembly might cost nearly as much as a used DC, it would be a new part.
I've heard that JP DCs are more reliable, but getting a used import would be pointless for me since all my DC games are PAL and I'd need to buy a stepdown converter, too.
I've heard that JP DCs are more reliable, but getting a used import would be pointless for me since all my DC games are PAL and I'd need to buy a stepdown converter, too.
I just got my friends dc up and running. It had been sitting for sometime collecting dust. So i got it home popped in a game and it went to the system screen. So i took compressed air from a can and blew out the entire GDrom tray. Then i used an elctrosttic cloth and wiped it down inside avoiding the lens. Then i used my optical cloth and very gently wiped the lens. It was a success and boots all games fine including cdr's.
This may or may not work for you. I know for a fact that the factory drives in DC's are very good. Yamaha i believe and will last. I even went so far as to carefully dissasemble the drive and re-grease all the sleds on the laser rails. (it tends to dry and wear off over time). Try it out and see what happens. Please do not use alcohol and a swab by any means ONLY use optical cloth. Good luck
Also there is no differance between DC's (except for bios) a Jap system is no more reliable than a NTSC or Pal system
This is also another option and is easy, check it out
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... highlight=
This may or may not work for you. I know for a fact that the factory drives in DC's are very good. Yamaha i believe and will last. I even went so far as to carefully dissasemble the drive and re-grease all the sleds on the laser rails. (it tends to dry and wear off over time). Try it out and see what happens. Please do not use alcohol and a swab by any means ONLY use optical cloth. Good luck
Also there is no differance between DC's (except for bios) a Jap system is no more reliable than a NTSC or Pal system
This is also another option and is easy, check it out
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... highlight=
Iron Maiden: "It was dead, but alive at the same time."
If you have the (cheaper) Samsung drive, it's an easy task to refocus the laser to get a bit of extra lifespan. It's a tiny phillips-head screw next to where the ribbon connector plugs into the laser assembly. Give it an eighth-turn in one direction or the other and see if loading improves. Of course, this is only really helpful if the laser and drive assembly have already been cleaned and you're still having problems.
Probably a similar procedure is possible with the Yamaha GD-ROM drives as well, but I've never actually had any trouble with them.
Probably a similar procedure is possible with the Yamaha GD-ROM drives as well, but I've never actually had any trouble with them.
Thanks for the info so far, guys. When you say optical cloth, are you talking about the same kind of silky cloth that opticians sell for cleaning the lenses on glasses, or is there an entirely different grade used for laser lenses?
Is that the one with a blue ring around it, as shown here? The drive on my DC has the rectangular lens head rather than the rounded one, so I'm not sure if that's the Samsung or the Yamaha.nZero wrote:If you have the (cheaper) Samsung drive, it's an easy task to refocus the laser to get a bit of extra lifespan. It's a tiny phillips-head screw next to where the ribbon connector plugs into the laser assembly.
