To buy or not to buy: Megadrive video cable

[BPzeBanshee]

My uncle has a Sega Megadrive and it's lasted a while, but now when plugging the RF cable into it, it won't switch on. Red lights won't even turn on.

But the thing is, it appears to turn on and run fine with the cable taken out. I suspect it's because of the missing prongs within the RF cable itself, but I swear it's been that way for the last 10 years and only (relatively) recently done this.

Would this actually be the cause? Should I be trying to replace the actual cable or the Megadrive itself? I don't know squat about anything with that kind of age so with all the Sega stuff popping up and getting answers whereas this original question got nowhere in the 'Questions that don't deserve an answer' thread' I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced something like this and fixed it.

[Op Intensify]

What model is it?

[BPzeBanshee]

Going from this it's the Australian Megadrive II.
Should've stated that at the beginning (doh!).

I realise this is probably a stupid question, it's just the kind of behaviour I'm seeing here is the first I've seen of it. Normally if a cable's missing nearly all it's prongs I would've thought it would just not display but this appears to be killing the power despite the bottom of it heating up as if it were on. My experience with online shopping hasn't exactly been the best (2 months for Deathsmiles from UK, 4 weeks for ESPGaluda II from US, somewhere in between for DDP:R and Akai Katana hasn't arrived yet, 2.5 weeks later) so I want to be absolutely sure what it is I need to replace.

[viletim]

BPzeBanshee,

You probably mean to say Sega RF Unit instead of 'RF cable', there's a lot more inside it than just copper wire! The RF Unit is probably faulty and shorting out the power supply. They can get damaged by lightning if you leave them plugged it... So either replace it, or better yet, find an A/V lead and skip the RF modulator altogether.

[BPzeBanshee]

Ah yes, so that's what the box thing on the cable does. I thought it was ingenious for its time actually, letting your analog TV antenna remain plugged in and having the game in at the same time, wow.

I'll see if I can get an AV cable off the net then. You got any recommendations for good deals or is eBay the best place for this sort of thing?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I recall going to my local Toys-R-Us and buying an official Sega Genesis stereo A/V cable...hooked it up to a Genesis 1 console and it sounded great hooked up to a Sony Wega TV. Or you could use a PC Engine Duo or Turbo Duo A/V cable and get the same A/V output with an Genesis 1. I would've never had known about this little known cool fact until an indy game store owner said that I could use such PCE Duo A/V cable with a Genesis/MD 1 console setup. Works like a charm if you do have access to one.

Of course, if you have access to a Scart TV or an XRGB upscan convertor, going the RGB route with an Genesis/Mega Drive Scart cable or Japanese RGB 21-pin cable setup, it's best that money can buy.

Yeah, just for completeness, I did end up buying one of those official Sega Genesis RF Unit setups just for the novelity factor alone (when it was still possible to buy a new Majesco 3rd-party produced Sega Genesis 3 console back in 2000).

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~