sorry to bug you guys, but my FDS games came today and after hearing a grinding noise, I figure that the FDS belt is broken (a common defect) anyways, anyone knows a site that shows you how to fix/repair it? Thanks
sorry, i can't help you with your problem, i don't know how to fix it. but i post only to say that you don't bug us at all ! you need help , and we are here to help you! :smt023 i hope someone will help you to repair your famicom disk system! i never saw you on this forum , so i say you welcome aboard! ;-)
To repair it you will need a Famicom disk system belt.I know how to repair them,but if you have no experience I would leave well, well alone.The replacing of a belt is pretty difficult and it is not just a swapping over of parts,it is hard to get to the belt and then you have to have it fittted properly or else the disks will not play properly. This is why nobody has a guide online. If you have no experience and are competent at repairing disk drives of this nature then a replacement belt will set you back about 25 dollars,the only place I know outside of japan that used to sell them is www.gamesaddiction.com and they are closed at the moment or there site is. Famicom Disk systems are a notoriously tricky peice of hardware when broken and people always assume it is simple to replace broken belts and end up with useless systems after trying to do it without a clue how to get to the belt and how to put the belt on properly.You have to remove alot to get to the belt and must know how to put it back together again once the belt is fixed,then you may need to do this again if it does not work and then it may not be the belt at all.
I've repaired I think 5 FDS, its ALWAYS the belt. Once you replace the belt, 50% of the time, you also have to fix the head's alignment. I bet even fewer people know how to do that teehee (I need a job doing this stuff...)
The head alignment is key. I have some belts if you need one. I only did belts on twins, so I don't have any famicom add on experience.
It is not always the belt Kyuusaku,I have repaired many FDS with other problems such as broken wheels,burnt out circuits,reading problems,broken clips and a couple of other minor yet essential part repairs.Just because it crunches does not mean it is the belt and you need to open it before spending money on new belts. The wheels sometimes just burst out of place and they need to be replaced cause the teeth turning them has eroded away.This can be a common source of the crunching noise. BTW assembler...how much do you want for a couple of belts.I have been unable to repair someone's FDS for ages cause I haven't been able to get any new belts.Please let me know.
I've never seen any circuit damage, unless someone was personally tinkering on the inside, its very unprobable. I think, no matter what, you should replace the belt. After 15 years, ALL belts are crap, they're already gum-like and if you accidentally touch it chances are it'll snap. Another smart thing to do is tune the motor for faster or more stable reading/writing speed with your new drive. I've gotten a 100% stable load time down to around 2 seconds
