Panasonic Q problems

Hi guys,

A couple of months ago I purchased a Panasonic Q Gamecube on ebay, and I finally had the chance to buy a step down converter yesterday to get it running. The first time I booted it, the DVD tray didn't open but I heard the motor was trying to open it. After pressing the open/close button a couple of times it opened up, I popped a game in and closed the tray. It tries to read it, but after 30 seconds it says there's no disc inserted (with both DVD's and Gamecube games). When I turn it off, it makes a weird rattling sound.

Does anyone know what the problem could be? And how I can repair it? I'd really love to get this thing working. I can also post a video of it if it is useful and else I'll open the thing up.

Thanks in advance!


EDIT: It does seem to run PAL DVD's now, but still no games or NTSC-J DVD's

 

It plays PAL DVDs? You must have a modded unit. Not that this info is really helping you, I suppose.

I recommend a disassembly and a good inspection (and perhaps cleaning) of the drive assembly.

 

sounds mechanical by the description, investigate and let us know=)

 

Bad chip job I suspect. I heard they are tricky to put back together, so you might want to ask someone to help you if you are not very technical or a bit ham-fisted.

 

Ive got one with a iffy LED on the controller port, does any know of a strip and remake guide?

 

Quick! Someone get Parris a Q! :nod:

There's a brief mention of a Q rebuild here -> http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/archive/index.php/t-50002.html

From other comments I've seen online, apparently the ribbon cables are very delicate (suprise!) & getting at stuff on the lower boards is a pain, as you have to take the whole thing apart. I've only ever got as far as the side panels on mine.

 

Damn, I found a Q modding tutorial a few months ago but I have no clue where it is now... oh wait, here it is: http://www.shoyle.f9.co.uk/dvdchipsuk/panaqupgradesdiy.htm

Not sure if it's of any help though! You might try checking the places indicated to verify whether the chip's still connected. Leave the DVD part alone for now.

If you don't feel like doing the job yourself, I got a fair bit of disassembly experience. I can take a look at it if you cover shipping both ways (but of course, no warranty )

 

Thanks guys for your replies! The problem seems to be the same as what limey posted, so I guess I´ll open it up and try some cleaning myself first. And yeah, it seems to be modded to play PAL DVD´s and to play American and Japanese games. If I don´t get it to work, I´ll send to to AntiPasta.