I finally found one Genesis CDX. I'm using a megadrive rgb cable. For power i used a ps1 power supply (7.5v / 2A) and a ps2 power supply (8.5V / 5.6A). No cart and no cd inserted: BLACK SCREEN. The LCD says GAME. Game carts are working with ugly jailbars. Even when the cart is inserted the laser blinks once. When i turn off the power the laser blinks and on the LCD appears 01, i can hear a motor spinning, but it's not the motor for the cd. if i remove the cd pcb the same things happens, but i have no sound.
Jailbars of megadrive 2 based systems haven't been fully researched yet. Users here are focusing on megadrive 1's cause first. I can say you're not the only person affected by something comparable, I get bars from CDX with an rgb cable as well. Not just my genesis 1 and that's a different cable. Black screen is a bad sign... It should load the Sega CD 2 style bios. Those power supplies you're trying are under-voltage for a CDX. Sega official specs requires 9.5v / 1.5A
I've seen on forums that cdx works with ps2 power supply. I've also seen that if you use a lower power supply the bios will load, but will not load cd games. i have a couple of questions: 1. if no cd or cart inserted, what the LCD says? 2. If i power up only the cart board (the cd bios is there), the bios should load?
My LCD lights up blank with no cd or card inserted. I also believe it won't say GAME in Master System mode either.
Lum, thanx. It seems the cdx thinks a cart is insered that why my lcd says GAME all the time. I've checked and there is no shortcut between B32 and A32. Maybe the bios is dead, but i don't think a chip can stop working just like that. Btw, master system games are working and the lcd says GAME.
Jailbars ? I'll tell you all I know about jailbars: They're common on Yamaha based VDPs so many machines like MSX computers (MS2 and 2+), SEGA Mark III/Master System and Mega Drive all suffer of it. People are blaming the poor CXA1145 as the culprit, but in the Mega Drive case, the real problem is the fact that the VRAM is right by the video encoder chip.
I'm not saying this is the cause, but I believe the stock power supply is 10v. Maybe track down a proper power supply? The CDX uses the same power supply as the MegaDrive 2 and 32X.
Maybe a PAL CDX. The US CDX doesn't. Our CDX power supply is unmistakable, mentions CDX right on its label and has a higher amp rating.
Hmm, maybe they're not quite the same, but I use a PAL MegaDrive 2 power supply with my NTSC-U CDX with no issues.
Actually it's a massive difference. The NTSC-U MegaDrive 2 power supply at least, is rated only 0.85A. Compared to our CDX expecting 1.5A as stated on both its power supply and the bottom of the console. But yeah you have a point. No one's confirmed whether that factors into the AFAIK apparent higher failure rate of NTSC-U CDX over PAL CDX.
I think i found some corroded traces. The ic is 315-5632 and it's a part of the cd system. i think there are some missing traces on pins 174, 175 and maybe 176.
I wouldn't suggest trying to fix that yourself. APE region modded my Gamecube, he'd be one person to ask about it.
Right you are, after doing some Googling it seems that using a MegaDrive 2 power supply long term is nor advisable. I guess I better switch back to using my CDX 110v power supply + stepdown, since PAL Multi-Mega power supplies are also rare.
That's actually an easy repair (for people who are on the field of repairs, of course). First thing that need to be done is clean the affected area (since I'm going to suggest something a bit "rad" it might be a good idea to check all the capacitors too and have them replaced while performing this fix) and neutralize the basic material that is causing the corrosion. Dip the motherboard in a solution of 50/50 water and vinegar for a hour or two is a good idea as it should clean everything and remove part of the corrosion. After it, rinse with tap water and then dry with a hair drier on middle heat setting. Blow it for at least 30 minutes. If you're not in a hurry you can simply leave it out in a sunny day to dry. The actual track repair can be done with enamel wire, which is soldered straight to the pins with the damaged tracks, patching them. :thumbsup:
I did more checking and that corrosion. i removed it and the first trace is there, the second trace is cut right after the pin and i think there is no third trace (maybe under the ic). So only the second trace need repair. The problem is that the ic it's co close to the cart slot. I tryed but without result. so i lifted the pin and used a wire to connected to the other part of the trace but it didn't worked. I thik the trace also goes under the ic. I will try to solder the pin back and then use a wire. l_oliveira, i will try your method, i have nothing to loose. but one question: what it's "tap water"? And should i scrub the board with a toothbrush? maybe someone with a cdx can answer the question: when a cart is inserted and using batteries the system powers on?
Tap water is how people in the U.S. call the water you get from the sink on your house. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_water Well I don't know if the trace also go under the chip but it's indeed possible. And no, don't scrub. I would scrub if I was doing your board, but very carefully and depending on the state of the area I would not scrub at all ... So no, don't scrub. I don't have a CDX, but I think the batteries are only for using the system as a portable audio CD Player. So I don't think it powers on with only the batteries. :thumbsup:
the board is now in water and vinegar. i will let it there for 2 hours. EDIT: The board has been washed (i even scrub it with a toothbrush) and caps replaced. Nothing changed. EDIT 2: I did something more extreme. The ic 315-5632 is also present in Mega CD2. So i opened the mcd2 and i cut the trace to pin 175. the mcd still works, it seems pin 175 is gnd. Let's get back to cdx. if the bios is dead that will force the system to go into cart mode?
