Hello after a good month of not-usage, i booted up my Sega Megadrive again what happened was that after like, 15 minutes of play, the console all of a sudden goes from gamescreen, to grey bars and back rinse and repeat so i let the console rest for about an hour or so, powered it on, and again after 10 minutes of play, it started all over again, just now, it happened AGAIN i tested the system with all of my games, and even when i turn it on without any games inserted, it still happens also, the power supply started humming all of a sudden o_o so i dont know what the hell is going on, i also might add that when i turned it on(the first time the thing went bananas) , i hear a *Pop* coming from the console, i hope anyone here can help me out :thumbsup:
I see your thread. I don't know the solution to your problem, but I do see your thread. Though generally, Power Source + Humming = Bad.
Assuming this is a European model you're talking about, why not just get a new one? The American ones are pretty cheap, so I would guess it's probably similar in Europe.
I'm assuming first guess is your power supply is on the fritz (especially if it's started humming ominously). A dying power supply can cause electronics to freak out (with my laptop, the speakers started humming in a peculiar way, then the mouse started acting up before the power supply suddenly died. One replacement later, everything back to normal). Aside from that, it could be moisture in the air, some dying caps in the console or a dry solder joint. Those, I would say, could only really be diagnosed by opening up the console and having a peek. Good luck!
It's most likely the Power supply unit, I've had a few die on me over the years, normally the harder to replace MDII style units with the smaller connector. The humming generally only happens on original MD units, if you unplug the aerial lead it will quieten down a fair bit if it is the Power Unit. MDII's don't generally make the loud humming noise because most (not all) aerial leads have suppressors on them and that seems to quieten them down. I have also had this problem you describe from loose fitting aftermarket PSU's in the past, it's always better to use an official one. Either way, you can generally pick up a complete MD cheaper than a new PSU so you're probably best off doing that.
erm,people here generally overprice their systems when they want to sell it, so when im certain the system is broken, i'll replace it i think its dirty/solder-point problem myself, gonna open it up this afternoon as said before, people over here generally overprice 2ndhand games so only when i know its truly dead, will i replace it
Hmm... so the game continues playing, but the RF keeps cutting in and out? The grey and black looks like regular static rather than anything the console is (or more precisely, isn't) putting out. Still looks like a power brick issue to me, where as the brick warms up the voltage is dropping to the point and every time it drops too far the RF modulator cuts out. Then, with the drop in ampage, the power brick recovers slightly and the picture comes back. I doubt it would be a cap issue, as when one of those dies there is a permanent problem, rather than this fading in and out. Same with a dry joint - unless it is in an area suffering from extreme heat (and I can't think of one in the console itself), there wouldn't be this fading in and out of the picture after 15 minutes. A dry joint will commonly be a permanent break in connection, not a temporary one. If there is a short, it would have to happen between where the power comes in and the RF modulator (which are pretty close to each other in the top left of the board). Also, look for any loose metal that is near the shielding by the RF modulator. Something could have got stuck in there The problem is unlikely to be further down the board, as any breaks between the VDP chip (where the picture is generated) and the modulator will cause problems only on one colour of the picture (the VDP outputs the video split into separate colours). Also, there would have to be a break in both the video and the audio lines to suffer the problems you're seeing, and even then a total failure results in a black picture, not TV static. Any problems with CPU output would cause breakdown in the gameplay, which you're not seeing. Failure in any of the main chips wouldn't cause that. Seriously, IMO it's these options, in descending order of likelihood: 1) Power supply gone duff. Test by finding someone else with one, or finding a compatible power supply (If you have an original Mega Drive, a Game Gear, a Master System or a Mega CD one will do IIRC - check the label for an exact match to what you have. Mega Drive 2 - you'll just have to hunt down something compatible). 2) Duff RF cable (likely if you have had it packed up) which could be randomly connecting and disconnecting. 3) A short happening between the DC input and the RF modulator. 4) The RF modulator has gone bad. 4) Something metallic has fallen into the console, which is wedged near the RF output connector. Unlikely, as the problem starts happening as the console starts warming up, unless it's a particularly thin sliver. Aside from that, I've got nothing.
hmm okay i'll check it out when i moved the megadrive from the top of my NES to the florr, i also kind of, jammed the power plug (that goes into the megadrive) againts the wall, but i dont think that has much of an effect overall also the power supply is: 3025-18 output:9V--1A polarity is: +-o-- ill see what i will do
Also, someone said *maybe* it was a bad cap inside of the console i'll open it up today so ill see whats going on
this is the inside of the console, i cleaned out all of the dust, but i didnt touch any blue thingies (cap)
