Sega mega cd 2 add-on fault

Hi, looking for some help as i have a model 2 sega mega cd add-on for the megadrive 2 which seems to be dead. It was working the last time i used it.

Now when i power on my megadrive, the mega cd does not come on at all, no boot screen no cd access light or anything. I did unplug the cable and put it back in and got a quick flash of the light and still nothing. I have tried another power supply and failed, i have tried my mega drive 1 and also failed.

Now i read about a green fuse that looks like a resistor which are prone to blowing on these. So i took it appart and bridged the fuse with a flat blade screwdriver. The light still didn't come on but i did hear a faint noise coming from the laser as the screwdriver was attatched and detatched and also could see the laser light up very faintly.

So what could be the problem?

There could be a few things, loose joints/connections, the capacitors, or a combination of small issues all adding up!

It was working the last time i used it.

on a similar note MY Saturn did that

on a similar note MY Saturn did that

don't you just hate it when that happens.

i got my Atari Jaguar out the box yesterday too and was almost crying because it would't turn on. turns out the plug wasn't sat in the socket properly thank god for that. would hate for the jag to fail on me because it is absolutely mint, the box is in fantastic shape and has all the manuals too.

yeah, not many jaguars about , especially in mint condition, i dont have one

yeah, not many jaguars about , especially in mint condition, i dont have one

not kidding. got a bargain on it. won it on ebay for £70. came with the original bundled game which is cybermorph.

this is my jag:

http://i63.tinypic.com/29etcvn.jpg

http://i63.tinypic.com/opr4mb.jpg

---------- Post added 01-04-2017 at 20:55 ----------

right today I took the mega cd apart again and soldered 2 bridged wires to the back of the board where the fuse is soldered in and still getting nothing.

the laser lights up which tells me the fuse is deffo blown but obviously theres some other problem.

I have looked the board over under a bright LED torch and cannot see any signs of damage, all the caps look like brand new, no leaking or corrosion.

so I am stumped on this one.

I don't want to replace the fuse until I find out what the other problem is incase it blows the new fuse.

need to find a shop that has some sort of knowledge on retro stuff.

not letting this go. even though I only paid £45 for it, I am going to try get it fixed as these as you will know are rare and are going for £70 upwards and are only increasing in value each year.

not kidding. got a bargain on it. won it on ebay for £70. came with the original bundled game which is cybermorph.

 

this is my jag:

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/29etcvn.jpg

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/opr4mb.jpg

 

---------- Post added 01-04-2017 at 20:55 ----------

 

right today I took the mega cd apart again and soldered 2 bridged wires to the back of the board where the fuse is soldered in and still getting nothing.

 

the laser lights up which tells me the fuse is deffo blown but obviously theres some other problem.

 

I have looked the board over under a bright LED torch and cannot see any signs of damage, all the caps look like brand new, no leaking or corrosion.

 

so I am stumped on this one.

 

I don't want to replace the fuse until I find out what the other problem is incase it blows the new fuse.

 

need to find a shop that has some sort of knowledge on retro stuff.

 

not letting this go. even though I only paid £45 for it, I am going to try get it fixed as these as you will know are rare and are going for £70 upwards and are only increasing in value each year.

Even if there's no physical signs on the caps, it's always good practice to replace them on older hardware, especially if it's been in storage/not used for a while, if they are electrolytic caps, then the electrolytes could have simply dried up....

Even if there's no physical signs on the caps, it's always good practice to replace them on older hardware, especially if it's been in storage/not used for a while, if they are electrolytic caps, then the electrolytes could have simply dried up....

have you seen how many caps are inside these would be a nightmare tryna find one that duff.

heres what it looks like inside:

http://i65.tinypic.com/29zentz.jpg

needing doing

have you seen how many caps are inside these would be a nightmare tryna find one that duff.

 

heres what it looks like inside:

 

http://i65.tinypic.com/29zentz.jpg

Yeah, seen inside them...

You could replace one, but I'd recommend doing a full re-cap to be on the safe side..

I gotta do it with my Gamegear soon, been sat here a while now needing doing haha!

..... - You could try replacing the battery first (it's been a while but..) if I remember right a dead battery can stop them powering up properly....

needing doing

 

Yeah, seen inside them...

 

You could replace one, but I'd recommend doing a full re-cap to be on the safe side..

 

I gotta do it with my Gamegear soon, been sat here a while now needing doing haha!

 

 

..... - You could try replacing the battery first (it's been a while but..) if I remember right a dead battery can stop them powering up properly....

hmmmm really?

will have to try that. peanuts on ebay. ordered a pack of 2 new fuses at £2 as well

hmmmm really?

 

will have to try that. peanuts on ebay. ordered a pack of 2 new fuses at £2 as well

It might be a PITA to do, but it solves most issues with older hardware....

i'm not saying 100% it will fix the issues, but if you have tried the most common issue -the Fuse- (of which I would recommend replacing it, not bridging it) and there's nothing else obvious, then the next thing would be the capacitors!

have you seen how many caps are inside these would be a nightmare tryna find one that duff.

 

heres what it looks like inside:

 

http://i65.tinypic.com/29zentz.jpg

That's not too many, plus you woud most likely be looking at the ones along the power stage.

Caps however can have a polarity so you will need to check (take lots of pics) this before you remove them, also if it's a multilayer board it could take quite a bit of heat to get them out, and you will risk damaging other components if you don't know how to solder properly/correct tools.