I tried this, and my Dreamcast has never read retail games better, but now it won't read cd-rs at all. Before I tried this, I had to get lucky for any game to work, including cd-rs. This fixed half my problem, but not all of it. At least it reads my retail games. Thanks.
My 1st dreamcast had a loud squeeling sound coming from the drive. It finally froze up. I had to open it up like this & remove the top of the assembly. I covered the lazer eye with paper & regular scotch tape & jammed the edge of a straw down in the opening of the drive motor. with that in place & shot a little bit of STP Gear grease down in it & spun the motor with My finger. Put everything back together & it's still working to this very day ! :D And that was a 1st day release.
Thanks for this. I was modding my DC to have VGA output and must have messed something up because after i was done it wouldn't play games anymore. I messed with that dial for a while expecting that i had just scratched the lens while working but one time it just worked perfectly. games load even quicker than they did before. If this doesnt work at first KEEP TRYING. it was like the 20th or so setting i tried that worked.
@MN12BIRD I have a question, I bought a Japanese Launch Dreamcast from 1998 and it has a Yamaha GD-Rom Drive. I heard that Yamaha GD-Rom Drives last longer than Samsung GD-Rom Drives and have an Extremely low failure rate. Is this true?
Last night, I was playing Sonic Adventure, and at about 1 AM, I decided to turn it off, and go to sleep. The next day, I decided that I wanted to play again, and it didn't work, so I tried to see what I could do with it. I tried this method, moving the screw both ways. It still didn't work. I turning about a tenth of a turn both ways, and eventually screwed it in as far as I could get it without breaking my hand, both ways. It still never worked. Any ideas?
My first dreamcast messed up wouldnt load games like Power Stone but would load others. Found I was turning it off wrongly, I used to open the door take game out and switch it off just like I used to do with my PS 1. But the manual states you have to shut the door and wait for the dreamcast to check for a disc and then switch off. Followed this and my other dreamcast avoided this problem.
My Dreamcast just went today! I got it for Christmas last year new and only used it a few times, kept it clean, loved it as if it was my baby. And what does it do ... it screws me over! This video is the most informitive and is the most simple. I will try it probally today. Thanks and I Subbed!
I have been testing out the the effects of various rotatrions (counter clockwise/clockwise). It might work clockwise, but it has to be like what the sideburn man says, a 10th and maybe be a tiny over at most. If you go over or under, chances are, your laser will not function properly. Either it will stop working, or it will work but in a skipping fashion (so don't panic if you fuck up, you can always turn it back to its original setting). I will need to try this again.
thanks a lot man, bought a used dreamcast and not even music cd's would work on it. a little tweak of the screw got it reading again and now burned games work too! cheers!
I just bought a dreamcast used on ebay for my wife and we waited for about ten days for it to get here to find out tonight that it didnt work. I was pissed. We watched your video and now it works! Youre fucking awesome!!! Thank you!
it increases the power going to the laser all tho this will make it read discs a hell of alot better i would not recomend it becouse it shortens the life of the laser
@MN12BIRD A question about your issue: how, exactly, did the DC behave when it would not load the games? I have a launch DC that works great with all games but one, Crazy Taxi, has not a speck of dust or a single scratch, won't load. Tried 2 (original) copies and the same story. It also didn't load my homebrew CD-R but I'm not sure if it was burned wrong. The DC seems to freeze at the SEGA license screen during booting. Did yours freeze here as well, or elsewhere?
i bought a copy of shemune and i got it clean and now i tried playing it the dreamcast they had t worked like a charm and i tried on my dreamcast i dosen't even work will this fix help it
I know I asked the question 9 months ago, but after I beat Shenmue a few months ago, I forgot to mention, I had to do it OVER AND OVER just for all Shenmue discs to read properly, a game I could have beaten in about 2 weeks, took me half a year to beat, I'm lucky I'm this patient... I removed my save to save room on my VMU, and I beat another game, now I have to beat it again (I want to use Passport since I have internet on my DC now), I'm stuck exactly where I was at 9 months ago. :(
It's a variable resistor, this adjustment is called a pot adjustment, it's the same fix used for the ps1 when the fmv's skip on back ups. Adjusting the screw increases or decreases the power reaching the laser.
my screw has some purple shits on it... I tried to turn the screw to the left and right but nothing worked. Do have to remove those purple shits from the screw?(because I never seen that crap on anybody elses DC consoles)
Can you answer my question? I bought my Dreamcast brand new off Amazon.com and I have not burned disks, I have only used real GD-ROM disks which were also brand new and are still in perfect condition. Suddenly today, my Dreamcast's drive suddenly stopped working even though it was just fine this morning. I don't even hear the drive making noises anymore, the lens doesn't even move. Will this solve the problem and is this the only solution?
It's not so simple. You got to know the right resistor values:
Yamaha - 490 Ohm
Samsung - 790 Ohm
Then use a multimeter to verify the right value of the variable resistor touching the two little pins near the potentiometer with the multimeter probes in 2k value.
My Shenmue disk 1 will not go past the Sega logo, it just goes there and back to the main menu then it'll say Please Insert Disk or whatever... will this be the solution, I just don't wanna do it and waste my time to it not working... All of my other games work except just the first disk of Shenmue
I bought a DC and from the get go it failed to read both games and CD's. However, after watching this video and making the necessary mod, it was up and running in no time!
dude i love you!!! i thought i was gonna have to buy another dreamcast....i can finally play Shenmue again! works on the first try! THANKS ALOT for posting this!
Yes its harder for the laser to read and the files are often fragmented all over the disc so the lens assembly moves forward and back much more than with the real GDROM disc. Using CD-R's can shorten the life of the DC but its hard to say by how much.
You are right using CD-R's in the dreamcast is bad for it as it seems to put the laser out of aliment from tech specs i have read the dreamcast only reads at a max of 4x so you must burn data on CD-R at 4x as this will mimic the same lay out as the original disk the best but a lot of people tent to burn at speeds like 16x witch spreads the data round the disk more witch means the drive has to work more to find the data witch in turn will shorten the life of the GD-ROM
i have one question, i made all the things you show to repair my dreamcast, now do i have to bring the laser assemby way front again or do i have to keep the laser assembly all the way back and don´t tough. My laser assembly was at the top of the front before
i can rotate this thing , it's like super hard! , i tried so hard that it has turned up , but it still works , i just can't rotate it , its too hard! anyway what did u use to rotate it , i'm asking it coz u didn't show
Yeah, I'm having the same problem--it won't budge! Phillips screwdriver does nothing and needle-nose pliers won't grip it... What tool did you use, MN12BIRD?
hi, firstly, this is a great video! but can u help me please!! i took my dreamcast from czech republic back to england in the suitcase, but it stopped working ., basically right, when u put a CD in, the disc doesnt spin anymore, even when u try to move it with ur hand, like it sort of stiff.... do u know why this is happened or what i can do to rectify it!??? ? u seem to be a clever engineer!! please let me know, thanks
is it odd when playing a dreamcast with a burnt cd and sometimes the whole dreamcast resets and goes back to the dreamcast logo? if so, is there any way to fix it? please respond if u can. Thx.
There are some pins on the power supply board that might be dirty, you have to clean them with alcohol. If it's not that, maybe the fan isn't spinning, if it doesn't spin, it resets
my dreamcast plays the cd-roms fine and and my stunt gp and chu-chu rocket games fine, but not my worms armegedon game. it starts up fine but goes back to the dashboard and makes some really loud annoying noise's. can you please help if you can? thank you.
my DC works fine but it makes this annoying robotic sound when the lens is moving back and force kinda like a grinding sound as if it was off it's track or something
that little thing you turn is adjusting the speed of the "potentameter" (I may have spelled it wrong?) just thought i would let you know, Its a very common & well know fix btw,
I don't think that's the laser speed. It's most likely the laser alignment. If the laser gets out of proper alignment, it won't be able to read the discs anymore. I had the same problem with my PS2, if you open that up there's a turning screw just like that and now it works again.
awesome info man i have 3 dreamcasts now but the first one i got gave me some isssues just like this. I also had to leave the dreamcast on for a couple hours to charge the internal battery since it sat for god knows how long.
the internal battery does not recharge. It will be working off your mains power instead now. you should replace it with 2x AAA batteries. it lasts a lifetime that way.
I just finished this repair on mine. It reads disks again (thanks). For recordkeeping purposes, the flat part was set to about -12 degrees from the top by default. I turned it to 0 (the flat part was completely horizontal) and it didn't read. I turned it -45 degrees and it was able to read again. So far I've tried it on two original game disks. I will report in when my dc fails to read in the future.
Which turning direction results in increased laser voltage? I found that adjusting the potentiometer in either direction resulted in disc reads. I also noticed a red marking on the potentiometer itself such that the dial and the base of the potentiometer could be made to line up; is this of any significance?
I'm not sure all I know is everyone said to start turning it clockwise, that didn't work for me so I turned it counterclockwise and its been working fine ever since.
same shit happened to me.. what i did is that i took a small gripper to grab the little screw from its sides.. then one half of the screw bended towards me.. so u shall get a solid tip where to grab the screw.. i recomend u to turn it 3 times counter clockwise.. then it shall work.. =)
It should just push back in. Either they are just squeezed in with force OR there is a plastic wedge around the outer edges that slides out a millimeter or so and then the ribbon slides in and the wedge then pushes back in and holds it.
hey, my dreamcast reads the discs, but doesn't sustain reading them! (stops spinning) can you help im trying to spin the little dial, but it won't spin plz help
That twistable screw on the laser assembly is a potentiometer that controls the voltage to the laser. Increasing the voltage to the laser will reduce the life of the laser, and even more so if the laser is already having issues.
Cleaning the laser or buying a new laser are recommended for a long term fix.
Dude... thanks so much! I have three Dreamcasts and they all needed some sort of repair.
I got my Japanese Dreamcast in Summer '06 and it's been in storage pretty much all this time. When I bought my first Japanese Dreamcast game, it wouldn't work and I wondered if it was the game or the console. I tried freezing & boiling the disc but it wouldn't work. Then I got a second Japanese game and it wouldn't work either so I knew it was the console.
Your tutorial was very helpful. The knob was in the counter-clock wise position and I actually just rotated the knob at random, not knowing when it'd stop or make a click or something... either way, I tested it and it actually read 2 games of mine that it wouldn't read before. I just don't know how to reset the knob back to its original position, if needed, since it rotates indefinitely. But your tut was helpful! Thanks again!
great vid! this was really helpful in reviving my old dreamcast! but the funny thing is that once i solved this problem another one arose... my freakin' controllers don't work!!! i've been reading tuts on how to fix it, but honestly i don't know how to do it. i need a visual aid much like this video to fix it. i don't know, if you have the time... it'll be very helpful!
Yeah I guess the controller ports "burning" out on these is not that uncommon either. They say to never put in or take out a controller when the DC is turned on.
lol i've had that problem too. one of my dreamcast controller wires was chewed through by my dog. i reconnected the wires and that shorted out the controller decks. but, there is another reason why this happens. if you hold down the l and r butons or wiggle the joystic while turning on the system, it breaks. it warns about this in almost every dreamcast game manual.
mine is a 1999 model, i've heard it's better than the newer ones, also it reads all disc just fine, but... it makes a horrible squeaking noise, and that worries me.. :(
I just got a dreamcast off ebay and it worked great for a week. After that it stopped reading discs completely. I followed your video and it works perfectly now. Thanks
i just got my second dreamcast today but it seems to have the same problem as my first one no sound just crackle & vertical lines visible on screen can anyone help me
no, just reseting but it got worse and worse until i couldn't play on it but now i love it sooooooo much. i've been playing resident evil code veronica on it!
FYI your turing up the laser which is pushing MORE power so you have a chance to burn out the laser. So your shorting the life of the laser. So I would just buy a new laser. Which you can find on ebay. Love the site!
hi everyone i have a dreamcast with a really weird problem i ran that dream explorer and as soon as it loaded the dreamcast turned off itself and it resets itself constantly i then took out the modem and it started working for like 5mins so has anyone else had this problem?? i own a UK dreamcast !!!
the problem with my dreamcast is when i turn the power on there is a buzzing sound & the picture on the tv is fuzzy does anybody know what the problem is
The reset problem is pretty common with dreamcasts... It has to do with a poor connection to the dreamcasts power board... There are plenty of tutorials online that'll show you how to fix it... It's a easy thing to fix so you shouldn't have a problem, just google for a "dreamcast resetting glitch" or something like that. You should be able to find something.
I tried this, and my Dreamcast has never read retail games better, but now it won't read cd-rs at all. Before I tried this, I had to get lucky for any game to work, including cd-rs. This fixed half my problem, but not all of it. At least it reads my retail games. Thanks.
hybridfury 1 week ago
thank you.it worked
THEEDITAUR 2 weeks ago
My 1st dreamcast had a loud squeeling sound coming from the drive. It finally froze up. I had to open it up like this & remove the top of the assembly. I covered the lazer eye with paper & regular scotch tape & jammed the edge of a straw down in the opening of the drive motor. with that in place & shot a little bit of STP Gear grease down in it & spun the motor with My finger. Put everything back together & it's still working to this very day ! :D And that was a 1st day release.
wingnut4427 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
hey my dreamcast is only reading music not games BUT ! when im in the music player it plays the audio from the official discs? what wrong?
ParanoiaGentlman 2 months ago
Dang man, you're my hero! My Dreamcast died and I was almost gonna scrap it but I used your fix and it worked first try! Awesome! :D
sidran32 2 months ago
my dreamcast wont go past the dreamcast logo screen can you help?
terrancesexton84z 2 months ago
Thanks for this. I was modding my DC to have VGA output and must have messed something up because after i was done it wouldn't play games anymore. I messed with that dial for a while expecting that i had just scratched the lens while working but one time it just worked perfectly. games load even quicker than they did before. If this doesnt work at first KEEP TRYING. it was like the 20th or so setting i tried that worked.
McSquidification 3 months ago
omg i love you dude!! thankyou!!!!
UndeadS0lder 3 months ago
Did you use the same screwdriver you used to unscrew the case to turn the dial? I find that it is a pain in the ass to get that thing to turn...
locustskater 5 months ago
@locustskater Yeah it's hard to turn I had to use a tiny flat head and wedge it inside.
MN12BIRD 5 months ago
@MN12BIRD I have a question, I bought a Japanese Launch Dreamcast from 1998 and it has a Yamaha GD-Rom Drive. I heard that Yamaha GD-Rom Drives last longer than Samsung GD-Rom Drives and have an Extremely low failure rate. Is this true?
kiltsonfire164 5 months ago
@kiltsonfire164 I wouldn't have a clue but it sounds possible.
MN12BIRD 5 months ago
@kiltsonfire164 If the drives are the same quality as my 2 Samsung monitors they will DIE!
0zfer 4 days ago
Of course it's the most unreliable part of the Dreamcast; it's the only moving part of it (save for the fan and lid).
dimmddr1 5 months ago
P.S. What game is the opening music to the video from? Sounds pretty cool, I've heard it on some AVGN videos.
trokeification 6 months ago
@trokeification Cool it's the boot up/BIOS music from a model 2 Sega CD system.
MN12BIRD 6 months ago
Last night, I was playing Sonic Adventure, and at about 1 AM, I decided to turn it off, and go to sleep. The next day, I decided that I wanted to play again, and it didn't work, so I tried to see what I could do with it. I tried this method, moving the screw both ways. It still didn't work. I turning about a tenth of a turn both ways, and eventually screwed it in as far as I could get it without breaking my hand, both ways. It still never worked. Any ideas?
trokeification 6 months ago
I have a problem. my Dreamcast won't load retail or burned games.
it also won't give a response to the controller. the VMU is recognized but the controller isn't.
YungJrokShakur 7 months ago
My first dreamcast messed up wouldnt load games like Power Stone but would load others. Found I was turning it off wrongly, I used to open the door take game out and switch it off just like I used to do with my PS 1. But the manual states you have to shut the door and wait for the dreamcast to check for a disc and then switch off. Followed this and my other dreamcast avoided this problem.
kinslowdian 7 months ago
My Dreamcast just went today! I got it for Christmas last year new and only used it a few times, kept it clean, loved it as if it was my baby. And what does it do ... it screws me over! This video is the most informitive and is the most simple. I will try it probally today. Thanks and I Subbed!
SONIC48866 7 months ago
I have been testing out the the effects of various rotatrions (counter clockwise/clockwise). It might work clockwise, but it has to be like what the sideburn man says, a 10th and maybe be a tiny over at most. If you go over or under, chances are, your laser will not function properly. Either it will stop working, or it will work but in a skipping fashion (so don't panic if you fuck up, you can always turn it back to its original setting). I will need to try this again.
9ner 8 months ago
Lol MN12BIRD I think of you as my future self smart and funny . IDK that was random but nice fix.
TheBloodyKnife1 8 months ago
thanks a lot man, bought a used dreamcast and not even music cd's would work on it. a little tweak of the screw got it reading again and now burned games work too! cheers!
jerkastan 8 months ago
THANKS @MN12BIRD YOU SAVED ME!
darklordchaosXD 10 months ago
I just bought a dreamcast used on ebay for my wife and we waited for about ten days for it to get here to find out tonight that it didnt work. I was pissed. We watched your video and now it works! Youre fucking awesome!!! Thank you!
bravefriend710 11 months ago
it increases the power going to the laser all tho this will make it read discs a hell of alot better i would not recomend it becouse it shortens the life of the laser
AwwC00L 11 months ago
Next time you make a video, turn your fucking TV off!
TorskenKurt 11 months ago
@TorskenKurt lol your an idiot
rkoguy 8 months ago
sick side burns
egbduf 1 year ago 7
the intro song....ISNT THAT THE SEGA CD INTRO MUSIC??
MrGabrielicious 1 year ago
this guy looks like leono of thundercast
iorel1982 1 year ago
@MN12BIRD A question about your issue: how, exactly, did the DC behave when it would not load the games? I have a launch DC that works great with all games but one, Crazy Taxi, has not a speck of dust or a single scratch, won't load. Tried 2 (original) copies and the same story. It also didn't load my homebrew CD-R but I'm not sure if it was burned wrong. The DC seems to freeze at the SEGA license screen during booting. Did yours freeze here as well, or elsewhere?
Aleksael 1 year ago
@Aleksael It would read real games 1/3 tries and it would read burnt games 1/5 tries. It never froze but after this it read games usually 1st try.
MN12BIRD 1 year ago
@MN12BIRD mine only reads burned games, all of my real games dont play, or very rarely play!
kingryan3000 11 months ago
i bought a copy of shemune and i got it clean and now i tried playing it the dreamcast they had t worked like a charm and i tried on my dreamcast i dosen't even work will this fix help it
brad321210 1 year ago
@brad321210 Might, make sure the lens is clean first and try another game in there too first. If it doesn't work with any games then try this
MN12BIRD 1 year ago
@MN12BIRD the lens is fine all of my bought games work like a charm i am going to get it cleaned again
brad321210 1 year ago
I know I asked the question 9 months ago, but after I beat Shenmue a few months ago, I forgot to mention, I had to do it OVER AND OVER just for all Shenmue discs to read properly, a game I could have beaten in about 2 weeks, took me half a year to beat, I'm lucky I'm this patient... I removed my save to save room on my VMU, and I beat another game, now I have to beat it again (I want to use Passport since I have internet on my DC now), I'm stuck exactly where I was at 9 months ago. :(
PIKACHU49386 1 year ago
@PIKACHU49386 Although... I would like to try again, my DC is suddenly becoming more tolerant toward my discs.
PIKACHU49386 1 year ago
thanx, the video helped, dreamcast laser fixed :)
rtype7 1 year ago
It's a variable resistor, this adjustment is called a pot adjustment, it's the same fix used for the ps1 when the fmv's skip on back ups. Adjusting the screw increases or decreases the power reaching the laser.
ste022 1 year ago
this fuckin' works... thanks dude!!!
ProdeBird 1 year ago
Yep Yep, this works Beautifly!!! :D!...thx brou.
Netz19 1 year ago
Are you an Elvis fan or something?
grim107 1 year ago
nice setup of games,im trying to redo mines......but nice vdieo
MYDRAGGIN84 1 year ago
my screw has some purple shits on it... I tried to turn the screw to the left and right but nothing worked. Do have to remove those purple shits from the screw?(because I never seen that crap on anybody elses DC consoles)
lowes48impala 1 year ago
thanks man... it worked!
vforvendetta1214 1 year ago
DUDE... I have been trying to work my dreamsnes for weeks now..... and they FINALLY work. YOU ARE THE MAN
BringinTheCody 1 year ago
That ribbon thing came out on mine... do i have to get a new dreamcast?
ParisMonroeStar 1 year ago
Can you answer my question? I bought my Dreamcast brand new off Amazon.com and I have not burned disks, I have only used real GD-ROM disks which were also brand new and are still in perfect condition. Suddenly today, my Dreamcast's drive suddenly stopped working even though it was just fine this morning. I don't even hear the drive making noises anymore, the lens doesn't even move. Will this solve the problem and is this the only solution?
Toshiro7892 1 year ago
Awesome use of the SegaCD intro theme. Very useful video, though.
Kelvari7882 1 year ago
i have a small flat head screwdrive but it wont fit grrr!!!
alexfart67 1 year ago
how do u plug in the ribbon cable i toke out the cable
wackyknux 1 year ago
ahh the dreamcast good times
19pieman 1 year ago
does your dreamcast still work now?
SeekAndDestroy999 1 year ago
It didn't work. My Dreamcast still isn't reading disks
Darkrichician84 1 year ago
It's not so simple. You got to know the right resistor values:
Yamaha - 490 Ohm
Samsung - 790 Ohm
Then use a multimeter to verify the right value of the variable resistor touching the two little pins near the potentiometer with the multimeter probes in 2k value.
Good luck.
strikerhiryu 1 year ago
i have to try this soon... my Dreamcast only reads Certain CD-Rs... and the one it doesn't read is the one i have a ton of!
SpeeBeta1 1 year ago
The sucker didnt worked :( it stopped reading discs a while ago and that method didnt worked for me.
I guess ill have to get a new one. thanks for the info though
Alientcp 2 years ago
hey, im having a problem:
my shenmue disc 3 ( and occasionaly 2) hangs on loading screens,
Usually i see (hear) it coming, the DC doesnt make that typical 'loading noise' it usually does,
there are two types of crashes for me > black screen w/music , or with Area name and music. it happens at random places and random times.
Im at the harbor/jobseeking part on d3 and played a full day after 3 (!) tries, It crashed right after saving and exiting the home,
its so hard to play it this way!!!
ikbenberberenjijniet 2 years ago
Thank you,this is a veru useful video,now its time to try and find spare parts!
helmetfan02 2 years ago
My Shenmue disk 1 will not go past the Sega logo, it just goes there and back to the main menu then it'll say Please Insert Disk or whatever... will this be the solution, I just don't wanna do it and waste my time to it not working... All of my other games work except just the first disk of Shenmue
PIKACHU49386 2 years ago 8
@PIKACHU49386 I have this problem too!
mallpunk182 2 weeks ago
I can't thank you enough for making this video!
I bought a DC and from the get go it failed to read both games and CD's. However, after watching this video and making the necessary mod, it was up and running in no time!
5/5
MauserKar98k 2 years ago
so wait... do we just turn it with a screw driver or what?
nerm0nerm 2 years ago
Thanks MN12bird! Best consel reveiwer/repairer on the internet!
caseyjoe503 2 years ago
dude i love you!!! i thought i was gonna have to buy another dreamcast....i can finally play Shenmue again! works on the first try! THANKS ALOT for posting this!
MyBabi1021 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
it worked for me! thank you!
Edgehead1132 2 years ago
my dreamcast is reading disks like a champ now!!!
glockgopop36 2 years ago
hey man i heard using cd-r is bad for your dreamcast is this true? and by the way nice intro its bad ass
illlwill420 2 years ago
Yes its harder for the laser to read and the files are often fragmented all over the disc so the lens assembly moves forward and back much more than with the real GDROM disc. Using CD-R's can shorten the life of the DC but its hard to say by how much.
MN12BIRD 2 years ago
@MN12BIRD
You are right using CD-R's in the dreamcast is bad for it as it seems to put the laser out of aliment from tech specs i have read the dreamcast only reads at a max of 4x so you must burn data on CD-R at 4x as this will mimic the same lay out as the original disk the best but a lot of people tent to burn at speeds like 16x witch spreads the data round the disk more witch means the drive has to work more to find the data witch in turn will shorten the life of the GD-ROM
arranmc182 2 years ago
i have one question, i made all the things you show to repair my dreamcast, now do i have to bring the laser assemby way front again or do i have to keep the laser assembly all the way back and don´t tough. My laser assembly was at the top of the front before
forbestain 2 years ago
i have one question, i made all the things you show to repair my dreamcast, now i want to
forbestain 2 years ago
I adjusted mine too much and messed up the drive so I had to replace the drive
HybridPineapple 2 years ago
Think I just broke mine cause I got too forceful trying to turn it lol
esm86ok 2 years ago
i can rotate this thing , it's like super hard! , i tried so hard that it has turned up , but it still works , i just can't rotate it , its too hard! anyway what did u use to rotate it , i'm asking it coz u didn't show
darksonicma 2 years ago
Yeah, I'm having the same problem--it won't budge! Phillips screwdriver does nothing and needle-nose pliers won't grip it... What tool did you use, MN12BIRD?
pandooor 2 years ago
omg , i just screwed these wires conected directly to the mini board where is the lens , it doesn't connect again . damn!!! i fucked up my dc.
darksonicma 2 years ago
Man, you saved me :P
thanks!
wolframf 2 years ago
good vid coulda been better if you were more to the point of how to fix it in the first place
ranpo677 2 years ago
Hey thanks!Your video helped me fix my Dreamcast! :)
megaspongelol 2 years ago
got some of the games to read clockwise got all of them to read counterclockwise(:! thanks nice video man!!!!!!!!!!!!!
itszack99 2 years ago
my dreamcast wont read sonic adventure
but will read marvel vs capcom 2 until level 4
then freezes
help?!!!
crammage 2 years ago
it also wont load the practice mode
help me!!
crammage 2 years ago
It's most likely the discs themselves. They are probably scratched. If not, then it's a problem with your GD-Rom drive.
eljidai 2 years ago
well actually i think its both i bought another dreamcast on craigslist for only $15
and marvel ms capcom played the same but sonic adventure played perfect, effortlessly
crammage 2 years ago
absolute genius!!!!
ijoebanksi 2 years ago
yeessss it worked my game that never plays worked on the first try
OwningTouch 2 years ago
hi, firstly, this is a great video! but can u help me please!! i took my dreamcast from czech republic back to england in the suitcase, but it stopped working ., basically right, when u put a CD in, the disc doesnt spin anymore, even when u try to move it with ur hand, like it sort of stiff.... do u know why this is happened or what i can do to rectify it!??? ? u seem to be a clever engineer!! please let me know, thanks
czechbrno 2 years ago
Thanks for the help. Clockwise worked like a charm !
conrooks 2 years ago
this works! thank the raptor jesus!
maxiodine 2 years ago
is it odd when playing a dreamcast with a burnt cd and sometimes the whole dreamcast resets and goes back to the dreamcast logo? if so, is there any way to fix it? please respond if u can. Thx.
R1derzg 2 years ago
try utopia boot disc my man
roxasnobody9 2 years ago
sorry but i meant that when i'm playing a game and in mid game it just resets for no reason. it does that when i start to play but just does that.
R1derzg 2 years ago
There are some pins on the power supply board that might be dirty, you have to clean them with alcohol. If it's not that, maybe the fan isn't spinning, if it doesn't spin, it resets
RamiroR 2 years ago
try cleaning the fan inside or taking the power supply out then cleaning the contacts and puting it back in. this fixed it for me
PANDEMONIUMDJ 2 years ago
Comment removed
x39363440845 2 years ago
lol that suppose to be your theme song on sega cd way to go!! =)
xTHExLEGEND 2 years ago
my dreamcast plays the cd-roms fine and and my stunt gp and chu-chu rocket games fine, but not my worms armegedon game. it starts up fine but goes back to the dashboard and makes some really loud annoying noise's. can you please help if you can? thank you.
confusedcockney 2 years ago
I tried CW several times with no luck, then I turned it CCW 1/10 and it worked!
fierociousGT 2 years ago
holy crap it worked! shenmue has loaded! thanks alot dude!!!
MatticusFinch1820 2 years ago
Comment removed
mackenzy123 2 years ago
sick. works like a charm. this vid's goin on my favorites. hahah
thanks man
AndyRanged 2 years ago
my DC works fine but it makes this annoying robotic sound when the lens is moving back and force kinda like a grinding sound as if it was off it's track or something
pturner561 2 years ago
2 things, where did you get the music, and 2 can I have your dc? :) lol
papercanfly 2 years ago
Music is from Sega CD/Sonic CD I believe
GlobeNinetyNine 2 years ago
Sega CD bios
PANDEMONIUMDJ 2 years ago
myne plays my cd-r back up games but wont play the origiinals how do i fix that????
TheGr8190 2 years ago
ps , I left my comment seconds before you said what it was called! lol that will teach me to leave comments before watching the whole video!
paulspydar 2 years ago
that little thing you turn is adjusting the speed of the "potentameter" (I may have spelled it wrong?) just thought i would let you know, Its a very common & well know fix btw,
paulspydar 2 years ago
I don't think that's the laser speed. It's most likely the laser alignment. If the laser gets out of proper alignment, it won't be able to read the discs anymore. I had the same problem with my PS2, if you open that up there's a turning screw just like that and now it works again.
Enfeeblement 2 years ago
awesome info man i have 3 dreamcasts now but the first one i got gave me some isssues just like this. I also had to leave the dreamcast on for a couple hours to charge the internal battery since it sat for god knows how long.
TheDevilBurning 2 years ago
the internal battery does not recharge. It will be working off your mains power instead now. you should replace it with 2x AAA batteries. it lasts a lifetime that way.
PANDEMONIUMDJ 2 years ago
hmm thanks for the info! :D
TheDevilBurning 2 years ago
i'll try this.......if it works i'll give you a premium rapidshare account
ps2buhidma 2 years ago
Thank you so much! I finally got it to work. Shenmue here i come.
whitetrashshayno 2 years ago
it worked for me! used the exact same method as shown on the video! thnx bro.
hermpie 2 years ago
I just finished this repair on mine. It reads disks again (thanks). For recordkeeping purposes, the flat part was set to about -12 degrees from the top by default. I turned it to 0 (the flat part was completely horizontal) and it didn't read. I turned it -45 degrees and it was able to read again. So far I've tried it on two original game disks. I will report in when my dc fails to read in the future.
copicfun858 2 years ago
so what do u use to turn it mine wont move!
GatCloudx 2 years ago
I used a really small flat head screw driver.
MN12BIRD 2 years ago
Well, I cant do this, my modem wont even come off...
sonicfanatic4949 2 years ago
Wow, that's great, I really appreciate this video
urotsukidoji45 3 years ago
I can't get the screw to turn... What type of tool should I use to turn it?
madewithimovie 3 years ago
I used a really small flat head that just fit on the middle.
MN12BIRD 3 years ago
Thnx for the response... I tried it with a glasses screwdriver and it worked great. I can now play Crazy Taxi again :D
madewithimovie 3 years ago
how can i turn the potentiometer?
and my disk stop turning what should i do?
eskate45 3 years ago 3
holy shit fuck
Griffonboy69 3 years ago
Your sideburns are amazing.
Kasunaga 3 years ago 2
Which turning direction results in increased laser voltage? I found that adjusting the potentiometer in either direction resulted in disc reads. I also noticed a red marking on the potentiometer itself such that the dial and the base of the potentiometer could be made to line up; is this of any significance?
Dimensiom 3 years ago
I'm not sure all I know is everyone said to start turning it clockwise, that didn't work for me so I turned it counterclockwise and its been working fine ever since.
MN12BIRD 3 years ago
You said the opposite in your video...
ChrisDodgen 3 years ago
Oh yeah it was awhile ago I did it I must have forgot.
MN12BIRD 3 years ago
how do i turn the screw?? im using a pretty smnall screw driver but it wont move
Iceboy575655 3 years ago
same shit happened to me.. what i did is that i took a small gripper to grab the little screw from its sides.. then one half of the screw bended towards me.. so u shall get a solid tip where to grab the screw.. i recomend u to turn it 3 times counter clockwise.. then it shall work.. =)
reactor4music 3 years ago
my ribbon from the disc reader came out! any ideas to get it back in?
papercanfly 3 years ago
It should just push back in. Either they are just squeezed in with force OR there is a plastic wedge around the outer edges that slides out a millimeter or so and then the ribbon slides in and the wedge then pushes back in and holds it.
MN12BIRD 3 years ago
i already tried that. it doesn't want to go back in! im really upset and i want to play itz!
papercanfly 3 years ago
hey, my dreamcast reads the discs, but doesn't sustain reading them! (stops spinning) can you help im trying to spin the little dial, but it won't spin plz help
papercanfly 3 years ago
That twistable screw on the laser assembly is a potentiometer that controls the voltage to the laser. Increasing the voltage to the laser will reduce the life of the laser, and even more so if the laser is already having issues.
Cleaning the laser or buying a new laser are recommended for a long term fix.
GGigabiteM 3 years ago
omgomg thanks so much
me and my friend spent forever trying to fix it.
you made this a great thanksgiving
<3<3<3
thankyou
YOURE FUCKING AWESOME
callmec0c0xd 3 years ago
i have a huge dreamcast problem with my old one every time i turn it on with a game in it
it shuts off and i have no idea how to fix that its probaly beyond repair
vampirehunterx23 3 years ago
cool vids man you really helped me out
vampirehunterx23 3 years ago
Awesome dude, thank you so much! My 2 Dcs are finally working again! Cant thank you enough for this!
BrodbeckChris 3 years ago
Dude... thanks so much! I have three Dreamcasts and they all needed some sort of repair.
I got my Japanese Dreamcast in Summer '06 and it's been in storage pretty much all this time. When I bought my first Japanese Dreamcast game, it wouldn't work and I wondered if it was the game or the console. I tried freezing & boiling the disc but it wouldn't work. Then I got a second Japanese game and it wouldn't work either so I knew it was the console.
And now I'm playing Ikaruga and Space Channel 5!
MrCopyrightViolator 3 years ago
now my dreamcast isnt working! it wont go past saying dreamcast!
levibg93 3 years ago
Your tutorial was very helpful. The knob was in the counter-clock wise position and I actually just rotated the knob at random, not knowing when it'd stop or make a click or something... either way, I tested it and it actually read 2 games of mine that it wouldn't read before. I just don't know how to reset the knob back to its original position, if needed, since it rotates indefinitely. But your tut was helpful! Thanks again!
MaikuSan88 3 years ago
great vid! this was really helpful in reviving my old dreamcast! but the funny thing is that once i solved this problem another one arose... my freakin' controllers don't work!!! i've been reading tuts on how to fix it, but honestly i don't know how to do it. i need a visual aid much like this video to fix it. i don't know, if you have the time... it'll be very helpful!
zomboy656 3 years ago
Yeah I guess the controller ports "burning" out on these is not that uncommon either. They say to never put in or take out a controller when the DC is turned on.
MN12BIRD 3 years ago
lol i've had that problem too. one of my dreamcast controller wires was chewed through by my dog. i reconnected the wires and that shorted out the controller decks. but, there is another reason why this happens. if you hold down the l and r butons or wiggle the joystic while turning on the system, it breaks. it warns about this in almost every dreamcast game manual.
miiwii93 3 years ago
awesome man i seen while i searching dc videos on your channel and holy fuck i can play shenmue again! thanks bro your awesome
Pootie88 3 years ago
in the beggining i thought that my sega cd emulator was still running _D_D(while i was writing this comment)
well. em, i accidentaly broke the cable between the lens and the board :S
what can i do? thankss:P
RamiroR 3 years ago
mine is a 1999 model, i've heard it's better than the newer ones, also it reads all disc just fine, but... it makes a horrible squeaking noise, and that worries me.. :(
VideoGamer945 3 years ago
try tightening the fan
spyke4995 3 years ago
Thanks so much!!!! it creeped me out removing the drive cuz i nearly broke my ps2 that way, but it was fine!!5/5
LazrPointer 3 years ago
I just got a dreamcast off ebay and it worked great for a week. After that it stopped reading discs completely. I followed your video and it works perfectly now. Thanks
KidDynamite85 3 years ago
i just got my second dreamcast today but it seems to have the same problem as my first one no sound just crackle & vertical lines visible on screen can anyone help me
6060764 3 years ago
Im starting to have the same problem. Sometimes when I turn it on it thins that the game is a music CD -.-
perinho5 3 years ago
Yeah thats what mine would do either think there was no CD and go into the menu or think it was a music CD and go to the CD player.
MN12BIRD 3 years ago
dreamcast deserves to live!
VideoGamer945 3 years ago
no, just reseting but it got worse and worse until i couldn't play on it but now i love it sooooooo much. i've been playing resident evil code veronica on it!
Skibicks123 3 years ago
i just fixed my dreamcast because it did'nt read a disc and then i cleaned it so it won't reset!
i can play my games! :D
Skibicks123 3 years ago
sweet so it was so dirty inside it was reseting? Was it overheating?
MN12BIRD 3 years ago
hehehe my DC is 10 yrs old :) and i think i have the same problem. :D
herms 3 years ago
i can't get the modem out, how did you get yours out so easily?
sonic10158 3 years ago
You have to push really hard to get the modem out.
MajinBejitto 2 years ago
I recently got my Dreamcast, it rocks! :D
perinho5 3 years ago
FYI your turing up the laser which is pushing MORE power so you have a chance to burn out the laser. So your shorting the life of the laser. So I would just buy a new laser. Which you can find on ebay. Love the site!
raptor2569 3 years ago
I had to do this same procedure to my Gamecube, your thought on the POT by the laser is correct its for laser strength.
thebonefish 3 years ago
I had my dreamcast for years and it has never had problems reading my games.
rkoguy 3 years ago
hi everyone i have a dreamcast with a really weird problem i ran that dream explorer and as soon as it loaded the dreamcast turned off itself and it resets itself constantly i then took out the modem and it started working for like 5mins so has anyone else had this problem?? i own a UK dreamcast !!!
kiel94 3 years ago
the problem with my dreamcast is when i turn the power on there is a buzzing sound & the picture on the tv is fuzzy does anybody know what the problem is
6060764 3 years ago
probly the video and one of the sound cables are slighlty out of the pulga for ur RCA outs
Durken316 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Once, I was going to buy a Sega Dreamcast-until I found something better...
Doommaster1994 3 years ago
There's something better? I was never made aware of this fact.
MN12BIRD 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
yeah, I found a GBA SP NES Edition. I thought I just had to get it...
Doommaster1994 3 years ago
Im having a similiar problem so i will try this, thanks for making this vid :)
ZombieToaster 3 years ago 2
My dreamcast has a diffrent problem, it keeps on reseting and reseting. Do you know how to fix that problem?
Skibicks123 3 years ago
The reset problem is pretty common with dreamcasts... It has to do with a poor connection to the dreamcasts power board... There are plenty of tutorials online that'll show you how to fix it... It's a easy thing to fix so you shouldn't have a problem, just google for a "dreamcast resetting glitch" or something like that. You should be able to find something.
ThisIsEDX 3 years ago
No never heard of that problem. I wonder if it's just overheating. Does the fan spin and is the system clean inside??
MN12BIRD 3 years ago