JVC X eye won't load Sega CD discs...

[Graham Mitchell]

...or any discs for that matter.

I got it in the mail today. It turns on just fine, but the bios constantly thinks that the disc drive door is open. I tried looking for the switch that's triggered when the door shuts, and it appears that it's stuck in a depressed position, from what I can tell.

Any advice, guys? Or should I send this back to the seller along with some hate mail?

[evildragon]

hmm, i really don't know what to recommend in this situation. i'd say replace it. a picture?

[Graham Mitchell]

Well, oddly enough, I tried to play detective and take the thing apart. Initially I thought it was a fruitless venture, but when I screwed the case back on the trigger had magically fixed itself and now it's running great (popful mail) and awful (microcosm) games without issue. Sorry to waste your time. I guess this thing must have been sitting in somebody's closet for 10 years and some dried up nastiness must have gotten the button stuck. Thanks for looking at the thread, though. I'll be sure to post angrily should I have more issues with it.

[Dungeon Master]

From one X'EYE owner to another, those switches have been known to go bad after a while. I had the same problem with mine and (while I cannot seem to locate the link discussing the matter), there exists a permanent fix for it. Essentially, you short out the switch so the X'EYE thinks the door is always closed; the downside is that you'll have to load a disc before powering on the system, and opening the door will not kill the motor which spins the disc.

Sucks, but, it's worked so far for me.

[Graham Mitchell]

thanks for the heads up! I'll have to google that and then go get a soldering gun, because it's an amazing machine, actually. Sounds considerably better than my Altered Beast Genny, and the sound mixing on the Sega CD's is a bit more dynamic. Plus, I'm used to a generation-1 Sega CD that crashes if you look at it funny. Imagine that, I can play for an hour without having to power cycle. Amazing!

Anyway, I think it's a great machine and I'd like to keep it functional.

[InsaneDavid]

From one X'EYE owner to another, those switches have been known to go bad after a while. I had the same problem with mine and (while I cannot seem to locate the link discussing the matter), there exists a permanent fix for it. Essentially, you short out the switch so the X'EYE thinks the door is always closed; the downside is that you'll have to load a disc before powering on the system, and opening the door will not kill the motor which spins the disc.

Sucks, but, it's worked so far for me.

If you're going to go through the trouble of shorting out the switch leads, you might as well just replace the switch. I have a tutorial on the repair at my site, or a direct link to it here.

Shorting it is a great way to check if that's all the problem is before replacing the switch however. I've also noticed that on some systems the plastic plunger in the top half of the shell that depresses the switch gets stuck or worn, which is probably what happened with Graham Mitchell's system.

[Dungeon Master]

If you're going to go through the trouble of shorting out the switch leads, you might as well just replace the switch. I have a tutorial on the repair at my site, or a direct link to it here.

Shorting it is a great way to check if that's all the problem is before replacing the switch however. I've also noticed that on some systems the plastic plunger in the top half of the shell that depresses the switch gets stuck or worn, which is probably what happened with Graham Mitchell's system.

THIS! Yours was the site I was trying to find earlier; I suppose I just massively overlooked it in google. Sorry about that.

For me, the only reason I didn't replace the switch altogether was that my hands are very shaky as it is, so shorting it out was the only thing I felt comfortable doing; hardware stuff gets to be too challenging for me sometimes, especially when dealing with intricate little plastic pieces.

And while on the topic of X'EYEs, might you know what would cause the system to slow down constantly (i.e. whenever a game is being played)? Mine's been having trouble with slowing down during CD games, and Genesis games are just crap to play, altogether. Sonic 3 plays like I have a slow-motion switch on, as does just about every other game. Further, when playing Genesis games, I get no sound; sound does, however, work when the music is coming off of the CD, like if I play the CD player or listen to music while playing a CD game. I've ben told it's a capacitor issue, but I have no real clue. Thoughts?

[Graham Mitchell]

THIS! Yours was the site I was trying to find earlier; I suppose I just massively overlooked it in google. Sorry about that.

For me, the only reason I didn't replace the switch altogether was that my hands are very shaky as it is, so shorting it out was the only thing I felt comfortable doing; hardware stuff gets to be too challenging for me sometimes, especially when dealing with intricate little plastic pieces.

And while on the topic of X'EYEs, might you know what would cause the system to slow down constantly (i.e. whenever a game is being played)? Mine's been having trouble with slowing down during CD games, and Genesis games are just crap to play, altogether. Sonic 3 plays like I have a slow-motion switch on, as does just about every other game. Further, when playing Genesis games, I get no sound; sound does, however, work when the music is coming off of the CD, like if I play the CD player or listen to music while playing a CD game. I've ben told it's a capacitor issue, but I have no real clue. Thoughts?

Problems like this are common with the turbo Duo, where it definitely is a capacitor issue, but the problems is actually just the opposite--the red book audio is rendered inaudible while the sound from HuCards and all sound effects in CD games are fine. Mine currently has this issue and I need to get it repaired.

@InsaneDavid: Thanks for the links! When I get a chance I'll have to dig into this.

[Sonicwolf]

Well, oddly enough, I tried to play detective and take the thing apart. Initially I thought it was a fruitless venture, but when I screwed the case back on the trigger had magically fixed itself and now it's running great (popful mail) and awful (microcosm) games without issue. Sorry to waste your time. I guess this thing must have been sitting in somebody's closet for 10 years and some dried up nastiness must have gotten the button stuck. Thanks for looking at the thread, though. I'll be sure to post angrily should I have more issues with it.

Exactly what happened to me when I got my XEYE off of eBay. Just took off the cover, found the pinswitch, it was popped up and I stuck the cover back on. Worked fine afterwards. Fixed itself. the plastic that depressed the lid trigger must have become unseated in transport.