SMS Woes

[alec006]

So I decided to dust off my old Sega Master System and play a few games on it. Sonic,Alex Kidd and many more. Then I started playing James Bond The Duel and what the hell,the graphics started glitching out randomly. (Picture & Links below show the Problem)

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/darkknux_2006/DCP_0107.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/darkknux_2006/DCP_0108.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/darkknux_2006/DCP_0109.jpg

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/darkknux_2006/DCP_0111.jpg

The odd thing is,it even does it in the demos for the game and when you move the screen up or down it goes back to being normal then does it again. I tried this game on my Power Base converter and there's absolutely no graphics glitches at all. None of my other games seem to have any graphics glitches either and I have cleaned my SMS inside and out. I'm just wondering,what in the Sega Master System could cause this and how can I fix it? Thanks in advance for the help!

[dreamcaster]

This is usually caused by the game's cartridge connector not communicating clearly with the console's cartridge connector.

Make sure the game cart is clean - open it up and see if maybe the onboard capacitor has blown.

The only times I see garbled displays like this is when the cartridge/console connector is dirty or not properly inserted.

[alec006]

Well I just opened up the SMS and the whole underside of the board is coated in some kind of oil like substance. It's everywhere and its nasty. The previous owner did say he kept it in a garage so that would explain that. Question is how to get this crap off without hurting the board.

[dreamcaster]

Just start with a damp cloth and then work from there before using anything harsher.

[Compute]

Put some waterproof tape over the labels, toss it in the dishwasher. Throw the case in there right away, too. Air dry, then bake the board in an oven at a low temp for a few hours to evaporate the moisture. That's what we do at work, although with specialized board washing equipment. If people can reflow bgas with a toaster oven we put pcbs in a household dishwasher, right?

[Typhoon_Timmy]

You can clean it with a cloth, just use 91% alcohol, you don't want to leave too much water on electronics... if the pin connectors at the bottom are dirty, use one of those green scrub pads and alcohol to clean it. Dirty pins are usually the cause of graphic problems, but sometimes the chips go out. Good luck.

I work at a retro video game store, the owner in a electronics engineer, and I fix this kind of problem VERY often. PM if you have any questions, or if you want send me a picture of the board and i can tell you what might be your best solution.

[jb143]

Put some waterproof tape over the labels, toss it in the dishwasher. Throw the case in there right away, too. Air dry, then bake the board in an oven at a low temp for a few hours to evaporate the moisture. That's what we do at work, although with specialized board washing equipment. If people can reflow bgas with a toaster oven we put pcbs in a household dishwasher, right?

We use household dishwashers here at work. There's probally not much to worry about but I'm not sure I'd put dirty electronics in one I plan to continue to use for home use though. Same with a toaster oven. Have you smelled the nasty odors comming out of a reflow oven? I wouldn't want that settling on my food the next day.

Anyways, I'd probally start by cleaning with alcohol, a rag, and maybe a toothbrush(also not one planned for future home use;)).

[Oldskool]

See if the built in game on the Master System works. If it does then you likely have a cartridge slot issue.

That substance may probably be leaking capacitors. If that's the case then you'll have to clean off the mobo and replace all the caps that are leaking.

[alec006]

Just start with a damp cloth and then work from there before using anything harsher.

Well,I did that,some brown substance came off but it still looked shiny/oily to me.


Put some waterproof tape over the labels, toss it in the dishwasher. Throw the case in there right away, too. Air dry, then bake the board in an oven at a low temp for a few hours to evaporate the moisture. That's what we do at work, although with specialized board washing equipment. If people can reflow bgas with a toaster oven we put pcbs in a household dishwasher, right?

I thought about that,but,it's my only Sega Master System so I can't really replace it right now.


See if the built in game on the Master System works. If it does then you likely have a cartridge slot issue. That substance may probably be leaking capacitors. If that's the case then you'll have to clean off the mobo and replace all the caps that are leaking.

The Snail Maze game works fine with no issues. I am willing to bet its the cartridge slot somehow but it is odd how every other game I have works perfectly with no issues. And I checked all the capacitors all of them are great and not leaking.

[Oldskool]

Oh, didn't realize it was all the games except for James Pond. Most likely then it is the game. Did you try cleaning the pins on the game? Do they appear dirty? Might just be a defective game, maybe the game it'self has a bad cap or something.

[alec006]

Oh, didn't realize it was all the games except for James Pond. Most likely then it is the game. Did you try cleaning the pins on the game? Do they appear dirty? Might just be a defective game, maybe the game it'self has a bad cap or something.

James Bond The Duel actually is the game lol,but here's the real weird thing,it works absolutely perfect with no glitches at all in the PowerBase Converter,so it leads me to believe something in the SMS is causing the problem,just the idea of the library of 30 games I have for the SMS,none of them have any problems at all when played,it's a real mystery to me.

[Oldskool]

Oh it works in the PBC? Man I need to read your posts a little closer next time sorry about that. Well damn - I dunno then, that's just strange. Normally it's the other way around, stuff won't work on the PBC, and will on the SMS.

[todesengel]

Is James Bond The Duel a PAL game? I know that there are a few PAL games that don't play properly on the model 1 US SMS.

[alec006]

Is James Bond The Duel a PAL game? I know that there are a few PAL games that don't play properly on the model 1 US SMS.

Yep,it's a PAL game, it has the most popular European languages on the back. That would make sense.

[Oldskool]

Haha wow so that was it? It was a PAL game? Well at least nothing is broke then.

[alec006]

Haha wow so that was it? It was a PAL game? Well at least nothing is broke then.

Yea,I'm glad its just a stupid region error,and I don't play that game often,I just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong with my SMS. Thanks everyone for all their help.