Sega Genesis Won't Play Games

[jfracer03]

So I recently bought a genesis and the cable that plugged into the cable port on the tv didn't work, so I bought the audio/video cable. The system turns on and the tv says "produced by or licensed under..." and then goes black and stays black. I cleaned the tabs and everything and that's still the furthest I get.

Is there anyway to fix this?

[Dangerboy]

What game were you trying, and which model Genesis. If you can, insert the game and push firmly down so it's 100% flush, and then pull up ever so gently so it's just not flush. I had a Model 1 that refused to play anything unless you did that little tug.

[jfracer03]

It's a model 1 and every game I have, sonic, mortal combat II, and nba jam will not play, and I tried that tug thing and still no luck

[Dangerboy]

Are any of the 'teeth' in the genesis cart slot too far sunk in?

[jfracer03]

All the little teeth, tabs or whatever you want to call them look to be where they should be, none are sunk in.

[Squeept]

Did you clean the game connector inside the system? Cleaning kits are fairly cheap. If you want to try something immediately without waiting for delivery, try this: clean the game pins with rubbing alcohol on a q-tip, but then don't dry it off. Instead, insert it in to the system and remove it completely 10 times or so. Then use a clean, dry q-tip and clean off the game pins. Repeat the insertion/removal another 10 times or so, and clean the game with another dry q-tip. Repeat until everything seems dry. Then leave it sit for a few minutes just to be sure. Then fire it up and try again.

[Oldskool]

another thing that works on the cart slot is you take a t-shirt or something you don't wear, wrap it around a credit card, dip the end of the card in some rubbing alcohol, and insert it into the cart slot, up and down a few times, and side to side as well. Works really well since you are kind of scrubbing it.

[jfracer03]

Well I will try each method as soon as I get some rubbing alcohol, unless there is another liquid that will work just as well?

[Oldskool]

A little bit of water wont kill it just don't use soap and make sure its fully dried before using it.

[jfracer03]

So I tried cleaning it like everyone said and I still have the same problem

[APE992]

Clean the cartridge contacts as well. Then blow into the cart slot for kicks. I'm pretty sure it just dislodges dust but hey it works virtually every time I've ever done it over the last 20+ years.

The fact the that screen is coming up means the Genesis is recognizing that there is a cart in the slot and can read a bit of the ROM chip too. Otherwise it would come up as a black screen.

BTW, if my assumption is correct the reason you didn't get a picture at first was because that single plug in the back is for RF. You would need an adapter to hook it up to the coaxial jack on your TV or convert it into a composite signal (yellow wire).

[jfracer03]

I've cleaned the system and the games a bunch of times already and it's plugged into my tv with the audio/video cable.

[APE992]

Then it could be a pin or 20 that aren't coming in contact with the cartridge properly.

What are you using to clean them exactly?