Classic gaming hardware failure, has it happened to you?

[ifkz]

So, I was happily playing my TurboExpress over lunch at work, having a great time with Raiden on the go. First game went well, and I turned off the system. At next power up, the screen was active, but blank. Uh oh...the major screen cap had died! Just a few minutes after I shut it down; no warning or anything. I got home and a few minutes with a soldering iron and a new 4.7 uf high heat cap fixed my issue. But..wow! I bought this used several years ago, fixed the sound cap and it had been running like a top, and as sturdy as a tank. Now, it died, just like that. Happy I could fix it, but this makes me want to have two of every classic console now. Anyone run into a similar issue?

[VideoGameRescue]

I have the same problem with mine at the moment. I haven't gotten around to fixing it yet

[icbrkr]

It's a known issue on TG systems. I've had to replace my audio caps on my PC Engine Duo.

[retroman]

my Lynx 2 just went up..luckly i have a lynx 1 also..

[123►Genei-Jin]

My Sega Nomad LCD is burnt and I need to replace it but I'm not sure which LCD I should pick.
Also My SNES jr cart slot is starting to fail, I sometimes need to put a piece of cardboard in front of my carts so that it pushes the cart towards the back of the slot in order to make them work.
Also the RF shield on my X-eye was so rusted I threw it up, not knowing it probably helped jumping a contact somewhere the CD drive stopped working after that (I need to find what contacts I need to jump so I can fix it)
Other than that the only other problem I've ever had is pretty common, I had to replace the rubber band on my Twn Famicom's disk drive.

[BetaWolf47]

The backlight on a GameGear I bought in 2006 popped about a year after I got it.

[swlovinist]

happens to me all the time. Since I collect most everything, I dont really get to frustrated anymore. I currently have about 4 dead astrocades, Amigas with issues, and a couple of Vic 20s that are on the fritz. I am currently testing my pong units/clones and so far 20 of 25 that I have unboxed are functional.

[The 1 2 P]

To this day after decades of gaming the only system to ever fail on me was my original Nes. Everything else has stayed strong, from the Genesis to the current 360, PS3 and Wii.

[Gameguy]

A Vectrex died on me within an hour of playtime, and a PS2 stopped reading PS2 games on me. I'll have to think if there were any more.

[FieryReign]

Had a Turboduo awhile back that I tried to keep in perfect condition. Treated the thing like an antique, I didn't even look at it the wrong way. Unfortunately, the audio took a dump on me. It still bothers me to this day, years after I sold it.

[markusman64ds]

My Game Gear no longer runs on batteries.

[marlowe221]

It hasn't happened to me yet.

But I plan to learn how to solder....

[Graham Mitchell]

Yeah, I had a turbo duo with leaky caps. When I opened it up it had corroded most of the board and the audio circuit was fried.

Also, the disc drive on my cd32 went out last year. I don't feel like replacing it so I've been using winuae. It's nice, but not every game works :(

[Nz17]

It hasn't happened to me yet. But I plan to learn how to solder....

Ha ha ha, at second glance I knew what you meant, but when I first read this I interpreted it as, "It hasn't happened to me yet. But I plan to learn how to solder.... so that will kill it." LOL

[sloan]

I had an Intellivision console with a wonky picture. Took the case apart and tried adjusting the pot on the RFU unit. Next thing you know, the adjuster screw stuck in the down position and seized. I cannot get the thing to back out (actually did physical damage to the RFU trying) and all the output picture is now is static and snow. Does anyone know if an A/V mod kit is available for Intellivision? Short of installing a replacement RFU on the main board, modding for composite output seems like the answer for this console.

[wiggyx]

Blown caps is a pretty typical problem with most electronics at a certain age. Hell, my 5 year old Samsung LCD blew 3 caps last year, and those bastards were the size of my thumb.

[SEGA_Queen]

I've had only two instances where my classic systems have failed:

1) My Genesis Model 1's RF cable was dying, and causing the graphics to display in black and white. Fortunately, my Dad was able to fix it.

2) My Sega CD just up and died one day. My Dad took it apart, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong. I ended up using an emulator to play my SCD collection instead.

[sloan]

I've had only two instances where my classic systems have failed:

1) My Genesis Model 1's RF cable was dying, and causing the graphics to display in black and white. Fortunately, my Dad was able to fix it.

2) My Sega CD just up and died one day. My Dad took it apart, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong. I ended up using an emulator to play my SCD collection instead.

Sega CD's have a power fuse internal that go out. Might be a simple fix.

[DragonMaster Sam]

A little over four years ago, I decided to play a game on my Super Nintendo. And when I turned on the system, all I got was just a blank screen. So one weekend when I was at my brother's, I took my SNES to Estarland, and they discovered a broken chip or something inside. It would take a couple weeks for me to get it back, but in the meantime, bought an FC Twin.

[Genesaturn]

Just had both of my Game Gear's go. One still plays fine but the sound has become so low I can't hear it..I know how to fix it..but I been slacking. The other turns on and I get sound, but the picture is faded black...pretty sure I can fix that issue to...again..need to not be lazy on it lol.

[Gameguy]

I just repaired a Dreamcast last night that was continually resetting. I originally thought the video and audio was having problems because a VGA box was dying, after tracking down a proper AV cable I realized the problem was with the actual system.

[BricatSegaFan]

My ps1 scph 1001 just clicks and spins a little when a disc is inserted. The system powers on but can't read any kind of disc. Still can't figure it out

[BlastProcessing402]

My TurboCD's drive portion (not the whole dock thing) broke. Fortunately TurboZone Direct sold replacements for just that portion.

Not sure it counts for this topic, since they weren't really classic yet when it happened, but my full sized PSX and PS2 both wound up with lens issues and had to be replaced with their smaller sized versions. Similarly, my Dreamcast that stopped reading GD-ROM but would still read CD-R.

Also have a PSP (does it count as classic since Vita's around?) has weird splotches in the screen. Not dead/stuck pixels, not dirt, grime, nothing that can be wiped away, but inside the actual LCD. Looks gross as hell, but still works.

[TimTendo]

My SNES's AC adapter port had broken when I got a bit rough taking the cord out about a month ago, so I had to try and fix that. First problem was the (not really needed until now) special drill bit it used. Once I got one of those, I had to buy a replacement one of those back panels, and the only one I could find was the Hyperkin brand one. But after some tussling with the thing and finally getting to replace it, the ol' Super is back to normal ^^

...huh, come to think of it, that's probably the only major hardware fault the SNES has. And going by what one of my friends said, it's pretty hard to have it accidentally happen... damn, Super Nintendos are like trucks! XD

[Xexyz]

I had a Master System suddenly not power up anymore. Probably a bad voltage resistor, but I don't have a soldering iron and no electronics repair experience so I didn't want to fix it Seeing as I have a Power Base Converter, I just sold it off.

[Gameguy]

I forgot about the Master System. I had one that I was testing out and it stopped reading all games, it just has some error message display on screen. The built in game still works fine but it doesn't play any cart games for some reason. I only got to test out 3 or 4 games on it before it stopped working. I have to see about getting it repaired.