Genesis Model 2 Sound and Freezing Issues

[Coreykun667]

Ok, so I bought a model 2 Genesis off a friend of mine yesterday for about 30 bucks. The only game it came with was Sonic 2. Upon plugging it in at home, I realized that the game would often have static noises coming in and out sometimes. Then after a while, the audio just hung. It would play when paused too. Now, the gameplay itself is fine, all the levels work perfectly. Now on the Genesis 6-pak, the menu music would get all wonky and sped-up sounding and then the music would lock up again. Is this remedied by cleaning, or is it something far worse? :help:

Edit: Upon further investigation, there appears to be crackling audio, and then everything seems quieter than usual. The power port on the back appears to be finicky also. The power indicator light sometimes seems dim, and the console won't power on. I have to jiggle it a bit to get it to get it to turn on. So is everything going wrong due to it not getting enough juice? I hope I didn't pay 30 dollars for a pile of rubbish and a game I already own..*_*

[JakeM]

Well, the thing is around 20 years old. It had a good run. You should ask for your money back.

[Edmond Dantes]

It might possibly just be that the game is dirty. I've had cases where I bought a game used, and it had audio issues, but after intense cleaning (like, usually several times) it would work fine.

Also, and this is really basic so excuse me if I sound daft... are you using an RF Switch, or the red-white-yellow cables? My Genny used to have so many problems and they all turned out to be because of the RF Switch. When I started using the other thing, all its problems ceased.

EDIT: For some reason I didn't see the part about your power connector the first time... if that feels loose, then it probably is your problem. You can probably use a soldering iron to fix it (but if you're not familiar with such things, I would definitely hand that job over to an expert)

[Coreykun667]

It might possibly just be that the game is dirty. I've had cases where I bought a game used, and it had audio issues, but after intense cleaning (like, usually several times) it would work fine.

Also, and this is really basic so excuse me if I sound daft... are you using an RF Switch, or the red-white-yellow cables? My Genny used to have so many problems and they all turned out to be because of the RF Switch. When I started using the other thing, all its problems ceased.

EDIT: For some reason I didn't see the part about your power connector the first time... if that feels loose, then it probably is your problem. You can probably use a soldering iron to fix it (but if you're not familiar with such things, I would definitely hand that job over to an expert)

I use the composite cables, but I plan on switching to RGB scart soon. Anyway, yeah. I think I might have a soldering iron around the house still. I cleaned the slot, but to no avail. I know it can't be the reason why the 6 pak is going haywire, so yeah it must be a power issue. Got a link to a good guide for me to solder the power connector?

[Polygon]

If you have to ask for a guide, I suggest you have someone that has soldering experience do it for you. However, if you're dead set on doing it yourself then it's pretty simple. Just use a sucker or some desoldering braid to remove the old solder. Then add some new solder to each of the points. Make sure none of the points are touching. Also, while you have it open I would inpspect all the capacitors and make sure nothing has leaked onto the PCB and started to corrode things. Also, look for bulging caps as well.

[Coreykun667]

It's weird cause it'll seem fine at first, and then the sound issues come up. I don't even touch the console and it does it... As for a guide, all I pretty much needed to know was where to solder, but then again, if I opened up the console, it'd be fairly obvious of the location.

[Coreykun667]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg9HeooIirQ I do have a video now. I didn't really go for shooting a video of the screen itself, but just the audio. The audio sometimes had a crackle here and there and then it would hang, resulting in what you have in the video, until it finally froze. Excuse the lame video though... :embarrassed:

[Coreykun667]

If you have to ask for a guide, I suggest you have someone that has soldering experience do it for you. However, if you're dead set on doing it yourself then it's pretty simple. Just use a sucker or some desoldering braid to remove the old solder. Then add some new solder to each of the points. Make sure none of the points are touching. Also, while you have it open I would inpspect all the capacitors and make sure nothing has leaked onto the PCB and started to corrode things. Also, look for bulging caps as well.

By the way, if the capacitors are or going out, would it even be worth fixing?

[Polygon]

By the way, if the capacitors are or going out, would it even be worth fixing?

If you're looking to resell it, that depends on a lot of things like how much you bought it for. If you're looking to simply enjoy it for yourself, you have to ask what your time is worth if and if you have enough soldering experience. Also, it largely depends on how much damage they've done. If they've leaked all over the PCB and the fluid has eaten through traces and such, maybe not. Buying a capacitor kit is cheap. But it's all about how much your time is worth and what you want to do with it.