Sega CD - dead (?)

[dreamcaster]

During my recent trip to the United States, I stopped by the DP Store in NJ and picked up a model 1 Genesis/Sega CD combination. It worked perfectly when I bought it and I tested it for ages, packed it up and left it at that.

On the final leg of our trip, I went to just check it was okay again, but it seems to have died (the Genesis is ok still). It first started with a small amount of smoke and heat coming from the rear of the unit where the power socket connects but it would still power up. I checked the internals of the unit today, and I noticed a little scorching on a capacitor near the power socket - but the unit seemed to still function. I then also noticed that one of the ribbon cables (the one that connects the CD drive PCB to the mainboard) was partially disconnected - I reconnected it and tried the unit again. It worked, and the tray responded but it wouldn't read any discs.

After a few more startup/shutdowns the Sega CD no longer powers up whatsoever (no lights, no drive response).

My query is - what exactly has gone wrong, is it that capacitor that's the problem, or has the drive died entirely? Are there any parts that are interchangeable with the Sega CD II (which I have a spare of)? Anyone aware of anywhere I can get spare parts from?

Or is this Sega CD just completely dead and should I just cut my losses and move on?

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

Welcome to the world of Sega CD ownership. I don't think Sega built them to last this long, and they were first generation CD units, so they have more problems than any other system out there. I think they are the only systems that can break when they are not in use.

I have spent countless hours digging on the Web trying to repair my Sega CDs, but I never heard about one smoking, so I don't have much to suggest as far as repair. You didn't accidentally use the wrong power adaptor for the CD unit, did you?

If your efforts to revive you system fail, at least you can put it in a scrap box and buy another one. You may someday need the parts to fix you next Sega CD system.

If you do fix your unit, make sure to stop by and tell us how you did it. There needs to be more repair information on the Web and these forums stay on the Web for a long time.
I wish somebody out there would create a website specifically for repairing Sega CDs. I'm sure there are many Sega CDs being thrown away each day because people don't know how to repair them.

Good luck with you repair.

[dreamcaster]

Nah, power supplies are standard Sega 9 and 10V units (I am still in the US, but Hawaii - so the mains voltage isn't an issue yet, but there aren't many resources at my disposal).

It's just really disappointing because model 1 Sega CD's are practically non-existent in Australia and I was really happy to get my hands on one. Even on eBay Australia, they very rarely appear and when they do, they go for several hundred dollars.

Oh well, I'm still looking forward to mating my newly acquired Genesis with my Mega CD II (via Datel CDX cart). I have a Japanese version of Sonic CD that has never run quite right in 50Hz.

It's a shame really because whoever served me at the DP store said that it does have a warranty and if I have any problems to bring it back - unfortunately, that's not really feasible now (more so once I am home in Australia).

But you're right, I should probably keep it for spare parts.

[raylydiard]

just replace with 2.5 amp fuse and it will power on

[dreamcaster]

I might try that when I get back to Australia. This doesn't solve the drive issues I was having though.