Landstalker (Genesis) Not Playing (Edit, 2024 - Fixed.)

[Aussie2B]

Some games won't start up if the battery is dead or missing. It's not that it damaged anything else, it's just that the battery has to be replaced before the game will function again. I couldn't say if Landstalker is one such game, though. Most games with batteries aren't like that.

[Niku-Sama]

Maybe it has a restraining order?

[Slate]

OK, long time since the last replies, but I found this Youtube video maybe a week ago. In short (no pun intended,) some games might have a broken diode. If you identify where that is, you can solder in a 1k Resistor in-between that point and a Ground, then the game should boot.

I haven't tried this with Landstalker yet, but it is a possibility.

- Austin

[Slate]

OK, long time since the last replies, but I found this Youtube video maybe a week ago. In short (no pun intended,) some games might have a broken diode. If you identify where that is, you can solder in a 1k Resistor in-between that point and a Ground, then the game should boot.

I haven't tried this with Landstalker yet, but it is a possibility.

- Austin

OK, nearly 5 years after purchasing this game, now I found out that the video I linked in 2022 is accurate. The 1k resistor method worked to fix this otherwise dead Genesis game, and the save battery even seems to work as it is.



(click to make this bigger.)

Color Guide:

Orange Circles and 1 Orange Line = The part where I held the Positive Lead on, or a part that I'm certain is attached to the same tracing.
Green = A part that gives a positive reading in response to the positive lead.
Yellow = A place that gives a negative reading.
Red = A place that either doesn't give a reading, or is attached so directly that it's as if it doesn't give a reading.

Purple = Where I put the 1k resistor after putting all other colors down, thus making the Red parts only indicative of what things would be without the resistor. (Resistor not pictured.)

If you have any dead Genesis Cartridges, give the Youtube Guide that I linked previously a try. It worked very nicely for me.

- Austin