Help! Dead Saturn. Any ideas?

[cd1]

Hi Guys,
I'm new around here and i'm in need of some help from you knowledgable people.
Yesterday i decided to get my UK Saturn down from the wardrobe where it's been in retirement for five years since the Dreamcast came along.
I was very disappointed to find that it no longer works which is strange as it worked fine before it was packed away in it's original packaging and has been untouched since.

The problem is as follows:-

When switching on, the green L.E.D illuminates, and the disc twitches slightly once and then fails to spin.
I have had a look inside and can confirm that the fuse is ok, the lid switch is functioning correctly, and the motor spins when a small voltage is applied to it from an external power source. The PCB is clean and there are no signs of any damaged or burnt components.
I have owned this console from new. It has never been modified and has only been used with original games.
Has anyone come across this problem before, or have any idea what the problem may be?
I would be grateful for any help or advice.
Please help me revive my saturn!
Thanks in advance for your time.
Regards.
Chris.

[Slate]

Is there any dust in it? Just a guess, Considering that dust might jam it up.

Where did you store it?

Was the area that you stored it Dry?

[cd1]

Hi slate,
There is no sign of any dust either internally or externally.
It was stored in a bedroom on top of the wardrobe in all of it's original packaging (as it came from the shop).
I get the impression that there could be a power supply problem as it doesn't seem to have enough to make it spin. Either that or the motor is not getting a signal to start up. There is definitely 240 v going into the unit though.
Anyone else have any ideas? x_x

Chris.

[chaoticjelly]

Hi Chris,

Does the laser head move initially?

Im not 100% sure but I believe if the laser head was calibrated incorrectly it may result in a problem such as this..

I believe there is an optimal distance between laser head and game disc - if the distance is too far, the laser wont be able to read the disc at all, and I suppose if this was the case with a Saturn, the last head would move to try and read the country code of the disc, the head would be too far away and unable to read it, so the disc would not spin?

After a little googling I came up with this website that might help.. try at your own risk however I wouldnt want to be blamed for a Saturns death

http://www.mrvfone.com.au/sega/saturn.htm

Seems you should carefully adjust a small potentiometer... maybe take a photo before you adjust it so you can move it back if need be?

Hope this helps and good luck!
If your not successful, ive got some Saturns.. UK models.. but with JAP/US/UK switch and 50/60HZ mods fitted.

[cd1]

Hi Chaoticjelly,

Thanks for your input.
I've found that the laser will very occasionaly move (towards centre) when switching the unit on and off several times but it's very intermittent. it doesn't make any difference to the disc though. It still doesn't spin.
It just seems to be incrementally inching it's way round (minute movements) and i can hear a little click each time it inches.
I've tried the laser adjustment but still no joy.
The only other thing that has occurred to me is that i think the box was stored vertically. Maybe this has caused a problem with the laser.

[chaoticjelly]

Thats very odd :/

When I got my Dreamcast, it was left in the loft in its box for a couple of years,

I got it out minty fresh and it was dead lol. The laser somehow broke when it was in my loft!!

Hmm if I was you id have a fiddle around inside the case, but of course be careful and not when its plugged in.

It may be a power issue?? Check everything inside is securely plugged in? or just have a poke around see if anything looks amiss