Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

Before I leave my DC in someone's else hands and risk myself being cheated and my wallet being raped, I tought it would be good to ask about this problem here and learn about it's severity.

Well, when I turn my DC on, the laser refuses to move. I can hear it trying a few times, then giving up, so it can't read *any* disc.

After a few tries, turning the DC on and off several times, and turning it around while turning it on, sometimes giving it a gentle slap after turning on, the laser comes back to life, and it reads the disc.

No problems after this - it'll run games and play audio CDs without problems -, and after some play time, I can change discs without hassle.

I dissaembled my whole DC, cleaned everything up, assembled it again, to no avail. Odd is: the laser tray motor seems to work ok, because it'll properly pull the laser back to the start position when I turn it on, but the darned thing won't perform the usual reading movement before I stress myself a bit.

Anyone had similar problems? Is this easily fixable (aka: cheap), or does it requires a total replacement of the GD-ROM bay (ouch!)?
 
Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

A friend of mine now has the same problem. We can't figure anything out either... sorry :(
 
Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

I too have this problem with my dc. I figure I'll introduce it to a freeway overpass at around 80 MPH sometime soon.
 
Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

Chances are the grease on the drive mechanism (the white goo) is dried up and getting less slippery. This would cause the drive to stick in place until you whack it and get it moving. You can try greasing up the drive or get a new one for like $20 from the many online stores out there. Look here for the part (near the bottom).
 
Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

Originally posted by Scared0o0Rabbit@Sep 12, 2003 @ 04:13 PM

I too have this problem with my dc. I figure I'll introduce it to a freeway overpass at around 80 MPH sometime soon.

haha :D

send me the shell from it first

I want an extra to try to paint black :)
 
Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

Hmm, I had a similar problem with one of my DC's once. I found that opening the lid when the power's off and 'clicking' the lens (that is, moving it very slightly) towards the center of the drive got it to work correctly pretty often. Strangely enough, the problem went away after awhile. I think the lens wasn't finding its start position correctly/couldn't move there, as suggested above. Might be worth a shot.
 
Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

If you live in the GTA, you might as well just goto an import store and find a replacement Lens. You could get it cheaper that way. The last time I checked some places also had SS lenses, though that was long time ago. All the stores probably dont' carry them anymore, less you get one to order from HK.
 
Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

I had a sony discman that used to do what u are talking about.. Sometimes the laser would get stuck at either the very begging or the very end of the track. If I turned the unit off and slightly nudged the laser up (like mentioned above) the laser would then operate perfectly until it was shut off for some extended time period..

I realize this isnt a dc and probably has several mechanic differences but its worth a shot.
 
Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

Originally posted by Trenton net@Sep 17, 2003 @ 07:51 AM

If you live in the GTA, you might as well just goto an import store and find a replacement Lens. You could get it cheaper that way. The last time I checked some places also had SS lenses, though that was long time ago. All the stores probably dont' carry them anymore, less you get one to order from HK.

The dreamcast lens assembly is the same as any old cdrom-assembly so you could just use an old one laying around off a broken board...i'm sure you could buy a normal one cheaper too if you don't have any,rather than using a 'proper' gdrom assembly.Gdrom drives are just cdrom drives with different firmware,that can read the higher capacity discs..
 
Need advice on DC's GD-ROM drive problem

Ive had a similiar problem. Usually when I put a game in, its starts without any problems. But sometimes (only after playing another game) it goes to the main screen (with settings and that). Sometimes it finds the cd immediately and sometimes I have to open the lid, close it and repeat a couple of times before the game starts. Seems like its having trouble finding the game. What is causing this?
 
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