Author Topic: SNES Repair  (Read 14947 times)

Boris

  • The Money Man
  • Collguy
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 674
  • Implying I need a job
    • You're lookin at it
SNES Repair
« on: July 10, 2007, 01:30:10 pm »
I didn't know where else to put this since we don't have a 'hardware dorkery' board (it would have six topics ever lollls) and this is more of a "Boris project" than a fybertech one, I opted for here since it needs a little post love. [note to fyber: you should think about makeing this the hardware and software board since it ain't worth having both, but thats just me.]

I've been working on a broken SNES for about 4 days now, on my weekend, lunch hours, and after work. It came to me with a relatively simple problem ("It doesn't turn on.") and a cusory examination told me something was dorked up with the power plug. Somebody had long ago removed the plastic eyelet guide for the central pin meaning it was being held tenuously at best. A little tweezing later though, I was sure it had a contact when I put it in, and the system still wouldn't go on. Being a consummate geek, I had to open the dang thing up even though I was wanting to just hang around with gal pal (my purpose for viewing the thing in the first place, no less: it was her old hand me down unit from a cousin and I thought her little siblings needed to opportunity to play some of the classics like lost vikings since their house computer was a turd and wouldn't handle opening the damn process manager for me let along console emulation.) Using the flaming bic pen method I got those damn stupid gamebit screws out, and proceeded to open it up. Wish I had taken some pictures to place where all the screws fit, but as it is, you'll have to take my word for it or hunt some pics down on the net of an open SNES (not too hard, google images, etc.) Well I get it open, and still hear rattleing in the little bits at the back (rattleing is always bad with electronics...) so I snap the little plastic backer off and it broke the grounding plane for the plug (an ironic name for it, since the outside is the positive terminal on those dumb japanese 12v 850ma wall warts.) Well it wasn't to be fixed that day anyway, but I did find the source of the rattleing, some dumbo (probably the cousin who had owned the system before them) bought a cheap after-market RF modulator, rather than just using the little grey box reliable plug one that came with the system. Well needless to say the prong on it snapped off, and they did switch to using the one that came with the SNES, but again, some dope elected to push the old one through into the box rather than get it out with pliers or whatever. Shorts galore, I imagine.

Well anyway, with that out, and the box open, I took it with me and did some lunch break soldering, managed to snap the cheap 7805 5V voltage regulator off and put it back in, cut the cord end of the wall wart and soldered positive and negative directly to the contacts they needed to touch (why is this cord detachable I wonder, anyway? did they think we were going to switch it out and power our answering machines with it later or something?)

Even so its still dead. Frown.

So we get the trusty multimeter out and with some diagnosing help from pappy find out that some short, probably an after-market prong related one, has killed the 1.5A fuse at the very back of the assembly. It was secondary only to the contacts themselves, a transformer, and a few capacitors bleeding various bad effects off, so needless to say, nothing came on. Even so, its good the fuse (like 50 cents) blew up rather than one of those speciality SNES chips that would make it cheaper to just buy a whole new SNES.

found a 3A fuse for a test, and put it in to see the system spring to life lovely as ever. Will be buying a new 1.5A at Frys and hopefully putting this all to bed although the power plug will probably be an ugly bit hanging out the back for the rest of its life, instead of detachable with a nice plug, it will at least work whereas it wasn't before.

Annnd thats all for today.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2007, 01:38:13 pm by Boris »
<Armature> i just really want centaur Azula

FyberOptic

  • King of Earth
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2522
  • Oh god what is that?
    • Fybertech.com
Re: SNES Repair
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2007, 02:12:44 pm »
We did used to have a technology/tech support/etc type of board area, you might recall, but after it in fact had like six topics ever, I condensed the board once upon a time and moved those topics elsewhere.  Though I think I might make a hardware topic here in this section.

Awesome that you fixed it though.  I was going to suggest places to check voltages when I first started reading, but apparently that's not necessary anymore~!

You really ought to invest in a set of star bits sometime.  I got a set on Ebay a while back really cheap and they've come in really handy for opening cartridges and such.


EDIT:  Topic movededed!
« Last Edit: July 10, 2007, 02:14:59 pm by FyberOptic »

Boris

  • The Money Man
  • Collguy
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 674
  • Implying I need a job
    • You're lookin at it
Re: SNES Repair
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2007, 03:05:30 pm »
gamebit is in fact a nut driver type, not that star type or torx or whatever else. I have had to use it aproximately 12 times ever, and am in fact still far ahead on money having melted +/- 12 bic pens instead of shipping out to Asia for such a speciality connector.
(Edit: Apperently they sell em in the US now for $13ish, but I'm still ahead on money, I've done it for $2 so far~)

Edit 2: Apperently there are no good guides out there for this stuff, so I might just take some pictures before I close it all up and leave a detailed guide for reference of future amature repairmangs.

PEE ESS, lol @ bringing back the hardware board.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2007, 03:28:33 pm by Boris »
<Armature> i just really want centaur Azula

Rotary_Turbo

  • Corner Carver
  • Coolbert
  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 39
  • I like RX-7s that have forced induction!
Re: SNES Repair
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2007, 04:46:24 pm »
...
(Edit: Apperently they sell em in the US now for $13ish, but I'm still ahead on money, I've done it for $2 so far~)
...

W-why pay that much?  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160107721384

I got mine for less than $3 shipped, so if you have to flame up many more Bics, I'll be ahead XD.  My bit is still going strong after doing ~20-25games or so, no sighns of any wear from the tempered steel.  It's well worth the money.  Of course, there is one other standard size of Gamebit, but it's just as cheap if you just buy the bit and use your own driver(if you don't have one of those laying around, you probably shouldn't be taking anything apart~  LOL).



[00:48] <@FyberOptic> time to download 5790 spams
[00:49] <@FyberOptic> what a sad place the internet is to deliver so much useless data
[00:52] <@FyberOptic> 5790 porns would be such a much better use, for example