SegaXtreme

problems with hardly working saturns

k!dman - Apr 2, 2003

		k!dman		Apr 2, 2003
			I got two sats (both model 2). I can play them for like 10-15min and then everything stops exepct for audio-cd music. After reset i'm unable to play, screen is black, bu the lid is green as if it works. To run them again i have to take out baterry, pt it again... sometimes even that doesn't help.. so i turn it on and leave after some time they starts to work again.. and so.. I know that my problem is hard and weird (for me maybe), but i hope sb will help me... p.s. Sorry for my english.. p.s.2 I think it has to do something with short circuit or overheating... just guessing...

		Taelon		Apr 2, 2003
			One guess of mine would be a partial power supply failure (it supplies the CD drive and LEDs with juice but not the processors and other stuff so the game basically turns off). What throws me off though is your mention of removing and reinserting the battery to make it work again... perhaps the battery itself is causing a short? What if you leave the battery out and play your Saturns?

		k!dman		Apr 3, 2003
			the same(( Battery is ok (brand new - Panasonic). First saturn got cd-rom with 22pin (or sth) chip and second is 64pin chip (square), tried to swap them, but nothing happend (runs, and stops as usuall)... I put a big cooler over them (case opened) and they somethimes work longer (even for like an hour)...so that's why i think it can be becuz of temp. ( I was thinking of placing some radiator over some chips, to make them cooler, what do You think? Any more ideas? Thanks in advance

		Taelon		Apr 3, 2003
			Yeah... I think I would completely disassemble your Saturn(s) and look for any dust or grime buildup inside and completely clean it up. Perhaps the vents are blocked. (I'm assuming you're smarter than to have your Saturn sitting on a carpet floor...) In addition to heat, extreme humidity can also be a problem (just a thought)...

		k!dman		Apr 3, 2003
			well... uhm, to be honest...i usually place my sat on a carpet... I'll do my best, and see what will happen. Thanks for a great advice!

Taelon

Apr 4, 2003

	
	
		
		
			Originally posted by k!dman@Apr 3, 2003 @ 04:55 PM



 uhm, to be honest...i usually place my sat on a carpet...

Tsk, tsk, tsk

Well, nobody's perfect

Hope you get your problem fixed now

		Jaded God		Apr 4, 2003
			Never ever rest a system on the floor :-/

		k!dman		Apr 7, 2003
			I put together only main parts (main board, energy source [don't know the english name ], and cd-rom) put it under fan, placed on table and turned on. It was working normally. I've tried it for like 3 hours and there were no problems. So, as we can see, it looks like temperature problem. And now my question goes, can I put some radiator over gfx and other chips? Will that help? I don't think i'll break my console down.

		Taelon		Apr 7, 2003
			You could, but I doubt you'll be able to fit that stuff in and reassemble your Saturn. Just clean everything, put it back together as is and leave it sitting on the table, not the carpet that's probably enough to keep it stable.

		k!dman		Apr 14, 2003
			tried it, but it failed(( So as i see, my only way to repair my sat is to place some radiators over chips... I know (hope so...) how to reassemble my sat after it... Wish Me Luck I'll report how it works (or doesn't...)

		AntiPasta		Apr 17, 2003
			maybe it would be better to put in a large computer fan... rip it out of an old computer power supply... maybe you could wire it to the Saturn's power supply... I think it a good flow of air would be better than passive cooling

		Taelon		Apr 17, 2003
			It's still weird, though... under normal circumstances (i.e. not involving carpets), a Saturn shouldn't overheat just for the hell of it... maybe the power supply is forcing too much juice down the pipes, so to speak, such that the electronics work but also get hotter than they should. I don't know what else it could be. It just sounds suspicious to me, the whole thing. Maybe some kind of metal foil or some other electrically conductive material warps due to the warming-up and touches some contacts causing a short somewhere?

		k!dman		Apr 18, 2003
			The weird thing is that both saturns act the same I'm only able to play with disassambled sat with big fan placed over it... Taelon: how could i decrease voltage? heh, i should check it first though Anyway, i'll try my best... Thx for advices. l8er

		mal		Apr 18, 2003
			What's the power supply like where you live? Although the powersupply should be able to take a range of input voltages if you're local supply is dodgy, it could be causing problems. Then again it might not be. I'm just trying to think of what would be affecting both your Saturns.

Gaz_2_k

Apr 18, 2003

	
	
		
		
			Originally posted by k!dman@Apr 7, 2003 @ 02:24 PM



 energy source [don't know the english name ]

er....thats a power supply dude!

		k!dman		Apr 19, 2003
			Gaz_2_k: yeah, ur right, i forgot that) mal: it's 220v now (Poland, Europe) but soon it will be 230v

		mal		Apr 19, 2003
			A Euro Saturn claims to be OK with 220v to 240v. How reliable is the power you get? If it runs any lower than 220 it could be causing problems. Still fishing for an answer...

		k!dman		Apr 22, 2003
			I'll try to run in friend's home, maybe it will help somehow. If it will be because of that i will be happy and angry. Happy - i found the reason! angry - how the hell am i supposed to play them in my home???

		Curtis		Apr 22, 2003
			UPS.

		mal		Apr 22, 2003
			Just in case you were wondering it's Uninterrupted Power Supply rather than United Parcel Service.