Sega Dreamcast Disc Doesn't Spin

[Mikcat12]

So I recently bought a Sega Dreamcast off eBay and it seems fine except the disc doesn't spin. It spins for like 3-4 seconds then slows down and stops. I tried cleaning the laser lens with a little Windex, but nothing happened. Any ideas?



EDIT: Whenever I open and close the disc drive it starts to spin and I get the message "please wait while the disc is being checked" then it stops spinning.

[Ziggy]

Clean the lens again with isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol). Use 70% or better. It is not advised to use Windex to clean any electronics.

How many discs have you tried using with the console? Retail discs, or burns? Can you verify that the disc(s) you are trying to use work on another Dreamcast?

[Mikcat12]

Clean the lens again with isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol). Use 70% or better. It is not advised to use Windex to clean any electronics.

How many discs have you tried using with the console? Retail discs, or burns? Can you verify that the disc(s) you are trying to use work on another Dreamcast?

I tried cleaning the lens and it didn't work. I'm using retail versions and I'm pretty sure the games work. I also tried to recalibrate the dreamcast but it didn't work.

[samsonlonghair]

Honestly, this sounds more like a power issue to me. Insufficient power would prevent the drive from spinning and prevent the laser from reading the disc.

[Ziggy]

Try playing a music CD, preferably a pressed disc and not a burn.

[Mikcat12]

Honestly, this sounds more like a power issue to me. Insufficient power would prevent the drive from spinning and prevent the laser from reading the disc.

I don't think it's the power because the laser lens kind of sinks down into the dreamcast and when I lifted it up and taped it so that it stays up, the disc began to spin very fast but the dreamcast still didn't recognize what game was playing. It kept saying please wait while the game is being checked or something like that. I think it's a problem with the laser.

[s8n]

i bought a Dreamcast years back and it behaved like yours ( first post ). I contacted the seller and they sent out another one but said i could keep it , so i played with the POT about 5-6 times and the disc started to spin fast and booted. You may want to try again tweaking the POT , your supposed to turn it about the thickness of a hair each time and test.


im against tweaking tho , the laser is on the way out its only good for keeping your console going for a bit longer then it will die.


i recommend shipping it back and getting a full refund , or getting a partial refund and keeping it then get a DC that works without being tweaked

[HPLovethrash]

If you didn't have any luck fixing this one, maybe try cleaning up the lid sensor switch inside. I fixed a DC for a local shop, I think it had a similar issue where the disc wasn't recognized or maybe the system refused to spin when the lid closed. Either way, it was an easy fix- I found some hair, dust, etc. gummed up in the lid switch. After cleaning it out, the thing ran beautifully!

[Ziggy]

If you didn't have any luck fixing this one, maybe try cleaning up the lid sensor switch inside. I fixed a DC for a local shop, I think it had a similar issue where the disc wasn't recognized or maybe the system refused to spin when the lid closed. Either way, it was an easy fix- I found some hair, dust, etc. gummed up in the lid switch. After cleaning it out, the thing ran beautifully!

Good idea. If it was me, I would temporarily remove the switch and jumper the connection so it's guaranteed to be in the "lid closed" position. While the switch is out, test it with a multimeter to make sure it functions properly. Doing this will give you a clear answer if the switch is the problem or not. I say this in case you clean it but it still doesn't work, it's not a definitive test.