Megadrive faulty help

[emurozii]

I've got a Megadrive (not the NTSC Genesis) that won't work. Whenever I power it on, I'll get the red light but that's it. No picture or anything. I tried it without a cartridge in (I'm not sure why...) and it didn't do anything different.

I've tried using several different leads and tried it on three TV's, but no dice. Is there any common fixes or things I should check for? I'm willing to open it up.

[Hobie-wan]

You gave the carts and the slot a good clean?

I don't have any other suggestions, but if anyone else does I'm interested too as I have a Gen that just gives a black screen as well but looks fine inside.

[flojocabron]

You have to check the A/C adapter and the RF plug. If either is bad you may get no signal. If a buddy has extra plugs, use theirs and see if they work as well.

is it a JP or PAL console? Once you get it working, the JP will work fine, but if it's PAL, your tv may not work propery with it.

so basically check the A/C and or RF plugs. It may be as simple as that

[Ziggy]

It could very well just be dirty carts and console contacts. When I have a dirty Genesis cart, that's all I get is a black screen. Try cleaning the carts and the console.

[samsonlonghair]

Let's solve this by process of elimination:

1. Does sound come out when you try to play the game?
Tip - model 1 mega drive has a headphone jack in the front - a good place to test audio.
Blank screen with sound indicates a video problem.
Blank screen without sound indicates either an electric problem or data problem.

2. Clean your cartridge connectors AND clean the connector pins inside the mega drive.
Clean cartridge and clean pins will rule out most data problems.

3. Once you've ruled out data problems move onto electric problems.
Check the information written on your ac adapter and write down the model number along with the amps and volts for both input and output. Post that info here; don't forget to tell us what country you're in so that we can put that information into context.

4. If you have the right ac adapter, there may still be other electric problems. You'll have to open up your mega drive to learn more.
Look for the common signs of electronic damage: burn marks, leaky or bust capacitors, rust, and copious dirt or dust. Keep you nose peeled for the scent of burnt lead, salt water, or low tide. Look for signs that this mega drive was ever underwater. Does it look like someone else has opened this mega drive and tried to repair it already?

If you go through these four steps and still haven't found the cause it may still be a video problem. Video problems can get a little complicated depending on where you are. There are often conflicts regarding your native video standard and what types of connections you are using.

First off, does your TV and your mega dive come from the same country? Is that the country where you live now?

Second, what kind of video connection are you using? The most common ones for mega drive are rf over coax, component, and scart.