Dreamcast stops spinning after awhile, any permanent fix?

[JC48573]

I usually need to adjust the potentiometer in order to fix this problem. I was wondering what is the cause of it. I play mainly original NTSC games with the exception of Shenmue 2, which needs a boot disc before running the PAL discs.

[samsonlonghair]

Put simply, your laser is wearing out. Adjusting the potentiometer turns up the power of the old laser, but you can only turn a pot up so high. As the laser decays, entropy dictates that your Dreamcast will eventually be unable to read discs. You have two options:

• [1]Replace Laser
  [2]supply alternate read method

The immediate answer is [1]replace the faulty laser. This is not quite so simple as it sounds. All lasers are not built alike. You can't just walk into RadioShack and tell the dude behind the counter, "I need a number seven laser if you please". Your best bet is to take another GD-ROM drive from another Dreamcast. This still isn't a truly permanent fix because you just replaced one old laser with another laser nearly as old as the first. Your best bet would be to search for new old stock. Sega manufactured a lot more Dreamcasts than they sold. New-in-box Dreamcasts still exist. Sellers ask a premium, but they're common enough that with patience you can find a good deal.

If you can't replace the GD-ROM drive or buy another Dreamcast, that leads us to [2]supply an alternate read method. Within the modding community, some have attempted to add an SD card reader to allow the dreamcast to boot GD-ROM images stored on SD card. Last time I read into this topic, the method had yet to be perfected.

[samsonlonghair]

I just did a cursory google for the phrase "Sega Dreamcast boot SD". It seems that there have been advances in this method in the last few years. Not all games are playable; frames drop; and booting is a slower process than you'd hope. It seems to work more as a proof of concept than something you would like to play regularly.

[Cronozilla]

I would say always be on the lookout for a second Dreamcast. They're not very expensive, and backups are useful. You can find one for less than $20.

If you decide you want to fix one, there's a lot of materials how to do that online. A new Laser assembly is about $24.

[samsonlonghair]

Indeed, "New old stock" doesn't just apply to whole Dreamcasts. There are still GD-ROM laser assemblies available which where manufactured years ago.

[JC48573]

I would say always be on the lookout for a second Dreamcast. They're not very expensive, and backups are useful. You can find one for less than $20.

If you decide you want to fix one, there's a lot of materials how to do that online. A new Laser assembly is about $24.

I really love the Dreamcast and I feel bad every time I think about giving up my collection on it just because I keep encountering these problems.

[BRIK]

I really love the Dreamcast and I feel bad every time I think about giving up my collection on it just because I keep encountering these problems.

For me, that's half the fun. >.<

[bacteria]

Swapping the drive unit from a DC to another is no guarantee it will work, I found a few years back there seemed to be different revisions, and one did not work with another.

As far as SD loading - http://www.retrocollect.com/News/gd-emu ... etion.html