victor wondermega rgm1 tray and power issues

[arcadifvid]

hey guys need some help once again. recently tried playing with my wondermega RG m1 model. and noticed some problems, hopefully there's some quick and easy fix for these...

1. the disc tray doesnt open as it should (i hate motorized disc trays). i have to flick it a bit so it would open, but when i close, it would do so fine. still when i try to open again, it would be stuck. i could hear a sound as if its trying to open, however it doesnt, until i give it the slight nudge. i'm worried always forcing it to open might completely ruin the disc tray later on.

2. the power...i'm using the original adapter from victor, seems to turn it on, i have to wiggle the connector on the console a bit for it to turn on. sometimes i can have it on on one try but usually i need to wiggle it a bit. again worried that always doing so might later on fry the system or something.. when the console is on, its fine, but of course any sudden movement that might touch the power cord would abruptly shut the system down. i checked both ends of the power cord and the console, they're both clean looking.

ughh.. ive honestly would have went for the M2 model, but i wasnt able to find one.. this M1 model is troublesome. any help is appreciated

[Hobie-wan]

Probably a worn out belt for the tray.

Probably a busted solder joint for the power socket.

[arcadifvid]

thanks hobie-wan. having trouble finding info regarding wondermega m1 inside i'm not as comfortable opening up cd based systems as i am with cart based

edit: so earlier i decided wth i opened my wondermega. and boy was it really dusty inside. minus points to the seller. anyway i just removed the bottom shell and removed the dust as much as i could. i didnt disassemble anything else. i saw the belt for the disc tray and seems i should be able to replace it. so next question is , is something like that available in hardware stores? what do i need to ask for to ensure its usable for the console?

[arcadifvid]

so today i tried replacing the drive belt. problem is i really cannot find a suitable replacement. i cannibalized some old cd roms but the belt were too small. i decided to just try out an ordinary rubber band to see if it would make any difference. alas none. still the same, when i try to open, it would get stuck after opening for a few centimeters and i have to pry it abit then it would open. im beginning think maybe there's something inside jamming it? accumulated dust (something i cannot see or covered)? something not aligned?

anyone? am i the only one having these issues with the wondermega m1?

[Hobie-wan]

It the original belt wasn't stretched or messed up, maybe the rails need some lube? Rubber bands unfortunately aren't suitable replacements as they aren't stiff or durable enough.

[arcadifvid]

haven't tinkered with the inside of the wondermega lately, but i noticed something. when i leave a cd inside when its off, then i turn on,the disc tray opens normal! not always though. maybe about 60% okay. sometimes it still gets stuck. i dunno why. so i just leave a cd inside all the time now. i still plan to grease it up inside sometime.

on my power issue, ive luckily found that there's sweet spot. so its not as sensitive as before wherein a small vibrate on the table (like when i just place my controller down for a while) would immediately kill the system.

trying to be content with what i have but i wish to make it better

[Hobie-wan]

The mechanism in tray disc drives physically moves the spindle up to lift the disc off the tray. This includes the spindle, motor, and entire lens assembly. That end oomph of moving spindle up or down is the hardest part of the motion and where an iffy belt causes problems. That's why you'll get drives where the tray closes, but you hear whining and it spits it back out. It didn't have enough grip to make that last hurdle.

Of course the belt is there for protection in case you stick your finger in the tray as it is closing or didn't get the disc totally in the tray correctly. So having a disc in there means the spindle has a little weight on it that might help it go down when opening (or make things worse when closing).