God, I feel like absolute crap after this. Destroyed my VA0 Dreamcast by a screw.

[Calikitz]

So after a long time searching for a decent deal on a Japanese Dreamcast I finally found one. The system itself was in rather poor condition cosmetically but I did not care since it was a Seiyo-D launch model and all I was after were the parts since I had a replacement shell on the way.

So the replacement shell comes, I install the Dreamcast, as I am installing two of the screw holes broke off and the case now doesn't close properly. I did not over fasten the screws, I think the first owner probably had done so and they were getting weak.

So I sucked that hit up, found a new replacement case which is now on the way. After the two shells, that's about $100 down the drain.

Now as I am waiting on the new shell to come, I tried to boot the Dreamcast with the top system shell off just to make sure the GD rom and such is working. I got video but the GD rom was not spinning. I later realized this was due to the top half of the case being off, so the top half was not pressing down the switch which allows the GD rom to spin. While troubleshooting the GD rom I took it on and off the mainboard many times trying to figure out why it was not spinning before I learned about this switch. During this process, I was getting a bit frustrated and somehow, out of all the screws I had, I selected one of the long screws and screwed it in the back screw hole of the gd rom and fastened it to the mainboard.

Booted the system up now no video. I researched and researched why this wouldn't be working now, finally after re-connecting everything a million times I found that I literally destroyed the mainboard by putting the long screw in the GD rom which destroyed the video output on the board.

So now I have Shenmue 2, Boarder Down a replacement shell in the mail and am sitting here with my newly destroyed launch JP Dreamcast with heat pipes and all and no real money in my budget to go get a new main board.

Is there any chance I can repair the broken line in the mainboard? I'm totally desperate here. I can't believe I just destroyed the entire system with a single screw.

If not, anyone interested in a bunch of parts? I am thinking of selling off all the Dreamcast stuff I bought because I am so dissapointed by what happened. Anyone have a spare V0 mainboard that they can sell to me for cheap out of the kindness of their heart? LOL

Otherwise, anyone interested in a bunch of V0 Dreamcast parts, I am sure the heat pipes and fan can be salvaged...

Don't mean to make a woe is me story but man, this is just so damn dissapointing. Let alone destroying first party top of the line Sega hardware by a stupid mistake.

[Calikitz]

Maybe it is something else but I doubt it. Long screw was right in the GD rom area. Funny thing is, that it screwed right in with no pressure at all. Which is why I had no clue I was hitting anything crucial.

[rewak]

You mind me asking why you wanted a Japanese model in the first place? Anyway you can repair cut lines, here's some tutorials

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_8684655_fi...therboard.html
http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=684774

[Calikitz]

Because I mainly play Shmups on the Dreamcast so it's easier having a JP console. Secondly, the VA0 units are much easier to come by in Japan than in America since most of the launch units there were VA0.

[rewak]

But why don't you just use a boot disc like DC-X to play imports? You can burn one to disc and just run it easy without modding anything. I posted some tutorials above to repair the cut lines if you really want to, but just know you don't have to have an imported console or modify a Dreamcast to play imports.

[Calikitz]

After some research I found out I can probably repair the damaged trace with a conductive pen and some solder, will be a good learning experience anyway. Those traces are pretty damn small though looking at them again. Anyone have any experience repairing a Dreamcast with the same problem?

[Calikitz]

Just saw your edit after posting. Yea, thanks for the tutorials. Going to check them out now. I do have a boot disk for the few domestic releases I play. I got the JP Dreamcast because I just wanted to be able to boot most games without the disk and I wanted one of the quieter models with the heat pipes/fan. I had a different Dreamcast revision before and it was hideously loud!

[rewak]

Well it's not a DC but one of the links i posted above shows sort of the same problem with pictures, maybe a little more severe than your problem though. The masking tape idea seems pretty good for this type of problem - http://forums.xbox-scene.com/index.php?showtopic=684774

[Calikitz]

Yea, those traces look to be pretty big from the picture but I assume they are just as small as the Dreamcast's. I tried to fit some masking tape over the other trace but the problem is the one trace that is fine is right at the back of the board where the av port is and that plastic piece is right behind the trace, trying to cut thin strips but it's just such a small area. The broken trace is literally right next to it too and they are incredibly small, wonder where I can find that thin of a wire. This is my first time soldering too. I guess I have nothing to lose though!

I may just sell this one as broken and let people know what is wrong with it and grab another one. I don't have a soldering iron even so just buying that, the supplies etc. and then the chance I may screw it up further kind of makes it a bit pointless. Thinking it will be a good learning experience anyhow though so I may go through with the repair attempt.

[Calikitz]

Posted some pics of the damage in this thread: http://www.assemblergames.com/forums...731#post593731

I found out that outof the two danger areas for the long screws to go one is worse than the other. Trying to figure out exactly what I screwed into, hoping this one is the easier fix. Anyhow if any tech heads could take a look at this other thread and give some input that would be great.

[l_oliveira]

Another guy posted pictures of a broken VA1 Dreamcast a few months ago and if you look well at your board, right by the SH4 processor there's a white rectangle printed on the board. There' all address lines that go out from SH4 to the HOLLY (GPU) chip pass on both sides of the board. If you look the white area and notice similar damage there, it might be what is preventing the Dreamcast from working. The hole by the A/V area would NOT cause it to stop working.


ALSO, VA0 dreamcasts do not even start the graphics chip if the thermal fuse (that thing glued with tape to the HOLLY heatpipe) is not connected properly.