20 Most Recent Sega Saturn Console Questions & Answers

The port in the Saturn gets dirty and won't read.

That sounds like a power supply problem. It could be something to do with the high voltage step down circuit. you should take note that it can be extremely dangerous to open and inspect the internals of any device. there is a high voltage risk that can harm or even kill you. always be sure to unplug and discharging the circuit. before attempting any inspection or repairs. capacitors can hold a charge for a long time and are dangerous even after power has been removed from any device. if you are comfortable opening the counsel you can inspect for obvious issues. the things to look for are. capacitors that are swollen eg look round at the top, the next thing is to look for burnt marks. if not any of them look for bad solder joints or lose components. may be best to replace with a new power supply.

here is a good youtube channel. this may help Sega Saturn Repair Part 2 CD Not Spinning

It sounds like its definitely something wrong with the system. There must be something about this game that the system is having trouble reading correctly. I don't see there being much of a fix for this unless maybe you brought it in to a local game shop and had let look at it.

Could be a problem inside the Saturn. Was it wet? It could be it has just stopped working, not all systems last forever, and it could be time to get a new one?

if ita a cartridge game machine it could be dirty contacts on the game or console , try cleaning with an electrical contact cleaner on a cotton bud or small paint brush ( dont use any water ) the cleaner should be the type that evaporates almost immediately , hope this helps

chances are the laser is either dusty or has stopped working all together, try buying a cd lense cleaning kit and running this in the computer, that may solve the problem, or go to computer shop and buy a small can of compressed air and give it a good blast out inside to get any dust out, if this dont work then this means the laser is no goof and been a sega saturn the chances are it would be cheaper to buy a replacement console than it would to get the laser changed,

im afraid not it sounds like the switch has broken free from the small circuit board its attatched to so even if you opened it up you would not fix it unless you was any good at soldering with a fine soldering iron, you will be a lot better off leaving it as it is,

Dirty laser, failing laser. I'd try to clean the lens in a circular motion with a DRY q-tip.
Let me know if that works ;)

do you leave it pluged in?

Seems like the board is pretty much fried. Get a used one on eBay??

Sounds like the CD tray is not closing. Try opening up your Saturn and checking on the top-left corner, next to the part you plug your power cable into. There is a small switch that the CD cover presses on, try holding it down while you turn it on with a game in it and the top half of the case off. The game should spin and play. If you tape it down, it should work fine. If that didn't work, try replacing the battery. The battery you need is called a CR-2032. You can get this at you local CVS, Wal-Mart, or any place that sells watch batteries. After you do that, simply pop off the back panel, take out the CR-2032 battery, and pop in the new CR-2032 battery and then it should work. If that worked, congrats for your Sega Saturn being back in action.!

Sounds like the CD tray is not closing. Did you replace your battery? The battery is called a CR-2032. You can get this kind of battery at most stores that sell watch batteries. Take off the back panel and remove the battery. Insert the new one, replace the cover, and test it. If that didn't work, try opening up your Saturn by unscrewing the 5 screws on the bottom. Turn it over an then check the top-left corner, next to the part you plug your power cable into. There is a small switch that the CD cover presses on, try holding it down while you turn it on with a game in it and the top half of the case off. The game should spin and play. If you tape it down, it should work. Put the Saturn back together and there go, you just fixed your Saturn.

Hi see www.gameoz.com.au they have a huge range of retro gear and manuals as well

This could be a situation where the Laser Lens voltage is off and it is not reading CDs. I have had this before.

You will have to take your case off, and look for a little orange "screw" or "dial" which is just above the cable that connects the laser assembly to the circuit board. It might have a Philips head looking top.

Make sure the system is off and unplugged before doing this.

Turn the orange screw approx 35 degrees clockwise, and the reassemble the system. This should give the laser enough juice to start reading the discs again.

If this is not the solution, it is possible your clock battery is dead. Buy a new CR2032 3Volt battery from wal-mart or your local watch store, and pop it into your top right (on the back of the system) compartment to fix this.

Good Luck!

red flashing access light means no disc is in the drive. You can try a laser lens cleaning but most likely the cd drive is dead. If you need further assistance let me know.
Thank you,
Lee

I know what's causing the problem--the spindle motor for the CD's doesn't spin fast enough to read the disc properly; this usually happens when the system gets hit too hard or is dropped. This causes games to recognized as audio CD's and also causes the tracks to play improperly (there will be complete silence when a track is played and possibly some static at the beginning and the cubes an the sides of the display will be distorted and blown up.IF THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN THEN DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS.)Before starting, make sure the system is plugged in, there's no controller connected, and the system is NOT hooked up to a tv. Okay, now this is where it gets complicated. first, take the top of the system off and locate the disc drive switch. Depending on which model your console is, it'll be in different places. On the newer model (the one that has a PC board on the top cover), it'll be on a small PC board on the opposite side. On the older model (the one that has all the PC boards on the bottom), it's sticking up out of the metal plate between the two PC boards(the little clear plastic thing with copper plates inside). Either way, the switch needs to be held down or taped down.(I suggest taping it, but it may not work with the older system.) There are a few little variable resistors (little upright disc-shaped things) on the top left corner of the exposed circuit board (the one with the CD lens on it). Try adjusting those with a small flat-head screwdriver with the system turned ON and a CD on the spindle. Be CAREFUL--do NOT touch the CD while it's moving and keep your hands away from the PC board on the left--It WILL shock you. Adjust the resistors untill the CD spins the fastest. If the CD stops spinning, pull off and then replace the tape. If it doesn't spin at all in the first place, check the tape. Once you get it spinning as fast as possible, hook the system back up to your television WITHOUT replacing the cover. If it reconizes the CD as a game, your done and you can close it up. If it thinks its an audio CD or doesn't read it at all, the resistors need more adjusting. This work can be very trying and dangerous; this method can also ruin your system, but it's the only way to make it work without replacing any parts, but it DOES work. If you have any questions, ask me.

Open the console and take out the reset button and take all wires away from it to stop any random reseting in game

GL

try cleaning the glass laser eye with rubbing alcohol and cotton swab. This should fix the problem