A tiny fault with BIG consequences
39,976
Published 2023-02-17
www.BorderlineOCD.com/
Huge thank you to Silviu for sending this Sega 32X my way.
Doomed from the start, the 32X was a powerful yet under-appreciated add-on for the Sega Genesis. This unit is in great cosmetic condition and initially appears to have an obvious power fault, but once that was resolved presented with the infamous "Black Screen" fault that plagues many of these units. Challenge accepted!
π Some specialty products specific to this project
ChipQuik SMD Removal Kit: amzn.to/3pPzNqk
32 AWG Enameled Wire: amzn.to/3IvfGaY
UV Solder Mask: amzn.to/3I6HCAv
A cheap UV light: amzn.to/3Iaa0ld
3M Electronic Cleaner: amzn.to/3Kbwkh1
My philosophy on buying tools is to start small and to "outgrow" your gear over time. Expensive gear won't improve your repair and fault finding skills, only practice will do that. With that in mind below is what's in my current toolkit.
π§ Toolkit
Screwdriver Set: amzn.to/2X7s0Gj
Automatic Wire Stripper: amzn.to/30F5TJm
Pocket Multimeter: amzn.to/3IdvzQz
Component Tester: amzn.to/3l5rHG8
π Soldering Essentials
TS100 Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2YIJZUR
No Clean Flux Syringe: amzn.to/2NFUZvQ
No Clean Solder: amzn.to/2NHEAqQ
Desoldering Braid: amzn.to/312Grws
Tip Tinner: amzn.to/31w2EF4
Contact Cleaner: amzn.to/3dI93ly
π Soldering Add-ons
Fume Extractor with Hose: amzn.to/3hspLZi
Desoldering Vacuum Pump: amzn.to/3Qe9ipl
Hot Air Rework Station: amzn.to/3w023bF
Circuit Board Holder: amzn.to/3k35Pzm
Helping Hands Soldering Aid: amzn.to/3ihgksP
π₯ Thermal Compounds & Tape
Kapton Tape amzn.to/3DEu0dd
Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste: amzn.to/2Ak2y8w
1.5MM Arctic Thermal Pads: amzn.to/2Vv1RQU
𧴠Lubes and Epoxies
White Lithium Grease: amzn.to/2UApx5M
Plastic Epoxy: amzn.to/3up0LIm
Timestamps:
0:00 More bits are better
2:53 Teardown
3:58 Surely it's not that easy
5:40 Soldering a new barrel jack
7:08 The Black Screen of Death
9:15 Flex cable haircut
12:15 A dirty little trace
15:10 I do not know this man
15:56 I like to paint
17:48 It's practically Street
All Comments (21)
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Your reaction when you fixed it was priceless π well done!
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When you celebrated after fixing the 32x, I really felt like your victory was our victory. I loved this!
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Literally just picked up a 32x, has no cables with it. Now I know what I need and what to look for. Love your channel, always learn something!
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Thank you for having your flag out front. Seeing it never gets old.
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the sneakiest trace damage, so frustrating. Great work
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Dude - just wanted to say thanks for your videos. The way you explain your troubleshooting process and techniques gave me the confidence to finally start working on my old consoles. I've restored my childhood Genesis, my original Xbox, and now moving on to my PS3 and Xbox 360. Again, thank you!
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This gives me renewed hope for my broken 32x. Been trying to figure it out and haven't yet.
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How can someone be super excited and super chill at the same time?
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It was so cool to see the genuine joy (and a winnerβs dance) when you found the culprit =)
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Man, I am jealous of your organization, my shop looks like some kind of Frankenstein's laboratory, I've got an entire basements worth of stuff in here and I've just got stuff put anywhere that it will fit to keep it off the floor in all kinds of mismatched shelves and cabinets o.0 Good job on keeping your work area so efficient!
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I have worked in the electronics industry since I was an apprentice in the 90βs, I watch a few different people on YouTube doing console repairs but your thought process during fault finding is the most comprehensive and has me nodding along. Thank you for the videos, they really bring me a lot of pleasure to watch.
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OUTSTANDING troubleshooting and repair! Also, It's awesome you have not one but TWO rooms dedicated for video game repairs. :D
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"I'm not one for showing my excitement on camera..." - glad you made an exception for this one man, you really deserved that!
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As a (not really) proud 32X owner myself, I have some things and grievances to share First, the ribbon cables in my unit were a constant pain. No matter how much I cleaned or reseated them, my 32X would always find a way to freeze or crash mid-game. I ended up having to bust out my soldering iron and just tin the connectors on the cables themselves. That completely fixed all my freezing issues, so now I can finally enjoy Doom Resurrection with no issues whatsoever Second, I noticed your 32X revision was a MARS VA 0. Mine's a VA 1, and apparently the older revision has problems running on certain Genesis/Mega Drive board revisions. Sega even provided a small piece that connects to the side where the Sega CD hooks up, which terminated some pins on the side to fix those compatibility issues. Was about to say that might be the problem with your unit, but props for finding the small trace rot when you did. Anyway, 32X rant over. Thanks for another great repair video, and have a wonderful day
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Great video and love your work it was great to see you bring this 32x back to life really awesome as I love the 32x its a shame as there were many planed games that never got to see light of day as Iβve seen videos from Janovi I would have love to have seen AVP to the 32x alien vs predator would have blown my mind as a kid back then
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nice perseverance! I had the same symptoms but I was able to fix it with new ribbon cables. That was a lot of fun to watch!
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I'm thankful I discovered this channel, I'm truly enjoying the content, you are a great explainer, don't do silly jokes or stuff I don't like from other similar channels, very professional, I love it :D
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15:25 most genuine happines eruption I've seen lately. Made me smile too.π€£π€£
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Man, i just love when you cheer up on the discovery of the problem. And I can relate to it ! It's something that gives the chills for us, electronic hobbysts when we solve something. Keep up the great work!
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I thoroughly enjoyed the entire 20 minutes. The authentic joy of your success is going to help get me through the rest of this week π
