So, somebody recommended me this forum to ask for help.
Right now I've got two Nomads and to Game Gears that have issues.
The GGs look like the typical capacitator-replacement job (problems fit the common descriptions to the letter) - which I'll find out as soon as I have both of my Nomads fixed and ready!
Here's the story (copy & pasted from another forum):
Well, I finally bought TWO Nomads from the US, since we poor Europeans were left out back in the day.
Not wanting to pay too much, I got me two faulty ones:
- Number one had a faulty DC-power jack on arrival which needed replacing badly.
The Sega Nomad's power jack is identical to the PS One's and PS2's and still available to order, so no worries if you need one! (I even got me one spare just in case.) This Problem is now fixed!
- Number one will power on, but there's only a white-grey/black screen and after a while some "crunchy" noises from the audio. Nothing else happens. The screen brightness can be changed as well as the audio level via the wheel potentiometers, but that's it.
Same story if I connect it to a television via AV-port - including the "crunchy" noises. Interestingly, the television will switch to the correct AV-channel if I turn the Nomad on!
Contacts of the cartridge slot have been thorougly cleaned and the cable (which connects the two halves of the Nomad) has been checked - to no avail.
Since my second Nomad mostly works (apart from the "white screen" issues, see below) I switched its second "half" board with number one's and, voila, the handheld comes alive!
The four capacitators (1x 100uf, 3x 47uf) on the board have been replaced and the problem persists - exactly as before!
Any idea what's the problem with the board and how to fix it?
- Number two will power up fine and audio will play as it should but the screen is completely white. No wonder, since the wheel of the brightness control is gone! Ripped out, broken out, no idea - it's gone! (The lower half of the potentiometer is still there.)
The handheld works perfectly (audio and video) if connected to a television via the AV-port.
Alas, the wheel potentiometer (47 kOhm with 4 pins) is a rare(r) type I have not encountered before (most common types are for audio jacks with 5 pins and only at 10-20 kOhm).
I've actually come across a possible replacement!
www.debonelectronics.com/sell-db_06g1_thumbwheel_potentiometer-637982.html
Any idea where I can get a real replacement? It's (supposed) to be identical to the Game Gear's one, but where to get one? (Ordering 1000 on a whim does not seem to be the best solution.)
Note: Yes, I could do a lcd screen-mod which would render the brightness control issue obsolete. But first I want two working machines in original condition before I go ahead and try that.
Apart from that, any advice is appreciated! Please help!
If you need any pictures of the two handhelds, just say so!
Thank you!