› ›

Help me fix my Colecovision!

GrazGraz
edited December 2009 in Chit chat
I can't afford to shell out ?120.00 for a new one, so please help me. I've got the soldering iron out and the Maplins catalogue on standby. Here's the problem...

Whether there's a cart in the machine or not, the screen is the same on power up - just a crashed mess of static green squares, a few rogue pixels and an exclamation mark near the bottom. If I waggle the flex on the joypad, then the screen corrupts a bit more, sometimes with flashing squares. If I waggle the power cord, the same thing happens.

It sounds pretty terminal to me, but these things are blinking expensive!

HELP!
Post edited by Graz on

Comments

  • thehivethehive
    edited December 2009
    This is almost certainly the power supply, and if you check the Coleco FAQ you will find some mention of this (I believe) and also a resolution.
    Can you confirm that the title screen is there, even if madly corrupted?

    EDIT: Yeah, checked and you should look at section 13.1

    I hope this helps
  • SpectorSpector
    edited December 2009
    It could be the cartridge port, which is notoriously unstable, nothing like the rock-hard Atari 2600. I got my Colecovision serviced by a guy in the US called Kaze on Atariage, and he did a pretty good job. I would seriously suggest getting on to someone like him, because not only will he fix it, he'll make sure the buttons don't go any time in the future, which will save you long term. Here's his site:
    http://gametz.com/user/platinumfungi.html
    THE RETRO GAMER IRC CHATROOM. EVERY SUNDAY AT 9PM BST. LOG ON USING THE LINK BELOW:
    https://discordapp.com/invite/cZt59EQ
  • GrazGraz
    edited December 2009
    Thanks peeps. :) Fingers crossed that it's not totally beyond repair.
Sign In or Register to comment.