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Topic: Disk Read Error

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lozz
rank 41
Posted:
Sat Aug 07, 2010 5:28 am
quote : #1
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Posts: 1087
Type: PAL
For quite some time now my dreamcast has been struggling to read disks, usually after a couple of goes it will read a GD-ROM but if I wish to let it read codebreaker or something I have on CD-R (I know they are bad, but sometimes It is neccesary for me to use them) it will take dozens of attempts and lots of tipping the DC on its side etc. Basically I want to solve this problem because I am getting sick of it. I have used the search function because I swear there must be threads on this already, but I can't find any.

Anyway, I have looked online at various places including youtube. The most common "fix" I find people talking about is opening up the DC and turning a little screw in the GD-ROM drive like. For example like this or this . I am going to give this a try, but wanted to check if this could possibly damage the DC or make thinsg worse in the long term? Maybe someone here has tried this before?

Thanks, lozz.
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mauro2029
rank 5
Posted:
Sat Aug 07, 2010 10:43 am
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Something that works for me is burning CD-Rs on black bottome'd TDK CD-R's for some reason, Dreamcast's have an easier time reading from those type of discs.
 
lozz
rank 41
Posted:
Sat Aug 07, 2010 12:47 pm
quote : #3
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Posts: 1087
Type: PAL
Well I've done the "recalibrating fix" like I posted above. It seems to have worked and everything including CD-R's read really well now. Mauro you mention black bottomed CD-R's? I'm not sure where you live but I haven't seen those in the UK before. The professionally pressed CD-R's that indy games come on always seem to read much better than home burned CD-R's, wonder if they use a different method or a better disc?
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Endymion
rank 3
Posted:
Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:11 pm
quote : #4
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Posts: 15
Type: NTSC-U/C
Any CD which is "pressed" is not a CD-R.

CDs are made from aluminum sheets, or sometimes, gold sheets. These are very very thin and literally pressed in a factory until they have just the right pattern of pits and valleys. Vinyl is coated over it and then you have a CD. The reading laser in your drive bounces back from the pits in the disc and the precision of the laser lens is able to tell just how deep they are. The pattern that forms tells your computer or Dreamcast what kind of data is there.

CD-R on the other hand does not have any solid sheet in it. It is made by coating a dye inside the vinyl then layering another vinyl coating on top. The reason people say they "burn" a CD-R is because the laser in your computer CD-R drive is used to heat up this dye in a way that it will reflect a slightly different bandwidth of the reading laser. What you have now is a completely flat, non-pitted dye which reflects the laser as if it were a pitted, solid surface like the aluminum sheet of a normal CD.

There may be exceptions, but every independent Dreamcast game that I have yet purchased came from a factory where it was pressed with aluminum sheets as a normal CD.
 
Mazonemayu
rank 27
Posted:
Mon Aug 16, 2010 8:46 am
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Posts: 573
I didn't know that; about the gold I mean; interesting
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Outrunner
rank 3
Posted:
Mon Aug 30, 2010 7:46 am
quote : #6
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Posts: 13
Type: PAL
Guys I'm having trouble with my Dreamcast.
When I start a game from the dashboard it has to do that "Wait while disk is being checked" 3 to 4 timbes before it gets good to load, sometimes in the middle of games it goes to the dashboard, and its no longer storing date and tim (wich I believe its because of the battery, that I thought was rechargable).
I already did the "bending the pins", but it doesnt seem to do any better... :\
-> Please don't say its the lens... please... just don't!

Just wanna add, that after the game starts it wont reboot unless I touch the console...
 
Kbuzz
rank 23
Posted:
Mon Aug 30, 2010 10:31 am
quote : #7
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Posts: 473
Type: NTSC-U/C
try a laser tweak?

http://www.ilovetheinternets.com/2004/04/23/dreamcast-laser-calibration-trick/
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Jaesonx5
rank 7
Posted:
Tue Aug 31, 2010 11:42 pm
quote : #8
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Posts: 51
Type: NTSC-U/C
I've had some trouble in this area-let me give you some tips:

Make sure your DC has time to charge the batery if you have disconnected the power and failing to charge the rechargable battery, maybe leave it on on the startup bios page. I took mine apart once and fooled around with the position of the guide rod which supports the gd-rom and had to readjust it to a level position with the other rod which supports the other side of the gd-rom.

I also went ahead and cleaned the lens with the softest material possible soaked in 91 percent isopropyl solution: passed it across the lens just enough to clean it and soaked up the remainder of the solution with a Q-tip just barely touching the solution so as not to touch the lens. I then let my D.C. sit a while to make sure that any leftover solution is evaporated and make sure everything is clean inside so as o not have any dust lying around when I start it back up again. The guide rod was my real problem, though, also the battery had discharged all the way from sitting with no power because I had taken it apart. Once I had adjusted the guide rod back to it's normal position and recharged the battery it worked just fine.

I take apart my DC and use just a few drops of three-in-one oil in three places on the gd-rom: the gears close to the motor that propels the reader and the two guide rods. Don't need a whole lot of oil as too much added would just get all over the other parts when you operate the D.C.. Try these suggestions and let me know how it works out!!
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Outrunner
rank 3
Posted:
Thu Sep 02, 2010 3:21 pm
quote : #9
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Posts: 13
Type: PAL
It may sound stupid, but I believe the problem is in the switch that tells my Dreamcast if its open or closed... Laughing
 
Jaesonx5
rank 7
Posted:
Mon Sep 13, 2010 1:31 pm
quote : #10
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Posts: 51
Type: NTSC-U/C
----When I tried finding that switch I found I could only reach it by removing the upper half of the case. What that little switch does is tell the DC that the lid has been opened or closed and the DC displays a message that it is checking the disc when you put in a CD and close the door and will stop reading the disc when the lid is opened. People also have found that wrapping that little switch with electric tape, around the black plastic tab just once or twice but remember that when you use super glue on plastic like when you use it to bond electric tape to any bit of plastic it tends to eat away at it and the more of it you use; the worse that problem becomes. I wrapped the plastic switch in mine and what that solves is that sometime there is a problem with too much space between the switch and the cd lid of the DC case. Why this problem is there would have to be either the switch wearing from normal friction or an increased amount of friction from one of the top halves of the top-half not matching the Model Number of
the DC inside of the bottom case. So if the
DC no longer stops running with a disc inside when you open the lid or the "please wait checking CD" message no longer appears when you put in a CD and then close it then I would say that that would be the cd-lid switch and to try wrapping it with two complete windings of electric tape: make sure to cut the tape to fit the cd lid switch.
The other remedy being finding a case part that matches up better.
To find the switch you have to remove the top half of the case and it is found all the way to the back of the opened DC and to the right of the GD-ROM.
The battery not recharging because the switch slips to ^the cover open^ position? Is this correct? This I did not know! Post back and let me know if your two case halves match? The upper having two parts and the lower half being the combination of the plastic shell with the model number printed on it and the DC hardware inside of it. So I find four different factors being the determining conditions in telling why the switch seems to slip and the DC not getting its signal from it. Possibly the DC parts numbers dont match up and this can be figured out that way. It would take records from somewhere to verify the parts numbers from a list of all the different models of the DCs ever made an the original parts numbers of those DCs that match up. Matching the four pieces together would ensure that there is no problem with the switch being too small or far away from the top case half that touches the switch. I dont really think that wear would be the issue with matching parts
numbers except when I consider the different parts combinations that could end in excessive wear and thus work for a little while and wearing at an increased rate thus causing some frustration and wonderment at this whole issue and many not guessin that their DCs have been torn apart and put back together with mismatching parts. Possibly the case was put together with mismatching parts by somebody who was repairing and selling DC Consoles for a store that sold them. I think that is most likely the answer.Possibly the switch needs to be replaced. How long have you had your DC? How long was it before the switch wasnt working anymore?
Post Back!
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ben751
rank 2
Posted:
Wed Jun 01, 2011 10:36 am
quote : #11
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Posts: 6
Type: NTSC-U/C
Hey guys, I've been a big dreamcast fan for a long time but recently my dreamcast starting having disc read error problems. I tried the thing where you spin the little thing under the drive laser and after hours of adjusting it by the tiniest of bits I still have not gotten it to work. Does this just mean its complete junk now or is there anything else I can try?
 
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