Fixing a gamecube that does not read disk.

Showing you how to fix in nintendo gamecube that won't read desk by turning up the voltage on the laser.

[@cw48494]

Thank you! This saved both of my Gamecubes! Unfortunately I couldn't find my multimeter so I just played around until they worked again.

[@xylamic]

This worked great for me, but I needed to lower the resistance more than mentioned. When I checked mine, it was about 210. I lowered to about 180 and it didn't fix it, but when I lowered to about 150, it started working perfectly. Thanks for the help!

[@Spazzz661]

What about if it’s a question mark under the gameplay option?

[@LHemstock]

Disc was spinning but wouldn't read, mine ohmed out to around 200 dropped it to 150 and worked like a charm! My kids thank you and my inner child thanks you! Zelda here we come getting these kids gaming careers started off right!

[@tntgamezone4818]

That is awesome to hear. This is why I made that video to hopefully help people like yourself thanks for watching

[@LHemstock]

@@tntgamezone4818 you made it easy brother! didnt have a screw driver for the safety screws so i melted the end of a hard plastic pen and pressed it on each one, took me 4 pens of attempts but i got all of them! almost took out the drill lol. needless to say i replaced them when i reinstalled. all the best bro, hope your channel grows!

[@Jacob-kq7xl]

Spent the last 5 years trying to fix it and this video helped make it flawless

[@titoumollier3816]

This worked super well and it didn’t take to long, I was worried I bought a used gamecube for no reason but this video saved me, thanks a lot and keep up the good work.

[@davidguzman7472]

Awesome Video thank you! My Gamecube that's been stored for YEARS still has this problem. Hopefully I can get it to read disks again like your causes it's also a DOL 001 Model :)!

[@chemaaxd]

turn the power off and check the nintendo gamecube instruction booklet for further instructions

[@Burntbean_]

Just found my old gamecubes that haven't worked in 6 plus years and got them working due to this video thanks man! Playing smash broz and def jam

[@six_buck_dlc]

Maybe you shouldn't have pirated Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

[@LOTW1]

Can anyone help me? I've tried this over and over making small adjustments between 200 and 600 and nothing. Disc spins. Laser moves back and forth and then it stops.

[@courtneypearson5024]

I’m having the same exact issue. If you happen to figure it out let me know please!!

[@daveweaver3886]

Did you check the disc cover sensor (the two little levers on the top right corner) to make sure it's not broken?

[@Martin.chapman]

I love GameCube theres just something about them

[@THEASIANSWAGMONSTER]

Quick question you said that gamecubes usual resistance is between the 300-500 range. Then why dial it down to 200? Would that potentially make the laser to strong? And could dialing it too low harm the disks in anyway? But all in all following your steps I was able to fix my gamecube. Years later and your still helping people. Thank you so much

[@tntgamezone4818]

I don't think you're gonna make the laser too strong because What happens is after time the laser starts to go weak eventually it's going to burn out Unfortunately. but we can get a few more years of enjoyment doing this thank you for watching

[@Tot_sr]

ik this comment was a few years ago now but allow me to help clear some stuff up for you. so the range your referring to differs based on the model of gamecube you may have. a DL-001 model gamecube sits in the 150-250 range however the DL-101 model rests between 400-500. Hope this answers your question all these years later!

[@isaiahmcclure8894]

Sir! I had ordered a spice orange gamecube from Amazon maybe 6 months back, I was disappointed to find out it also didn't read discs, I ended up getting a full refund and I've been meaning to go inside and try to fix it, I have no prior knowledge in technology aside from playing, so I ordered all the right tools and after working along side you in this video the gamecube is playing games like its brand new! Thank you so much for this video! I dont have the voltage detector so I just adjusted the sensor a tiny bit, is there any harm in not knowing if the voltage is to high or to low? Can the laser possibly burn discs to the state of unplayable?

[@tntgamezone4818]

I don't think I can hurt the games any it may just burn the laser out quicker

[@isaiahmcclure8894]

@@tntgamezone4818 Thank you for the speedy reply! :) I've been playing on the fixed gamecube for a few hours at a time since fixing and haven't come across any problems yet! :)

[@Stuart267]

Wow! I have the same problem with 3 Gamecubes I wouldn't mind but one of them is the Resident Evil 4 edition. After I packed them away all I need to do is take it apart & dial up the voltage? Where do I buy that tester thingy? lol

[@tntgamezone4818]

You can get the voltage reader anywhere home depot lowes or even Harbor freight you don't need an expensive one.

[@Stuart267]

@@tntgamezone4818 Cool I'll get one off ebay now thanks :)

[@bearbzack]

This helped a lot thanks brother

[@raargebloktesnor]

This worked!! Amazing 😎👍🏻

[@tntgamezone4818]

Awesome great to hear..

[@WilbertRivera]

Great tutorial video got my GameCube back up and running. Amazing thank you so much.

[@KingTriforcer]

I think this must be the issue my original Game Cube has.

[@Pcxgang]

Wahhh whoooo thank god for this video got my voltage was at 548 dropped it down to 278 ish disc is spinning beautifully so happy shes alive 🧟👨‍🔧👨‍🔧

[@superior4543]

Mine reads a disc but theres an error when i try to play

[@link560633]

Where can I find the digital av out cable? I've tried looking online but I just get the general hdmi cables. Unless I'm looking for it the wrong way. Btw great video smooth steps.

[@tntgamezone4818]

They are hard to find and very expensive

[@eddy-fw7hv]

Shrek is love shrek is life

[@8BitGlitch79]

Great video. I think I need to do this with my Saturn. It will play the disc and then after playing for 5 mins it kicks out of the game back to system menu and has disc read error.

[@tntgamezone4818]

I haven't heard of that 1 yet. I know my Sega CD it's doing something similar.

[@izehumaheyiba2182]

@@tntgamezone4818 whoo whoo no more errors on your GameCube.

[@TwoDelic]

My Gamecube wouldnt read disc so I went to do the repairs Like adjust the VR401 but I adjusted too much and now the laser wont move or have the red light at all. Is there any saving it ? Or Is it RIP to my childhood?

[@Nuclearpig8437]

Great video. All other guides weren’t nearly as in depth as yours. Thank you

[@oldcarguy700]

Awesome video! I hope my $20 score is this easy! So I can add to my collection! Thanks

[@decocoofficial6551]

Anyone else hear a super high pitch sound coming from this video? I'm trying to make it through but that pitch is almost unbearable.

[@dustytech7862]

One of the best repair videos I've ever watched on KZbin!

[@tntgamezone4818]

. That is awesome to hear I'm glad in helps.

[@HippoEatTortoise]

I can’t get mine to work even with a really high voltage. The disc just won’t spin.

[@DJPacoRamirez]

What if the gamecube was already at 200ohms

[@SmileySenpai]

I followed your steps and instead of the laser being messed I found a crayon in the laser area....

[@tntgamezone4818]

Lol

[@retro_boy_advance]

That's a lot of rust. Was the gamecube subjected to a spill some time ago?

[@tntgamezone4818]

I'm not sure I bought it at the flea market for $5.

[@retro_boy_advance]

@@tntgamezone4818 That's a great deal! Glad you got it working again.

[@mariot-rexhernandez817]

I just bought a gamecube like 2 months ago and every time I turn it on it always tells me An error has occurred Turn the power off and check the Nintendo Gamecube instruction Booklet for further instructions idk what to do I need help with it

[@tntgamezone4818]

Did you try doing what I said in the video?

[@Mializetterose]

Soooo happy I came across your video thankyou so much for the help!

[@JzLyfe]

I know this video is old but I managed to get my gamecube out of the box after 10yrs but the reason mine stopped reading games was because somebody tripped over the controls yanking the gamecube to his side. Ever since it would not read disc but everything checks out ok and nothing looks broken.. any advice?

[@tntgamezone4818]

Does the disc spin?

[@raulcastello]

Awesome that must be the last model TV

[@xelawolf224]

Just bought a multimeter for the first time and I'm trying to follow your steps but when I place the tool on the pins my meter goes way up then all the way down to 0 again. It doesn't stay at a solid #. Is my meter bad. It's brand new.

[@tntgamezone4818]

I've never heard of that before it might be the meter I'm not sure

[@semitope]

Why did the battery need changing?

[@tntgamezone4818]

The battery holds the time and date every time I turn my system on it would want me to reset it.

[@semitope]

@@tntgamezone4818 Thanks

[@hannibalgenial7938]

Other question. What about the battery? This batery is for what? Can you help me with both questions please.

[@tntgamezone4818]

The battery is for the time and date save the system should still work with a badd battery.

[@jeremyxb777]

here in 2023, cant wait to see if this works for me once my meter comes in

[@chris123chris82]

Soo my GameCube will read some games but then won’t read others..

[@tntgamezone4818]

You can try adjusting it a bit more..

[@katsumiyamada5992]

My son was crying and now he gave me a big smile after fixing our Nintendo. He even said to me I'm his hero!! Big help sir!! Really helped me both my son and $$$!! A++++++++!

[@tntgamezone4818]

That is awesome to hear I'm so glad it worked out for you and your son.

[@hannibalgenial7938]

My gamecube doesn't work. The disk does not move. Then this pot is for the motor, no for lens?

[@tntgamezone4818]

When the disk doesn't spin sounds like it's the disk drive adjusting the pot probly wont-work.

[@tntgamezone4818]

It doesn't hurt to try to give the laser more power by turning the pot give it a try you have nothing to lose

[@Dr.Peppermintz]

Heyo! This worked on my GC -- I got the "An Error has occurred" after bringing the reading down to ~150ohms, and raised it to just above ~200ohms and it cleared the error. Wanted to make a slight correction -- you mention "it might be a 3.8mm" around the 2minute mark -- it was indeed a 4.5mm gamebit. They're included in the iFixIt prokit. Thanks for your help!

[@djtoppick]

What’s the tool u said u got from amazon can u send link please thanks

[@tntgamezone4818]

www.amazon.com/dp/B07BF7PSVR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YTPeFbFBKE2EH

[@wolfzombie17]

Saved my GameCube. Thanks a ton man would have had to buy a new one if I hadn't found this vid. Can now play games it had trouble with even before it stopped working!

[@HenHouseGaming]

Hi. Ty for the video. Worked perfect. Got mine to 240ish from 649. Using 2000/2k OHMS.

[@RFedozzi]

Excellent work! It seems to be "simple" to fix the laser part. I have the same problem and I need to buy the battery too.

[@MrPekka23]

I don't have the thing he had to check how much power it has. Should I do it randomly?

[@willm5032]

@@MrPekka23 ifixit says move it a small amount, like 1/4 a turn with a screwdriver, but from what I've read you can destroy games if you've got the laser too powerful so I'd avoid doing it without a voltmeter.

[@MrPekka23]

@@willm5032 I doubt I'll be able to have access to a voltmeter

[@willm5032]

@@MrPekka23 you'd be better off buying a voltmeter than blindly adjusting your laser I think. I've not done it before myself but have been researching. If you follow iFixit's guide you shoul be okay but be very careful adjusting the pot- small incrimental adjustments, test after each one with a game you don't mind destroying.

[@MrPekka23]

@@willm5032 yeah, I've searched on ebay it's just 10-20 euros. I'll buy a voltmeter lol thank you

[@pokanoka06]

Your suggestion worked perfectly for me! Thank you so so much for this vid! Luckily my gamecube only had a whole lot of dust underneath. No rust whatsoever thankfully

[@n.d.engleson6499]

I would just have the lens or the entire drive replaced with a brand new one; it's less technical and less risky.

[@aussudden8342]

What is that beeping sound some second after the disk starts spinning?

[@tntgamezone4818]

I am not sure.

[@tronic24]

Thank you

[@ernestt5703]

I honestly would pay you and send you my GameCube to get fixed. Mine literally has the same problem.

[@Aethelia]

Tried this on two Gamecubes. It fixed one of them. I guess this could be the reason for the disc not being read, but it could still be something else.

[@TwoDelic]

How do i know if i turn the voltage ? I couldnt see the vr401 rotating to indicate that im turning it but idk if its not supposed to turn?

[@christianmolina6519]

I thought I burned my out by setting it at 280. But now it’s working at 200

[@willm5032]

mine is intermittently not reading disks- normally works after a few restarts,should i do this? I figure somethings weird anyway

[@tntgamezone4818]

I would give it a try you probably don't have to do much of a resistance on it

[@willm5032]

​@@tntgamezone4818 Thanks for the reply on such an oldass video! I'll probably try it, the cube still works and reads disks so its no immediate concern but I do need to change the system battery and it could use a clean so I might as well take a look whilst I'm in there. Got a voltmeter too so I can check the resistance properly.

[@ViaCristero]

You saved my gamecube thanks homie

[@obito2511]

Quick fix and nice 👍

[@reddead4614]

Mine does the same thing! But if you leave it on and take the game out and put it back in it starts to spin sometimes and some game it will read but not sure what that may be?

[@_.Mike.__]

Thank you

[@tntgamezone4818]

My pleasure

[@nathanharvell2741]

Best repair video I’ve found

[@tntgamezone4818]

That means a lot to me thank you..

[@maryeriezavala6698]

My disk will spin , but it wont read. Cleaned the lens it wont read . Will this help still.

[@tntgamezone4818]

Yes this will help I'm not sure for how long because your lens may be going but you might get a few years out of it

[@DragonProtector]

Same problem! Though spare disk drive i have works fine.

[@Fucklifedeadshit]

Fixed my issue and it was a quick and easy repair. Thanks.

[@Slim252]

This worked I followed your steps and it work with no issues.. thank you

[@pekomsmink]

the audio is really scuffed i hear a high pitched ringing sound

[@tntgamezone4818]

Is the sound coming from the TV or inside the unit

[@pekomsmink]

@@tntgamezone4818 its coming from the video you uploaded

[@nergal4498]

Would this potentially work for the error message that says "An error has occurred. Turn the Power Off and check the Nintendo GameCube Instruction Booklet for further instructions." This message always pops up on the exact same spot for every game. Ex: When trying to enter the ice levels in Gauntlet Dark Legacy, after exiting the tutorial in Tak, etc. Every game has a different but specific spot that causes the disk to stop spinning and the error to pop up. All disks are in damn near PERFECT condition and the system and eye reader are squeaky clean ):

[@tntgamezone4818]

It's just weird that it's at the same spot. You should try the same game but a different disk and see what happens.

[@LeonePhelps]

My gamecube will read any game and knows they’re in, but a few minutes after I start the game it’ll randomly fail and say “the disc cannot be read, please check the game manual.” If I open the disc tray and close it again (without even fixing the disc at all) it’ll read again for a couple minutes before it happens again indefinitely. Do you know if this is something that would fix my issue? Or have you heard of that happening?

[@tntgamezone4818]

I would at least try doing this fix the lazer may be going bad. It definitely won't make it any worse. But I never heard of that.

[@The8TrackChap]

What’s the purpose of the battery?

[@tntgamezone4818]

It's for the time and date some games require it like animal crossing

[@The8TrackChap]

@@tntgamezone4818 how do you tell if the battery is bad?

[@tntgamezone4818]

Every time you turn the system on and I'll ask you to change the date and time

[@Hypothics]

What is the 2 Lever piece mine broke and I need a new one

[@cowboyluigi5275]

Does this still work for GameCubes that have disc reading errors? Like, it knows a disc is inserted, but it still can’t read it anyways? I know the disc isn’t scratched because my other GameCube works perfectly with the same games.

[@tntgamezone4818]

wouldn't hurt to try it

[@cowboyluigi5275]

@@tntgamezone4818 I did not expect such a quick reply, I’ll be sure to give this a try! hopefully I can come back with some positive results.

[@YeahOkayFineWhatever]

Not sure if this is the same thing as mine. But, my gamecube will spin the game and start up and at a certain point (In any game) it stops spinning and says the disc could not be read. I found something around it but its really frustrating because i have to open and close it for it to spin again. I will have to do it every like 15 seconds.

[@tntgamezone4818]

That's weird I never heard of that one.

[@nora96780]

Oh my God the white noise

[@alexabd10]

Me sirvio gracias !

[@iTzAuZy]

Hey so I did everything as follows but my disc spins up then stops spinning after about 8 seconds and nothing…. Any help?

[@tntgamezone4818]

Does the game start to load ?

[@iTzAuZy]

@@tntgamezone4818 no I get a disc read error, I turned the potentiometer down 3 times and still nothing, right now it’s at 180 I went all the way down to 150

[@tntgamezone4818]

You can keep going lower it's not gonna hurt nothing now your laser might be gone

[@emperor1ma776]

How do you reset the game cube it self?

[@tntgamezone4818]

What do you mean by reset I'm not sure what you mean.

[@emperor1ma776]

@@tntgamezone4818 how do you factory reset the Nintendo game cube?

[@tntgamezone4818]

@@emperor1ma776 I'm not sure a 100% to be honest with you I never really looked into doing that

[@emperor1ma776]

@@tntgamezone4818 can you look it up and tell me please

[@mikamax5182]

What is the name of that tool he used? Can anyone tell me?

[@tntgamezone4818]

Which tool

[@brethevenin2324]

Mine would spin a little then stop i made the adjustment but now it spins more then stops any suggestions

[@chaseoliver3714]

Try lookin into capacitor replacement. I’m in the same boat you’re in and that seems to be where this problem is leading me

[@vestorflipsters6491]

I bought a used GC from a thrift store and the disc doesn’t spin. I cleaned the laser, still doesn’t work. I open it up and adjust the potentiometer to 409 ohms, still doesn’t spin and makes no noise when lid is on. When I take lid off and hold the sensor arms, the laser lights up and moves but the disc doesn’t spin. Did I do something wrong here?

[@tntgamezone4818]

It could possibly be the motor that spins the desk could be badd I never change one of those.

[@vestorflipsters6491]

TnT Gamezone thanks for the response man! Your video is really good!

[@jparrish6360]

What’s the name of the tool you used? I heard ang bit. But there’s no such thing.

[@tntgamezone4818]

They're also called Game bit drivers

[@tntgamezone4818]

www.amazon.com/dp/B01N3UO3V7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_JKZ1BW5F5EH45CXQ7G6R?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[@jparrish6360]

@@tntgamezone4818 thank you

[@DemonKingNemo]

RIP everyone's ears

[@noahz6980]

Hey my gamecube light will come on for like 2 seconds but then go off and the fan will come on and stay on. What do you think could be wrong? Thank you!

[@tntgamezone4818]

That might be a power supply issue I'm not sure.

[@noahz6980]

@@tntgamezone4818 Ok thank you. Is that something that can be fixed?

[@tntgamezone4818]

@@noahz6980 Everything could be fixed or replaced I'm just not sure I never had to deal with the power supply if the power supply is the issue .. good luck Bud

[@noahz6980]

@@tntgamezone4818 Ok dang, makes sense. Thank you.

[@allenhughes7353]

What did you set your multimeter on to test the regulator

[@stevenmael]

ohms (Ω) , or to measure resistance, the thinking is that if you lower resistance it should increase voltage if i am not mistaken

[@leopoldogonzalez5444]

Ok so here is the thing... I have a game cube that does not read disks (bad laser I suppose) so for testing the problem, I disassemble a good GC that I have and changed its good optic laser for the bad one, but it didn’t work... the disc spins fine but just can’t make it read the disk, it’s strange because I changed the bad laser to the good one, logically it should work but it didn’t, I also calibrated the potentiometer from the starting point of 500kilo ohms to 200kilo ohms and still nothing... What could be wrong? Something within the potentiometer board? Thank you.

[@tntgamezone4818]

I never heard of that it could possibly be the board.

[@tntgamezone4818]

I wish there was something I can tell you let me know how you make out with that

[@leopoldogonzalez5444]

@@tntgamezone4818 Sure!! As soon as I find out how to solve this I will let you know asap. Thank you!

[@KD8GKR]

did you damage the said good laser lens during the swap?

[@KD8GKR]

did you put the good laser back in the known good GC to verify it still works?

[@daveweaver3886]

I got my discs spinning again but it appears mine is spinning faster than yours. Does that mean the laser has too much intensity and could burn it out more quickly? I did this without a multimeter but I was careful to make very small adjustments. If I move it up any slight amount to how I have it, it won't spin again so I'm confident I'm not moving it too far.

[@tntgamezone4818]

Is it reading the disc?

[@daveweaver3886]

@@tntgamezone4818 Yeah. Or do certain games spin at different speeds?

[@tntgamezone4818]

I'm glad to hear it's working I don't think other discs spin faster

[@daveweaver3886]

@@tntgamezone4818 Do you think I should check the reading with a multimeter or will it be ok?

[@tntgamezone4818]

As long as it's working it should be good

[@potatosouprecipegogle3144]

I recently got my super smash bros melee disk resurfaced by game exchange and every time I put the disk in it says that an error has occurred and that I should check the manual.

[@tntgamezone4818]

Does any other games say that or is it just this one?

[@potatosouprecipegogle3144]

@@tntgamezone4818 It's just that one game. Along with it, I got super mario sunshine resurfaced and it works perfectly.

[@tntgamezone4818]

I would contact game exchange and see if they can run that disc again.

[@potatosouprecipegogle3144]

@@tntgamezone4818 Thank you.

[@Ruben-us2kf]

My GameCube was doing this, and when you said voltage I immediately unplugged and used a different outlet which worked

[@chivatech]

Guys it’s 2022 now. Buy yourself a GC Loader and call it a day. I bought a broken GameCube for $40 and bought the $90 GC loader and now I can play the entire library off a SD Card.

[@evieo5359]

what’s a gc loader ? what does it do?

[@zeniktorres4320]

I would buy a GC Loader if I could get my hands on one (I prefer it over picoboot).

[@tonygucciano6875]

Want a working system

[@erichartman9051]

I don't know if I learned anything, watching your hands work those shaft like tools was mesmerizing and hearing you talk about rust was soothing.....👬❤

[@Sonikks]

Hi, I'm a bit confused. I need to sort my Gamecube that is giving me issues with my discs. You said it should be 300-500 but you turned it down to 201. Should I do the same?

[@tntgamezone4818]

I would do little-by-little every system's different depending on how worn down the laser is.

[@Fuzzylover100]

I've kept my gamecube with the resident evil remakes for years. I finally tried to play today, and this happened! Thanks for the video mate! Will I need to buy more than the one specialty tool, or will other small flat and phillips head screw drivers work for the internal screws? Thank you

[@tntgamezone4818]

I hope the video helps you out and you will need the security bit driver. just get it on eBay or Amazon and search for security bit driver for GameCube . It's pretty cheap

[@TommyT_]

There's me thinkking I could do this at home