Panasonic Q Mods! DVD Drive repair, region switch, and ViperGC install!

[@CecilTheDarkKnight234]

I still never understand why the Panasonic Q wasn't brought over states. Yes it was tad more expensive than a vanilla game-cube. However the built audio/video hookups, ability to play CD's, Video CD's and of course DVD's. This alone would moved some units to hard-core media enthusiast looking for an all in one system.. Aye what could've been. Oh as always great repair video and keep up the good work!!

[@LIRetroGaming]

I agree, this would have sold very well in the United States in my opinion. And thanks so much for watching and I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

[@GeminiWoods]

I know I would have bought one back in the day.

[@oOignignoktOo1]

Yeah it's a shame the Panasonic Q is just an aesthetically pleasing system and still is to this day. Sadly ones out there in the market now are a bit too much for my blood.

[@bricklock1942]

Wow! Someone from Long Island with a Panasonic Q? Now I kind of want one so I could play American and Japanese stuff on there, any NTSC (480p/480i) stuff

[@phrozen4life]

Thanks for the Vid, I Have had my Q since 2002 right after they released I bought one. I don't think it's just the Import from JP that breaks the Tray Track, There were thousands imported back then and this wasn't a common issue. I think its just the plastic was of cheap quality and with age has become extremely brittle, so importing one in this day and age would be complete suicide for the rails. I Finally disassembled mine to clean the gunk out of the tracks that build up with the Silicone grease and to change the band, found one of my tracks had a crack straight down and when unscrewing the boards from the tray 2 of those legs just fell apart. I seriously managed to take my time and slowly super glue everything back together and it held up great and the screws had no issue fastening the boards back to the tray. The Disc Tray now slides open and closed like new again, things for the visual assistance.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Awesome, I’m glad you got yours working again and that the video was helpful

[@famicomical]

top notch repair. more people need to know about the thick walls where the top cover attaches. i did the exact same thing you did before i stumbled upon this video. scrambling to fix my laser now...

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks, I really appreciate the feedback! Good luck with the repair and I hope this helps!

[@famicomical]

@@LIRetroGaming thank you. Looks like a case of bad caps. The drive is behaving erratically in dvd mode -- always spinning, won't read, and video output loses sync intermittently. I can read gamecube games no problem, and i can browse the files on movie discs in swiss. Let me know if you've ever seen a Q with bad caps and what that looks like.

[@ssdLusankya]

Thanks for the video. It is great. I do have 2 questions though. On the left rail that you 3d printed for the drive to slide along, did you use the metal spring from the original rail? Would that negate the need for the shimms as that would push the tray against the gear?

[@Creamen]

Thanks you so much. I have been able to fix my SL-GC10 which had the same issue. It's a nightmare to open ( even tho I did not go to the MB ) but the US/JP switch is not an option imho so ... but for now it needs more love and cleanup to shine again :) Thanks again for your channel - I love it !

[@LIRetroGaming]

Awesome, I’m glad that this video was helpful!

[@Creamen]

This console is a nightmare to fix ... I got two new ones and both have belt so dry it's almost break when I tried to remove them. So many layer of screws and cables as you show us in this nice video. But it's worth the effort, it's gorgeous in the dark ( and with a Pico inside :P ). Now looking for belt replacement in my area as shipping cost are expensive from US/EU to Japan :) Congrats to both of you by the way :)

[@ethanwashoe5868]

Damn these consoles look amazing! I’ve been keeping my eye on them on eBay but only broken ones are affordable

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah they are very cool but also very prone to breaking and hard to find

[@CiskoNokia]

Hello mate, I don't know if you will remember me. A year ago I told you that I had the same problem that the DVD tray got stuck and did not eject. Well, yesterday I finally decided and disassemble it following your steps, clean the dust I had on the gears, change the rubber strap and everything is fine. But now a new problem has arisen, when I put the DVD mode the image is seen with interference or very dark and before this did not happen. In game mode everything is fine, it is only in DVD mode. Thank you.

[@LIRetroGaming]

That’s a strange problem and I’m not sure why that would happen. Is the dvd tray going all the way back?

[@tambias]

these unit came shipped for usa and japan region.to get usa region hold the power switch down for a few seconds at boot up if i remember correctly.boots up into usa region with english menu.another item i use in the uk on this is the freeloader disc,that allows me to play pal games on this without all the modifications.

[@TheMapeha]

PAL DVDs won't work due to lack of some VRAM for the higher resolution 576 and not 480. It's possible to convert PAL DVD to NTSC and burn it on DVD, that's works. Regionfree on burned DVD is important or using a Panasonic Service Disc 2 to change the region to 0/ALL for original NTSC DVDs. Once used, this is changed forever and there is no need for that disc anymore.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks for sharing that information. I have not yet tried any PAL content on a Panasonic Q yet so that’s very good to know

[@Emmanuel155b]

Can you give a link or a clue or where to get this disc. i have a Panasonic Q that I’ve purchased from Japan with a region switch just doesn’t play American “DVDs only region 2” would you please help a fellow here.

[@Audix-19]

Excellent video, man!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@AlexanderScott66]

Panasonic employee making the design for this: "How many screws do you want?" The guy who okayed the number of screws: "How much do we screw you over?"

[@velvlet]

Really looking to put my hand on a Viper GC chip =/ Awesome video mate, a friend of mine is fixing mine right now, same issue with the drive and rails...

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@matt4193]

Wobbly table as always

[@LIRetroGaming]

Sorry for that, I am not using expensive equipment to film this stuff, and it’s hard to justify spending over $1000 for a hobby

[@matt4193]

@@LIRetroGaming Oh sorry I didnt mean it in a bad way. I really like your content!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks, I appreciate it! At some point I do plan on getting better equipment for filming though

[@matt4193]

@@LIRetroGaming Godspeed. I'm looking forward to it haha

[@ciscokid5839]

Very good video. Since Viper GC is not easy to get can the region switch still be added regardless of no vipergc? Thank you.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! And yes, you can install that switch without the Viper

[@ciscokid5839]

@@LIRetroGaming Thank you .

[@mariopic]

been repairing q's for quite some time thing 6 years so far got a bunch of notes on them and some custom made repro boards for cracked dvd drive boards and front controller port boards also maped few resistors out that cause problems eith booting and drive mech also got bunch of custom made ribbons to replace brittle broken ones

[@Starcat128]

I want a Panasonic GameCube like for real

[@AustinVetter]

Do you still repair?

[@abouzainah]

Hey mariopic, do you still repair Q’s ?

[@mariopic]

@@AustinVetter ya still repairs and make parts for them

[@mariopic]

@@Starcat128 lol its sweet its basicly a dvd player ducktaped to a gamecube lol with a board to do the io switching

[@Starcat128]

I want that GameCube

[@chaserickman6647]

I’ve been working on making a 3D model of the tray but I’m not great with 3D programs. I have 2 Panasonic Q’s myself and need replacement trays for both. If you do get something figured out let me know. I would be happy to buy one.

[@peterj2415]

The 3D model link he has in the description includes the rails and the tray, it seems

[@ethanwashoe5868]

Where did you get your Panasonic Qs? I would like to have one myself one day

[@pacer6694]

Damn… how can I buy one already fixed up like this?

[@r4dius]

Nice mods and video, I'm wondering what flux do you use ?

[@Emmanuel155b]

I have a question where’s the battery for time & calendar. i have one but i don’t know how solder is this easy to change like the other GameCube by the controller poets or do i need to open it completely ?

[@LIRetroGaming]

The battery is located on the controller port PCB and you don't have to take apart the whole console to get access to it. It's not difficult to replace the battery - if you have ever replaced the battery in a game cartridge the process is the same.

[@erikfriasperalta]

Good job!!! Beautiful game cube. Will you sell it? To me 😬...

[@soupagunner3064]

Mine was a nightmare. it had alot of broken or near impossible screws to get off. took days

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah these can be really difficult to fix

[@PrinzessinRamode]

What size is this drive belt? No store in Japan seems to be able to help me and they keep saying that this Panasonic GameCube is too old.

[@LIRetroGaming]

I don’t know the dimensions but if you contact console5.com they might be able to help you

[@PrinzessinRamode]

@@LIRetroGaming thanks.

[@carlosrivera7446]

Do you do offer repair services? I need help with this thing. Disk tray came shattered from Japan.

[@NewYorkRetroCity]

Another awesome video bro!!! 🍻

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks JJ! We need to get that play choice video going!

[@johnwilliamson8367]

As far as your audio issues if not resolved Id consider the caps.

[@perpetualcollapse]

Aight then.

[@velvlet]

What is the difference between Viper GC and the Viper Extreme??

[@LIRetroGaming]

The extreme uses USB for connecting to a computer whereas the original viper uses a serial port

[@Ridley1911]

It should be compatible with the picoboot as well, installation is pretty much the same.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah the picoboot would definitely work on the q

[@thelegendtl]

Does the XenoGC chip work with the Panasonic q?

[@LIRetroGaming]

No unfortunately it does not because the drive is significantly different from a standard cube

[@davidegalliussi1979]

Are there some video mods? Rgb/Component/Hdmi

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes with a carby you can get hdmi and the official gamecube component cables work too. Aside from that there is no real need for any other mods

[@a.nice_guy]

good video

[@LIRetroGaming]

Thanks, glad that you enjoyed the video!

[@brett1586]

How do I get the viper GC mod Chip

[@LIRetroGaming]

They are no longer being made so you need to either remove one from an existing gamecube or find a seller that still has them in stock

[@Luna-ou7hs]

Are u guys open ?

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yes, the website is open

[@natevirtual]

First view, first comment, good morning to you!!

[@LIRetroGaming]

Good morning to you as well! Hope you enjoyed the video!

[@Starcat128]

Why wasn’t this released in United States Nintendo could have called it a game cube pro and been 400$ And people would have bought the crap out of it

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah I really wish it was released here. I agree that it would have been popular

[@gordonjeffrey231076]

What a pain to fix the drive. The party that need most attention. Beautiful console but a pain in the a$$ to fix.

[@LIRetroGaming]

Yeah they are really amazing systems to own but a serious challenge to repair. Hopefully these videos make it easy for other people to repair their own Panasonic Q!