Nintendo GameCube Repair Fail (No Video & Audio) - Part 1

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A quick look at a lost cause Nintendo GameCube. I will probably re-visit this at some point in future.
#nintendo #gamecube #repair

[@GadgetUK164]

I believe I now know what is wrong with this GameCube! It was covered in part 2! There should also be a part 3 soon!

[@PavliCZech132]

Hi there, when do make that video please? I purchased a Gamecube and have the same problem. Thank you.

[@smashingrandomthingzandrev2134]

@GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods I know this is a stupid question but I left my GameCube setup and my sibling was slamming the tray down, and turning it on and off repeatedly. Could this have damaged it plz let me know

[@Deutschland01]

Very nice video Gadget, you really deserve much more subscribers! I hope you reach at least 15.000 subscribers at the mid of the year.

[@GadgetUK164]

Thanks!

[@zxkim8136]

It's good to know that a person with your experience and knowledge fails to fix. I don't think it's the CPU or GPU I thought it was a ram failure early on after you had cleaned up the logic board ......we will see in PT 2 .......great vid Chris as always mate 😁😁😁 Kim 😁😁😁

[@Mymatevince]

Brilliant video Chris. Really loved this one, learned a lot. Hope you do revisit it soon to pinpoint the exact fault. Thank you :-)

[@GadgetUK164]

Thanks Vince =D Always nice to see a comment from you here =D

[@BCProgramming]

ABS plastics discolour because the butadiene component of the polymer can be encouraged to oxidize. UV is one way but Heat energy is another; even simple exposure to oxygen can be enough, which is why the plastics have stabilisers, and absorbers added to the plastic which effectively tries to prevent the butadiene polymer from receiving the energy that will result in it oxidizing as much as possible. When that does occur, it breaks the polymer molecule, which is why the plastic get's brittle over time, and also results in Carbonyl radicals which form their own chromatic molecules which cause the signature discolouration. Treatment with peroxide works by breaking down those chromatic molecules into simpler compounds- it also encourages and greatly accelerates that original reaction, since peroxide is an oxidizer and "treatment" involves putting it in direct sunlight. The biggest issue with the peroxide treatments is that the oxidizer will also strip the plastic of the protective compounds which prevent discolouration- the UV absorber and stabiliser compounds are all broken down themselves by the peroxide because it is a chemical oxidizer. This means that over time simply being exposed to air can cause the "treated" plastic to discolour, which is probably what happened to that one. Memory card slot cover with a card inserted was mostly protected from free-flowing air so discoloured far less.

[@GadgetUK164]

Yes, as time goes on I am starting to believe that retro briting these things is pointless. But, when a system in unevenly yellowed I think its worth doing. My 1200 was terrible because it had some parts yellow, others not etc (from stickers and keyboard overlays left on for decades). Strangely that's one of my systems that hasn't re-yellowed in 4 or 5 years. All of the Nintendo things I've done have re-yellowed even after being kept in a cold dark box. It must just be oxygen doing this!

[@argy111]

Finally someone else that knows. There is nothing except flash heating the plastic that will seal the "gaps" left by the oxidisation. Retrobriting just removes more and unless you "fill the gaps" , all you've done is accelerated the problem. I use other forms to clean the plastic , and reseal by flash heating the plastic..."annealing" the plastic again. However this is problematic with some plastics.

[@argy111]

Also the heat thing... Totally agree, and also retrobriting in the sunshine is what causes the blooming (white marks) where you've over oxidised the material, so, by retrobriting in a cool place , although slow, is kinder, if that's what you intend on doing Everyone has an opinion about retrobriting. It's how to combat the brittling I am working on.

[@StRoRo]

Wait... I think I took a wrong turn on KZbin. I thought this was the Neo Geo channel.

[@GadgetUK164]

LOL!!!! I was starting think it was the Neo Geo channel too lol =D

[@808v1]

nothing wrong with that! : )

[@user-wj9xq7ig2v]

The spindle is actually a button. Push done on it and the disk is a lot easier to remove.

[@AdamSommer70]

Gamecube is a super interesting system, thanks for posting

[@loganjorgensen]

Still an interesting tour around the GC mainboard and info on how manufacturing has changed since then. :) Been meaning to go in one myself for dust maintenance sake only but without a GB Player I haven't been motivated to take one out from storage since the Wii can play the games. Got some interesting mods for them now that one for spares is okay.

[@GadgetUK164]

Thanks =D I will re-visit this board when the other one arrives =D

[@Rockythefishman]

At least you got some good spares from it. sometimes with repairs you need to know when to give up. It’s a cube not rare or expensive so with no obvious faults you could spend hour after hour on it.

[@GadgetUK164]

=D I will re-visit this though =D

[@jstro-hobbytech]

That is a nice fluke. You do great work too. My friend here from Canada sent you his neogeo I think. He wigged out and wouldn't let me finish checking it haha

[@GadgetUK164]

Thanks 👍

[@Four_X]

Bummer, you win some you lose some. I love the GameCube. I have two of them, my main GC has a Viper GC Extreme ModChip and an IcedCube aftermarket shell (fits normal 12cm RITEK G04/G05 DVD-Rs). The other I have I use as a spare and has a Xeno GC ModChip installed with a original shell.

[@GadgetUK164]

Yeah =/ I've not give up on it, I will get another board and at least rule out the clock stuff, maybe the EEPROM (if I can find it - assuming its that tiny 8 pin device).

[@jstro-hobbytech]

I have a cube with the same symptoms and I have a second as well but it's a different revision

[@konturgestalter]

one of the best repair channels i know

[@GadgetUK164]

Thankyou for your kind words =D

[@theeggman4806]

It was a fire retardent they used to put into plastics that causes the yellowing...

[@DoingMoreKustoms]

My gamecube does NOT power on. However, the fan kicks on. Their is no spin on the disc and no power LED light. What could be the issue ?

[@GadgetUK164]

It could be a fault on the power PCB (sits underneath the main logic board). Or you may have a fault on the motherboard.

[@jstro-hobbytech]

Sorry for all thr comments. The scope should still read the frequency even if it's higher than your bandwidth. The waveform wouldn't display properly I believe

[@GadgetUK164]

Thanks, but no - the Hameg is analog, so the only way to see the frequency is using the waveform display vs the timebase, and that timebase wont go low enough to display such fast clocks =/

[@jstro-hobbytech]

@GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods I didn't realize you had an analog and the gear you may have had. I didn't have a scope back then at all haha. I'm fixing an old boss me-10 effect modeling pedal board from 30 years ago. They bought a bad batch of caps from Sanyo that year and the only ones surviving today are the ones been recapped as the originals died within 3 years. I'm tempted to replace all the large smd caps that are 100uf and above with a bunch of tht nichicon ones I have that are small. What would you do? I'm going to sell it as I have a studio quality modeler. I play so it'll be thoroughly tested and I have all these expensive caps leftover. I'm thinking to get some purpose use epoxy from mg chemicals to keep them from vibrating them down a bit in lieu of hot glue.....I plan on putting a coat of super expensive conformal coating on the board because some of the traces were tore up from some mope who was in there before me. The board is suing the smallest traces I've ever seen and it's drying making me fear delamination. It's all qfp ics with visible traces to vias in alot of places on a multilayer board. Someone even literally used some type of violent heat source and yanked out 2 30 pin ribbon cables and the port. It looks like an actual propane torch was used. I fixed the traces around the vias. My next bench gear upgrade is a nice camera microscope to a high end monitor. Well I'm getting a rigol mso5074 and unlocking it from a 1300 door scope to a 5k Canadian one. Ssh in with putty user/pw root and one command unlocks everything. I'm selling a siglent sds2202x-e if you're interested being the pound is worth twice the looney hahaha. It's a great scope I've only turned on 30 times (literally, it keeps track haha) but I'm not happy with how much the logic analyzer upgrade costs. I paid 1000 for it a month before I got an awesome old tektronix scope for a steal and the Amazon time limit was up by 5 days. I ramble brother , I apologize.

[@supersaiyankingvegeta8544]

I've got a similar issue with my gamecube. it's the logo not visually showing on the Telly. but all the booting sound is working. laser is fine too.

[@wiliamnizamasaa3265]

te agradeceria que me expliques por favor que hace U11 y cual es su codigo de ic para buscar su datasheet o reemplazo ,porque por accidente se malogro al sacar el disipador de alumnio de los ic principales, este ic es un mae 1y1 pero no encuentro su reemplazo o se datasheet ,gracias de antemano.

[@jstro-hobbytech]

The 32768hz crystal is just there to clock the bus for the bios and eprom on post I suspect

[@GadgetUK164]

Yes. the 32.768Khz XTAL is for the RTC!

[@jstro-hobbytech]

@GadgetUK164 - Retro Gaming Repairs & Mods I've made me many a cmos clock using them haha.

[@georgelea4297]

sorry about this one Gadget but at least you tried lets hope you can make a good one out of spares

[@Padoca]

Love those 40min "quick look" haha. Those abs Plastics will oxidize because of air from what I understand, you need to seal it in a plastic bag or something to prevent it from re yellowing.

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

there is a spray that can prevent the bromine in the plastic from causing the yellow effect, it was on a famicom guide video where he set up a kit for restoring systems

[@XxRaidenxXminecraft]

@@amirpourghoureiyan1637 it's working but after 2 year i have some yellowing comming back :/

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

@@XxRaidenxXminecraft maybe if the system doesn't have many emblems i'd say painting would be better

[@GadgetUK164]

What's interesting though is other systems (eg. my Amiga 1200) haven't yellow again, despite getting light and being out all the time for 4+ years. It seems to depend on the type of plastic.

[@amirpourghoureiyan1637]

@@GadgetUK164 Thank God that beige has gone out of fashion 😆

[@TinyTracey]

hiya bud,I've got a spare purple gamecube base and the logic board works fine,video and audio if you want it.It was a spare (non-working laser) I bought for the DVD drive board because I messed up chipping another with a Xeno.(the controller port plastic is yellowed with a crack but works with no corrosion on the ribbon and its missing a lid sensor switch)

[@GadgetUK164]

Thanks for the offer =D I've got one coming already =D

[@CB3ROB-CyberBunker]

electronic systems should always be designed in a way so they work at least until the building or vehicle they are placed in collapses. if they can't even get that simple task done, they are deliberately ripping people off, as most older systems have no problems fulfilling their task pretty much -forever-. there is a slight difference between adding too much bromeate to ic packages in the 1970s so they accidentialy break around now (40 years later) rather than lasting 80 or 100 years. and doing it on purpose. such as that lead free solder and 'bga' shit. it has nothing to do with 'cheaper to produce'. it has to do with purposely selling systems you know are gonna break. as a bga package will -never- last. it's just physically impossible for it to stay in it's place without things physically cracking.

[@MarkParkTech]

if you don't want them to "re-yellow" I've heard you can coat them in clear coat after retro-brighting, in order to prevent re-oxidization. I haven't tested this myself, so I can't speak from experience and would advice using a piece of test plastic before applying this method to anything you care about.

[@VectrexRoli]

I only heard from people so far that it did not work for them.

[@GadgetUK164]

Personally I wouldn't like to "clear coat" them as I feel it would perhaps ruin the finish. Sometimes (like on my 1200) it does not re-occur. Maybe because I wiped over it with a silicone polish after I did it, maybe that has added a barrier somehow? I am not the fan of retro briting I used to be though as it does often re-occur, more so on the plastics Nintendo seemed to use.

[@VectrexRoli]

The silicone polish might help for some time, that´s why I try that "Armor All" car spray currently, but I doubt it will help forever.

[@jcdenton1310]

Hey I just fixed this issue, check the underside of the motherboard where the connector to the PSU is look around the caps in that area, in my case one of the caps was shorting to ground due to the crappy solder forming whisks and bridging the caps

[@GadgetUK164]

Thanks! That wasn't the problem with this one - it was a corroded pad and solder ball under the CPU!

[@GameTechRefuge]

Frustrating, but at least you have spares. It looks like we'll all need bigger setups in the near future to work on more modern consoles. Microscopes, preheaters & reflow ovens etc. There are plenty of people who have hacked together cool preheaters and ovens but there is no way around the expense of the microscope. Not to mention the space needed to set it all up. Still trying save up for a Rigol DS1054Z Oscilloscope here :(

[@GadgetUK164]

Yeah, cost wise its going to be painful I think. TBH I am not that fussed about newer stuff, although I might be if I am still around in 20 years lol.

[@SkuldChan42]

Yeah newer machines are harder to repair :( - those reballing workstations are soo expensive - plus the bga stencils can be as much as 50$ each. I know on the Xbox 360 and PS3 its not uncommon for the heat/cool cycle for cracks to form in the bga joints themselves.

[@GadgetUK164]

Yeah =/ I think in this case BGA isn't the problem. My bet is clock, BIOS or RAM at this stage. I will re-visit though =D

[@retrogamer33]

I managed to find one of those nice pearlescent white Gamecubes.

[@GadgetUK164]

Wow - nice! Those are rare! I don't think I've ever seen one!

[@tails64dsntchannel8]

And that is how GadgetUK got a Zhuomao rework station :P

[@GadgetUK164]

I have a rework station already, and if I thought it was a bad BGA point I would have invested more time reflowing both top and bottom side, and with flux etc. I don't think its a BGA fault in this case though.

[@tails64dsntchannel8]

@@GadgetUK164 so you can reball BGA packages? or you can just reflow with hot air? either way yeah, by heating it like that you whould have noticed some change in behaviour, although i'm really puzzled by this one, i've never seen a GameCube fail like that..

[@GadgetUK164]

I could reflow with hot air, and if I go and find the right stencils I could reball too. It's a question of whether its worth the time and money. But as you say - I would have expected some change in behaviour after warming the board up for sure. So I don't think it needs anything reballing. The next thing I will check is the BIOS (when I get a spare board).

[@DaveDoc1984]

I hate the BGA era we are in. I have a PS3 (Launch Day 60GB model) that has now got the YLOD (Yellow Light Of Death). That is caused by the BGA Solder Balls under the CPU and I have no hope of sorting that out :( .

[@GadgetUK164]

Me too lol! 360 and PS3 are pains for this! You can try reflowing with hot air - although these Atten 858D aren't hot enough imo and have too small nozzle. You can find some success with a hot air stripper gun (the type I personally do not recommend) that you can set at either 300 or 500 degrees. But it's risky and needs to be done carefully. I got one working that way years ago, it lasted 3 months before it failed in the same way. Ultimately they need reballing when this occurs =/

[@DaveDoc1984]

@@GadgetUK164 I will send it to a specialist and get it reballed I think. I have done heat gun fixes on PS3's and 360's before but don't want to do that with this one.

[@jstro-hobbytech]

if the fuse still works and it wont power on, there's no recourse. it's an extremely rare power issue. it's why if you cant buy motherboards for parts because this issue literally never happens. i've only ever not been able to fix one gamecube and it had your exact issue. every broken cube except for the working fuse/no power issue can be fixed in literally minutes. im sure you could reball or something to fix it but good luck getting the parts brother. i'll be here to watch the video giddy for the information you discover.

[@GadgetUK164]

I know precisely what the issue is, because I removed the CPU... I just need to find time to get the CPU back on, and if I can do it properly it might work again. It was a corroded trace under the CPU.

[@jstro-hobbytech]

@@GadgetUK164 cool. That's way above my skill level and equipment capabilities. I'm new to this stuff so I really appreciate your reply. I wonder if I did the reflow tap the chip trick with my 858d rework station if that would be worth trying. The board looks pristine and I can't find any shorts.

[@hectordaniellemus-mesa4480]

I'm having a similar problem with my GameCube it will no longer power on the lights will flash once and then that's it the fan will spin but no video and audio would come out. I was hoping to replace the little board that's underneath the motherboard. I found a replacement part and I did a replace it and after testing it around three times the new board worked and when I put everything back together it decide to not work anymore and I'm now having the same issue and I don't know what's going on

[@hectordaniellemus-mesa4480]

You're doing so much stuff in the video that I couldn't really keep up so I don't know if there was something wrong with the motherboard or with that specific board that was underneath the motherboard

[@GadgetUK164]

The problem with this GameCube (I just havent got around to finishing the next part) - There was a corroded solder point underneath the CPU. Basically easier to just swap the motherboard!

[@JohnGotts]

Hope everything is okay!

[@GadgetUK164]

Thanks, I appreciate it! Not sure if I will be doing YT much longer tbh, for a number of reasons...

[@javierramfer4429]

Nice video bro, quick question. My device has no sound on the Analogic output... However the digital AV output works fine. I have tested severla cables and TVs, now I will open up the thing to check its guts... Any sugestión?

[@GadgetUK164]

Off the top of my head, I would suspect a problem with the audio output stage - maybe bad capacitors or a missing voltage. There will be an opamp IC somewhere on there, perhaps there's a bad connection or something.

[@krisbleakley9455]

Apparently the oscillator at X1 is 13.5MHz. You could solder a wire to the output pin and and attach a logic analyzer. I don't own a scope, so that is what I would do. I think I remember you using a logic analyzer in one of your other videos.

[@GadgetUK164]

13.5Mhz seems a bit low - the CPU runs at 486Mhz, I would assume the main crystal is faster than 13.5Mhz? I will check that out later though! Nice idea on using the logic analyser, but again the frequency might be a problem for my analyser.

[@krisbleakley9455]

Scrap that, I took another look at your video and the oscillator at X1 is 54MHz, there is obviously a big difference between board revisions.

[@GadgetUK164]

+Kris Bleakley My scope will go up to 60Mhz so I could probe that! Tbh I expect that crystal will be OK! I am thinking the BIOS might be the issue. Will check both things soon!

[@BamDen666]

Knowing your luck, it's probably some latch-up issue somewhere :P hahaha

[@GadgetUK164]

Could well be lol!

[@wiliamnizamasaa3265]

Could you please tell me what the u11 data sheet is?

[@GadgetUK164]

I honestly don't know what U11 is at the moment - I will be doing a follow up video soon as I know the fault now. I will look at U11 then.

[@FaSMaN]

Have not watched the whole video yet, but I think it's worth pointing out ceramic caps fail as a short when they get wet and power is applied to it, that's what kills most iPhones and Mac books it's worth measuring them , chances are there is one that's pulling the line down preventing the rest of the motherboard from working. PS might delete this comment if you do check them.

[@danmackintosh6325]

Interesting, I might have a water damaged 5S in a draw somewhere. Will see if I can dig that out and check the caps in that, makes a lot of sense as I know most stuff if you pull the battery post-haste and let it dry properly will be fine & always said it was the inability to remove the battery (or disconnect it quickly) that was the final killer of wet apple stuff.

[@krisbleakley9455]

I was thinking the same, this seems more like a short on the board. You would think that you would at least get a video signal if there was a problem with the cpu or ram. Maybe check the power rails.

[@danmackintosh6325]

Yes, I thought it strange that the PSU was checked but not voltages on the board. Would be well worth a quick look at what the voltages are with the MB installed & around the board.

[@GadgetUK164]

I didn't talk about it but I did measure for shorts and found nothing! Pretty sure the caps and resistors there are OK tbh. I also didn't show that the voltages are all good when the system is powered up - I only filmed me measuring them whilst mobo disconnected as I worked out which pins were which. But I did measure whilst it was running and the 1.9v, 3.3v, 5v and 12v are all OK. I will cover that stuff in part 2 when I get another board to play around with =D

[@GadgetUK164]

If the CPU doesn't boot, it's unlikely we would get a video signal I think. Often the GPU needs to be initialised. It could also be that the GPU has failed, and since the GPU arbs RAM access that might be stopping the CPU booting too.

[@luisangelernandesernandes1968]

Muy bien ora en español lo nesesito tira paro

[@DrRuloRetroGamer]

You can put in spanish please? I have a this problem

[@user-jh5od8oc3y]

good day!I am the owner of gamecube with such a small problem - the former owner of the console almost killed her for a long time to restore and there was only a problem with the calendar.on the motherboard was torn off the resistor responsible for lowering the voltage from the battery (it seems R16 if I'm not mistaken)a big request if there are people who have an open console or motherboard ,please tell me the nominal value of the resistor,that is, ring the tester it!please))

[@VectrexRoli]

The yellow color came always back on ALL of my stuff so far, it neither has anything to do with UV nor heat and it happens in cold and dark environments. Just forget all the retrobriting bullshit you see on those bigger KZbin channels out there, we don´t need any new method they are showing us, cheap 12% creme peroxide works efficient and perfectly, the only real important question nobody has an answer for is how to prevent the yellow color coming back after 1 or 2 years? Just experimenting with "Armor All" spray, but don´t have high hopes for that either.

[@DaveDoc1984]

Same as. I RetroBr1t3d a SNES and an Amiga 1200 and both of them had the yellow return. Like GadgetUK164 with his GameCube, my Amiga 1200 was in a Dark Cupboard the whole time it re-yellowed.

[@w4lsh]

I thought it is well established the yellowing of ABS plastics is due to the use of Bromine, has this been debunked or is it just not as widely known as I assumed?

[@VectrexRoli]

@@w4lsh I personally think that might still be the reason for yellowing. But according to my experience in 99% of the cases it has neither anything to do with UV light nor heat, the yellow color comes back without that.

[@GadgetUK164]

I agree! I still consider it to make an un-even system look normal again, but it does seem to re-yellow on its own. My Gameboy, SNES and this GameCube have all just re-yellowed whilst in storage. But... My Amiga 1200 hasn't re-yellowed even after 4 or 5 years!

[@GadgetUK164]

That's strange - my 1200 didn't re-yellow?

[@danielmantione]

So.... after the repairable Commodore's we got the less repairable Neo Geo's with their SMD-mounts. Now that the Neo Geo's finally have obeyed you after a long battle, will you take on the next challenge? Non-repairable modern BGA chips! Will Gadget eventually triumph? I'm curious!

[@DaveDoc1984]

As he mentioned he could most likely repair it with a BGA Rework setup.

[@GadgetUK164]

I might have a go at swapping the RAM in a later video. Before that I want to rule out the clock stuff, and the EEPROM (assuming there is one on there - perhaps the 8 pin device near the power connector). I just need to investigate further.

[@Egshen]

Shot in the dark but maybe it’s the av connection port, dirty or damaged?

[@danmackintosh6325]

Don't think that would prevent optical drive activity though...

[@GadgetUK164]

Good idea, and at one point I considered that myself, but the key here is the optical drive works (we tested it on the working system), and yet it shows no signs of life at all - it should bob up and down, seek to track 0 etc. IMO the CPU wasn't booting, or was crashing early in the boot process.

[@DaveDoc1984]

@@GadgetUK164 I would say that unless you can get a known working CPU dirt cheap and you can do the BGA Soldering (with the required template), its not really worth it at that point :( sad to give up on these things but at times it can cost too much in either time or money.

[@GadgetUK164]

I will try swapping the BIOS next - just waiting on spare board first! But if the CPU or GPU is the fault, I cannot be bothered with the amount of effor that would be required to swap it over lol. I am guessing the CPU is not locked to the other hardware on these (as the DVD drives seem interchangeable), but on a 360 that wouldnt be possible.

[@danielson9579]

I swear I can smell the hot air bouncing of that board from here and a ram problem can make cpu and gpu over heat and cause the crappy lead free solder that they use for balling to create rabbits feet ect :-)

[@XxRaidenxXminecraft]

it's not a schematic but it can help you : forums.modretro.com/index.php?threads/gamecube-layer-info.2118/ and there you can get some info : modretro.com/xen/index.php?threads/the-definitive-gc-motherboard-trimming-guide.6476/ and yes these guy are crazy btw in the good way xD

[@GadgetUK164]

Thanks! Brilliant links there - super useful! I am a bit horrified that people "trim" these boards down for projects lol. But, good information there for sure.

[@knightofelemia1567]

Well you got a parts machine lol I would soak the pieces that have rust on them and soak them in vinegar to clean them up for spare parts

[@GadgetUK164]

I will re-visit when the other one arrives =D Yes, corrosion can be treated that way too =D

[@knightofelemia1567]

@@GadgetUK164 Have you tried to adjust the potentiometer for the laser that might make the laser work.

[@GadgetUK164]

That won't work at all with this fault! if the laser unit was bobbing up and down, and the carriage seeking to track 0, then it would be worth adjusting that. That pot just alters the laser voltage, so it can help when the laser is on its last legs. But what we are seeing here is the system fail to boot - hence no video, no audio (tested seperately), no DVD activity what so ever.

[@game_master_rukia]

It could be a corrupted bios

[@GadgetUK164]

Yes, that thought did cross my mind! I am not sure where the BIOS is located in these, I am thinking atm it might be the small 8 pin device that I pointed out "may be" a serial EPROM. I will re-visit when I get the 2nd board.

[@GadgetUK164]

Actually, researching this it appears the BIOS is stored in the MX chip marked RTC. It seems to be the real time clock, but has a number of pins dedicated to the serial interface to an internal ROM. I will try swapping that first I think!

[@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!

[@Bylga]

So there is no sound either?

[@DaveDoc1984]

The fact the laser Mech isn't even attempting to go to home (Track 0 I think Gadget said it was) suggests something is seriously wrong.

[@Bylga]

@@DaveDoc1984 Thats true. But he did say it would boot without a laser unit. I had units that would not display picture but sound. If he is lucky it might be the picture prossecor or bad multi out.

[@GadgetUK164]

No, it's not booting imo! Either the CPU is crashing or it just isn't booting at all.

[@GadgetUK164]

Yes, in theory it should show the screen without a laser mech, but we had no sound (I tested with composite and seperate audio too) or video. I think CPU wasn't booting or crashing part way. I will cover some of the stuff I did off camera (like testing for sound seperately) in the next part.

[@Bylga]

@@GadgetUK164 Thanks for responding 😀

[@hannonm]

Here Chris moar power rails www.gc-forever.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=665

[@danielson9579]

Scope it ive got time to kill :-D

[@GadgetUK164]

My scope cannot handle more than 60Mhz! CPU runs at 486Mhz, even the audio RAM runs at 81Mhz! I have some ideas though! I think I will focus on the BIOS when I get a spare board. The MX chip marked RTC is not just the real time clock but also contains the BIOS.

[@danielson9579]

Dirty as you like

[@GadgetUK164]

=D

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Yo 1st Muther Funksters