Sega Genesis Bad Controller Ports - Retro Console Restoration

[@cjhughes]

I drove an hour to purchase a cheap sega on marketplace only to have it not work when I got home. The controllers were acting screwy and would kind of work when I wiggled the plug in the port. I hopped on here and found this video. I've never soldered on an electrical board before but took a stab at it and it worked! The machine I got was super clean and I couldn't even see the breaks in the solder until I used a magnifying glass. I removed as much as I could using the solder wick, which I had never heard of before this video. Then I found the thinnest solder I could because these connections are TINY. It takes some patience, but I was able to do it with only this video as my guide. Thanks!

[@PNKer]

I'm so glad I found your channel. I've been dragging my feet on finishing a few projects because they need soldering. Your videos are so detail oriented and I finally feel like I can at least try a fix or two after watching a good portion of your channel. So thank you for the boost I needed and wish me luck! :)

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks bud, glad you're enjoying the content. Good luck with your repairs. It gets easier with each repair, you'll be drag soldering in no time :)

[@74bobby]

The Power Port on the model 2 was my first attempt at Soldering. I was beyond Happy when it fired up. Great Job.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Very satisfying to fix your own stuff. I can imagine your excitement getting it working considering it was your first soldering job 👍🏻

[@Norrecito]

Some of your repairs seem so simple yet you always manage to teach me something new. The quality of your work is something that lacks from most of the DIY repair videos. Can't wait to see some more complex repairs :)

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thank you very much. Appreciate your ongoing support on all my videos.

[@nukelauncher95]

That cleaned up pretty nicely in my opinion. Also I can confirm that those wires soldered and glued to the power connector are from the factory. Instead of recycling a motherboard that didn't pass quality control, Sega would actually have workers repair the issues. Not all Genesis left the factory with those wires, but many did.

[@Systemsquirrel]

Yup most Gen 2's I have worked on have them. The power jack is supported by nothing except it's solder joints so it's a very common problem for them to crack and loose continuity. Almost every Model 2 I've obtained over the years had this cracked solder joint problem.

[@BorderlineOCD]

That’s pretty hilarious. I really hadn’t considered that this could have been a factory repair. The center pin is cracked due to fatigue so it’s an odd assembly line problem (compared to a broken trace for example). Looks like something a teenager repaired in his bedroom. Thanks for sharing.

[@user-wj9xq7ig2v]

Wow. I never knew that. I have seen sega use bodge wires in other spots.

[@PunkNDisorderlyGamer]

Those bodge wires are from factory. That slim board was a later revision, the genesis was notorious for broken joints at the power port. So they added the bodge wire to the later revisions.

[@nikolaszisoudis8408]

Oh nice info

[@chapa8165]

Wow, not cool Sega

[@BorderlineOCD]

Hmm I hadn’t considered that. I’m aware traces were sometimes repaired at the factory on some older gen consoles but this looked a little more fatigued due to stress on the center pin. Who knows.

[@sketchylense]

I recently bought a model two genesis with the same type of faulty repair. It had no power, opened it up and saw two wires soldered to the bottom of power connector. I followed the video by removing the wires and old solder, cleaned everything up and resoldered the power connector now it works great. Thanks for the great tutorial.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Great to hear 👍🏻

[@ghostmouthzach56]

This helped me fix my two broken Sega Genesis power ports, such a common and annoying issue!

[@matmcpaul9060]

Great videos man. I stubled onto your channel after watching Macho Nacho Productions channel. You guys put out some awesome stuff. I've been buying a lot of old broken consoles and trying to fix them myself. Keep up the good work.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks very much and appreciate the sub. I'm a fan of his content as well :) Glad you guys are enjoying the repairs and restorations.

[@reddev5420]

Wow that previous repair attempt looked worse than my soldering when I was first taught at age 7 or 8. Those completely unnecessary bodged jumper wires were also a nice touch!

[@BorderlineOCD]

I thought so too. It's strangely charming in how hideous it looked.

[@princevinny0073]

😮 was about to throw away my sega gensis cause i tought it was dead :) afther opening it up and takeing a look inside i was able to fix the problem now its working like new :D i realy touch it was no good :D your video saved me money ^^ now i can game on a gensis i picked up at a trift store i tought it was not working hehehe man your video helped me look for small issues ;D and was able to fix it am so happy ^^

[@momfiethehunter504]

Very easy repair and no broken traces on the p1 port, very Nice job. I had my hands full with a late 2009 13 inch clamshell macbook that had a bunch of cosmetic issues and a missing hdd. I spend 4 days trying to find a lion installation to reinstall mac os with so I could update it to el captain and use it for my iPods as well as jailbreaking a iphone 6 I had laying arround

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks bud, and good luck with your MacBook restoration.

[@migue647]

great it was my first console and I still have it (Sega mega drive2), the damage in the joystick connector was very frequent I think it is because it fits very tight, I recommend the MK 3 ultimate and 6 button joystick. Excellent repair 👌

[@BorderlineOCD]

Yeah you really need a 6 button game pad for Mortal Kombat. The moves are hard to do on the three button controller (like a basic high punch is A+B).

[@Nanotronik78]

I found your channel by chance and I am enjoying the repairs you do like a wind child ..... except for that mod for Dreamcast and the way to adjust the PS2 Fat laser the rest of the problems are known to me but it is a Delight to see you work, I adore everything related to the best time of life that consists of our youth, between the 80s and 90s where the best systems in all history appeared and no system further away than PS3 will ever have a place in the real time of the game consoles !!!!! I hope to find repairs for PSP, PS Vita and other gems of history and if you do not have I hope they appear soon ;-) because I have some problems with my PS Vita and some PSP that I would like to know how to solve hehehe ... Congratulations for such a great job, you have a more assured follower !!!!!

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for the sub. Many good childhood memories for me too.

[@roberthunter9737]

Fantastic work love the videos

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thank you very much.

[@rwdplz1]

The Model II Genesis was infamous for badly soldered power connectors. Mine was bad out of the box Christmas Day 1994, if you bumped the console it would reset. Opened it up and fixed it decades later.

[@user-wj9xq7ig2v]

Nice. Maybe a magic eraser could help with the red paint and rubbing marks. I've notice the shiny sega plastic also responds well to automotive polish.

[@BorderlineOCD]

I tend to be nervous using a magic eraser on black plastics in case it eats away at the sheen but I won’t know unless I try it. There aren’t any red spots on the back to test a small area unfortunately so I risk making it worse up front. I like the auto polish idea though. I have some PlastX that came with a headlight restoration kit that I could try.

[@user-wj9xq7ig2v]

@@BorderlineOCD do you have cracked or junk sega plastic? It is a bit of an art

[@The-Warm-voice1359]

damn buddy you put my memory back i was play mickeal jackson street of rage 1 shadow of dancer donald duck quack shot oh man that was good time i still l😘ve sega actually i l😘ve classic games even home alone nice video dude thx ✋

[@BorderlineOCD]

Of course, for most folks it's all about nostalgia with retro consoles.

[@The-Warm-voice1359]

@@BorderlineOCD you are right dude yeah that what's up👍

[@javiles2331]

Nice video! But something that you should do is replace the caps, definitely improved the picture quality since those caps have more than 20 years old! I highly recommend a recap!

[@mukeshgoolcharan6121]

Good work man

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thank you!

[@icarov.2586]

Awesome job!

[@dailylife3001]

As always beautiful video

[@BorderlineOCD]

Much appreciated. Thanks for the continued support.

[@kursed1771]

Great vid. I'm stuck with a problem with a controller port. I checked all the connections and they look solid, no wobble. The console itself is in pristine condition, the only problem is the port. The only thing not working in the down controller pad. I tested the controller in other systems and it works fine. I cleaned with alcohol and made sure everything's clean. Still, the down pad does not want to work :(

[@datriaxsondor590]

Nice work as usual, bud. That patch job with those wires, was..... comical at best. I'd love to know what happened to that poor system to cause that breakage on the controller port too. Oh well, looks to be in better shape than it's been in a very long time, thanks to you. Nicely done.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed the repair!

[@The_Real_CMA]

I've seen those wires on quite a few model 2 systems. I'm guessing it's factory. Not sure why though.

[@101fng]

Hey man, I know this is a super old video, but I just picked up a Genesis with the SAME EXACT shitty repair attempt. When I say “exact,” I mean the same wire color, gauge, length, routing, and gross glue. Somebody must’ve gotten these in a huge job lot and flooded second-hand the market with their repairs.

[@powerzx]

Good job.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thank you!

[@jejefrantic2842]

Perfection 💞👏

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thats high praise, thank you.

[@jejefrantic2842]

@@BorderlineOCD u're welcome 😊👍

[@MyklBlue69]

Superb!

[@cooldiysandrecycling7144]

nice video, keep up

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks bud, glad you enjoyed it.

[@sparkster7744]

Those cables near the power jack are in most Model 2's from the factory! I suggest you put them back in place, because there must be a reason Sega put them there :p

[@BorderlineOCD]

They are jumper wires. They are redundant if the port is soldered on properly.

[@mjc0961]

I'm going to have to get some of that wick. It actually works, unlike the crap I bought.

[@BorderlineOCD]

You'll like it, I'm very happy with it. They have a no-clean version as well which I'm looking forward to trying as some point but I don't plan on changing this braid anytime soon.

[@leex187]

Another good one

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks buddy. Glad you’re enjoying the backlog.

[@yatikarton2735]

Hello, what Temp do you use for your Iron? And What melting point does the Solder have? Thanks. Nice Video!

[@and_puzzle]

Cool 😀👍👍

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

[@inputfunny]

The bottom left pin for the controller port at 6:10 on my Genesis is missing the pad; do you know where I would patch the pin to with a wire?

[@macheen28]

Hello. I also have the same genesis I found in the trash. I just ordered the av plug and the power does light up. Waiting for av cord to arrive. What’s funny is the 1-800 sega number underneath is now some party line to hook up with people. Had me laugh8ng.

[@nikolaszisoudis8408]

Great ☺️ i found a psp on a bin might make a restoration

[@BorderlineOCD]

Good for you buddy. You’ve been lucky with your finds!

[@nathanmead140]

You should try it, i found one a while ago (3001c) that only needed a new battery and a screen, bought a 3rd party replacement screen a really cheap 2400mah battery a micro sdxc to memory stick adapter and a kingston 64 GB micro sdxc card, fixed the system up in only about 15 - 30 minutes (replaced the broken screen, took apart and cleaned the analog stick and gave the front and the buttons a clean in the bathroom sink with hot water and soap) and followed mrmario2011's guide to install 6.61 with infinity and lme and that's the system i have been using until the screen broke again I have a bunch of new systems now that need repair (dirty DOL-001 gamecube with sticky buttons a 360 slim with the red dot a galaxy edition new 3ds xl i have to fix again because i bricked the TWL files a PS2 with no disc drive a original xbox v1.6 with bad capacitors almost all my gameboys and 2 older ds's (a bricked dsi [bootloader is missing from uninstalling unlaunch] and 2 ds lites one is the system the other is only the original motherboard).

[@nikolaszisoudis8408]

@@nathanmead140 hey i have a 3DS that i hacked to play CIAs and emulators. I have all the files bucked up on my pc and i hope it doesn't get bricked

[@alejandroalzatesanchez]

Warning: *INTENSE SOLDERING WORK!* Nice :v

[@BorderlineOCD]

Ha thanks this wasn't a particularly intense project. The PCBs of this generation of consoles are relatively easy to work with.

[@alejandroalzatesanchez]

@@BorderlineOCDu* show this izy* but ACTUALLY is horrible without correct equipment, This is the why I love retro tecnology In my opinion Is most simpler an crt tv than an lcd tv for example. Larger solder pads no messing with weak pcbs most pacific work etc...

[@anisalial-maghrabi3215]

great job

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thank you!

[@julianocs87]

Your videos are great! Thanks for the quality content. How's that X360 that you reflowed? You should make another video showing if it's still working.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks, glad you're enjoying the content. 360 is still running fine, but I've only put about 10-15 hours of gameplay on it so far. I'll do an update after a few months and more gameplay.

[@chapa8165]

10:09 the cartridge moved by itself? O.O Nice video as always, i hope that mounstrosity wasn't work of a "pro"

[@BorderlineOCD]

Voodoo magic. The board flexed when I turned it off. Some folks here are saying this was a factory repair. So maybe it was the work of a “pro”.

[@damin9913]

I have Sega Genesis model 2 I love it

[@trocitosdefresa]

Great videos you really are a pro. Just a very small complaint: try to use less water to wash the plastic pieces, for the environment.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I’ll try to use less water for these smaller units.

[@alexanderponce6035]

Consulta en mi consola queda como apretado el cursor del comando hacia un lado con todos los comando pasa lo mismo puede ser que se alla roto algún componente de la placa?

[@Helladamnleet]

Holy crap I'm pretty sure this is the one that was stolen from me as a teenager.

[@michellehanson2496]

How would you replace the USB a port ?

[@apollosungod2819]

Those need recaps and a bypass procedure to fix the crap sound iirc.

[@RDJ134]

My SG II gives a black image, you can see it turn on and off with a little flicker and thats it. Could be the game (got only one) or power or somthing else. Any way great video :)

[@BorderlineOCD]

Glad you enjoyed it buddy. There are some very inexpensive carts on eBay especially sports games like baseball and Madden. Maybe you can get that thing working.

[@iqtoon]

SEGA for ever

[@GUN2kify]

looks like the console was dropped while the connectors was plugged in.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Most likely yes I imagine someone tripped over the controller cord while it was plugged in and yanked the console.

[@inputfunny]

The model 2 Genesis power port was just badly designed and I think it loosens up and loses connection by just plugging in and unplugging the cord over the years.

[@andreschiriff4354]

I love the Sega Genesis is one of my favorite consoles of all time. I was reaching out for controllers behind one of my Sega Genesis and I dropped in to the ground and now it starts the first paragraph of words come out before the Sega logo but then nothing happens and the sega logo doesn't appear and just stays black. If you think you know what it is let me know anyway I'm going to open it to see if anything got desolder

[@BorderlineOCD]

Yeah check for broken pins and solder joints. Sometimes they can hide very well so you might need to prod them gently with a pick to make sure they are solid and not cracked.

[@evan-1337]

Which mask do you use?

[@BorderlineOCD]

Mask?

[@evan-1337]

@@BorderlineOCD Yes, in the video ~7:40 you mentioned that you wear a mask

[@BorderlineOCD]

Ha, I thought you were talking about solder mask. This video was pre-Covid. I think everyone has a mask these days 🤣 I have a fume extractor now. Not sure how effective the mask was but it felt better than inhaling the fumes head on.

[@jordanps9603]

Dude please don't do this 11:01, this is the most satisfying part, i really wanted to see how you reasemble the console

[@BorderlineOCD]

Ha glad to see some cleaning junkies in the comments.

[@jordanps9603]

@@BorderlineOCD That's why your videos are awesome !!!

[@vwlssnvwls3262]

I find it odd that someone knew enough to fix the power connection, yet not enough to do it properly.

[@AceTrainerX3]

I've actually seen plenty of genesis model 2s with that same botched solder work. Must've been a bad factory patch.

[@Jay-uu5lu]

Do you have discord

[@BorderlineOCD]

I do not my man. Perhaps some thing I’ll consider when the channel is a little larger.

[@AnarickTheDevil]

Idk man $70+ for that soldering iron set witch docent look any different then all the cheap $10 ones listed on amazon is a bit much.

[@BorderlineOCD]

Your tools should match your skill level. There's nothing wrong with starting out with cheap gear. In fact I would encourage anyone entering this hobby to start small and focus on practice rather than expensive tools because the most expensive soldering station won't make your soldering any better if you don't practice. After a while your experience grows and you begin to appreciate the shortcomings of your tools, so you know what to look for when upgrading and what advantages you would be getting. I can't recommend the TS100 enough, it's a fantastic temperature controlled iron. Doesn't mean it has to be your first iron if you're just starting out.