Sega Dreamcast GDEMU Troubleshooting
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ย. 2024
- This Sega Dreamcast has a legitimate GDEMU (2020 mfg date), but something is amiss. It barely detects the GDEMU, opting to boot to the still, quiet splash screen (same as turning on a DC w/ GD-ROM while the tray is open) after a few extra seconds on a black screen. If it does detect the GDEMU, it usually fails within a few minutes of loading a game and crashes back to the menu. Let's find out what it is and bring the console up to a better standard.
00:07 - Attempt w/ Different SD Card
00:40 - 1st test (Fail)
01:08 - Reseating the GDEMU
01:15 - 2nd test (Fail)
01:34 - Cleaning GD-ROM Socket with Isopropyl
01:46 - 3rd test (Sonic Adventure - Fail)
02:18 - SA crashes in-game (failure to load next room)
02:24 - Garbled SFX, "no disc"
03:05 - Cleaning PSU contacts with Isopropyl
03:45 - PSU Contacts after cleaning
03:56 - Reseating the PSU
04:00 - Attempt w/ Original SD Card
04:12 - 4th test (Sonic Adventure 2 - Success)
07:00 - 5th test (THPS2 - Success)
07:54 - 6th test (Garou MW - Success)
08:47 - 7th test (Street Fighter Alpha 3 - Success)
09:50 - 8th test (Power Stone - Success)
10:54 - 9th test (Bust-A-Move 4 - Success)
11:11 - Reassembly
11:33 - Bonus Footage
Prior to cleaning the contacts, Sonic Adventure 2 could not load past the mini-boss (F6-t Big Foot) immediately after the first level (City Escape). 3 attempts and they all ended there. This is probably 4 minutes into the game. After cleaning the contacts, SA2 ran uninterrupted for over 30 minutes and every following game booted successfully 100% of the time.
It was missing a few screws and the plastic liner that goes under the PSU. True to the Dreamcast way, the controller port wasn't working. I did a temp-fix with the old F1 fuse twist trick to shoot the video.
Unbelievable, I just took mine apart thinking no way is it this simple, just cleaning that connection but my hat’s off to you it worked, thanks so much for this.
Amazing I lost an entire day trying to figure out what's wrong with my GDEMU and it's just the PSU pins, Thank you so much!!!
I’ve followed your steps quite closely and now my Dreamcast is working perfectly! Thanks man!
Just followed the video for the PSU contacts and now it works again! Thank you so much!
Excellent! Glad to hear it's thinking again.
I've had issues with my GDEMU booting for months and cleaning the PSU never crossed my mind. so far its working wonders. Thank you so much!
Just received a Gdemu and had similar isssues. The fan even wont start, the sound was choppy and constant reset, but I follow all your steps (using contact cleaner) and voila! Got it working. Thanks a lot!!!
My Dreamcast wasnt booting GD Menu and had lots of freezes. Everything looked clean inside, but I toothbrushed it like you and now it magically works again! Thank you so much! But how on earth does this work even when there wasnt any visible corrosion or dirt?
I would also like to report that I tried cleaning the psu contacts and it fixed the gdemu for me. Absolutely insane. Thanks for putting this video together!
Thank you very much for this video. I was starting to think my Gdemu was defective, but after this fix everything is working perfectly!
I was skeptical initially but I gave it a go and it seems to have solved the problem for me also (for now, hopefully for a while).
DreamPSU+Noctua fan mod seems to be the best combo for long-term health and keeping the system cool. Even if the Dreamcast is totally stock with its original GD-ROM, it might exhibit some weird behavior if the PSU pins on the motherboard have built up corrosion.
thank you for this, you saved me big headache. I did the same thing and now it works all good.
Excellent. I'm glad to hear it worked!
Mine was doing the same thing recently and after adding a 330 ohm 1v resistor to the 12v and ground on the psu, no issues since. I kept it powered on for a day just to test, loading various games throughout the day.
Just like blowing on the old NES cart.
Back to basics.
Thank you.
I had a similar issue with the gdemu recently after I had added some games. Thought it was gdemu but it turned out I had written an additional gdmenu into the sd card that was invisible in my pc. What I did was reformat to Fat32 and used the latest version of gd maker manager and bam fixed.
Good to hear you got it working. What kind of SD card did you use? I tested with Sandisk (2x64GB), WD Purple (32GB), and Samsung (2x64GB) microSDs as well as some loose 4GB SDHC cards. It wouldn't read the Samsung cards (64GB EVO/EVO+) even though they were formatted the right way and worked fine on PC. Everything else worked 100%. Maybe it was just the Samsung cards I had and they're otherwise fine. Sandisk appears to be the most reliable option. WD Purple micro SD cards are interesting to experiment with in that they're geared towards compact data integrity for applications that require a lot of extensive writing and rewriting of memory like security cameras.
Just got mine the other day. Worked first try and within a couple minutes it glitched and started this issue shown. Did some research and cleaned the GDRom pins and PSU pins. I also bent the PSU pins towards the contacts as seen on another video to help with the connection. Now after a few short Crazy Taxi runs it worked. No long plays yet. Not sure what actually fixed it but I gotta go back and use alcohol as well. I used a lens cloth and flat object for now.
Glad to hear it worked! I made an update to this video in the past few weeks because the DC in this video finally started acting up after 22 months untouched. The followup video is an experiment in using dielectric grease on the PSU pins to prevent scraping and oxidization. Working great so far: th-cam.com/video/tLCMpougRBc/w-d-xo.html
Mine was doing the same..troublshooting for hours.. Tried everything,GDI,CDI ,SD cards,constantly stuttering ...gave up ...I bought a MODE to go in my Saturn.So i gave that a go,just in case my dreamcast console was faulty .The MODE worked perfectly,no issues. So now i just ordered another MODE for my saturn . The GDEMU is a third of the price of the MODE, but u cant beat quality
Is there still any corrosion built up on the PSU contact pins or within the PSU socket? It sticks onto the pins rather stubbornly, and it took a good minute to clean it all off with 70% isopropyl while shooting this. Ever since the pins got thoroughly cleaned up, this Dreamcast has worked flawlessly for hours at a time without a single problem. Glad to hear you're enjoying the MODE. Sega Saturn is a great console. I used to have one a decade ago but even back then all the good games that came out in North America were prohibitively expensive.
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 Got a new psu mod on order as we speak,but thanks for the intel Garwood ...We never stop learning.... :-)
@@jonnyesper6698 I've heard good things about DreamPSU and the Noctua fan for heat reduction. For what it's worth, when I was filming this and the GDEMU kept failing, unplugging it and then plugging it back in would make it work for a couple minutes. I don't think the PSU was fully mounted when I was doing this so maybe un/plugging it gave it just enough exertion to shift/flex along the pins and re-establish contact. I've also heard that VA0 boards need an extra resistor to drop down the voltage and that the last batch of VA2s that don't read CD-Rs are incompatible. Good luck.
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 Funny you say that. Just read some articals abut cleaning pins on the psu to get the GDEMU working properly ... Never stop leaning :-)
Great video, thank you!
Thanks! Same gdemu problem here, i used contact spray and now it boots all the time!
Excellent. The dream lives on another day!
I bought one from Aliexpress. Installed it today and I'm running into issues. The games will start to play before going to a black screen, then back to the dreamcast home menu. The GDEMU displays a red LED. I came across your video and cleaned the contacts on the PSU, GD-ROM socket and also the SD Card. I noticed that games started actually playing and I could play a round of MvC2 before the red light > black screen > back to dreamcast home menu. After waiting a while, the issue remained and happened at the same frequency. I tried cleaning the SD card again and then got the second behaviour I described (could play a game for a bit longer before getting the same issue).
Got any tips for me? I think the next stop will be to try another SD card but I'd like your opinion if you have the time to reply.
Thanks in advance.
The only thing I can think to ask is if the corrosion was cleaned off thoroughly and if the GDROM slot looks clean. For the Dreamcast in this video, I believe I had to use picking tools because chemical solutions weren't enough to break apart the corrosive material caked onto the pins. That corrosion extended somewhat to the socket on the PSU and it was stubborn to clean up. It wouldn't hurt to try another SD card if you've done your due diligence and think it might be the case. I think I went through at least 3-4 different cards trying to figure out what the problem was.
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 thanks for getting back to me. I’ll give the PSU another shot. With regards to SD cards, are there any you recommend? Some people have mentioned San Disk but I am unsure if I should get a normal sized one or a micro SD with an adapter. Any tips?
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 Just an update from my side - I switched to a different SD card and it worked perfectly. It seems the card that came bundled with the GDEMU was of a poor quality. Now to search for a better SD card :) Thanks again for your reply to my earlier message.
@@KeithTheL00N Awesome! Just seeing your older comment now. SanDisk worked great for me. I'd think that a full-sized SD card would be the most reliable as it removes the micro adapter and thus removes an extra point of failure. I have Micros and one of my older adapters I was using with the GDEMU actually failed.
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 thanks for the tip :) I have a few SanDisk SD cards on my amazon wishlist. I'll be making a few purchases next week, that's for sure :D
One other question; might be a long shot but here goes. Do you happen to know where I can find a patch to play Plasma Sword via VGA mode? I can force VGA but the aspect ratio is completely destroyed. I've downloaded a patch for Code Veronica (still need to test it) and was wondering if you knew of a website that hosted several other patches?
Thanks again for your help so far!
What does it mean if the led is lit all the time, tried several Micro SD in adapters and full size SD, was working when packed away 2 yrs ago. Now it just sits at the Dreamcast logo waiting to time out then goes to the main DC screen.
That was a common occurrence with the Dreamcast in this video before the PSU pins were cleaned! Unplugging the power cable from the back of the DC, then plugging it back in would make it work for a few minutes. Then the game would crash. Turning the system on after, the DC would act like the lid was open (no startup animation).
Im having the same issue tried cleaning the PSU contacts but same result . I removed the ribbon cable and loaded it from the main board and it works. I guess the ribbon cable is bad.
Glad to hear it's working! Did re-seating the ribbon cable help at all?
Thanks for the video its very helpful ❤ Mine freeze during gameplay 😢 and when i reboot after the freezing the console get stuck on the dreamcast logo , i have to take out the gdemu and put it again and turn off and on many times to make it work… do you have any idea how to fix this please ?
Did you clean the PSU pins and contacts? They might have a buildup of corrosive material. Cleaning that off might fix it for you!
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 thank you very much for the response i will try cleaning the pins and try again i hope its work , i thought my gdemu was faulty because its a clone the ones sold on AliExpress 😭
@@Hishamito Did you have any luck? I think it would be hard not to buy a clone right now. The real ones have become absurdly expensive over the past year.
I Just bought one a month ago and it froze up on me.I tried restarting it and the red light on the gdemu board Just wont light up unless i take out the sd card and put it back on and still when i turn it on it says to insert a cd
Hello. Were you able to get this resolved?
Mine has been working fine for a few months I have the pico PSU and Noctua Fan modification and literally tonight the GDEMU is not reading the SD card so it keeps booting into the bios and when I hit play Disc it just says no disc inserted
Have the PSU contact pins on the motherboard built up any corrosion? That's what was wrong with the one in the video. The corrosion is plaque-like. Fortunately, it cleans up well with a toothbrush and some isopropyl alcohol. If it's really thick, going at it lightly with a pick tool can also be helpful.
My gdemu shows the exact same problems as yours. However, the pins are not the issue on mine as the gd rom works fine. So frustrating...
Hi are you still running into this issue? This problem appears to be a rather common occurrence with GDEMU, and there's a notable pattern of GDEMUs inadvertently revealing dirty contacts between the PSU and motherboard. My working theory is that, since GD-ROMs were professionally-engineered and designed, they have better circuits for handling volatile power loads, yet even they might burn out faster or operate inadequately with dirty contacts and inconsistent power delivery. If the corrosion is bad enough to really choke power, there's a chance it might destroy the PSU, the board, or some mix of the 2. It might be worth it to dismount the PSU and closely inspect the pins and socket for buildup!
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 This may well be the case for some people, but I thoroughly cleaned the pins multiple times with high percentage isopropyl alcohol. I am suspecting that the issue with my gdemu is the SD card holder, the contact pins are not the best.
mine goes to load gdmu menu with ges list and freezes maybe 2 many games on it or does something need to be cleaned any help appreciated!!!
also is a samsung Evo micro SD if that matters.
@@dafuture2172 Is your Dreamcast a Revision 1? What tool did you use to put the games on the card?
Yo tengo el mismo problema, limpiando los pines de la fuente de alimentación, se soluciona? Ya me pasaba con los discos antes
@JCS Yo lo solucione al final así, tal vez también sea lo q tú dices, los pines que no hagan buen contacto. Pero ya no se me reinicia. Use un limpia contactos dieléctrico, un spray para cables de coche y demás. Ahora de lujo.🦀🦀🦀
Me refiero a los pines de la fuente, ojo!
Tengo el mismo problema y además con el Resident Evil 3 la imagen se oscurece y se ve con los colores más opacos después de jugar un rato usando el gdemu.
@@rul644 Es bueno escuchar que lo tienes funcionando. La alineación de pines no debería ser un problema a menos que la fuente de alimentación tenga un ajuste holgado. Los pines metálicos a los que se conecta la fuente de alimentación acumulan corrosión con el tiempo y evitan que la fuente de alimentación haga un buen contacto limpio con la placa base. Por favor, discúlpeme si este post no es coherente, estoy usando un traductor.
I was pissed cuz mine was not working at all. I kept taking it out reinserting it, over and over. I was about the email the seller and ask for my money back. Then I tried one last time and it worked! What a pain. At least I’m ok now
Good to hear! Is it still working ok?
It's necessary remove 12v of power supply for better work. Sorry for Inglish !
Your English is pretty good. I have heard that the stock PSU runs hot.
I just got mine and it still says insert disc. I formatted my sd card several times and it still does not read the card.
What revision Dreamcast do you have?
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 the va1 i actually just realized micro sd wont work imma try with an actual sd card and let you know
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 update: so using a full sized sd card did boot into gedemu. However when I try to run a game file, it will crash back to the gdemu main menu.
@@raofficialgaming Have you tried cleaning up the pins that the PSU plugs into and the PSU socket? Corrosion buildup seems to be a common issue with Dreamcast PSU sockets these days. Your microSD card might work ok with another adapter. One of my adapters went bad after heavy use. The microSD card that was in it was fine and worked perfect after being swapped into another adapter.
@@gpr-garwoodprecisionrepair6256 actually i figured it out. When i used the gdemu sd card tool for my games and checked the global and vga function it imported all my games and they run. Thanks though. I will keep notes of this incase any further issued occur
Hello. Do you know by any chance how to contact the creator of GDEmu? My original does not boot at all - hang on the Disc Checking screen. The led is blinking orange with 2s interval. I can't find any of their contacts.
I do not. For the sake of troubleshooting, 3 questions come to mind:
1.) Is your Dreamcast a Rev 1?
2.) Have you inspected the PSU pins on the motherboard for corrosion?
3.) Have you tried it with a different SD card?
I had a few microSD cards (namely Samsung EVOs) that simply would not work with the GDEMU despite working perfectly fine in other devices. The only ones that had a 100% success rate for me were Sandisks.
You still recomend get the GDEMU, and in that case, where can i find a good model?
It looks like the average price for a GDEMU has doubled (if not tripled) since a year ago. It might be better to risk it with a $20-30 clone from Aliexpress. It takes a little more homework to buy the right clone but it appears that a lot of people have had good outcomes with them.
I'll try your method and commenting results in minutes
_______First attempt: normal alcohol.. no results.. tomorrow I'll get some isorpopyl..
Mine has just been giving no signal.
AV or power?