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MightyJayM
03-30-2010, 02:25 PM
Hi everyone,

I have an european model 1 SMS (the version with Hang On and Safari Hunt inside the BIOS) with a 50Hz/60Hz switch. The console just freezes after about half an hour of gaming no matter what I do. Sometimes the colours even change to something quite ugly at the very moment of the freeze. Does anybody have a clue of what's happening and how it can be fixed ?

Thanks in advance :)
Elusive
03-30-2010, 03:51 PM
My first guess would be that your cartridge is getting unseated somehow - or that a bit of dust or grime has found its way into the cartridge slot. Try giving a cartridge a good clean with some spectacle cleaner and some cotton buds, and insert it into the slot a few times. A quick blast with some compressed air to really scrape out some muck couldn't hurt it, either :)
ooXxXoo
03-30-2010, 03:55 PM
My first guess would be that your cartridge is getting unseated somehow - or that a bit of dust or grime has found its way into the cartridge slot. Try giving a cartridge a good clean with some spectacle cleaner and some cotton buds, and insert it into the slot a few times. A quick blast with some compressed air to really scrape out some muck couldn't hurt it, either :)

The game is built-in the memory..
TmEE
03-30-2010, 04:01 PM
I'm not giving my head here, but I am actually suspecting capacitors there, power ones... adding a single 1000µF one to the power rails should fix the problem if it is the problem.
MightyJayM
03-30-2010, 04:38 PM
The game is built-in the memory..

Hmm I must say I haven't really tried playing the built-in games... :p So I'm gonna check the cartridge slot first then.

Thanks for the advice everyone !
MightyJayM
04-19-2010, 02:58 AM
OK, after cleaning the slot the freezing problem seems to be solved :)

However, after being able to play for more than half an hour, I've noticed that the sound output eventually distorts. In Alex Kidd in Miracle World, it usually happens when I reach the first castle ; in Land of Illusion, as soon as I reach the second level. If I try resetting the console, the distortion remains for a while, gradually vanishes, but returns as soon as the sound output has "more work to do".

This time, I suspect capacitors. Or maybe there's something else to try first ?