Genesis controller port problem, please help

[Dr. J]

Controllers plugged into the first player port of my Genesis don't respond to pressing up on the d-pad for some reason. I tried 4 controllers, all the same problem. None of the pins seem loose or broken, but it is noticeably harder to plug a controller into port 1 than 2. Anyone know how to fix this problem?

[Elusive]

It could be that the connections on the circuit board are broken - if you insert controllers too hard, or waggle them around in the port, it could damage them. Open up the machine, take the circuit board (i.e. the whole thing) out, and check the pins on the bottom of the circuit board where the controller ports are soldered on. If they look damaged, you might need to patch them up a little.

[Dr. J]

Okay, I've opened up the outer case and removed the metal piece that covers the circuit board, but how do I get the board itself out to check underneathe it? It seems pretty well glued in there.

[Elusive]

It's not glued in. The model 2 is held in by two longish screws, one for each end of the cartridge connector - I imagine the model 1 is the same. It looks like you're going to unscrew the cartridge slot from the main board, but it's soldered on so don't worry :)

After you get it out, it's the ideal time to give it a blow to get any dust off. Flip it over, and have a look at the point where the controller ports are soldered to the circuit board - if any are obviously cracked or piled up with grime, you might need to fix that up.

[Dr. J]

Ahh, how did I not notice those two screws? Anyhow, it looks like everything is grime-free and soldered fine, and after cleaning it all out the d-pad still won't go up. Are there any other reasons this would happen?