Lightening Force on the fritz?

[Iced Snowman]

So I wanted to dust off some of my shooter skills tonight. I have multiple 6 button controllers. For some odd reason, when I press start and go to the options menu, the D-Pad goes crazy when pushing up & down. If it happens to land on exit, it goes right back to title screen.

When starting the game, the fire button is on automatically. Other 6 button controllers make the game run even more nuts.

The last time I played this game was many years ago. I assume I used a 3 button.

Has anyone else ran into these issues?

[OverDrone]

Have you tried cleaning the cart contacts yet?

[GelmiR]

Did you try pressing/holding the mode button while booting up the game? I seem to remember having to do this for some games.

Also someone on Reddit had a problem with it as well:
https://www.reddit.com/r/retrogaming...quest_for_the/

edit: Sorry, not sure how useful the link will be.

[Iced Snowman]

Cart pins are clean. Tried the mode button on four six button controllers. Same problems.

I bought a backup Model 1 years ago. Hooked it up and Lightening Force played perfectly.

So, I got some rubbing alcohol out, an old Target gift card and a microfiber cloth. There was some black gunk coming off onto the cloth. Imma let her dry and see is she runs smoothly in the morn.

To be continued.......

[Iced Snowman]

Well.......that didn't work. Pressing A + Start gets me to the Options Menu. D-Pad still super sensitive. Pad setup = A power, B fire & C weapon select. Start the game and my power levels literally cycle from 1..2..3...4%......all the way to 100% automatically and then repeat. B is on full auto fire. I can only change weapons with C. I'm using a OEM Sega 6 button controller with no turbo switches.

I have been having issues with my original Model 1 for years. For example, I have to let it warm up (turn it on with no cartridge inserted for 5 minutes), otherwise it runs really choppy when started. I now recall the D-Pad being sensitive in the options menu years ago, but not the issues with the buttons. Also, something broke off inside the system and its rattling around.

My young sons have been pretty rough playing with it over the years. They broke the scart cable. The power cable is really sensitive. They have broken multiple controllers and the 3 they are using right now all have electrical tape on the wiring in spots.

I haven't noticed any other issues with other games, yet. I'm just trying to run her as long as I can.

I really wonder what is causing this particular game to not function properly with any controller that i have? 🤔

[gamevet]

It’s possible that you have a line break from the controller port to the I/O chip. The chip could also have a broken/floating ground.

[Iced Snowman]

It’s possible that you have a line break from the controller port to the I/O chip. The chip could also have a broken/floating ground.

Well, there is definitely something broken & floating around in there! Lol

This is my original 1601 and even though it is beat to piss, I do wanna keep her running as long as possible.

Will you look inside if I open it up and take pics, when I find the time?

I can fix old skool washers, dryers, dishwashers, etc., but not Sega Genesis.

[CrossBow]

I can fix old skool washers, dryers, dishwashers, etc., but not Sega Genesis.

Where are you located roughly? Might not be that bad to ship it out to someone that might be able to take a look at it if they aren't that distant from you.

[Iced Snowman]

Where are you located roughly? Might not be that bad to ship it out to someone that might be able to take a look at it if they aren't that distant from you.

I'm in Arizona. Many moons ago, I shipped my Genesis to a modding store in Canada. He couldn't fix the "warming up" issue, but he did add a region switch, expanded cart slot & added composite & S-Video on the back. When I got it back, it wasn't my Genesis. Different serial #. And, the composite & S-Video were on the right front instead of the back. I was livid. Long story short, I got my original Genesis back. Years later I learned about Scart and have been using ever since.

Like I said earlier, its pretty beat up. The plastic cracked around the corner where the power plugs in (patched it). If I were going to learn how to fix the internal parts, replace capacitors, etc., then this would be the one to work on.

I haven't used a soldering gun or a multimeter in years, but I could get back in the grove.

Problem is, I would need troubleshooting guides & time. I have neither, lol