Got my Sanyo 3DO today! (now troubleshooting cdrom drive)

[dark]

I recently bought a Sanyo 3DO off a Japanese website. The description was very vague and said only that it didn't come with video hookups. The price was very good so I decided to take the chance.

Ultimately, the shipping fees and cost for the intermediary actually kicked the cost up more than double and much more than I anticipated even when I tried estimating fees before I purchased (I bought the system for about $50, and with all shipping and fees, this project was now around $125). I was starting to get apprehensive about what I'd bought. Would it be worth the money? Would the console even work? How would it be cosmetically? (the site provided no pictures, it was a very bare bones listing)

Well, I am proud to report that the console arrived today and is in very good shape. It has a couple of minor scuffs on the plastic of the console, and some more noticeable ones on the black controller, but nothing so bad that I would be upset. Most importantly, the console works just fine, the disc drive open and close mechanism works. By happenstance, my current TV happens to be a grey/silver Sanyo TV - so the console and TV even match each other

It's a very sexy looking console, and I am pleased to really start my 3DO collection with it. Now to start the game hunt!

----------

At any rate - I have a couple of questions for you 3DO experts.

1) The console is rated at 100v. Will the 120v USA power from my wall outlet be too hard on the system if I use it frequently? Should I invest in some kind of step down converter? Or is this probably not too big of a deal?

2) I think the Sanyo has an internal memory manager? How do I reach that? When I boot up with no disc in the system, it just displays the graphic to insert a disc into the disc drive.

[3DO Experience]

1) The console is rated at 100v. Will the 120v USA power from my wall outlet be too hard on the system if I use it frequently? Should I invest in some kind of step down converter? Or is this probably not too big of a deal?

There are actually two threads about this but I'll tell you now, get a step down transformer. People will say otherwise because they have plugged something in and it was ok. They will tell you it's "safe" because there is generally a 10% shift tolerance on most electronics. Well that's fine, as long as everything was made perfect so the system doesn't run hot AND you don't have an voltage spike. And you will. And that tolerance safe zone just got your system cooked. I've personally killed a Famicom by plugging in directly, I also had a friend buy a Japanese XBOX 360, the second day he had it there was a pop and it was dead. No red ring of death. Just plain bricked.

[Austin]

Congrats on your purchase! $125 doesn't seem too bad. The Sanyo systems are a lot less common than other ones, so I think that's a fair price. Plus, bonus points for it being a sexy unit!

As far as a converter, in fear of being banned I will say you should do what 3doexperience suggests.

In all seriousness though, I've had many Japanese systems over the years, all used extensively, and I never had any problems. I suppose the risk is there though, so use your best judgement.

[a31chris]

Hey I bought a japanese F-1. Should I be buying a step down transformer as well?

[dark]

I asked the same question on the assembler games forum and received a number of replies saying that things would be fine, a step down transformer is not necessary, and the console should be built to a sufficient tolerance for 120v and associated irregularities.

Obviously you do nothing at your own risk - but 4 or 5 other people on another website devoted to vintage game systems said "don't worry" and offered anecdotal evidence of things being ok - including a fellow mentioning he has used his Japanese FZ-1 in the US for years with no transformer and encountered no problems.

120 to 100v transformers seem to be rarer and more expensive than 240 to 120 or 240 to 100. I saw prices in the $40s and up

[dark]

And a little update on my console -

Started playing some Road Rash - and my console has a bunch of saved games already with tons of money Wonder what other 20 yr old game saves might be on there...

[FUJISAN]

Congrats on your purchase!
Because it is said that the disk drawspan is fragile about this Japanese console, please be cautious about handling it.

I think that the design of this game console is splendid.

[dark]

As I buy games, I think I might go for Japanese copies. I have located a potential source for games, and with shipping, they are still more affordable than getting complete US copies with longboxes in 2013. Additionally, unlike the US packaging which sometimes does not have any graphics or insert for the jewelcase inside a longbox, the Japanese packaging is designed from the outset as just jewelcases and jewelcase style manuals, which will be easier to store and fit in with my other disc based console collections such as for dreamcast or psx. The system is also Japanese, so a Japanese themed collection is in the same spirit And I speak Japanese so there is no significant language issue preventing me from enjoying the games, unless the game has a super eclectic story.

[knightintosh]

Oh.

My.

Word.

Now that is one sexy unit.

I'm just starting out again and while I'm hoping to collect all 3DO machines I know that one will probably cost mega bucks, so congratulations on tracking one down at that price, even with all that additional cost!

[dark]

I've owned it for a month now. Still don't regret having it be my "starter" 3DO, or my normal use 3DO system rather than a display piece. It's been working like a champ.

[T2KFreeker]

I HATE YOU!!!!

Seriously though, I always wanted a TRY unit and envy you have one. I hope you enjoy it man because it is a pretty cool little system. I know people try and say it has the same problems as the GOLDSTAR unit, but still, at least it's a cooler looking system. Be careful, as already said though because of the drive being in the actual slide tray there can be issues with the ribbon. Other than that, Game on Dude, as Bill and Ted would say.

[dark]

Well, I wound up selling this 3DO the other day. It's already been shipped off to its new owner.

After actually owning it for a few months, I decided I like the idea of owning this console more than the reality. I like the looks of the console and the controller, but found myself lacking the attention span to put much time into any of the games. It didn't feel right to just keep it on looks alone considering what I paid for it, so I wanted to pass it on to another enthusiast and make back what I put into it.

The 3DO experiment was fun. It was a cool nostalgia trip. But it wasn't growing on me like some of my other old systems (although I did enjoy it about 10X more than my atari jaguar, another item I experimented with and sold some years back). I guess this means I won't be much of a regular here

In parting, here are a couple glamor shots of my console (which I took for my sale).


**removed pics because they were giant and I'm still posting in this thread on other issues.

[NeoGeoNinja]

Well, I wound up selling this 3DO the other day. It's already been shipped off to its new owner.

Coolio! So, who here ended up getting it then?

At least you gave it a shot. It's a cool little machine, but dare I say, in danger of paling into insignificance for those who weren't about when it launched or don't have a nostalgic connection to it - especially as the Saturn or PS1 are much more attractive 32-bit era prospects

At least you figured this out before getting too deep. Something I see all too often (i.e. new enthusiasts buying up loads and loads and loads of games for 'whatever' amount vs regret and resale).

All the best to you dude

[dark]

I put it on the 'bay, so it may not even be someone here.
If so, maybe they will come here shortly since there are so few 3DO websites A new fan is born?

[dark]

Welp, buyer received it and claims that the disc drive won't open "and when it does, it won't load games." He wants to send back for a full refund.

I'm guessing I've got a classic case of Goldstar style ribbon cable problem going on... or maybe my 3DO just misses me

It's still a little curious though. It worked perfectly up to the moment I put it into the box. And I packed it super well with loads of bubble wrap. The drive tray wouldn't have been opening or forced open or anything while it was in the box...

[3DOKid]

There are a spectacular number of nob-heads on ebay. don't count that out.

[Trev]

Its a clear sign ... you need to give 3DO another chance.

Seriously though, hope everything works out all right.

[T2KFreeker]

Yeah, the evilbay guys ruin everything. I hope it's not completely busted though.

[mattyg]

Sounds to me like a classic Sanyo/Goldstar pinched ribbon

[dark]

Got it back last night. All issues are as the buyer said: disc drive won't open and discs aren't read if they are put back in. I took it apart to get a closer look at things, reseated all the ribbon cables. None of them clearly looked like there were connection issues, but it was obvious to see that the ribbon gets pinched by its normal use and the cable is bent accordingly - it didn't look like there were obvious issues at that pinch point though on the cable.

Anyway, reseating the cables didn't fix anything.

I noticed that the worm gear on the motor was not meshing correctly with the gear assembly that pushes and pulls the drive out of the system. I was able to fix that gear meshing issue and that changed the problems somewhat.

Now here are the current symptoms.

1) The open/close button does nothing
2) If the tray is completely open and I power on the system, the motor will draw it in about 1/3 of the way, but no farther.
3) If the tray is completely closed when I power on the system, regardless of whether I have a CD in it, about 80% of the time, the spindle will spin and the laser will slide all the way back to the top (farthest position from spindle) and then start knocking up and down repeatedly and making a racket as it hits plastic against plastic - it sounds like a woodpecker. The other 20% of the time, the spindle will spin and the laser will be quiet, but games will not start up and it doesn't appear like the laser is reading the disc.

Keep in mind that this system worked completely perfectly up until I shipped it out a little over a week ago. There were no signs the laser was dying or gradually losing its ability to read discs. There is clearly an issue with the CD drive, but I don't know if its the ribbon cable or not at this point. The good news if I want to sink even more money into this, is that I could swap the drive with a goldstar... but that's a little bit low on my list of priorities atm. Any ideas for what could be the matter with this drive?

[T2KFreeker]

I personally have no clue man. That sucks though. I wonder if it got dropped in transit? Something inside could be loose or rattled free of it's connection?