How can I fix a Genesis controller port?

[Ace_1]

I was given a Model 1 Genesis to fix and discovered that not only is the RF plug on the board loose, but controller port 1 is not working properly either. The system recieves no input from the A button, B button and right on the D-Pad. Which pins control the input of those three buttons? I know it's not the controller because I have 2 of them(both of which are 3-button ones), and they both do the same thing, so it has to be the port. Any advice?

[Atariman]

I was given a Model 1 Genesis to fix and discovered that not only is the RF plug on the board loose, but controller port 1 is not working properly either. The system recieves no input from the A button, B button and right on the D-Pad. Which pins control the input of those three buttons? I know it's not the controller because I have 2 of them(both of which are 3-button ones), and they both do the same thing, so it has to be the port. Any advice?

 

Sounds like you're having problems on pins 4 (West) and 6 (A and B) if you're looking at the controller plug itself - I don't think the pin numbers change from male to female, though

 

There might not be much you can do. The only thing I can recommend is to make sure that the pins aren't pushed back into the plug and that there aren't any broken solder joints around those pins where they connect to the PCB. Check for continuity between the board and the pin. If there aren't any problems there, then it is probably an issue with the controller hardware on the Genesis itself. I don't recall much about that, so someone else will have to chime in if they're familiar with it.

[Prodos8]

If its not bent pins or reflowing the solder joints to fix it, I'd just chuck it. They're a dime a dozen so its easier to find a working one than try and trouble shoot it. If it has a particuarly nice case, keep that and swap the whole board out.

[Ace_1]

I have a second one that gives no video at all from the RF modulator whose controller ports I can use(it's the oldest one with the EXT port on the back, not sure if it means anything). I'll check the pins mentioned, see if there's a problem.

[gdement]

Although the Genesis generally speaking is very common, some of the early revisions are more rare. I think they only sold something like 300,000 units before they started to put license protection into the console. (That number might be wrong)

 

Here's a site which explains the controller pinout:

http://pinouts.ru/Game/genesiscontroller_pinout.shtml

 

Basically the meaning of each pin changes depending on the status of the Select pin.

[Ace_1]

How can test for continuity on pins 4 and 6? Those seem to be the faulty ones because the D-Pad right and buttons A and B are not working. The solder is fine, but the buttons don't work.

 

As a side note, what could be broken inside the RF modulator in the other Genesis that makes it output no audio or video(I don't even get a black screen, I stll see the TV show broadcasting on either channel 3 or 4)? The problem is....... you tell me if you know it.

[Atariman]

How can test for continuity on pins 4 and 6? Those seem to be the faulty ones because the D-Pad right and buttons A and B are not working. The solder is fine, but the buttons don't work.

 

As a side note, what could be broken inside the RF modulator in the other Genesis that makes it output no audio or video(I don't even get a black screen, I stll see the TV show broadcasting on either channel 3 or 4)? The problem is....... you tell me if you know it.

 

If you want to test for continuity, you could just measure the resistance between the pin sticking out of the Genesis (the pin the controller interfaces with) and the solder joint.

 

Are you sure that the Genesis has ANY video or sound output? Do you have the composite video cables to make sure that the issue is actually with the RF and not the rest of the Genesis? As for what can go wrong with the RF modulator, if you aren't getting anything at all, it sounds more like a broken solder joint somewhere more than anything else.

[gdement]

How can test for continuity on pins 4 and 6? Those seem to be the faulty ones because the D-Pad right and buttons A and B are not working. The solder is fine, but the buttons don't work.

 

If you want to test for continuity, you could just measure the resistance between the pin sticking out of the Genesis (the pin the controller interfaces with) and the solder joint.

 

Even better, if you flip the board over you'll notice that the controller pins are connected to those little black things immediately behind the connector. I'm not sure what those are, but they have the notation EMxx. You can measure continuity from the solder joint underneath one of those devices, to the pin. That way you can be certain you aren't touching the pin itself on both ends.

 

If you get continuity there, then I'd check if any of those EMxx's have loose joints, and also consider the possibility that one/some of those EMxx devices have gone bad. I don't know what they are, maybe somebody else can say. You could swap an apparently good one with a suspicious one and see what happens.

 

You could also test using a stripped controller cable, rather than checking the pins directly. That would tell you if it's just a corrosion problem on those pins.

[Ace_1]

EMxx #EM14 is at fault. I get no reading from pin 4 to the middle pin of EM14(port 2 is fine, though).