Colecovision: Is a stuck door on the expansion module common

[DragonmasterDan]

I noticed the door on my Colecovision's expansion module is kind of jammed I can get it open and close it but it requires a wedge. Does this happen a lot?

[Jess Ragan]

I've had problems with mine. My suggestion is to either keep the door shut or keep the expansion module connected to the system.

[Prodos8]

It has some sort of locking tab, which in my experience is hard to engage or release and is not very smooth. If you use the port alot I'd just leave it locked open.

[+remowilliams]

Yeah, they rather easily tend to go out of parallel alignment in the movement track and get wedged up a bit. Once carefully freed, it will move without much effort. Until it gets stuck again.

[jboypacman]

I have three Colecovisions setting in my collection and the door on all three stick.

[Jess Ragan]

In retrospect... this system was a real piece of junk, wasn't it? The expansion port door sticks, the on/off switch refuses to budge, and the joystick ports break off with frequent use. It's not one of those consoles that was designed for the long haul, that's for sure.

Edited January 19, 2008 by Jess Ragan

[Prodos8]

In retrospect... this system was a real piece of junk, wasn't it? The expansion port door sticks, the on/off switch refuses to budge, and the joystick ports break out with frequent use. It's not one of those consoles that was designed for the long haul, that's for sure.

I dunno, they're 25 years old now and still going. So I'd say thats pretty good.

 

If your power switch is tight, try loosening the front middle screw (by about half a turn or so) on the bottom that holds the case together. I found this out after I did an AV mod, once I got the case back together the power switch was nearly impossible to move. Turns out overtightening that screw was the culprit.

[Rik]

In retrospect... this system was a real piece of junk, wasn't it? The expansion port door sticks, the on/off switch refuses to budge, and the joystick ports break out with frequent use. It's not one of those consoles that was designed for the long haul, that's for sure.

Quite right.But CV plays nice games though.Cant ignore the fact the CV is one of the most problematic classic systems.Maybe Coleco figured no one would still be playing it 20+ years into the future,or just plain cheapskates,i think its the 2nd reason quite frankly.

[Ikrananka]

In retrospect... this system was a real piece of junk, wasn't it? The expansion port door sticks, the on/off switch refuses to budge, and the joystick ports break off with frequent use. It's not one of those consoles that was designed for the long haul, that's for sure.

I've been playing with ColecoVisions for the past 25 years and never experienced any of these issues. I'm not saying they are perfect, but I don't see them as being any more poorly designed than many other systems.

[Rik]

Stuck expansion port door on CV?,simple,gently pull door out towards you and down,works for me,not sure for all,or just leave it up.

[doubledown]

The way the door works is that the door itself has 2 little bumps on each side and the rails they slide in have the mating dimples that the bumps snap into at the top of their travel. It's just a friction fit. I'm not really sure why they would get stuck, but generally when I refurb a console I slightly sand down the bumps. If you sand down too much it won't hold itself up, so you would have to hold it up to insert an Expansion Module, but if you sand just a bit it will still stay up, but have the ability to slide down.

[Murph74]

The way the door works is that the door itself has 2 little bumps on each side and the rails they slide in have the mating dimples that the bumps snap into at the top of their travel. It's just a friction fit. I'm not really sure why they would get stuck, but generally when I refurb a console I slightly sand down the bumps. If you sand down too much it won't hold itself up, so you would have to hold it up to insert an Expansion Module, but if you sand just a bit it will still stay up, but have the ability to slide down.

 

While the sanding may help, I've had better luck opening the case, checking the door for proper alignment and running a finger covered in petroleum jelly down each dimpled side of the door. The friction on the ones I've seen seems to be the issue, not the bumps themselves or their mating dimples. I compare it to a car window jumping off track. Those same doors that get stuck typically move back and forth too in my experience.