Colecovision Multicart Help

[ElvisAtari]

Hello All:

 

Thism ight not eb the correct forum for this, but I need some help with my Colecovision multicart and I thought I'd try here.

 

I purchased a Colecovision multicart from Sean Kelly some years ago and it worked fine up until about a year and a half ago, when it developed a problem. It never goes past the main menu screen, where you select your game. When you pick one, it keeps reverting back to the main menu.

 

When I first got my multicart, it had this problem. I sent it back to Sean and got a new one, which was fine for a while. Unfortunately, I have tried to contact Sean a few times and haven't heard back from him, so I was hoping that someone with Colecovision knowledge could help me.

 

I'd be willing to pay someone for their services if they'd be able to take a look at the cart and perhaps fix it if something physical was wrong. I'm pretty much out of ideas, and I'd like to be able to save this cart if possible. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Please feel free to email me at [email protected] -thanks!

 

Bryan

[joeybastard]

oops double post

[joeybastard]

This may sound silly, but have you cleaned the cart and made sure the PCB is seated correctly in the case and making a good contact?

 

My coleco carts will reset to the title screen when dirty and my Wargames witha loose PCB did the same thing.

 

BTW, I wish I had one of those CV multi-carts, I'm jealous

[Tempest]

What I wouldn't give for a Colecovision multicart...

 

Tempest

[ElvisAtari]

I did forget to mention that I did clean the cart and made sure it was seated properly in it's housing. Inserting the cart with a lot of pressure did do the trick once or twice a long time ago, but it no longer works. Alas, I have a nice menu screen to look at but not much else...

[joeybastard]

If pushing heavily on it got it to work, it can't be making contact under normal conditions. Can you take the cart apart and try inserting it then?

[ElvisAtari]

If pushing heavily on it got it to work, it can't be making contact under normal conditions.  Can you take the cart apart and try inserting it then?

 

Well, I'd stress it "used" to work - the cart is pretty solid in the case and it does not move at all. However, I have given thought to opening it and seeing if it would work...somehow, given that the previous multicart I had had the same issue, I believe it is something else...

[Zaxxon]

I own two working CV multicarts. I can probably figure out what's wrong with it.

[joesmooth]

This sounds suspiciously like a cold solder joint, which can cause intermittent activity or complete failure. It's due to poor soldering technique and caused by poor heat transfer between the solder and materials being soldered.

 

A shameless plug, but my document on Basic Assembly Techniques (http://www.atariage.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=249) provides information on proper soldering You could open up your cart and reheat/reflow all the connections and see if that works.

 

Joe

[joeybastard]

I own two working CV multicarts. I can probably figure out what's wrong with it.

 

Ooohhhh... wanna sell one?

[MrRetroGamer]

Have you tried your cart in another Colecovision console? Those multicarts are pretty picky and the CV consoles are flakey at times too. Just keep reseating it over and over, it will work sooner or later. Sometimes when I get a cart that acts like that, strange as it may sound, I blow into the cart slot on the console and then it usually works. Weird!

 

BTW, did Sean Kelly get abducted by aliens or something?

[ElvisAtari]

Have you tried your cart in another Colecovision console?

 

Yes, I've tried it in 4 separate consoles. I keep hoping that the next time I try to cart it will work...so far no luck.

 

Those multicarts are pretty picky and the CV consoles are flakey at times too.  Just keep reseating it over and over, it will work sooner or later.  Sometimes when I get a cart that acts like that, strange as it may sound, I blow into the cart slot on the console and then it usually works.  Weird!

 

Yep I've tried the blowing on it, too - works for Nintendo, but not really for this cart!

[holygrailvideogames.com]

If you want to sell it, I would be intested in buying it.

 

That being said, I had a CV multicart in the past that I couldn't get to work. I traded it back in for something different. I was told that there was a problem with all of the boards used for the CV multis.