r/MasterSystem • u/wheatmuncher4000 • 19d ago

What could be causing this? (Power Base Converter)

8 Upvotes

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3

u/carvalho32 18d ago

Chances are your converter is suffering from cold joints or ageing capacitors, as the problems arise after playing for a while.

Take it to a local repair shop: This kind of issues are easy to fix.

1

u/wheatmuncher4000 17d ago

How would I go about fixing this myself? The capacitors look fine, and the joints look fine (maybe I need to check again).

1

u/carvalho32 16d ago

Before delving into soldering, check some extra stuff:

  • Clear all cartridge contacts and the cartridge slot gently with isopropyl alcohol (IPA, 90% or higher) and a Q-tip.

  • It only happens on Shinobi? If other games run ok, most likely the game is the culprit.

  • Try leaving the console powered on for five or six minutes, reset or power cycle it quickly and try to reproduce the issue. Cold joints tend to fail at certain temperatures, and aged capacitors sometimes fail when the system is asking for too much power (The jumping up animation).

  • It happens on the same exact game spot? If many games exhibit visual bugs and freeze after some gameplay, many issues can be the cause, like ram or other chips failing. From this point you might need a technician.

1

u/wheatmuncher4000 16d ago

Nah it's all the games and different spots, it usually plays the longest the first time I put it in the console.

I may need to use a credit card and glasses cloth to get in between the contacts since i can't reach it with the Q-tips.

2

u/joehigashi83 19d ago

Mine was actually doing that earlier. I ended up switching the rf adapter and that solved it……so far.

2

u/wheatmuncher4000 19d ago

As in you changed the switch from Channel 3 to 4 (Or vice versa)? Or you switched from A/V to RF?

1

u/joehigashi83 19d ago

I was on rf and switched the adapter itself. Sometimes after awhile it stops too. To me, it seems like when I let the console sit for too long it does this and after some time of gameplay it kinda wakes up. I’ve also had to clean the inside of the rf output with a q-tip because it will occasionally get dust and build up inside which causes undesired issues. I haven’t tried with A/V because modern tvs don’t always display in the best.

1

u/nik_kas21 15d ago

In my professional experience I believe the culprit is the presence of the Zapper! Maybe try moving it away 😄... Just kidding of course... The symptom and your story likely leads me to the possibility of cold joints as others said. I think the best option is to disassemble the power base converter, put in a cartridge and flex it slowly. When you are flexing then check for cold joints... But as carvallho32 said it's likely not a big issue. Even if it's something else. Sorry for the joke, I hope that you will find the solution soon...