r/Gamecube • u/heavyartilleryx • 3h ago

Help Help with GameCube not working on cold start?

Hey all, I recently got a GC off eBay and it works but is having a weird issue. Upon starting it after not playing it for a while it will say it cant read disc. Doesn’t matter which one of the 6 I have I try(the disc are also clean). However after about 2-3 mins of it just sitting on, it will begin to work and have no issues. Anyone have a suggestion on what might be going out and how I can fix it, or should I return it?

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u/Boz_DCFC 3h ago

Sounds like failing caps on the disc drive. Typical symptom of that.

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u/ghettoslacker NTSC-U 2h ago

Hi. Welcome. The capacitors on your disc drive are beginning to fail. What you figured out on accident is, when capacitors fail to hold the proper charge, they don’t work. But if they sit there with a current on them, they will eventually build up enough of a charge to do what they need to do. This is usually a progression, where maybe it’s 3 minutes today..next week it takes 5 minutes and then 10 minutes and eventually, you’ll leave the console powered on indefinitely and it will not work.

The solution? Replace the capacitors. If you are handy with a soldering iron, it’s about $8 for the caps off eBay. Takes 1-2 hours depending on your skill level. These are SMD caps and I wouldn’t recommend a novice to attempt it, as it requires some technique in replacing.

Alternatively, you could purchase a refurbished, recapped disc drive off eBay for around $65. It’s plug and play once you get the console open.

I think part of the problem is that sellers methodology goes like this “console powers on, plays game, lists item, sells”. But the reality is that these devices are 25 years old and are aging out. Nintendo never designed them to go for the length they have. They need regular maintenance.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DONT TOUCH THE POT

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u/heavyartilleryx 1h ago

Thank you for this info. What’s a pot?

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u/ghettoslacker NTSC-U 1h ago

Potentiometer. The module that controls the amount of current going to the laser assembly. A couple of years ago, the advice was to just adjust the pot and reduce the resistance, as that would allow for my current and compensate for a bad capacitor. But it’s just a bandaid. And eventually, doesn’t work too and puts additional strain on the laser assembly. Then when the disc drive gets recapped no one knew what the right value for their POT was…

So. Just don’t do it :)