Start from the symptom, not the console.
Every entry here started as a console on a bench. Pick a generation, a symptom and the difficulty you are comfortable with, and the list below narrows as you choose. Each dossier records how the fault was narrowed down to a component and what was replaced.
published 17 / 34
generations 6
latest filing 2026-10-01
symptom lookup bench
17 / 17
Generation
Symptom
Difficulty up to
- Mega Drive VA6Sega Mega Drive Model 1 (HAA-2510)Audio1 h 5 min
- Super Famicom SHVC-CPU-01Nintendo Super Famicom SHVC-001Media1 h 5 min
- PlayStation PU-22Sony PlayStation SCPH-7501Media1 h 40 min
- Famicom ControllerNintendo Famicom HVC-001 controller (HVC-012 hardwired)Input30 min
- Game Boy CGB-CPU-06Nintendo Game Boy Color CGB-001Audio1 h
- Game Boy AGB-CPU-10Nintendo Game Boy Advance AGB-001No power45 min
- PC Engine TG-01NEC PC Engine PI-TG001Media45 min
- PlayStation PU-18Sony PlayStation SCPH-5501Media1 h 30 min
- Super Famicom SNS-CPU-RGB-01Nintendo Super NES SNS-001No video2 h
- Mega Drive VA1Sega Mega Drive Model 2 (HAA-2502)Input55 min
- PlayStation PM-41Sony PlayStation SCPH-9001No power1 h
- Super Famicom SNS-CPU-GPM-02Nintendo Super NES SNS-001Input35 min
- Game Boy DMG-CPU-06Nintendo Game Boy DMG-01No video1 h 50 min
- Mega Drive VA6Sega Mega Drive Model 1 (HAA-2510)No video1 h
- Famicom NES-CPU-11Nintendo NES-001 (front loader)No video40 min
- Game Boy DMG-CPU-06Nintendo Game Boy DMG-01No power35 min
- Famicom HVC-CPU-07Nintendo Famicom HVC-001No power45 min
Nothing filed under that combination yet. Raise the difficulty ceiling or try another symptom. reset filters
Recently filed
newest first- Mega Drive Model 1 audio buzz: the ground return through the AV cableMega Drive · VA6 · 19911 October 2026
- Super Famicom: bent pins in the 62-pin slot after a cartridge was forced inSuper Famicom · SHVC-CPU-01 · 199029 September 2026
- PlayStation disc spins and stops: spindle height, clamp and motorPlayStation · PU-22 · 199727 September 2026
- Famicom hardwired controller: one direction stops respondingFamicom · Controller PCB rev A · 198325 September 2026
- Game Boy Color: sound only from the speaker, or only from headphonesGame Boy · CGB-CPU-06 · 200023 September 2026
- Game Boy Advance power switch: a gritty slide that only works at one endGame Boy · AGB-CPU-10 · 200321 September 2026
- PC Engine HuCard not reading: cleaning and tensioning the card slotPC Engine · TG-01 · 198714 September 2026
- PlayStation disc read errors: cleaning the lens before touching the potPlayStation · PU-18 · 199611 September 2026
- Super NES with no picture: replacing a failed PPUSuper Famicom · SNS-CPU-RGB-01 · 19918 September 2026
- Mega Drive controller port 1 dead: a ferrite bead and a worn DB9Mega Drive · VA1 · 19935 September 2026
Browse by generation
console cards-
Famicom
1983-1993 · Nintendo
Zero-insertion-force card slot, rubber-dome controllers, a power/reset switch block that oxidises.
3
-
Game Boy
1989-2005 · Nintendo
Battery contact corrosion, vertical line faults on the DMG panel, and a power switch that wears through its wiper.
4
-
Mega Drive
1988-1997 · Sega
A nine-pin controller port with no protection, cold joints around the AV jack, and noisy audio grounding.
3
-
Super Famicom
1990-2003 · Nintendo
PPU and CPU failures from a poor power supply, brittle plastic shells that yellow, and a reset button that sticks.
3
-
PlayStation
1994-2006 · Sony
A laser pickup that wears out, a controller port protected by a self-resetting fuse, and power supplies full of ageing capacitors.
3
-
PC Engine
1987-1994 · NEC
An open HuCard slot that collects dust and loses tension, and boards where every electrolytic has drifted high.
1