Another freakin' port 1 busted. Need advice.

DKW · 10-12-2006, 02:53 AM

Well, guess what happened...after that cheapo PS2 my dad first brought over that started my "next gen" craze lost its controller port 1, the same happened to my modded system. I didn't want to, but I bought the organic, honest-to-god Japanese system...and just today, its port 1 went dead.

I seriously don't know what the hell to do now...I have more than enough money, but I just do not want to keep throwing good money after bad.

I can see if Toys 'n Joys will fix it, but it's doubtful (frankly, their record is downright abysmal when it comes to service, or for that matter people who can answer any of my freaking questions).

So...what are my options, and, more importantly, how do I prevent this from happening again? Or for that matter, how the hell did it happen in the first place? (One of my joysticks fits a bit tight, but it's not like it yanked the thing halfway out of its socket.) Right now, assuming that repair isn't an option, I'm looking at trying to get a durable system or a swap disk for one of my domestic PS2s. My newer fliptop PS2 has held up pretty well, but I haven't had it for too long.

Any advice? I go to Toys 'n Joys this Saturday.

(Aside...why is it that reliablity is NEVER EVER an issue brought up when comparing systems? I've never had the unbelieveable laundry list of problems with any previous sytem, including the endlessly dumped-on Dreamcast. Three systems with a dead port 1, and nobody seems to have the faintest idea how to fix it. Damn.)

Axem Rangers · 10-12-2006, 03:53 AM

Have you, uhhh, been using the same controller with all 3?

*dat shit cray* · 10-12-2006, 06:03 AM

What was the time frame for all of this?

モネ? · 10-12-2006, 06:43 AM

I would suspect the controller first, before you say the port is dead. Try a differnt controller in that port first.

As for PS2 relablity in general. I agree the ps2s are very defective, but if you take good care of them like I do. They can last a while. I'm on a ps2 that came out a 6 months after lunch and it's been holding up fine. It just now starting to show age

Hortence:The Muleface Mod · 10-12-2006, 05:14 PM

Controller port issues usually come from abuse of the port itself. It's rare for them to break because it's a nonmoving part. :/

Your joystick is probably to blame, though if you get yourself a replacement controller port attachment (It should be a fairly cheap part) it's easy as pie to replace. Just open the system, unplug the ribbon cable from the controller ports, swap, refit, rescrew, done.

TougaKiryuu · 10-13-2006, 02:21 AM

I had this happen, you can fix it no problem, there are a couple metal things inside the port that you can bend up with a precision flathead... give that a try and see if it works again

DKW · 10-13-2006, 02:26 AM

I have numerous controllers from various manufacturers. At least a couple of them are a bit tight, but not to the point where they broke anything (and I've inserted and removed them numerous times without trouble).

Timeframe? I'd say anywhere from one to two years before port #1 went completely dead. It was sudden, too; I noticed no gradual loss of responsiveness before the whole port failed to work at all.

I've never abused any of my systems. (I'm pushing 32 and working as an accounting tech for the Department of Defense; I know what responsibility is, thank you.) I've NEVER had this problem with any previous system, not even the notoriously fragile Dreamcast. I've plugged and unplugged all kinds of stuff into my PSX's ports a bazillion times without the slightest problem.

Sticking to Dualshocks isn't a solution. I cannot use a Dualshock for everything; in fact, there are are a lot of games for which they're unsuitable. I cannot play Pop 'n Music or Drummania with ANYTHING but a good joystick (if you've read my comments on the other boards, you know this isn't an exaggeration).

So anyway, Dewgy, I'm going to Toys 'n Joys tomorrow (slight change of plans). Just in case they don't have a spare port on hand, where could I get one? If it's a simple screw-in job, I think I could hack it. Actually, I wish I'd known about this after this happened to my modded system, but better late than never. I don't mind taking a few minutes to do some maintenance every 18 months or so if it means I won't be without my music games for days or weeks on end.

Damn. There was a woman who backed her car over her NES, and it still worked perfectly fine. Constructing a system that doesn't constantly have something breaking down shouldn't be that hard.

EDIT: Just saw your post, TougaKiryuu. Mmm...okay, I'll give it a shot. Having a few spare parts on hand might be a good idea anyway.

DKW · 10-18-2006, 03:10 AM

Thanks for the advice. I found out what the problem was. The left sensor thing on the top was actually bent and jammed into the slot. I poked it out with a screwdriver, and the port works fine again.

Geez...that doesn't strike me as a particularly intelligent design. The Dreamcast did fine with a single fixed strip; why does the PS2 need three loosely-hanging contacts?

Ah well. Just glad I don't have to spend more money. About the best I could hope for.

**dieKatze88** · 10-18-2006, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKW

Thanks for the advice. I found out what the problem was. The left sensor thing on the top was actually bent and jammed into the slot. I poked it out with a screwdriver, and the port works fine again.

Geez...that doesn't strike me as a particularly intelligent design. The Dreamcast did fine with a single fixed strip; why does the PS2 need three loosely-hanging contacts?

Ah well. Just glad I don't have to spend more money. About the best I could hope for.

Compatiblity with the PS1. thats why.