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Need help on darksoft no-cd cart

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cma019

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I’m having a really frustrating day as two of my Darksoft no-CD cartridges have gone faulty, and I would greatly appreciate any help.


Today, while playing Third Strike, the screen suddenly went black, and I suspect the cartridge is faulty. I swapped it with a spare cartridge, which worked fine. However, when I tried to fit that spare cartridge into a 3D-printed case, it also became faulty. It seems like the small PCB inside might have come apart, but I’m not sure if that part is supposed to be attached or not.


If anyone has experience repairing these cartridges or can help me fix them, I would be very grateful. I’m located in Hong Kong and can ship the cartridges to you.

The bottom one was the original faulty one and the top new one was working but then the pcb fall off.


Thank you very much for your support...
 

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My guess is your slot is dirty and/or might be presenting some issues.

Before going down the hardware troubleshoot route, can you try cleaning your cart slot with rubbing alcohol/Deoxit thoroughly along with your cart contacts and seeing if that fixes the problem? Dirty cart slots and contacts can wreak havoc on CPS3 carts.
 
Darksoft said:
Yes, you need that sub-PCB or it won't boot. 2 carts going bad so quick, maybe you have a power issue or your PCB has some new fault.
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the sub pcb is attached with wires, just not stick to the board.
but i just found that I got a third no-cd cart actually the sub pcb is not required to be stuck on the board
 
Last edited:
cma019 said:
the sub pcb is attached with wires, just not stick to the board.
Click to expand...
As soon as it's soldered properly, then you are good
cma019 said:
but i just found that I got a third no-cd cart actually the sub pcb is not required to be stuck on the board
Click to expand...
It depends on the revision. Those with sticker C or D don't have the sub-board, but *usually* those with A or B sticker, do need it.
 
i am using the original 2nd impact cart and rewriting the game, the board seems working normally
just the Darksoft cart seems strange for some reason
may I know can it be fixed? i bought it for a while and haven't actually played it and it's not working now...
 
That’s good! That rules out a cart slot and motherboard issue.

Sometimes the solder on the flash chips holding the BIOS can surprisingly weaken over time with repeated use (inserting and removing), especially if stored in less than ideal humidity/temp environments. Are you or anyone you know capable of reflowing the TSOP48 chips on both of your carts & seeing if that fixes your issues?
 
GoldenGlover said:
That’s good! That rules out a cart slot and motherboard issue.

Sometimes the solder on the flash chips holding the BIOS can surprisingly weaken over time with repeated use (inserting and removing), especially if stored in less than ideal humidity/temp environments. Are you or anyone you know capable of reflowing the TSOP48 chips on both of your carts & seeing if that fixes your issues?
Click to expand...
sorry the main issue is the darksoft cart i'm concerning. The board itself i believe is working fine. But i want my darksoft cart to work to play thirdstrike
 
Yes, and I’m talking about your carts - each has a flash chip on it (it’s a 48 pin chip in each of your pictures). The solder might be loose on both.
 
GoldenGlover said:
Yes, and I’m talking about your carts - each has a flash chip on it (it’s a 48 pin chip in each of your pictures). The solder might be loose on both.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your advice. Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone around me who can handle this kind of electrical work. I even have a faulty CPS3 board (possibly due to a failed sprite ROM) that’s been sitting around for years because I haven’t been able to find anyone in Hong Kong to repair it. I’ve considered looking for someone in China, but I’m hesitant to ship my precious Darksoft cart there.
Thats why i'm seeking help from this forum, and I’m happy to pay for the service
 
Try something insert and remove the cart from the CPS3 motherboard 5 times. Then check if it works. If it doesn't PM me.
 
hi everyone. my dark sorted cps3 is having a weird issue. it is throwing this screen when I power on. has anyone seen this screen? I've tested this with other boards and my nnc works fine. I've tried removing and reinserting the cps3 cart but no luck.
 

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Probably should've made your own thread since this seems like a completely different issue, but did you try basic troubleshooting first? Clean the cart edge, clean the cart slot, visual inspection of cart sllot (look for bent/corroded pins)?

Are you using a repro cart, Capcom ("custom") cart, or a Capcom cart with a replaced CPU?
 
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