Super CD Rom2 Recapping: I can't do it, who should? FINAL UPDATE

[Its_Sam]

Howdy. I'm new, and I joined specifically because I just snagged a Super CD Rom2 that most likely needs re-capped. I already have all the necessary parts; I even bought a spare laser just in case. Problem is, I am 100% unqualified to do this, and both of my local game stores seem reluctant to attempt it. Should I risk a computer repair store? Would the guides here instill the confidence necessary for the local game shops to do the repair? I can't really afford to let someone accidentally ruin the thing... 

Side note- Exactly how exotic is the AC adapter? I ordered an AC adapter that appears to have the correct specs (DC 12V 1A), but I'm pretty nervous about accidentally frying it.
EDIT- Here's a link to the eBay listing for the AC adapter I bought. (http://www.ebay.com/itm/151620955695?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) Yeah, I know, I'm cheap.

[NecroPhile]

I'd send it to chops, steve, turbokon, or keith.  I wouldn't trust some local yahoo that's afraid to do a simple re-cap; if they can't do that without having their hand held, they'll be totally lost if something more serious pops up.

[schweaty]

The voltage is right, but the connector is the wrong size.  You need the somewhat obscure 6.3 x 3 mm connector.

I personally would never let some random dude with a soldering iron work on any pc engine.  Send it to someone on this board.  KC and thesteve are your best bet

[Its_Sam]

To be fair, I wasn't really very specific with them. I didn't say, "Could you replace the capacitors and clean the board", I just said, "Could you fix a Super CD ROM2". I'm considering calling them back or going in and explaining more thoroughly. While I'd prefer to have someone here do it, the shipping cost puts me off. Exactly how complicated is the job?

[schweaty]

It's easy if you know how to use a soldering iron.  Does it work now?  The problem I would have taking on the job is that it might need more than a re-cap.

[Its_Sam]

The seller (who has a flawless track record and was very polite) explained that the CD sound is very quiet for a few minutes until the system warms up, then it works fine. If the re-cap doesn't fix it, I have a spare laser, though I'll cross that bridge once I come to it.

[schweaty]

Probably a cap issue.  The thing about re-capping for a repair shop is it can be somewhat time consuming.  A shop only wants to repair the failed parts to get the job done and move on to the next one.  If they take on a couple hour job that doesn't fix the problem they risk ending up with unhappy customers.  That's the reluctance to take on your job

[Its_Sam]

Ah. Thanks for all the help!

[Its_Sam]

UPDATE- Just got the Super CD back today. The owner of the game shop knew someone who repairs them. I got it home and immediately hooked it back up and started playing Dracula X. After finishing level 2, it froze. I put in a different game, Pomping World. It seemed to work fine, but once I hit run, the screen glitched up completely and the game froze. I waited about 20 minutes, then tried it again. It worked fine. I played for about 15-30 minutes, then it froze between levels. I noticed that the disc stops spinning once it crashes/freezes/stops, and it always seems to do it while loading. Any idea what this is?

[schweaty]

Did they replace the laser?  If they did, I would put the old laser back in.  It sounds like the laser was working fine before, it was just a sound iasue

[Its_Sam]

They left the old laser on. I'm wondering if it could somehow have to do with the power cord. It's really cheap, and I had to use a tip adapter to make it fit. Would a legit NEC one make any difference?

[MNKyDeth]

Doing a full recap sometimes you will need to adjust the pots on the cd-rom pickup lens.

A full cap replacement was the way to go as things can only get better from there. Then if things look mostly normal (everything works) but cd reads have some issues then it's usually a pot adjustment to get things back to 100%.

I find that if the cd still reads after a full recap it's a pot adjustment, if it doesn't read, it usually needs a new lens.

Are you using official game discs or burned cd's? This can play a role in any issues you are having as well.

[Its_Sam]

Castlevania was one of the free PCE Works discs, but Pomping World is official. What's confusing me is that it'll work, but cut out after a while during loading(roughly 20 minutes). Then, if try to play it again immediately it'll stop much sooner than if I wait and try again, which I've never heard of before.

[schweaty]

I agree that it most likely needs pot adjustment

[Its_Sam]

Well in that case I'm going to record what it's doing sometime tomorrow and start a new thread about it with a link to the video.

[deubeul]

I'd say your PSU may be a little weak too. The same cheap model in 2A works way better, I experienced it. Keep in mind this single PSU needs to power both the SCD and the PcE/CgX. It may be not your issue's only reason, but I'll start with this before touching the inside again, just to be sure it's not just a power problem.

[Its_Sam]

I got the new brick today and tested every CD game I have for a while and can confirm that the problem was indeed the power supply. The system now runs beautifully. Lesson learned- Don't cheap out. Thanks to everyone who helped me get this sorted out.