Famicom Disk System (FDS) errors

[kite200]

Both of your disks probably work. It is almost never the disk.

I would recommend adjusting the speed of your FDS motor and the spindle mechanism.

This will explain how to adjust the spindle (and replace a belt) http://jfgoods.net/disksystem.html

[satoshi_matrix]

Thanks kite, I completely read that, but I don't need to replace the belt. I don't see any mention of adjusting the speed of the FDS motor and spindle mechanism anywhere in the article. Could you please direct me to how I should fix the problem I'm having? If it matters, I have a standard Disk System, not a Twin Famicom.

Edit: I notice the page states,

"If you have any rattle or motor noise when you insert the disk in the disk system and a error occurs,
there is a possibility that your belt is worn out."

My FDS makes plenty of noise, similer to the disk drive of my Commodore 64. Is it abnormal for the FDS drvie to make noise? Is the disk read process suppose to be silent? Now this is making me wonder if I do infact have a bad belt. But if that's the case, how come everything else I have will run flawlessly?

[satoshi_matrix]

I took my disk system apart to check the belt, and it's completely fine - it looks brand new. But now that its reassembled, the newest copy of Metroid gives error 22 consistantly instead of 21. Doki Doki Panic  Akumajou Dracula and all of my other disks still work correctly. I want to do the thing where I adjust the motor like Kite suggested. Is there already a guide to this on Famicom World and if not, could someone please explain how to do this? I didn't see anything that looked like a speed selector when I had my drive apart.

[kite200]

On the page, though it does talk about replacing the belt, you need to do the spindle as well, though if the other disks are working I bet you the problem is the motor. To adjust the motor look for the motor, it's on the drive. There should be a small hole with some rubber inside, underneath that rubber is a screw. The rubber is there to discourage you from messing with it I guess, but stick a small flathead in there and turn it ever so slightly until you find a speed where everything works.

99% chance that's your problem

[satoshi_matrix]

Thanks kite. I didnt really touch the spindle because I didn't unscrew it, I checked the belt out and its perfectly fine. You think there could be a problem with the spindle?

and regarding the motor, its the big silver round thing with the blue sticker on it right? Hmm I tried moving it but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I'm stumped.

[kite200]

Um, You have to leave the top off and turn it a bit then test, turn it a bit then test, over and over again

[satoshi_matrix]

How sensitive does it need to be? I've tried moving it into at least eight different positions from extreme left to extreme right and still neither Metroid works.

[kite200]

its very sensitive, there's probably like 50-100 different positions. also make sure that you are feeling resistance and have actually made contact with the screw

[satoshi_matrix]

Okay, I've pretty much adjusted the motor to be almost any position there is within a milimeter.The scre had been moved and moved, but still neither Metroid works. All of my other disks work no matter what speed I set it to. Becides the motor or the belt which I've throughly examined its fine, is there anything else that could be wrong?


I bought Metroid from toysonlinehk and this is what he had to say (slightly reworded to make up for his broken English)

"We had tested the game as fullt working with 2 disk systems before we shipped it out. You can try a few more times first before you return it for exchange. Most disks that won't play don't becase of reasons outside of the disk and with the console itself. You may have a dirty disk head with your machine . if it still won't work , let me know , I can arrnage another one for you."

What is the "disk head" that he's taking about? Maybe it is dirty? If so, how do I go about cleaning it? It's very frustating to have a system that I know works but won't respond with the one game I really want to play.


cool metroid disk system commerical I saw while trying to loko for a solution...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7sTNJ5sxuk

[kite200]

Um, for the most part the rest of your games should NOT work at every speed if you are adjusting the screw you are supposed to be adjusting. Just to confirm, you're turning the rubber screw in that's inside the thing with the blue sticker on top?

Well if that doesn't work, go to the website I linked and follow the steps starting with

"Here comes the most important part.

First, slide the head so you will get a view like shown on the left."

This will show you how to do the spindle alignment, which could also be your problem.

The "head" he is talking about is the thing that reads the disks, it pops up when you take a disk out and it goes down when you put a disk in. There is an official disk cleaning set, which I have. If it was used I would mail it to you so you could try it but sadly it's sealed and I'm not willing to open it considering it was not easy to find.

Lastly, it could be the disk itself. I think you should try the other things first though.

Another thing you can do is send me the game and I will test it on both my drives (FDS and Twin Famicom) and see if it works, if it doesn't then at least you know. But this would not make much sense since you are from Canada it would cost too much to do

[toysonlinehk]

I had reply your message on ebay the same day you send me .
but you never responds . if your metroid don't work after you clean your system . you can email me , I will replacment another one for you .

[shroomism]

Hi all,

I know this has been covered loads of times in these forums, but I'm having problems finding a solution which works for me.

I recently got a Disk System and as it needed one, I installed a new belt. I've followed the instructions at http://jfgoods.net/disksystem.html to calibrate the motor speed and also align the spindle correctly, and yet after all that, I'm still getting error 22 all the time. Occassionaly I'll get error 22 once in a while if I've just slightly altered the motor speed, but then I'll be back to 22 again. I have plenty of disks (all originals) and I have the same result for all of them.

Does anyone know of anything I may have missed in order to get this thing up and running?

Thanks any help,
shroomism

[satoshi_matrix]

this is exactly my problem. 22 over and over and over. speed adjustment doesnt seem to matter.

[ericj]

I just received my lot of 50-some disk games and am getting errors 20, 22, & 27 with a handful of them. All of the games are on non-original nintendo disks--you know, those NINIENDO blue & yellow disks or black or white-colored disks. Any of these errors easy fixes? My disk system works great with all of my other disks so I don't think it's the system.

[nurd]

I just got a doki doki panic pirate disk, and I'm getting Error 27.

Is the disk Bad, because I really wanted to play it