My SEGA Nomad Died! :( - Voltage Regulator Fix - How To Repair A Dead Console 

Got one and i'll never regret buying it.

I believe this is exactly what is wrong with my second Nomad. I just finished a screen replacement on my main system and it looks like I will be replacing the voltage regulator then getting another LCD for this one. Thanks!

Just want to say a huge thanks for putting up this video. ATM I'm trying to fix my Nomad which I bought like you with a no power issue. I can't thank you enough for this tutorial. I have started troubleshooting the unit and I currently found some inconsistency on the soldering of the power jack. And my LED doesn't blink at all. Once the solder problem is solved I will tackle the TR201 voltage regulator with the help of this very video!! Thanks again man, awesome stuff here.

This video helped me so much. My Nomad died days after buying it but I was able to replace the voltage regulator and brought it back to life again :) Thank you so much.

Well done in getting it to work again, would be a shame after all the work put in replacing the screen and doing the battery pack mod, if you couldn't get it working again. Its definitely satisfying when you can fix a faulty gadget, my netbooks screen had a weird glitch that was making it unusable. The fix I did took 15 mins max, but made all the difference.

I just got a "working" Nomad on ebay that when I tested it has this exact same problem. This is so great, thanks! Here's hoping that when I get my parts this works for me.

@SwankeyMonkey The adapter in the vid is just for simulating the low battery effect and testing. Normally the console is connected the the official Sega unit.

My dude, you've saved my Nomad

As I said before I hope you never stop making videos

I bet most people would just toss the system out when it stops Always a sad day when a system dies, My Saturn is giving me a bit of trouble playing imports I think its my RAM cart because it doesnt work on my Mod. 1 or Mod 2 So just waiting on the Post now so I can keep trouble shooting. Great Video mate if i ever get a nomad its good to know ill have videos to look back on if something happens.

Very awesome documentation. I'm getting my nomad modded with a new screen and battery so this will be great for future insight.

Nice vid, I always appreciate anything you upload as it it always interesting or helpful.

I need to replace my screen on my nomad and RKA rocks one of my favorites

Sick of no, concerned about your Nomad yes. I don't own a Nomad yet but I like to know what goes wrong with them so thanks for documenting the repair. :)

@P5ychoFox I believe, if I'm remembering correctly ( and don't hold me to this), that the tip is positive. It should indicate on the PSU with a little diagram though. If the PSU is buzzing it usually means it's on it way out. At least that's been my experience.

@shaurz I tried messing around with bypassing the regulator while I was fault testing. It didn't seem to like it. Also the LCD I've got in there is supposed to run off 12V. It runs off 7V with no problems but I think 5V wouldn't be enough.

Hi, I've been after a Nomad for some months now and your video has really got the juices flowing again. Can I ask your opinion of where in the world to get one of these consols from and how much you think is the tops to pay considering they're pretty rare in the U.K. Thanks

@SpinTheDemon I bet tons of amazing stuff gets trashed everyday because of easy to fix faults. It's kinda sad. Sorry to hear about the Saturn. Hope you can fix it easily.

@bloodsuckingflea Thanks! :) . I really appreciate the positive feedback. I'm glad you enjoy the vids :) . I'm really just a noob tbh. I'm just good at using google and following other peoples tutorials! :P

Oh yeh dude I'm not a tech geek but I always enjoy your vids v interesting stuff and useful for other tech geeks

would a 5v 1A regulator let too many amps into my Nomad?

@RetroGameTech Thanks, I suspected as much. Keep up the excellent repair vids mate.

@mattfm101 Thanks :). I realise it's not a very interesting vid for most people but hopefully it'll help someone get their Nomad running again :) . If it wasn't for the old forum thread I found regarding a similar issue someone posted several years ago then I doubt I'd have worked out what was wrong with mine.

@mattfm101 yeh man your vids are top I like how you love the old stuff and modding. Just a thought for a possible nomad mod as I said I am no geek, so not sure if it can be done but the glare you are getting is not from the LCD u modded but from the possibly plastic (if thats what it is) cover of the nomad. my thought was would you be able to change that to a matte cover and if so awesome or would that effect image quality ?

I think you next mod should be a portable dreamcast I think that would be amazing and cool thing to have

Can almost hear the brokeness in your voice. -I feel your loss man...

What if the pad on the board to where you soldered the regulator tab is missing on mine, seems like someone yanked out the old regulator with the whole pad underneath but all 3 pins are intact, could I solder red one to middle one, black one to left and middle one to right on the board?

@LithiumLogica you beat me to saying that. the train stage and tune for it is awesome

I could watch a video where you explain how paint drys and I would watch it.

What do you mean 'not interesting' it's very interesting stuff! Could you please tell me the polarity of the tip on the PSU you use. My Nomad came with a UK Mega Drive PSU and it buzzes loadly which can't be good.

@LithiumLogica I only discovered the game recently and yeah it's one of the best on the console! :) . It's really difficult though! Btw there is a sequel which was called Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2. I've never played it though. It's kinda rare and a bit expensive.

hey this maybe a bit far back for you to replay but might as well take a chance so I did the voltage Regulator Replacement works great for the last year your a life saver for that but 2 weeks ago I got a blank screen and since then it wont read games I have tried cleaning out the cartridge reader and every thing it just buzzes from the speaker and gives me a blank screen. I can turn up the sound and change the contrast on the Nomad but thats it. there doesn't seem to be anything on line about this but the closest I could find is on the Sega Game Gear which needs a full Cap replacement on the main board. I just want your advice on this and if this could be a possible fix cheers.

@LFOSyncToo Wow... I've just repaired it...! Turns out it was the jack solder point problem !!! Fixed. The sound is very faint... Does the Nomad suffer from the same capacitor problem as for the Game Gear ?

I was questioning my Nomad voltage regulator because I can play original games but I don't have enough power to run a megasd cart. The factory t201 works but when I try this mod it works for about 10 second and the voltage regulator gets hot and the screen starts glitching. Any idea?

I see that you're using a multi-volt AC adaptor. Does it also have the minimum required milliamps for the Nomad? Also those multi-volt adaptors usually allow changing of the post's external to be either positive or negative, which may also adversely affect the receiving hardware (Nomad). Just a user warning to whoever uses universal adaptors.

Hey man I am pretty much having the same problem. (Low battery light when plugged into wall outlet) I also did the screen mod about a month ago. Do you think the Nomad dying is a direct result of the screen mod? Will the screen keep burning through voltage regulators? Thanks for the great videos.

While i was thinking about what mods i am going to do to my nomad it occured to me that the drivers for the new lcd screens usualy have an onboard regulator that i think outputs 5volts, so you probably could have got some wire and tapped that instead of having to buy a new linear regulator. Just saying for future reference if you happend to come across another nomad with a fried regulator.

Thanks for the vid but sadly it won't fix my nomad. i have a dead nomad showing no signs of life ive replaced the reg just as a matter of course as it didnt give the symptoms i didn't think it would do anything and i as right. the mains jack seems fine but just no signs of life.. please help!!!!!!!

Cheers bud. Thanks for the detailed video. The middle trace of where the voltage regulator initially went is completely toasted. Can I just tap any Fivel source to remedy that?

Simply amazing! I've just recapped the audio capacitors but the problem I had at the beginning is still present :( I basically hear VERY LOW from speaker and only left channel in earbuds. Both have quite a strong background humming. What can I try? :(

@lukemorse1 Lol, I was really stressing when it stopped working! All that time and effort I'd put into the console and I thought I'd killed it in the final stages! And you probably know how hard it can be to troubleshoot and find technical info on old/uncommon hardware like this. But, I was sooo relieved when I found that old forum post, haha. Really satisfying feeling when I flipped the power switch and saw/heard that SEGA logo again XD, phew!

do you do the mods i have a no mad but would love the lcd mod doing

@retrogametech that yellow round thing came off of my motherboard and is why it wont work?

Using a switchmode replacement power supply probably didn't help. Try getting a genuine Sega AC adapter, I've found that the adapters for Sega consoles are usually compatible with most other Sega hardware.

can you do these mods for people i have a no mad and would like the lcd mod doing

@Retrogametech what wires do I need to order/use for soldering on PCB boards like in the video. I'm building a Bluetooth headset from a broken one and some of the wires need to be replaced because they are cheap.

You should put a little heatsink on it to prevent it from overheating and breaking again

Hi I'm goin to get a nomad soon and it's comin with a US plug do u have any tips so my Irish plug doesn't kill it thanks

Can i connect 9v with that regulator?

do u think the battery mod could have done had something to do with it?

@Hardak9 Thanks! :)

any stills?

Another nice instructional video! I enjoyed watching this one! "Wise from your grave!" :P

Does anyone know how to repair the sound?

Sega Nomad Discontinued in 21 years ago?

So I replaced my voltage regulator and come to find out that one of my fuses was also blown. The one marked C207 on the pcb. Does anybody know the replacement part for this?

@thomas3120 Thanks, Thomas :) . Ever had that feeling of dread when you think you've accidentally killed one of your projects? It's not nice, lol.

very helpful! thank you.

Holy Shit! Same problem I opened it up and a little yellow ball came out

the game died when you played Michale Jackson (name?).. that's pretty nice. dead ppl kills consoles

@LithiumLogica Sparkstar Rocketnight Adventures 2 I have yet to play it yet. Talking of sequels that reminds me RetroGameTech, streets of rage, one of my fav games of all time if you search net there is a freeware/donationware version of it by bombergames it was so good i donated money to them something i have never done before, it is the dogs bs they have done a fantastic job (sega rules)

For those of you wanting to upgrade your sega nomad screen, Here is the screen that you need: www.ebay.com/itm/291495038673 I got burned buying what seemingly was the correct replacement screen on ebay but it didn't work. I just replaced my screen with one from the ebay link above and it worked great!

Nice Sega nomad michael Jackson moon walker is a fun Sega Genesis game

If anything ever dies in these old consoles so they no longer go back online then it's exactly the voltage regulator. You could have safely change it from the start lol

@neotheonly01 Best handheld console ever! :P

I like your finger. :D

1 person couldnt fix there nomad

Hello, I was wondering if you had thoughts on my issue. I have a Nomad that was working fine, but the LCD was burnt up, looked like it had been left in the sun too long. Can see that here: i.imgur.com/ngwUWEj.jpg So I did the LCD swap, with this LCD: www.dx.com/p/2-ch-video-input-3-5-tft-lcd-display-monitor-module-w-cable-black-silvery-grey-ntsc-pal-201631#.WdKBJ1uPKCo Initially, I was unsure how to modify it to run on 5v, but it ran off the Nomad's pins just fine, so I didn't worry. Can see that here: i.imgur.com/h1WT9ae.jpg It worked like that no problem, until one time I turned it on and the whole machine flashed for a second then shut off suddenly. I thought okay, voltage regulator went out, but I wanted to test to make sure the Nomad still at least worked, so I wired up a 5v DC power adapter to the battery terminals, figured out how to power the screen on 5v, hooked that up to the terminals as well, and the Nomad worked perfectly. Great, so I found your voltage regulator video, got the exact same voltage regulator, made sure the data sheet matched your wiring, and wired it up the same way. Only that didn't work. The Nomad sees the full 9v on the connectors at the board, but I'm not getting any voltage at the regulator whatsoever. So I'm wondering if there's something between the 9v connector and the regulator I can check, but I can't find any board schematics to help me along. Do you have any suggestions for me? Thanks!