Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

17

Time Required

                          30 minutes

Sections

5

  • Top Case
  • 2 steps
  • Front and Back Panel
  • 3 steps
  • Remove Nintendo GameCube Optical Drive Assembly
  • 4 steps
  • Optical Drive Assembly
  • 7 steps
  • Optical Laser Lens Power Adjustment
  • 1 step

Flags

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Scenic Route

This guide’s procedure isn’t the most efficient way to get the job done, but still may be useful in some circumstances.

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Introduction

What you need

Step 1

              Top Case
  • Turn over the Gamecube so that the bottom side is facing up.
  • Use the 4.5 mm Gamebit screwdriver to remove all four screws.

Turn over the Gamecube so that the bottom side is facing up.

Use the 4.5 mm Gamebit screwdriver to remove all four screws.

1024

Step 2

  • With the bottom side of the GameCube facing upward and the screws removed, carefully pull the outer shell of the unit away from the top half.
  • Move the GameCube so that the inside is facing upwards.

With the bottom side of the GameCube facing upward and the screws removed, carefully pull the outer shell of the unit away from the top half.

Move the GameCube so that the inside is facing upwards.

Step 3

              Removing the back panel
  • Gently press down on the clips located on either side of the back panel.
  • Carefully remove the back panel from the GameCube.

Gently press down on the clips located on either side of the back panel.

Carefully remove the back panel from the GameCube.

Step 4

  • Unclip the controller ports at the front of the unit.
  • A ribbon cable (outlined in orange) is still attached to the unit. Do Not Disconnect This Cable.
  • Controller ports are where the controllers plug into the game console, and are a half circular shape.

Unclip the controller ports at the front of the unit.

A ribbon cable (outlined in orange) is still attached to the unit. Do Not Disconnect This Cable.

Controller ports are where the controllers plug into the game console, and are a half circular shape.

Step 5

              Separate the casing
  • Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws on the back of the control port.
  • Carefully separate the gray outer casing of the control port and the circuit board.

Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws on the back of the control port.

Carefully separate the gray outer casing of the control port and the circuit board.

Step 6

              Remove Nintendo GameCube Optical Drive Assembly
  • The left side of the unit contains the cooling fan and its housing.
  • Carefully remove the two screws attaching the cooling fan housing to the unit.
  • Do not detach the red and black cooling fan wire from the main unit. Boxed in orange.

The left side of the unit contains the cooling fan and its housing.

Carefully remove the two screws attaching the cooling fan housing to the unit.

Do not detach the red and black cooling fan wire from the main unit. Boxed in orange.

Step 7

  • Remove the four Phillips #1 screws retaining the ground springs.
  • Carefully remove the ground springs from the main unit.

Remove the four Phillips #1 screws retaining the ground springs.

Carefully remove the ground springs from the main unit.

Step 8

  • The optical drive is secured to a metal plate.
  • Using a Phillips #2 screwdriver, unscrew the twelve screws that are around the outer edge of the optical drive.

The optical drive is secured to a metal plate.

Using a Phillips #2 screwdriver, unscrew the twelve screws that are around the outer edge of the optical drive.

Step 9

              Remove the assembly
  • Carefully separate the optical drive assembly from the rest of the GameCube unit.
  • The optical drive assembly is secured to the motherboard underneath by a slot; some force may be required to carefully free the assembly.
  • The metal plate and the actual optical drive will remain attached.

Carefully separate the optical drive assembly from the rest of the GameCube unit.

The optical drive assembly is secured to the motherboard underneath by a slot; some force may be required to carefully free the assembly.

The metal plate and the actual optical drive will remain attached.

Step 10

              Optical Drive Assembly
  • At this point, your optical drive assembly should be separated from your GameCube.
  • Flip the optical drive assembly upside down.
  • Remove the six screws with a Phillips #1 screwdriver.
  • Gently lift and remove the metal plate.
  • Be careful not to disturb the brown ribbon cable.

At this point, your optical drive assembly should be separated from your GameCube.

Flip the optical drive assembly upside down.

Remove the six screws with a Phillips #1 screwdriver.

Gently lift and remove the metal plate.

Be careful not to disturb the brown ribbon cable.

Step 11

  • Remove the blue wire by gently pulling.
  • Disconnect the brown cable. This is done by gently pulling the black tab away from the white plastic. This will loosen the tension on the brown cable, allowing it to slide away from the tab gently.
  • Remove the four Phillips #1 screws connecting the circuit board to the optical drive assembly.
  • The fourth screw is located behind the screwdriver in the third picture.

Remove the blue wire by gently pulling.

Disconnect the brown cable. This is done by gently pulling the black tab away from the white plastic. This will loosen the tension on the brown cable, allowing it to slide away from the tab gently.

Remove the four Phillips #1 screws connecting the circuit board to the optical drive assembly.

The fourth screw is located behind the screwdriver in the third picture.

Step 12

  • Gently remove the circuit board (the large green square) as shown in the three pictures.
  • DO NOT SEPARATE the red wire or the white ribbon cable connecting the circuit board to the metal plate.
  • Red Wire
  • White ribbon Cable

Gently remove the circuit board (the large green square) as shown in the three pictures.

DO NOT SEPARATE the red wire or the white ribbon cable connecting the circuit board to the metal plate.

Red Wire

White ribbon Cable

Step 13

  • Use a flathead screwdriver to carefully release the four plastic clips holding the drive assembly together.
  • Carefully use a screwdriver as leverage to unscrew and release the last clip.

Use a flathead screwdriver to carefully release the four plastic clips holding the drive assembly together.

Carefully use a screwdriver as leverage to unscrew and release the last clip.

Step 14

  • Gently lift the metal plate off the drive assembly.
  • Be careful not to sever the red wire or the white ribbon cable still attached to the two halves of the drive assembly.
  • Then, flip the two halves of the drive assembly upside down.

Gently lift the metal plate off the drive assembly.

Be careful not to sever the red wire or the white ribbon cable still attached to the two halves of the drive assembly.

Then, flip the two halves of the drive assembly upside down.

Step 15

  • Use a flathead screwdriver to release the two clips located on the back half of the drive assembly.
  • The final clip doesn’t need to be released; the top half of the drive assembly will slide away from the lower half.
  • Finish removing the top half of the drive assembly from the base.
  • Be careful not to detach the red wire or the white ribbon cable still attached.

Use a flathead screwdriver to release the two clips located on the back half of the drive assembly.

The final clip doesn’t need to be released; the top half of the drive assembly will slide away from the lower half.

Finish removing the top half of the drive assembly from the base.

Be careful not to detach the red wire or the white ribbon cable still attached.

Step 16

  • Once the top half of the drive assembly is detached, turn it upside down.
  • Using a Phillips screwdriver, carefully remove the three final screws near the lens assembly bars.
  • Extract the final three screws and remove the lens assembly.

Once the top half of the drive assembly is detached, turn it upside down.

Using a Phillips screwdriver, carefully remove the three final screws near the lens assembly bars.

Extract the final three screws and remove the lens assembly.

Step 17

              Optical Laser Lens Power Adjustment
  • Rotate the assembly so that the green circuit board is facing you as shown in the first picture.
  • Flip board over so it is oriented as shown in the second picture.
  • Using a Phillips #1 Screwdriver, turn the small knob very slightly counter-clockwise—a few degrees to, at most, one-quarter turn.
  • You can find instructions for testing to make sure your repair worked at this link.

Rotate the assembly so that the green circuit board is facing you as shown in the first picture.

Flip board over so it is oriented as shown in the second picture.

Using a Phillips #1 Screwdriver, turn the small knob very slightly counter-clockwise—a few degrees to, at most, one-quarter turn.

You can find instructions for testing to make sure your repair worked at this link.

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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                                                                                      21 other people completed this guide.

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                    agronbac

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                       Cal Poly, Team 6-2, Maness Fall 2009                        

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                                            39 Guides authored

Johnny H - Apr 9, 2013

Reply

I don’t understand why you have steps 11-17. In step 10, you can clearly see the board with the screw that needs adjusting. Taking apart the rest of the GameCube is utterly unnecessary. After following the guide in full, I thought, ‘Why did I just dismantle all that other stuff when I didn’t even NEED to?’

Once the assembly is removed from the metal covering the board, it is a simple matter to turn the screw to increase the laser strength. I did this after my initial adjustment didn’t work. I ignored steps 11-17 and everything works perfectly now. My old games which simply would not load, now do. Thanks for the advice leading up to step 10 though. That part was helpful.

Jaime Aluja - Jan 1, 2016

Reply

I wouldn’t say it’s a quarter of a turn, a few degrees clockwise do the trick. I tried a quarter of a turn the first time and it made the disk unit useless as it didn’t recognise any gamecube disk.

Lauren - Dec 3, 2016

Reply

Thanks for the detailed pictures! I was able to get everything taken apart, and fixed the read error I was having after a couple of readjustments.

One important note: the lens screw should be turned counter-clockwise, not clockwise. A quarter turn is also likely to be too much; better to adjust a few degrees at a time and test repeatedly until the right setting is found.

I also agree that steps 11-17 can be skipped, as well as step 5 to remove the controller ports.

Nicola Lahaie - Jan 13, 2020

Reply

Steps 11+ are definitely not needed and 1/4 turn is more than 200ohms, way too much. It has to be moved by a hair (almost literally), the potentiometer is extremely sensitive. And I would personally recommend some form of multimeter, as to not go turning that screw blindly.

Héctor Sierra Montañez - Dec 31, 2022

Reply

Great guide, this fixed my problem. Would like to be clarified if you need to follow steps 11-17 make the power adjustment.