I got a Carnivore 2 cartridge, and I thought I'd give it a try today in my MSX. I had some problems getting it to work, tried it in slot 2, then 1, then 2 again. It was working for a bit but would sometimes hang. After plugging it back into slot 2 my MSX won't turn on anymore :~(. Power light comes on, but no sound and no picture.
Any ideas what could have happened? Can it be fixed? Help!
The tin is soft and little slippery. It is often spread irregularly. This can make false contacts. The pins can also cling and twist in the asperities in the worst case.
I'm just giving an opinion. The problem may have come from somewhere else. For example, welds that have dropped during transport.
I briefly tested the cartridge on TurboR ST and I didn't notice any big anomalies. I don't think the cartridge could have damaged the computer. Even not gold plated pins should not be a problem.
Does CAPS work? If yes, start the machine without a cartridge and press Shift+F1. You should then see the Basic screen.
Check both slots carefully for bent pins, clean the pins with a toothbrush soaked in 99% spirit. Check the cardtidge pins for possible short circuit.
The cartridge seems fine. Cartridge slots look ok, maybe a bit dusty.
CAPS doesn't work. I did notice that the PAUSE light comes on immediately.
If I accidentally plugged in the cartridge while the MSX was on, could that have damaged it?
Also, if I put a cartridge in slot 1 and wiggle it, it would often crash the MSX. Maybe that is related somehow.
Weird... Is the PAUSE button working properly? Does the light go on and off when you press/release the PAUSE button? Does the light comes on with a released PAUSE button?
I moved the cartridge in the slot of my Yamaha MSX2+ many times and it sometimes caused crashes, but the computer is still alive. I once removed the cartridge without powering down the computer and it survived too. However I absolutely do not recommend to insert/remove any devices into/from the cartridge slot as this may damage both the removable device and the computer.
