Disclaimer: The following post is basically a shameless gloat on my part. I'm sorry.
-----------
So I roll into my regular game shop here in Fukuoka, Japan, and I see a Super CD Rom/Core Grafx II combo sans boxes on sale for a low price...low because the Super CD Rom is broken. The price is 8,000 yen, and the note on the SCD says that it won't spin up any discs. I've actually been eying this thing for a couple of weeks wondering if I should buy it and try to repair it myself. Well, tonight, after an exceptionally hard few days at work, I decided to treat myself and go for it.
I asked the fellow at the counter to take it out of the display case and show it to me a little more first. He agreed. Bear in mind, this is also the same guy who tested it and determined it wouldn't spin up any discs in the first place. However, when he tried to open the disc drive lid, he was surprised to find that it wouldn't budge. He poked and prodded, and it didn't move a bit. At last, with a sigh, he said that at this point, he wasn't even sure they would be able to sell the system at all. I suggested I would buy it at a discounted price, and he offered it for 5,000 yen instead of 8,000.
I took the deal. Upon arriving home, I dusted off my trusty torx security driver and busted that SCD open. Sure enough, the switch that opens the lid was just worn down. A little plastic-safe grease on there and it was working again. So, how about the system itself?
Ahem...Ladies and gentlemen, there was nothing wrong with it. It spins CDs just fine. I don't know what this guy was doing that made him judge otherwise, but I just got a working Super CD Rom system for 5,000 yen with a free Core Grafx II (plus extra controller). Now look what I can do:
I'd like to apologize to my wife for embarrassing her when I danced around like a maniac upon discovering this.