Any retro gamers here? Need a bit of 3DO repair help.

[Werewolf]

My 3DO just died on me.

The system boots up fine but the games don't load anymore. The CD drive spins for a bit and then says insert disc (when of course there is already one in there). I'm guessing the CD drive bit it. Anyway to fix this thing?

[Bill]

Have you tried the old PlayStation flip it over trick? I don't know if it'll work on the 3DO, but an upside-down PS would play forever.

[Werewolf]

All ready tried that. Didn't work.

[Hulk]

Does this page help at all?

3DO FAQ - Classic Gaming

There is a section about the CD tray not opening, maybe it will help look if their is a connection issue

[3.11] I have a Goldstar 3DO and all of a sudden, the CD tray won't open. What
can I do?
A: On the Goldstar 3DO units, there is a thin ribbon cable from the main board to
the loading tray. This cable is not held in very securely and can work its way
loose from the motion of the drawer opening and closing, resulting in the problem
indicated. To repair, open your unit (This voids all warranties, which probably
doesn't make a bit of difference now!) and locate the cable. It will probably still
be partially inserted. You will have to remove a large piece of metal shielding and
you may also need to unscrew the board the cable is attached to if you want easier
access to the cable. The cable is held in on both ends by a small clip which needs
to be pulled out and bent(angled) up. These clips do not disconnect from the base.
Do not break them! Reinsert the cable into its connector by holding it firmly in
place while you push the holding clip back in. . Use care as this cable is fragile.
This may or may not solve your problem. If it does not, there may be more extensive
problems that are no so easily fixed.

[Bill]

I've never worked on a 3DO, but you say it still spins, as if it's trying to read the disc? Or is it more of a weak attempt to start the disc spinning and nothing really happens?
The PS2 is the main system I worked with, and when it got to the point where it just wouldn't spin the disc there was nothing to do but swap out the drive. If it was spinning but not reading a quick cleaning of the eye would sometimes do the trick. Most of my systems were gutted, open-air, modified, chopped, dropped and whatever else, so there's still a pile of bits sitting on my shelf for further repairs. You might want to grab a few cheap, broken 3DOs for the future.

[Werewolf]

I already tried cleaning the lense. That didn't work either.

Sounds like it's definitely the CD drive then. It makes kind of a spinning/grinding noise and just stops.

Thanks for all the tips guys. Much appreciated.