RARE VM Labs NUON Video Gaming System Repair & Restoration

In this episode, we show you how we repaired & restored a very rare VM Labs Samsung NUON DVD player & video game system.

Since I've started this channel, I've been lucky & blessed to call many others in the community. Friends. Adam Koralik is someone that I talk to on the regular, & he has one of the most eclectic collections you will ever find. Sure, he has mainline systems, especially Sega, but he also delves into the realm of the oddities. One such system that he recently acquired was a Samsung NUON, a 6th-generation video game system that only had eight games & was a commercial failure. However, he got me thinking, which sent me to eBay.

I actually came across a Samsung NUON for sale for only $25. With a combined $30 shipping rate, I was invested for $55. The concern, however, was that the seller listed the system as broken or not working, explaining that the DVD tray did not move & there was a disc stuck inside. Being rather mechanically inclined, I decided to take the risk that this was something I could rather easily, & inexpensively, fix.

Upon opening the box, I was really disappointed at how the seller did not use nearly enough packing material. The sides of the system were butted up against the sides of the box, which could have easily led to damage. I get it, It was already broken, but it could have broken it even more. The overall condition of the system was decent, with some scuffs & smudges but nothing that really concerned me. I was able to quickly & easily get inside the system where I saw the disc that was stuck. I was able to manually slide the disc tray out, & once I did I plugged it in to see if I could determine what the issue was.

Everything powered on normally, the display popped up, so I knew electronically I was ok. When I hit the open button for the disc tray, the problem became almost instantaneously evident. There was a rattle or a buzz from the motor that would drive the disc tray, & it didn't stop. Looking for where the noise was coming from, I noticed the drive motor which was missing a belt wrapped around the pulley that would have connected it to the disc tray mechanism. Sweet! A broken belt? That's an easy fix! Off to Amazon, I went & for about $8 I was able to pick up an assortment of belts, confident one of them would be the right size for the system.

Several days later, (whatever happened to 2-day Prime shipping, am I right?) the belts arrived. I did remove the DVD tray completely, giving me full access to the drive pulley & the other pulley. I picked out what I thought was an appropriate size belt & slipped it right on. Reconnecting power, I hit the eject button & the tray mechanism worked perfectly! I hit it again & once again it worked great! Most of the buzz was gone, but I did add a little bit of bushing lube that I've used in the past in RC motors.

I'm not sure that I'm going to keep this system, I don't have a controller & those things go for nearly $300 alone on eBay. I also don't have any games for it either, & without a controller, without any games, what good is the system? I think this is something I'm going to go ahead & try to flip at an upcoming convention in April or May. This is a perfect example of how a little bit of time, knowledge, & willpower can help you get something added to your gaming collection that otherwise you may never own or never see. The fact this was broken was not a deterrent to me, & something I am glad I took the risk on. I will easily double my investment, perhaps more.

#NUON #VMLabs #VideoGameRepair

The footage used in this review are used under the Fair Use laws, referenced below:

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(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.
(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, § 101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, § 607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)