Broken Consoles. Should You Buy Them?

[@hadesmcc]

Tips that I've learned: patience and perseverance go a long way. Also, talking to Simon and/or reading his threads, helps a lot too! Great video as always. P.S. - to anybody out there trying to get the help of somebody else to fix something, be respectful.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Simon is an incredible resource

[@hadesmcc]

@@MachoNachoProductions Pretty much. :)

[@ianfairbanks1318]

@@hadesmcc who is this simon?

[@FearHeyZeus]

@@ianfairbanks1318did you ever find who simon is?

[@ianfairbanks1318]

nope@@FearHeyZeus

[@Mrx7tloma]

Biggest tip I learned. If you see someone selling a huge lot of systems and they state they have not attempted repairs on. Step away if you notice they sell refurbished or modded consoles. These are obviously ones they couldn’t repair and are now attempting to pass them off to someone else in a repair failed state.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Good tip!

[@fireexit14]

100%. I always avoid sellers who claim "They never tried the console because they're missing the DC cable" or something similar, regardless of whether they sell refurbished or not

[@Mrx7tloma]

@@fireexit14 depends on what it is sometimes. I have got a lot of handhelds where they stated couldn’t test did not have charger. Then I face palm hard because I’m like it takes double A. Which it works for me because I get them dirt cheap and they always work.

[@jm3493]

I love the feeling of fixing a console. Even if I cannot fix them, I've at least got a donor console for the future.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

It’s an amazing feeling for sure!

[@shadowarez1337]

The thrill of fixing something broken is what drives me to eBay for parts/not working i repaired a Broken Gigabyte Aorus Extreme x570 when i seen the cost $2000 i had to try at the insane price of $250 took a chance paid off big time.

[@andipajeroking]

Wait what, 2000$ for a mobo? Who in the right mind pays more than 200$ for a working one....

[@kurama251]

Great video and awesome advice. The only thing I would have mentioned is while buying a broken console and having faith in your repair skills/luck on not getting someone's mess up is consider the total price of the console and all that you may need to buy to repair it. If it still adds up to being full price, you may as well get back to hunting for a deal or just get it straight out. (Obviously hunt for the better deal) but I know some won't be able to have the patients lol

[@Mrshoujo]

*Patience

[@TheRedOwl]

You should do more vids on frequent refurbs of stuff you buy, would be great content to chew on! And happy to see people like you who try to save old unwanted or slightly broken electronics which may or may not need abit of work to bring them back to life.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I’d definitely love to do more refurb videos! They’re a lot of fun

[@justinmohns8279]

@@MachoNachoProductions Looking forward to your video on plastic polishing when I finally send you that Konami thing.

[@cursodetecnologia]

Tito, I'm your fan, I live in Brazil and I really admire your work! You are a inspiration for me, I wanted to share with you a little of that feeling that you bring to me when you open your channel! Your channel is by far the best retrogamer channel on KZbin!

[@eol6632]

Another great video Tito. I have found that Sega megadrive/Genesis systems in America tend to have the same malfunction'd most of the time 1. Voltage regulator: this is from plugging the wrong power source in 2. Cartridge slot needs cleaning 3. The soldering points for the power need to be reflowed.

[@xpacerx]

I love these resurrection videos especially with the voice over on what was done.

[@azcheermva]

I din’t buy a faulty console but I repair my 12 years old ps2 phat console, i didn’t find a replacement video output but I managed to mod into a hdmi port, I feel so happy to bring it back to life!!

[@A3rgan]

Thanks for the shout out and glad to see another SEGA CDX / Multi-Mega saved! :)

[@Xucru]

found your channel couple of weeks ago, and your content is amazing, very well produced in every detail. I'm just beginning my retro games collection so this help me a lot. Greetings from Brazil!

[@frvo]

I did buy a broken launch model PS3 CECH12 (Japanese version). I hope one day I could swap the RSX video processor for a 65nm (frankenstein it 😁)

[@stephenshelottiii3272]

I get a great sense of accomplishment from fixing broken and ugly consoles. Great video Tito!!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Same here! Thanks Stephen!

[@Boopop1024]

Being green 🌎 and retro games consoles 🕹 - an excellent combination 😁

[@fredlc4391]

Thank you for your dedication and videos. Its because of you that I've started modding consoles and am looking to repair and mod more in the future. No regrets.

[@bobafittness1346]

I just got into the hobby cause of your channel. Well put together videos and top advice. Thank you for that.

[@dephataznboi]

Luckily the most difficult problem I had to do when fixing a broken console is a power fuse on the GBA. Those things are so tiny!

[@Blackening]

On the replacement CDX laser there's an antistatic solder jumper on the back that has to be unbridged before you install it into the CDX, that may be why the new laser didn't work.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Yep I removed the bridge and it still didn’t work. It’s unfortunate that those replacements aren’t good

[@davidhunt240]

It also needs adjusting for the circuitry that it is connected to... I would be amazed it would work out of the box without, at the bare minimum, adjusting the laser current and photodiode gain - the PWM shouldn't matter much if it hasn't been twiddled with, as that is more of a problem as the head moves to different parts of the disc (inner ring uses high angular velocity and the outer ring uses low angular velocity) - that will manifest itself as the game freezing as the head moves from an inner region to an outer region and the disc rotation suddenly speeds up, slows down, stops and even runs backwards.

[@CraigyGInDaHut1993]

Reading up helps a lot and watching repair videos. Watched plenty of your videos on modding but never done it yet apart from software mods. Did get a backwards compatible PS3 for £20 as the person's daughter stuck 3 DVD's in the drive. Took it apart and got the discs out. Took a while to get it realigned to work properly but is flawless now.

[@cbaker2102]

ive bought so many "broken" gameboys, and all i did was clean the motherboard, and it was working again

[@dumbkoffcrow974]

After watching this video and TronicsFix, I remembered that at one point I thought about buying a used PS4 and gave up since at the time they were $200. And then a few weeks ago a PS4 could be bought at GameStop for like $150, a reasonable price for a small spruce up. Anyway the lesson is pay attention to prices and decide if it's really worth your hassle. Sometimes it is!

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

Great video overview, especially the 303 protectorant. Def gonna try that out on a few of my darker systems.

[@Lone432345]

I done lot of solder practice kits. and if you screw up, your only out a couple of dollars. I find soldering to be somewhat relaxing. Unless its a super tiny surface mounted component. Then it can be a pain.

[@davcarsal1]

Hi Tito. I have a SNES but it has a sound issue. Please upload a video repairing SNES with sound problems, to learn from you.

[@andipajeroking]

3-4 years ago many were selling broken consoles at decent prices. Nowadays, i can barely find them, when i do, prices are as much as a working one. So yea, in the past i was doing it a lot, now, i just game on ones i own.

[@juanbermudez964]

I got 4 pc engine gt and I turbo express from eBay and only 1 I couldn’t fix yet, but the other 4 units only needy capacitors

[@joshman196]

I managed to repair a Sega CD Model 2 that wouldn't turn on. Turns out it just needed a new fuse, which was less than $2. After that, it just worked and even the laser was fine! Felt so nice even if the repair was minimal.

[@JBITProjects]

Great video and thanks for all the tips! Definitely struggle when it comes to repairing DVD drives, they can be very frustrating. I bought some lasers off Ali and still didn't fix it , and after watching this I fear Simon may be correct.

[@hungry_bug3641]

300 bucks instead of 700+ is definitely worth it! great work! probably felt so rewarding, I can feel the satisfaction through the screen lol

[@JacobGunner]

Ohhhh this just reminds me I bought a fat PS2 that was someone's failed attempt and it came in pieces... I still haven't worked on it

[@Vash16xli]

I think my latest attempt to do this backfired. It was a PS5 that had a fan that didn't work. Unbeknownst to me, the fan didn't work due to the PS5 overheating at some point and the south bridge chip burning up. The only logical thing would be to replace the motherboard with the same exact model number but that's kinda hard to do with the prices of used broken ps5s. Not to mention that it has to be from a working non banned PS5 too.

[@sharptoothtrex4486]

Even for restoration or Raspberry Pi game console alternatives, yes indeed.

[@rfigueroa1247]

I’ve bought a lot of broken consoles on eBay but the one I refuse to buy for now is Super Nintendo. Not that I don’t want to fix them but I don’t have the right soldering equipment to desolder flat pack chips

[@kbgaming925]

I found 2 PS2 Phat consoles in the trash one time. NOTHING was wrong with them, the owners just threw them away. They still work after 10 years.

[@DaigoKengo]

Nice video! Now if you can fix a PSX DESR in the future. I would definitely be grateful!

[@FleaMarketSocialist]

Just bought 6 broken Famicoms for $70 free shipping. Wish me luck 🤞

[@TonyFonzerelli]

I have a 80gb ps3 with a bum gfx chip. I plan to replace the chip one day

[@micksterminator3]

Just bought an original Xbox with two dukes, S controller and av cable for 20usd. Didn't ask any questions. Sadly a disk drive is cog is busted off and it doesn't turn on. I've gotta check the caps next. Might just keep the S controller and the duke dongles and sell to someone else for parts

[@pastalex421]

Who was here before the typo was fixed 🫵 Stellar video as always

[@MauriceHall]

Great video!

[@willrussell01]

I can't wait to see ur Ashiida build!

[@moandaindesigns]

Great video, but what thermal grease do you use?

[@hashfall5338]

I would suggest arctic silver thermal grease for everything lol, from pc to consoles.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I typically use thermal grizzly kryonaut

[@conzpiracy9382]

I’ve been doing this for a while for two reasons: 1:it’s cheaper and a lot of the times there is nothing actually wrong with it. 2: to challenge myself.

[@crimmas]

Lol the sega CD is a great pick for a demo. I’ve been through 3, all were broken, and one I got working temporarily until the power supply died. I’ve never gotten a Gen 2 Sega CD to work, but when I got a Gen 1, it came in and I opened it up and the ribbon connection the console to the disc drive was disconnected??? So I fixed it despite having NO idea what I was doing. Sent the seller his hockey game back lol

[@robertwolfmodz5246]

Awesome video man!

[@deafmute2501]

I still use my sega cdx for listening to cd’s.

[@EinSwitzer]

IHS and weird bga issues due to semi pass through gpu chip/// nitro out reflow - ps3

[@michal_hryniewicz]

I once paid 15€ for a broken Vita (did not start). I was lucky cause after replacing the screen for a new one (which costed 20€) I bacame the owner of a perfectly fine and beautifully maintained (previous owner was a woman) Vita OLED and I play on it at least once a month :)

[@aiodensghost8645]

Broken consoles are a worthy investment. I swear, I get more dopamine restoring them than I do playing them.

[@kntwing23]

how do u know how to fix when their no sound on the solder part?

[@thrillhausen8858]

Like Thanos said..." everything " 😂

[@peepers30008]

I was wondering if you had any idea when the Sendico will let you create an account? I ask as it won't let me continue to do anything as it says it wants me to respond to email to confirm, But after 2 days no email yet lol I even made other accounts with my other email accounts to see if it was just gmail, nothing yet.

[@ROX99]

in your opinion what is the best experience of gaming when we mod a gameboy with ips screen, is it with pocket or fat or color ?

[@Kazuma42]

What is that UV protection spray you use. I missed it

[@MaxLi_Retro]

Согласен с тобой! Тоже люблю покупать не работающие консоли не дорого и чинить 👍

[@juntartful]

Any ideas on crt tv repair?

[@adhemelfaiky6047]

Hello sir I need your help with a repair

[@lalo332]

just how many titles does this video have?

[@kntwing23]

i have a broken flat screen tv 60 inch? it stop working some how? i think my dad burn it? how to fix it? dont think i have the cable for the tv anymore to plug it in.

[@ivey77426]

Best way of dealing with CD based consoles is to ditch the optic drive altogether. Then it finally becomes reliable and a joy to use.

[@johnnieduke95]

There's just something about bringing life back to faulty old electronics that makes me smile

[@TheRationalPi]

Absolutely! Especially when you know that working out-of-production consoles are just getting more rare by the day, saving one from the landfill is really gratifying.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Completely agree!

[@IdentifiantE.S]

@@TheRationalPiFr that’s so cool and good for the planet !

[@X862go]

Agreed couldn't give you a little because it's at 69 nice 😅

[@cheezyfriez12]

Don't forget deep cleaning an unloved controller or system!

[@gunpeiyaboi5280]

discovering your channel piqued my curiousity enough to buy a 2 pack of broken game boys for almost the price of a working one. one toothbrush with isopropyl alcohol later, along with some frankensteining, and I had one fully functioning DMG-01 and another in almost perfect condition besides a screen that I replaced with an IPS kit. although the whole process felt like one big gamble, i'm glad i took the risk on my own agency as well as your guidance. thanks for the return on investment and helping to build a community of gracious living through bespoke gaming devices 🙌

[@tigheklory]

Great video Tito! The way I have most of my consoles is I bought them when they were clearanced. For example I got my Sega Nomad for $39.99 CIB in Electronics Boutique back in the day. I got my Neo Geo Pocket Colors when Walmart was blowing them out one Black Friday for $30. Same with the GB Micros. That is the best way to pick up consoles and handhelds, but obviously you need to have the money and forethought to get them when nobody wants them.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Oh man that’s amazing! I wish I had the foresight to do that when I was a kid

[@tigheklory]

@@MachoNachoProductions Yeah well, I'm 48 so I wasn't a kid when I got all that stuff. LOL.

[@Beavernator]

THIS is how I've always collected things... Especially game at the VERY end of its life... Those games always end up being expensive...

[@justinmohns8279]

It was so awesome when EB Games here in Canada liquidated all their Gameboy Micros. I was buying them for ~$40 iirc. I cleaned out all the stores in in town.

[@Y2CAE]

I'm so happy to see you talking about this in a video! Been watching your videos since early lockdown, and over the years I've been building a collection of retro consoles, with each one modded and customized, all of which were faulty from ebay or a thift store. There are some really awesome tips in here, keep up the awesome work!

[@MayorMori]

Your videos are so good and entertaining. I really enjoyed seeing you refurbish this console. Thanks for sharing the tips too. You’ve inspired me to buy and repair some Gameboys. Keep up the great work.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

So glad you enjoyed it!!

[@SpinDlsc]

The fat PS2 (with 1 controller) that I bought half a year ago only had the issue of not being able to read discs, and only cost me 40 bucks on eBay. Bought a replacement lens and re-greased the rails. Now it works like new! And of course, I now have OPL on my memory card and an SSD loaded with all my game backups on it. Went on a roughly 100-hour PS2 gaming binge immediately after fixing it, so I'd say I got my money's worth out of it! I definitely want to learn proper soldering though, as I have an old Sega Genesis that I want to recap.

[@Antpie94]

Should be a macho nacho referbs channel of just fixing random eBay consoles.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I like it!!

[@jasonyates7568]

Great video! Your time and effort has not gone unnoticed. Keep up the great videos Tito. About 90% of my 40+ console/handheld collection has been labeled and sold as "broken". My 11 year old son and I have been restoring them together (under my watching eye, lol) and sometimes referring to your videos for help if we hit a snag. The satisfaction of restoring them back to their glory days is an absolute joy (for the both of us and it gives us something to bond over as well). Building memories that he'll hold on to forever. Thanks again Tito.

[@kanggoo57]

i buy every broken console in a thrift shop. usually super simple to fix, ps2s especially are prone to just have a dirty laser, easiest flip of my life.

[@GP7shorts]

I've fixed a few consoles, and most of them work great! But I tried fixing a psone and I can't get a working disc drive. Ive gone through 4 of them and it's so upseting. If someone can give me advice on how to fix a psone disc drive with a burned laser, that would be great!

Somebody tag DKOldies on this video so they can se how to refurb a console

[@lain328]

With all the mods out there, I hope Less consoles get get thrown out for having bad lasers. Even if you can't repair the disc diver, there are still other ways to play the games.

[@suppengroove]

i "can't" buy broken stuff in my country. especially since all those "refurbish" channels reached meme status, even trashed stuff costs borderline the same as fully functional stuff - especially nintendo stuff! and with all those fees from sites like sendico, buyee and the likes - pretty much the same price as buying local in the end good days for that are long gone...

[@thegreatgario3478]

i still can't believe what i found in a broken sega CD model 1 once - the drive doesn't open (i know how to fix it, needs a new gear) the game that was stuck in it was shining force CD so uh yeah definitely made the purchase of the broken console worth it :)

[@PCo-se4rp]

The one thing I know for sure with console repairs is that I'm not touching another 3DS unless I have to; those ribbon cables in the hinge are wack. Every other console, though, we ball.

[@emdotrod]

Back in 2022 my friend gave his PS2 slim because he no longer use it. I tried to mod it and now I have 3 PS2s

[@rorykelly8275]

I love saving old stuff, I get loads of it given to me broken and now have around 2 years of work backed up. There's nothing better than getting things working like new again. As usual, thanks for another great video Tito.

[@marty_mcvader]

I buy broken consoles almost exclusively. Half the time, just giving the cartridge slot a good cleaning brings them back to life. Other times, it’s been a relatively simple fix, like bodging a broken power port on a PS2, or a busted AV connector on an Atari 2600. As for the ones with faulty disc drives, I usually just go the ODE route.

[@r.a.w.talentart]

Lovely stuff. I've worked with Simon Lock before and made a custom SNES for him. Great guy and he knows his stuff Cheers Tito

[@SirpixelAnimations]

I got an abandoned XBOX from a friend and actually sucessfully restored it

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice!

[@KatsuyaTheFuuk]

I just ordered a "For Parts or Repair" Halo Reach edition Xbox 360 off of eBay, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what there is to do. The seller said he's calling it this because he doesn't have cables to test it, so anything can happen. Ready for anything!

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Nice! Best of luck!

[@KatsuyaTheFuuk]

@@MachoNachoProductions Update: It went very well! Had a dead DVD laser, and that was it. Replaced the laser, and it's back to being a fully functional 360. So glad it turned out so well

[@jonyak1221]

I've had good luck with most of the consoles I've repaired. I do ha a Atari 2600 heavy sixer that I still can't get running right, it runs for 15 min then screen goes black

[@TheCludo]

My boyfriends grandparrents once found a Green DSi XL with a dead top screen. Wer bought another broken unity for repair parts and now we have a working Green/Blue DSi XL

[@cbk12]

Everyone i have tried eaither fail to read, or skip even after adjusting laser? Amd taking solder blob of course? Can you link by chance where a list may be to try for differemt laser cd players? Or what sanyo models work?

[@ImaginationToForm]

broken stuff is too expensive for broken stuff. I wanted to get a red Gameboy Advance SP to fix then upgrade but meh. And I love the ads: An easy fix for those who know what they are doing. Ya, sure. Or the Not tested but they end up being tested but too hard for that person to fix.

[@nicholasfarley5967]

I would always go for contact cleaner for terminals and cartridge ports. For cartridge ports spray some on and then use some tough kitchen towel/paper wrapped around a credit card. Way cheaper than those 1up carts and works on any system.

[@nicanorneto9697]

i think PS3 fat deserves an episode of its own since to this day no one knows for sure what causes YLOD

[@terencerenshaw91]

The best satisfaction is fixing a system from your childhood.🕹🎮

[@frogjmon]

@ 6:20 if someone wants to practice removing a component I usually suggest going to a goodwill and finding some cheap electronic to take apart for practice. Or look around the house and see if you've got something that's busted anyway.

[@cloudff72000]

This advice holds very true. I managed to snag a Vita for $80 - turns out all that was needed was a charger. Buying it at a local store would have run me around $200

[@SoundToxin]

I just got a Vita (second gen) a few weeks ago that was sold for repair saying it didn't power on or anything, but the first charger I tried worked and after charging like 30 mins it powered on with no issues.

[@drivenbyfate]

I got mine for $30 the same way. The Vita has this problem where if the battery is super dead then it won't show as charging, especially over USB. But leave it plugged in long enough with an AC adapter and it will trickle charge enough for the console to start working again.

[@SoundToxin]

@@drivenbyfate I heard about that ahead of time so was fairly comfortable gambling on the one I got, but I got an orange light the second I plugged it in. It's possible the seller hadn't even tried to charge it, or that their charger was lower power or something. I have a 5 port Monoprice multi-usb charger on my desk and already had a microUSB cable plugged into it. That was the first thing I tried and it seemed to work great. It probably puts out a little more juice than the stock charger would or something. I've read about people having success using power banks and such when their other charger wasn't working to revive the undercharged battery.

[@JustAPersonWhoComments]

Fixing them is like unlocking a secret cheat code for savings and satisfaction. Plus it's a great way to keep consoles out of the landfill and make friends with repair shop owners

[@Falcon5698]

My biggest rule is to avoid buying consoles with stock photos or newer consoles that have display/power issues. If a console turns on and displays an imagine on screen 90% of the time those are totally fixable and can be done by a person with avg skills. When you get into power and display issues than % goes drastically down, and better left to experts like TheCod3r. Sometimes those power issues are bad power supplies, but majority of the time they are bad chips and/or shorts that need advanced skills and equipment to repair.

[@MachoNachoProductions]

Great advice! I agree to avoiding listings with stock photos.

[@SoundToxin]

For stuff like the GBA and GBC, not powering on often means it just needs a good scrub inside and then everything will work, so I like the ones that don't power on. For newer stuff it does get a bit more complicated.

[@damian9303]

I find often that so long as you can’t see blemishes on the screens of untested portables that’d signify a broken display, they usually always work once you buy the appropriate adapter for cheap

[@crayzcubing]

I feel the exact same way

[@LukeZalvino]

Sssssshhhhhhhhh can't let the normies find out how easy it is to repair stuff sometimes

[@djstyles97]

You and your channel have definitely been an inspiration for me to take up this hobby. Thanks again for the great content.

[@zzz-x7p]

More videos like this please. Interested to hear how you refurbished the SNES shown. Like repairing cracks or missing pieces in the console itself. Did you buy a new shell? I second buying used stuff from Japan. Japanese people by and large take good care of their things. Even when buying consoles or games listed as "Rough" they're usually in way better condition than stuff listed as "barely used!" here in the States.

[@TotallyBCK]

first

[@frankiesilva7176]

“If someone can build it, someone can fix it” just gotta be willing to put in the work

[@MachoNachoProductions]

I love this!

[@Aeduo]

Except for weird proprietary components/custom silicon, especially you get in to the newer electronics.

[@SuperLuigiGuy64]

Been doing this myself, very informative. Thanks Tito.