FAILED Prior Repair Attempt on this RETRO ARCADE Game? | Can I FIX It?

I bought this Orb Gaming thing off of off eBay for £6. It was sold as having no power, and sure enough it doesn't turn on...
#spoiler but I think someone had been in here before...
Hope you enjoy!
Steve
PS. I'm not an expert in repairs at all. I do this for fun, and it may not be the best or safest way to go about repairing broken stuff. I'm pretty good at melting plastic though. Please don't copy me - I'm an idiot.
SUPPORT ME on Patreon: bit.ly/ssf-patreon
MERCH: stezstixfix.com
AMAZON WISH LIST: bit.ly/ssf-wish
SUBSCRIBE HERE: bit.ly/ssf-sub
FOLLOW ME on Facebook: bit.ly/ssf-fbook
If you want to make a device donation to the channel, please use the following PO Box. PLEASE NOTE that this is not a repair service, and all items are non-returnable.
PO BOX ADDRESS: StezStix Fix?, PO Box 415, BOLTON, BL4 4AZ
Please only use this service if you are a UK resident and using Royal Mail.
Some of the magic things I use to break stuff;
My soldering iron: UK amzn.to/2Isf360 US amzn.to/3dfq8Xe
My hot air station: UK amzn.to/3kPxaBQ US amzn.to/3xo0SoM
My microscope: UK amzn.to/2VP3msU US amzn.to/3DmDgED
My desoldering gun that goes "moo": UK amzn.to/3HHt73P US amzn.to/3QHJOkb
My multimeter: UK amzn.to/2LjBgnN US amzn.to/3qEiSHy
My blue mat: UK amzn.to/3nDVs3A US amzn.to/3LcZUkI
Filming equipment;
My camera: UK amzn.to/38IdR7s US amzn.to/3BiwyNg
My 2nd camera: UK amzn.to/3Rfjn6U US amzn.to/3BGOB1i
My microphone: UK amzn.to/3rCriPc US amzn.to/3QJwWtS
VOS's mic: UK amzn.to/3pz2c1L US amzn.to/3Lc7aO1
Links are affiliated where possible to help support the channel. Nice.

[@StezStixFix]

Stupid Games

[@Gameboy_1992]

Agreed.

[@AOKONE]

Was also violated once, made me make a habit of never accepting to repair anything my family owns..

[@wryyyy]

Steve, you wouldn't happen to have the measurements of the diameter of that D-pad rubber thing?. Because I'm looking at that as potential source of spare parts for old Game & Watch units.

[@charlesortiz1059]

😂😂

[@narsakucanada154]

A few years ago I repented to God then Prayed for help, "I was until then an Atheist." I then had a dream of Jesus coming before God and he spoke of the Tabernacle in Perfect context, "A word I didn't know existed.", and what I felt from Jesus when I Held him was unlike Anything I've Ever felt before - A Lifetime of Love Every Second - It brought me to Sobbing and it changed my life, Forever. I've had Many experiences since, "Several witnessed". A voice Spoke Clearly into my ear, "Go Visit Your Father Today.", hours before he passed away. When I prayed if I could leave this world my body spoke a word Without My Permission I Never Heard Before, "Malarkey". Hours before a major surgery I prayed for help and a Bright orb of light Passed across my face. God and Jesus ARE real and they Love us! Let go of your hatred and imagine holding the people who've hurt you. Tell them you Love them. I believe Prayer, Following God's laws & Love is the answer, and through that, Truly becoming Humble, Merciful, Welcoming, Giving, Gentle, Respectful, Compassionate, Patient, Kind and Forgiving, To All.

[@ProVsCon]

After seeing the mess that that device was, I'm glad you had the strength...to solder on.

[@NinjaxWizardGoVroom]

Not bad not bad… I laughed a bit at this 😅

[@hansc8433]

Made me chuckle 😊. Will only work in UK English though.

[@imaginitivity7853]

The man behind the mask...

[@Tiz147]

Nice to see a fixer without a chip on his solder.

[@retroflipper]

The excitement of something broken coming back to life. The reward is having the skill to fix it not the resell value.

[@theoloutlaw]

You saved something nobody will probably ever want, but the reward in the repair, was so worth watching. I love these videos!

[@jnharton]

To be fair it might also keep it out of the pile if e-waste for a little longer.

[@TharkysOlafson]

Man, that was a tough one. You have infinitely more patience than me. Great results though!

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Tharkys! Felt good to get this one working! 👍

[@krahwinkel9503]

you might not win a beauty contest with the repair but you made it work again. And that's it what counts. Happy new year to you and all of your viewers.

[@cupidstunt22]

Spoiler alert!😂

[@betag24cn]

the pcb was not part of a beauty contest but it won in the end the prize of the most impressive repair of the year, perhaps, not sure

[@Savagetechie]

The matchstick men game looks like a xiao xiao game, which was a really popular flash animation series from early 2000s

[@sorakat42]

That was a most SOLID repair of a stupid game.

[@StezStixFix]

😁 thanks Sorakat!

[@LarsSimonsen]

The "post ending on MonkeyJoe" era marks a milestone in Steve's musical career, often compared to U2's divide between post and pre Achtung Baby, or the invention of the _Bb_. ETA: D'oh, he got me

[@Carl_Raybould]

Its great to see it get fixed especially after the previous failed repair. Great work.

[@vinny142]

7:56 "These tracks must be really really thin" They probably were, but having you grind away at them with that grinder doesn't help. at 7:10 you can already see that you've ground a hole in the trace, just below the exact centre of the ground area. Just stop with the grinder pen, it's way too aggressive. Also the usual "stop soldering, it's on there already, leave it alone, you're just going to mo.... move it... yeah you moved it...." I was very pleased to hear you say "why is it all wonky.... well I guess it doesn't matter" about 2 seconds before the part would be complete toast. Another successfull fix though! Congrats!

[@Zaaacharias]

Thanks!

[@ShinLarc]

I love when you add the best music during the repairs. Please keep it up! I have loads of fun watching the videos!

[@IronHeel]

I wonder what takes more time, writing the intro raps or preparing for the repairs

[@lisajohnson1528]

Love the rik myall t-shirt always love your fixes those camera fixes looked like the fiddleist thing ever look forward in seeing more next year x

[@andrewcrane777]

Happy New Year buddy. Enjoying your channel very much. Montana, USA!

[@ninaevans4501]

Great video as always Steve, but it ended on the song about Mr Lowry. This tired old man with hair like snow, said it's time for me to go. The fever came and the good Lord mopped his brow. Both strong Northern Lads, who speak your mind, and will not just give up. Top marks all round. Wayne & Nina 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😊😊😊😊😊🎄

[@davidleerobinson7771]

Another great one Steve! ....made even better with the rendition of Brian and Michael at the end! Keep up the great work!

[@jamiecruickshank9697]

I was very surprised to hear him cover this song. I grew up with my parents collecting Lowry artwork, so I knew it straight away.

[@zedcarr6128]

I prefer a fibre glass pen rather than scraping away at thin PCB tracks, I find it's somewhat kinder to the track. My PCB coating of choice for something like this is cheap clear nail polish, plus I can do my nails afterwards and look pretty in the lab. ''I'm a laydeeee'' 😊😆😆

[@unachemaxwell]

Nice! I was so surprised that booted up so nicely after all that work with no other faults! That must have been so satisfying to troubleshoot everything and get it done first off! Keep up the great content!

[@MrBoop4345]

Your excitement at the end was absolutely satisfying. Great Job Steve.

[@BritishAdam]

that is some fantastic work, when i saw the problems, i didn't have much hope it was salvageable at all, I'm pretty surprised the main module that had all the functionality hadn't died.

[@spideybra]

I think the low quality solder job were caused by the old and or low quality solder used originally. Perhaps cleaning up the solder and applying new one would make the job cleaner. But who cares, as long as it's working!

[@hansc8433]

Great stuff! Gave me the motivation to finally fix the broken traces on my Mac SE/30’s main board 😊

[@ManCave1972]

Genuinely did not believe any of that was going to work, and had it been me doing all that, it definitely would not have. You must have a blessed touch.

[@StilgarAstartes]

Nice one, Steve! Looking forward to next year's fixes. :)

[@TheVintageApplianceEmporium]

Oh my god that bloody Matchstick Men song! It was number one when I was born back in '78 🤣 Great video as always!

[@RobSchofield]

Remarkably satisfying. Happy New Year!

[@VipersCave1]

Happy stupid new years Steve and Dave 🎉 You guys are awesome 👌😃👍

[@dannysubaruman]

Mate you never fail to impress me. Love your channel and your abilities. ❤ I thought this was beyond saving 😂

[@caguilerafan2004]

Doooooooooood, I'm soooooooooobaked right now, and the music in the last segment is sooooooo trippy!!! Love watchin' you work, it calms me down when the demons get too loud...

[@garymucher4082]

Bravo sir, Bravo. Usually on those low voltage type games any NPN or PNP, which ever it uses, will work. It just depends on which batch they can get the cheapest at the time of production... If you keep a general stock of both types, you have it covered for the most part. It any game would need anything even near an amp or as much, the batteries would drain before you finish the first round of play. That wouldn't be good... That would be a "Stupid Game" for sure... lol

[@samuraidriver4x4]

Agree, I have bodged in a 2n2222 TO-92 instead of an obscure Chinese SMD NPN before in a similar device. Crappy Chinese data sheet pretty much only gave me that it was an NPN and google translate couldn't do anything with the bad quality data sheet. Got some more part stock these days.

[@simonlunt353]

Steve l didn’t think you could get this working it was in a bad state but you worked your magic over it well done and can l ask you why do you put the product back together to see if it will work how many times have you done this and you then have to take it apart again 😢happy new year and please keep your videos coming love them 😊

[@C5films]

Love your talents and patience, buddy. Singing....not so much. Happy New Year!

[@rafaelmagro2921]

Steve. Thank you so much for all the inspiration! Happy new year

[@PNAquatics]

Just like to say thank you. Love watching your content, always brings a smile to my face. You’ve also been a great inspiration to do more repairs myself. Managed to repair a backlight issue on an apple macbook air the other day. Keep going Steve and happy new year

[@presidentskroob522]

Top quality video as always! What is the kick arse 80s music in the background? Do you produce all your own music?

[@dmitchell1713]

Been following for 24 months now,your soldering is getting beter lol ,i couldnt do it

[@TheStig1961]

Good fix again 10+. Happy new year say Stig Österberg from Dalsbruk in Finland

[@Nimmbin]

Great video. Thanks for all the content over the past year. Your irreverent brand of humour mixed with device repair always puts a smile on my dial. Have a wonderful New Year and thanks for sharing 🙂

[@alkydaklown]

If they ever make another parappa the rapper, they need to put voice over steve in it. Was definitely getting Guru Ant vibes. Niiiice

[@NowInAus]

What a start to the repair year. Nice

[@rebel4466]

You just put in a beefier transistor. Lots of parts are interchangeable if they have the same pinouts/functions. Of course you can't switch an NPN for a PNP and all that, but having a higher maximum doesn't hurt. Just like you could use 100W resistors instead of 0.25W resistors... it's just impractical. There's no real reason to get specific parts. As long as the part works with the voltage of the device you're working on and the pinout is the same, it's worth a try. You could also wire them in with a different pinout, but that's a little less convenient. When working on really old electronics, you'll have to find similar things, as the original parts aren't made anymore. Audio equipment from the 50s-70s is a completely different world for example. Don't overthink those repairs too much. You probably know enough by now to not pick something that will kill the whole device!

[@wisher21uk]

Fantastic repair Steve well done many thanks happy new year to you and your family 😊

[@mineua]

May I suggest using rubber polishing bits (the green ones) for your Dremel instead of engraving bits. They come in different sizes and are much softer - so they perfectly remove the solder mask from the board and do not damage the copper trace.

[@narsakucanada154]

A few years ago I repented to God then Prayed for help, "I was until then an Atheist." I then had a dream of Jesus coming before God and he spoke of the Tabernacle in Perfect context, "A word I didn't know existed.", and what I felt from Jesus when I Held him was unlike Anything I've Ever felt before - A Lifetime of Love Every Second - It brought me to Sobbing and it changed my life, Forever. I've had Many experiences since, "Several witnessed". A voice Spoke Clearly into my ear, "Go Visit Your Father Today.", hours before he passed away. When I prayed if I could leave this world my body spoke a word Without My Permission I Never Heard Before, "Malarkey". Hours before a major surgery I prayed for help and a Bright orb of light Passed across my face. God and Jesus ARE real and they Love us! Let go of your hatred and imagine holding the people who've hurt you. Tell them you Love them. I believe Prayer, Following God's laws & Love is the answer, and through that, Truly becoming Humble, Merciful, Welcoming, Giving, Gentle, Respectful, Compassionate, Patient, Kind and Forgiving, To All.

[@ximonx]

Or a fibreglass pencil 👍

[@Martyn-ey9lw]

Agree with "ximonx" I use a fibreglass pen those grinding pens seem way too aggressive.

[@Popeyes66]

Far too small a device for my old tired eyes and sausage fingers,but another great fix Steve . Hope your family and yourself have a very prosperous 2024 🍾

[@kriss3d]

Definitely use solder mask. It glues wires in places so they don't move and accidentally break loose. I was going to say that the current absolutely could break things with thr transistor. But it's likely within the limits so it would be fine.

[@charlesortiz1059]

👍 i do the same things with electronics, i try to same them. Just love the content.

[@mortjigger4586]

Hi Steve I've just started learning how to solder and love your channel whats the clear liquid you use before you solder is it quikchip flux? And what kind doo you use

[@artman4444]

I've just gotta say I really enjoy your videos. You're getting pretty good at repairing just about anything.

[@patrickwrx]

Thank you for finishing the rap with Munkeyjoe Tokyo, I was nearly devastated.

[@Chubbaknuckles]

You deserve more subs love your style and content.

[@markhearsey4294]

Happy New Years buddy, thanks for all the great vids this year…👍🏻

[@skypirate4806]

Great video, love your choice of music at the end for that matchstick game 😂😂😂😂. 👍👍👍👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@MayaPosch]

Good way to deal with bits of loose track flapping in the breeze: glue them down first so that you have a lot of stable copper to run bodge wires with.

[@nyanpasu64]

What's a glue that can survive soldering temperatures?

[@WellingtonIronman]

Did you pan the multimeter sound when checking the continuity on the ribbon? Attention to detail 😅

[@wattorockscr]

nice job!!! you need to get a board holder something like the mijing T23. I really enjoy you vids!!! Geeet Iiin!!!!

[@rockmonty]

really enjoy the retro style fixes. Well done

[@chris-pike]

Good to see this fix there Steve & wishing you a Happy New Year all the best for 2024 👍

[@alf1982]

Love the t-shirt (that features my hero)! I wish I'd met the man. It's hard to believe it's only 6 months 'til the anniversary of his passing.

[@MichaelM28]

Awesome repair. Love the Rik Mayall shirt

[@Paul-ib5xv]

What flux do you use, it is lovely and clear

[@mrcodez]

Honestly shocked when it turned on. That thing was ugly inside at the beginning of the video! 😮I figured there were more horrors to come.

[@PeasGraveny]

You're getting good at this Steve!

[@ssppaannkkyy07]

I'd like to know the background music to this one at around 8:11

[@thadofalltrades]

A trick i saw someone do for a ripped pad like that was grind back, then solder a piece of solder wick that fit where the original pad was and solder the wire to the wick

[@Gojirosan]

Brilliant result, Mr S! Top one.

[@Iran2256]

best part is the songs he sings I like everything in every video you post Say hi here to Brazil

[@atkoofficial]

Hey, what is that gel (flux?) you're using? I'd love to get me some of that. Thanks!

[@eathenalexander2836]

Great fix stez. I think your iron is a bit dirty so your solder doesn’t flow as well.

[@oliverer3]

Looks like the plating on it is oxidized, might be fixable with some of that soldering tip activator stuff.

[@dimis40]

Excellent Job !!. Greeting from Greece

[@JDavies345]

4:08 HOLY!!! That transistor REALLY exploded. the power switch being so podgily soldered might of caused that. but I bet when the Transistor exploded, it pulled the screen ribbon off. noone been in there.

[@pepexvaldivieso2661]

I really enjoy your videos, looking forward to next year fixes.

[@nigelholland24]

Sent you a small parcel with a few bits in for your stock. Great videos. Thanks.

[@colinbailey6236]

Another awesome video Stez 😊😊

[@chrisj2848]

"Seamless...". 😂 Very nice fix Steve.👍

[@StezStixFix]

🤣 thanks Chris!

[@THEMAXX18]

The cut in at the end was brilliant 😂

[@leeslatter120]

Stez what thickness jumper wire do you use mate?

[@andrewgamblin7264]

What is the Denon amp on the shelf behind you? Do you want to have a go at fixing my AVR1907?

[@michaleus]

Beautiful repair. You saved the ecology. A child would have enjoyed this game.

[@MrFixiit]

Keep your iron clean it will make working with it easier

[@heepsupreme3301]

Did I miss it or was there another pad on the display cable torn that didn't get jumped? Guess it wasn't necessary if so.

[@Ralpheo]

Fo you have links for all the music? Some excellent synth

[@DavidPlass]

Excellent recovery!

[@PoutingTrevor]

Why is the music in these episodes so on point?!

[@josephaltman460]

I absolutely ❤️ your videos!

[@Tomtraubert2009]

what's that little noise at 6:19?

[@tecnicoemeletronica]

Happy new year Steve.

[@TheRealJPhillips]

Great stuff. 🔥💯 Happy netw year 🍾🥂

[@repdata1208]

Happy New Year to you and your family

[@bushiebodge]

good to see more dave

[@3rdaxis649]

New video!!!! Happy New Years brother:)

[@stefanrichmond7867]

I love the Richie t-shirt. Gold, frankenstein and Grrr 😂😂😂😂

[@davemurrells3780]

That's why I never got a shag!!

[@rogerchtarponne4968]

Rick Mayall, one of the jewl of the crown. Even deeply missed in France !

[@bobsg35]

Awesome repair!

[@jaysonpearce2377]

Sweet backing track

[@Cassandra_Johnson]

First clue the powerlines went on backwards: attaching the positive supply to the ground plane - glad you double checked! Matchstick men is probably stolen from an old youtube video series by Alan Becker - www.youtube.com/@alanbecker/videos (starts with Animation vs Animator I think)

[@douglasfazzani269]

What’s the background music in this one Steve? I think I’d like to listen to more of it

[@SweetBlu]

What is that grinding pad tool you used?

[@tupe2002]

Happy New Year man