Game Boy Advance Repair

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[@TheRetroFuture]

Awesome video man!

[@retrogameon]

Cheers, Elliot :)

[@oddgbmo3036]

Holy fu

[@moddeddan1801]

Greatest crossover of anime history

[@therantinggamer7273]

u forgot game boy micro

[@rexaloha7642]

Nice

[@jbain88]

Great advice. I have a GBA that needed a new power switch, battery terminals and the volume switch and earphone jacks were filthy. I’d put a lot of time into cleaning it all with isopropyl and only limited sound through the earphones. Vinegar and an electric toothbrush worked amazingly well. Thank you for sharing.

[@livinglogic]

Thanks for the video - it helped me repair an old and very busted GBA. It wasn't turning on, so I gave it a good cleaning with IPA and voila, it worked. Now that I know it works, I'm going to modify the screen with a backlit IPS display, give it a new shell, some new buttons, and give this little guy a new lease on life.

[@elliotlim3520]

IT WORKS! MY GAMEBOY ADVANCED WORKS NOW! THANK YOU! I ALSO LIKED YOUR VIDEO!

[@retrogameon]

Great to hear!

[@elliotlim3520]

@@retrogameon, I'm going to subscribe to you

[@DiptanshuGiri]

Can you please share what your problem was? I'd like to know

[@elliotlim3520]

My Gameboy Advanced had a screen problem, this Gameboy wouldn't show any images, sprites, it was a blank screen. But the sound, On and Off buttons, and the actual buttons worked.

[@elliotlim3520]

After watching this video, it started working!

[@pauldennis2420]

Who else is watching this in 2024?

[@walkaround6313]

*2025 😂

[@jacobsteffen6661]

Thank you. Mine did not go on but had a lot of gunk on the battery connection. After cleaning with vinegar the power light went on and the sound worked but screen did not. Then i cleaned the whole board with vinegar and waited for it to dry. And it works perfectly now.

[@WilliamDurge]

seems less like a repair and more like a deep cleaning to me, I just need to know how to reattach the oscillator to the left of the CPU.

[@cdog13headgamer22]

Thank u so much I have that same exact Gameboy has all the original stickers all the original parts but it didn't turn on I looked at the battery compartment in boom so much corison

[@TheAkashicTraveller]

The cross head screws on the GBP *aren't* phillips head. They're JIS (Japanese Industrial Strandards) screws. You should use an appropriate JIS screwdriver since the standard does have differences and using a phillips makes it easier to strip the head.

[@gibeshrugs6825]

The shell is in a great shape because it's an aftermarket one, you can tell by the sticker on the back, and the fact it doesnt have a barcode

[@SNESdrunk]

Very useful

[@retrogameon]

Do you have any more GBA reviews on the horizon?

[@SNESdrunk]

Yes actually, looking at ChuChu Rocket now...

[@Mr_Rontendo]

Never knew about the white vinegar trick! Definitely going to use this tip today! Great video man!

[@jaek4489]

lemon juice is more acidic and works faster

[@namenotfound8186]

Finally a person who know what to do! Thanks so much!

[@jeffstrosmchats7259]

I definitely need a Gameboy Advanced

[@eyan2278]

Would you say it would be a bad idea to just put the whole thing in a container of vinegar

[@sebastianlozanofilms]

0nyx yes

[@Aarlog]

So long as you're careful and let it dry before reassembling it you'll be okay. I had a GBA in a similar state to RGO's, and I was able to get most of the other issues sorted with alcohol except for the sound. I let the system board soak for about 4-5 minutes in a shallow Tupperware container with just enough vinegar to submerse it. After scrubbing it and drying it off with a paper towel, and letting the rest of it air-dry for about an hour and a half, the sound started working again.

[@joerodriguez2645]

I cleaned out a old gameboy , previous owner said only the screen was burned so got it good price , I cleaned it with alcohol n installed a new lcd screen and got it all set up in the end the start button doesn't work ..contact looks clean n shiny, any ideas what else I can try

[@goo5855]

I accidentally dropped mine yesterday morning... screen was a mess (glitched graphics, blank/black screen, etc) and I thought it died. Cleaned the screen flux that goes to the board a little bit and... it worked ! playing Emerald right now :-)

[@yaelmontero6775]

Excellent video 🎉

[@skycloud4802]

I'm thinking of giving my GBA a bit of a restoration as it's good condition and works, but bit grimey. Weirdly enough, my original Gameboy looks pristine in comparison despite been used intensively by my even younger self. Guess a carry case makes all the difference.

[@leabriana1223]

I have a GBA with a non-working screen that had major corrosion so I guess I'll be buying myself some vinegar tomorrow!

[@Anonymous-ul4xt]

I just got a game boy advance and it’s functional but the start button won’t work so when it’s on and I try to press start it won’t work but it’s a hand me down so it’s expected but got any tips for it?

[@DragonLord12520]

I liked the video but I wanted to know how to increase/fix the brightness cause I find it to be dim in my opinion and having to put it in view of natural or torch light to see the screen but unless there's no way to turn up the brightness that without the screen mod then I guess I could just put up with what I have

[@koffieleut]

Thank you, got a spicy orange gba in the mail today with corrosion everywhere. I've tried to clean the board with 99% alcohol but didn't work, now I've seen I've forgotten that vinegar might do the trick. If that doesn't work I still have a nice original orange gba case for another Mobo ;)

[@retrogameon]

Tell me how it goes. Good luck!

[@NickyD626]

Did you fix it?

[@koffieleut]

I'm sorry, I haven't tried it yet. I'm a bit busy at the moment. But when I try it, I'll let you guys know the results.

[@sebco7854]

@@koffieleut Curious to hear about your results when you try it!

[@The13thProphet_]

Did it work?

[@marciocintra2988]

Nice video!

[@KELOC1]

Mine powers on.. most the time, but nothing shows up on the screen.

[@RKR2969]

Idk I have a GBA and it works fine but someone when I wiggle or move it a little to hard or to much it would turn off or restart and I tried the battery’s and it came back on just for sone reason I have to lift the bottom battery up a bit to touch the silver connector and it would turn on but I would have to do that every time it turns off and I cleaned the inside of it the front and back of the board with isopropyl alcohol and I tried to clean the battery connector’s with some isopropyl alcohol but I didn’t try vinegar

[@anxiousdelay]

Exact same problem with my old game boy, now I know how I might be able to fix it

[@retrogameon]

Let us know how it goes!

[@elliotlim3520]

I believed it went well

[@speedyairsoft1877]

I have a gameboy advance that I had a lipo and I put the negative to the positive and the positive to the negative any way to fix it ?

[@motascl4066]

I fcked up a SMD component while changing the screen :( The C35. Do i need to solder it back again? The GBA was functioning really well before I messed it up.

[@MagnaLynx21]

Totally late to this, but after having an easy time with SP's the original GBA's board is a frickin nightmare in comparison! That said, is it worth putting some icyprope in a spray bottle? The last bottle I got is a giant one from Amazon, which I have to pour into a glass to use a cotton bud with...it's fine, but having your room smell like a brewery on a Monday isn't so hot.

[@nishu0705]

hi, Please suggest the below problem. My GBA [with ips screen] does not turn up with two 1.3v rechargeable AA batteries. But working fine with two 1.5v AA batteries. Please suggest I have to replace the capacitors. Previously it worked fine on 2.6v AA with ips screen

[@SiddharthaJr.]

What % was the vinegar? Here in Germany I only know about 25% or less. What do you think will help? And did you say you put the whole board in vinegar? So Like "under water" ? Thx and nice and honest video!!

[@retrogameon]

Not actually sure! I bought it from a supermarket and it doesn't specify. I just assumed it was pure vinegar. Also, it appears submerging items in just vinegar over long periods probably isn't the greatest idea. It will eat away at a lot more than corrosion if given the chance.

[@BubbleChumpkins]

​@@retrogameon How is the Game boy doing now by chance? I'm curious if any left over dried vinegar could have caused any extra corrosion or not?

[@retrogameon]

@@BubbleChumpkins amazing timing. It has stopped working and I planned on looking at it today!

[@NAG4FUCHY]

I couldnt really hear how did you fixed it, vinegar? any special vinegar? or i hear wrong

[@retrogameon]

Just standard, white distilled vinegar.

[@etyramone2000]

Really, awesome video and the most interessant part are the narrative with all the problems you overcame. Sorry but didn't really understand the tip someone gave you about vinegar. Can you please explain? I am not a native speaker. Thank you very much for your work!

[@gamepassholder]

Good video, thank you!

[@danielmathews5465]

Hey dude, I'm looking to buy a non-working Gameboy Advance to diagnose and repair it to full working order as part of finding a new hobby in console and/or electronics repair. That being my venture, can you tell me what tools I would need for disassembly of an Advance and any other materials I may need, other than what you used in this video? Like, did you buy a toolkit when you first started, or did you buy your tools individually? I appreciate it!

[@retrogameon]

I bought stuff as I needed it, depending on what the repair required. As a general rule, you can get by with a heat adjustable soldering iron (along with desoldering braid and solder, of course) and a multimeter. Buy cheap. Not the cheapest per se, but most entry level stuff is perfect for learning on and repairing retro tech. Additionally, you'll need screwdrivers, IPA and white vinegar. You'll also need a special screwbit for some Nintendo and Sega stuff, although they're cheap.

[@vlogsandgameswiththegrassh4277]

Can you do this but with a nintendo switch

[@diegolara1]

Thank you so much!, I toothbrushed and my problem gone haha

[@peksacola]

I cleaned off my whole pcb, although it wasn’t very dirty there was still some funky stuff in there, my agb 001 still turns off randomly though, pretty much whenever I press down on the dpad too much or if the screw closest to the power switch is too tight it turns off. Any suggestions?

[@slurmp4876]

I'd also like to know! My SP does something similar. It powers on fine, it just can't read games properly even after a deep clean, and when pressed to hard, it wigs out

[@peksacola]

@@slurmp4876 I ended up fixing mine by swapping it into a new shell

[@DennisB115]

I found out no matter what I can tail the screen because I got the game boy advance for my neighbor because he didn’t want it no more and I found out why because the screen is broken and when I looked up inside and I saw inside the screen I saw was all messed up and it look like something was sticky inside of it so thanks for the video still it’s cool

[@CreatedbyJonah]

IPs displays don’t forget

[@anthonytrusty1229]

Cool video dude thanks

[@nathanmartinez2980]

Where did you buy this from?

[@chrono393]

My gba only has two screws for the motherboard I got my gba broken from my cousin so I had to fix it.

[@onasazi]

New sub! Great video!

[@SweetGypsyRose]

What about a dark screen?

[@benfitzgerald7384]

That’s normal with the gba. They don’t have a backlit display

[@vlogsandgameswiththegrassh4277]

Cause I have one with the same problems

[@theonetruestickman]

Hey thanks for this video! I had the exact same symptoms (power light but no sound/boot) and my issue turned out to be the power switch. I was getting voltage after the switch and on the test points and everything, but when I ohmed out the switch it was showing 40-50ohms between pin 3 (connected to F1) and pin C. That apparently was enough of a limit on current to prevent the cpu from functioning. Deoxit didn't do it, but following this video to deep clean worked: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWqXZ6CHeNB8h8U I had to wick the solder off the pads on mine before I could pull the top off, and also re-bent the slide contact to help create a more reliable connection in addition to scrubbing out with alcohol.

[@brandonniette4825]

Yeah so what do I use vinegar or alcohol 99% proof

[@retrogameon]

Vinegar for corrosion (from leaked batteries etc) and the alcohol for basically anything else. Just be careful around any printed ink on the board, like the serial number I inevitably wiped in this video.

[@brandonniette4825]

Yeah I replaced the screen and oops to late on the ink label but I was having the same issues but no battery acid

[@ZackMuffinMan]

:D

[@JonathanNedry]

What about the game boy micro?

[@retrogameon]

Yes, definitely on the list.

[@brandonniette4825]

Yeah I have one of the micro and it’s really expensive for me about 1,000 dollars but I found a guy that was selling modded buttons d pad and a and b buttons for 25.00 bucks I’m waiting on my money to order a gold housing shell replacement it’s going to be one of a kind when I’m done with it

[@retrogameon]

@@brandonniette4825 1000 bucks!? I was looking on eBay this morning and most I saw were between AU$250-300

[@brandonniette4825]

Yeah but it’s a famicom from Japan but I was going to school in college and I had 1500 bucks a semester and I really wanted it so badly but it was hardly used like mint oh and my game boy advance is now working because of you thanks so much brother you really helped me out with this I have a game boy pocket but it has a burn screen and I took it apart to fix it and the positive and negative terminals are acid bad from the battery the thing just fell off and now I cannot find any terminals on the motherboard

[@brandonniette4825]

For the motherboard