Game Boy Advance SP Volume Slider Fix | Switch Replacement

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Tool List (I get a small commission if you buy from these links, thanks for helping me out!):
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Replacement Volume Switch: egamephone.com/index.php?rt=pr...

[@pauly459]

Hey this is my SP! Haha nice work man, glad you did it instead of me.

[@FantasticQuack]

Great to work with you sir, cheers!

[@DjCrispyFingers]

@@FantasticQuack I have the same issue, is there any way you can help me out? I got the case kit after watching your most recent video and after seeing you take out the volume slider so casually I thought that’s what I had to do and I ended up breaking it off as a result…

[@FantasticQuack]

@@DjCrispyFingers Sorry to hear that. The volume slider plastic pulled right off pretty easily when doing the shell swap, not sure why it would have been different in your case.. maybe Nintendo made different versions of this part? In the description I put the link on where to buy a replacement volume slider. Not sure if you were looking for more help than that but my email is in my channel info if you want to reach out. Take care.

[@aaronpape7270]

There are 2 versions of the slider. One where the cover and slider are one and one where the slider is a nub the cover connects to

[@BashoStrikes]

Bravo. I tape off and use hot air for these switch replacements - no pad separation. But still a successful job and the bridging of the offset contacts was quite effective.

[@FantasticQuack]

Yeah I really should get a hot air rework station.. Thanks for watching!

[@oeospdocix]

Great video as always!

[@FantasticQuack]

Thank you!

[@vladg2461]

I modded two GBASPs. The first one the volume slider button was easy to take off. The other it felt like it was permanently attached. Naturally i broke that one. So maybe they made some sliders interchangeable and some just stuck with the basic black slider

[@FantasticQuack]

I've seen other comments similar to this so I have to conclude that there is a mix of parts where the slider is removable on some and not on others.

[@VKsChannel]

Once you get the power of low melt solder you'll never wanna go back!

[@ChewyChicken589]

Very nice 👏

[@FantasticQuack]

Thx!

[@elhacker99e36]

How do you clean your hands after using lead solder or some other type of solder? I have that question.

[@FantasticQuack]

Same way I would wash my hands for any other reason, soap + water

[@indrachaudhari7874]

I once got a limited edition pokemon GBC from a friend which had similar broken switches. So had to use toothpicks to turn the switch sliders.

[@FantasticQuack]

GBC had a wheel potentiometer. Was the outer portion damaged or...? On that one I'm glad toothpick treatment could do it; this one was completely gone!

[@HeartSetG]

Mine seems to have an issue whereby at max volume the sound is still very soft and only able to be heard when my ear is right next to the speakers. Any ideas? :(

[@FantasticQuack]

that sounds like an issue I had on a different unit. You might get some further insight from this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqGbYqytotKkmLs

[@justaperson4656]

So I can put on more solder to get the original stuff off?

[@FantasticQuack]

As long as you remove the excess solder afterward you can add as much as you want to help take the part(s) off.

[@justaperson4656]

@@FantasticQuack thank you so much for this

[@ChocolateAsian9000]

Great job! My issue is my SP's volume is always on full blast. I can't lower the volume at all and I don't know how this happened, any ideas?

[@FantasticQuack]

I've not run into that one before! Have you opened it up to take a look at the switch? If you bought it second-hand it's possible someone has already been in there and did something. If things look normal I would recommend cleaning the switch as the next step, and if that doesn't work, replacing it if inspection doesn't reveal any other potential problem.

[@ChocolateAsian9000]

@@FantasticQuack hi! I do buy secondhand, but the problem arose after I swapped the volume control unit itself. Luckily I went back and desoldered a bit and it works fine now! The problem only lasted a day or two until I decided to go back in, and I guess it was overtinned in an area? Thanks either way!

[@annafawkes]

hey !! i lost pad 5 doing this 😭 any ideas on how i could bridge it?

[@FantasticQuack]

Check out my other video here where I deal with other missing pads: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqGbYqytotKkmLs In some way you're lucky because pad 5 is not connected electrically and is just used for strain relief, so you could just ignore it as long as you still have pad 6 to attach to. Your switch will be slightly less robust to rough use in this case but it should be negligible if you're not hammering on the thing. Good luck!

[@annafawkes]

@@FantasticQuack Thanks for the quick reply, I got lucky with this one, haha. You're the greatest.

[@nandosone6000]

Hey how much would it cost to fix a no audio issue?

[@FantasticQuack]

depends on the problem. Check my channel info and email me if you want to discuss!

[@nxxycringe6994]

I lost pads 1 and 4, what can I do?

[@FantasticQuack]

It's a little tricky but can be done. Look at pad 1 and follow the circuit trace to the corresponding via (gold plated circle with a hole in the middle). You need a fine wire (like AWG34 or AWG36 with enamel coating), solder it to the via for pad 1 and run the free end of the wire to the location where pad 1 used to be. Then when you solder the switch back down, just solder the pin for pad 1 to that loose wire end. Do nothing with the missing pad 4 but make sure to solder down all remaining pads of course. When you're done you could use a small amount of glue on pin 1 and pin 4 to provide the strain relief that doesn't exit anymore due to the missing pads.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

How the hecks does a slider like that break off? It's tucked away behind the shell and is near impossible to pull out without opening the shell.

[@FantasticQuack]

It's a fantastic question, but all I can say is that it was worked on before I had hands on it. Always enjoy your comments my dude!

[@RIP123]

In my case I accidentally spilled some liquid flux that ended up being REALLY REALLY STICKY, the switch was pretty much stuck even after scrubbing it so many times with IPA and a toothbrush.. I got frustrated and wanted to force the switch and I ended up breaking the little plastic part inside

[@JuicyJakeRepairs]

thats impressive to break the volume slider that bad haha

[@FantasticQuack]

Agreed!

[@justaperson4656]

Idk, I did that myself

[@luissepulveda2052]

3,4,6and 2 are broken on mine

[@FantasticQuack]

On pads 2 & 3 you'll need to run fine wires to the corresponding vias (or to wherever they go on the opposite side of the board). 4 & 6 are not essential but without them the switch won't be as strongly attached to the board.