Game Boy DMG - Backlight and Bivert Mod - Fixing eBay Junk

[@collin2859]

Keep it up! Because of you, I want to order broken stuff on eBay and get it fixed up. Watching helped me fix my SNES and my GameBoy and they both run beautifully.

[@TheRoon04]

That was probably the smoothest removing of the reflector screen I have ever seen lol

[@anthonyterry8162]

Out of the many Gameboys I've done, I only had that happen one time to me. The rest was not so nice. LOL

[@Malicos]

"It's time for another quick repair video" 0:14 ... Looks at the duration ... How long is a slow repair video?

[@thejoker2846]

Lmfao

[@darksidex20]

Anything that can be done in a day probably

[@sachajanssens8576]

legend says, it's still going on...

[@itscrumbelivable]

He just posts a real time video of the repair

[@AT-zr9tv]

Though for the life of me I could never do half of what you did, I really enjoy watching you at work. There's a magic to taking these childhood toys and giving them a new life and understanding. Thank you for the nerdy trip!

[@murdoc750]

@RetroRepairs I'm addicted to your videos, literally makes me want to get a job fixing some sort of electronics. I would love to do this for a living if at all possible.

[@RetroRepairs]

It would be a tough career choice. Often you can buy a new copy for the cost of many repairs. You'd definitely have to do mods, and lots of them.

[@supahbob]

This popped up on my list and I gotta say, this video is amazing. I got the same mod from hand held legend, have been loving it ever since I installed it. I wish i had followed your guide. You explained so much more and your technique is much more refined. I'm actually going to redo my bivert mod how you did it, as clipping those pins below the bivert mod should def make it sit much better. Also I am sure you fixed it by now, but the main back board is supposed to have 2 Phillips screws. Not major, but I cringed a bit when you missed them. Still, great video!

[@KISSbestfan]

So, Im right after watching the Game Gear video, and it also wasnt easy. I remember times when backlight was achieved by putting the light bar from mobile phones on the bottom. Thanks for the video, happy Easter !

[@GuyManley]

46:45 You're gonna wanna take a moment to try and lift as much does and finger prints as possible. 👀💦 me staring at whatever is stop in the top right corner of the screen hole and the lens goes down permanently over it.

[@VibeVixen02]

I enjoyed that you were straight to the point (even if the video ran a bit long). I am educated and empowered now to do GB mods 💪

[@Spheriously]

Love these videos! Keep them coming! You resparked my interest in Electronics, and I'm currently in the process of building an electronics lab from scratch. Going to get an X-tronic 5040-XR3 Hot Air Rework Station, and all the other typical equipment one would need. I've got ebay bids open as we speak for things waiting to be fixed! Thanks for the spark!

[@cottonsquab9504]

Little coincidence, I came here to check which company you recommended for the mod and it was the 1 year anniversary of this video. 🎉🎉🎉

[@mcorivervsaf]

Excellent video! Might consider this mod in the future! Just for the record, from 11:15 to 11:25, you sound like Foamy the Squirrel! LOL! 😂

[@WickedTwitches]

Always thought this would be a worthwhile mod. Thanks for the tutorial!

[@tracyvandusen8454]

Thanks for then handheldlegend info! They don't have the parts I need to try repairing my game gear but if I decide to backlight it or replace the screen while I do, I have a resource! And I can replace my atomic game boy color's battery cover. :)

[@coolthinghere6853]

"just gonna clean up the screen a bit..." *wipes like its murder evidence*

[@TheBrokenPast]

That looks great! Now you're going to convince me to tear mine apart that I refurbished in my video (that looks gorgeous at the moment, if I do say so myself!) and add this mod to it.... Now I have to decide, do I want to mod that one, or grab a second one to do this mod to, in case something goes horribly wrong and I end up ruining it? Decisions, decisions......

[@YuuB0t413]

Yo, cheers on 100 dude.

[@TheBrokenPast]

Thanks! Got a long ways to go to catch up to @RetroRepairs! :)

[@RetroRepairs]

Dooo iitt

[@TheBrokenPast]

@@RetroRepairs Fine, fine..... challenge accepted!

[@Itsmealder]

Lol to funny! Yes, this clown end up messing it up, no wondering why you called your shitty channel the broken past

[@BrianOfAteionas]

Just an observation (because I don't think I actually know what I'm talking about, and maybe it's just an effect of the camera) but when you had the polarizing filter rotated only half way (diamond shape) right at 30:38 it looks perfect to my eyes. I wonder if those filters were cut out wrong.

[@carlstein9278]

Yeah, i thought the same thing

[@HIPERGroudon]

this is true, maybe the contrast knob was interfering?

[@BrianOfAteionas]

@@HIPERGroudon Ahh, I think I figured it out, and I actually feel kind of stupid lol. In the first position he mentions the colors are inverted, and the halfway position I said it looks perfect to my eyes, and in the final position it is very high contrast, but slightly blue. I've determined that what this likely means, is that when the filter is in the halfway position, it is basically doing nothing, which makes the screen look familiar (normal) and preferable for me, but not for someone who is wanting to increase the contrast. The camera is likely also making what we see even more contrast rich.

[@almangar01]

Thanks for the detailed instructions on how to install the backlight and bivert mod. I just took mine apart and you missed the 4 screws on the non LCD board to hold it to the case. Not sure where you put them on your mat, but they didn't make it back into the Gameboy.

[@arnoolve]

Thank you for this guide video, I just did my first backlight install and bivert mod successfully myself. Im proud of myself and thankful to you sir. Have you ever done a replacement F1 and F2 fuses on a DS Lite? I would really like to see a video on how you would install those tiny fuses.

[@neyensb]

Removing that original film is a pain. I destroyed 3 gameboys so far.. Nice job on your backlight!

[@acie502]

Love your vids, man! Just did a shell replacement on a beat up SP I purchased and I'm waiting on my v2 IPS display from funnyplaying!

[@OdionProductions]

Bought this kit because of your video. I did a v1 version of this on my instantclassicgames channel years go. Takes me back

[@RetroRepairs]

Nice, good luck with the mod.

[@andrewlopez4375]

Nice job man. I did that mod to mine came out good and gorgeous

[@ScruffyLookinRGB]

Very through backlight mod video best on you tube new subscriber here. I will definately link your video when i finish mine. Look forward to watching more of your work. 👍👍👍

[@thejoker2846]

When you say "quick fix" you know everything is going to go wrong and take over an hour 😂

[@BulletBillBowser]

He said quick fix and I saw the length of the video of 50 minutes lol. Not that I'm complaining, I prefer longer videos

[@RetroRepairs]

Ha, yeah i should have known there was nothing quick about it

[@risandivon]

That's basically 'how to turn Pokemon Red into Pokemon Blue"

[@cameronsmith9562]

I don't understand this comment.

[@RetroRepairs]

Because it has a blue tint to it, so it looks like pokemon blue

[@willtyler6]

Oh I thought it meant making it worse because blue wasn’t as good as red

[@dtiydr]

12:00 Doggo!! thumbs up. It look so dam fun when a dog just laying down and don't move but wag its tail when you talk to it. :D

[@SiddharthaJr.]

Did you cut some space for the red and blue cable for the backlight out of the Bracket? I think the light from the buttom is beacause of that..

[@nrdesign1991]

That's a neat mod board. Makes it soo easy to do!

[@RetroRepairs]

Yeah, nice that the holes line up where they need to be. Very straightforward install

[@xD3adKl0wnx]

just out of curiosity, are the horizontal lines on the screen something to do with the camera filming it, or are they visible in person as well? Kinda makes it look like loose leaf paper.

[@RetroRepairs]

It's the camera, they don't appear in person.

[@vivisect53]

I was wondering the same thing. Since they don't show before modding the camera may only pick it up due to the higher contrast.

[@Ribby00]

Might be a shutter thing on the camera

[@maltronics]

Well made,and very informative video thanks

[@Odin21100]

Is it just me of did the ac power jack adapter located at @3:12 & @35:03 look more like the headphone jack adapter than an ac power jack adapter???

[@RetroRepairs]

That's because what i was calling an ac adapter, is in fact a headphone jack. 😞

[@ZonicMirage]

Interesting that it has tri-wing screws. The Game Brick I have is put together with regular philips head. Maybe it's a later revision.

[@RetroRepairs]

I think the very early versions used Philips, this board was a revision-6, so much later in its life

[@ZonicMirage]

@@RetroRepairs That would make sense, as a transitional period before the Pocket and true hardware upgrades.

[@dacgaming415-30P]

my gameboy don't have tri wing screws. all are phillips including the outside shell. i bought mine soon after it came out. guess they changed it in later years of production

[@mikesadlak6403]

One video I would personally love to see you do is: Game Boy Advance - Repairing Dead GBA. I'd love to see how you go about fixing one, especially with a dead chip.

[@RetroRepairs]

I've got a gba coming, but it's just bad buttons, probably an easy fix. I am keeping an eye out for good deals on broken gbas at the moment

[@DontPaniku]

Should I pull off the 2 foam pads that are under screen?

[@stevenmedlock2645]

Followed the tutorial and when switched on I had some blank lines near the top of the screen. Removed the bivert chip to check for any bridging of soldering and the two pins snapped off when folding them up off the chip. Is there anyway to repair it now?

[@mltrymn1213]

Great video! Cant wait for the Game Gear mod.

[@retrobear9367]

When I put mine back together. The screen goes blank until I press on the case, which isn't all the way closed. But pressing also messes with the picture even more. I can sometimes get it to look right. but it doesn't last long. Wonder if the my case is hitting the bivert

[@PringlesEG]

You forgot the 2 screws in the bottom of the back board. They go in the black holes.

[@ghostsonme1922]

I have my backlight in and filter but I don’t see anything did I break it. It only displays the white and blue screen

[@nerdyshyguy23]

You should make a video of easiest to hardest either consoles, game cartridges, or controllers to repair

[@spacecabbage]

you don't remove the original polarizing film?

[@tristensmith9314]

I did the same mod without the Bivert mod but I can’t get any from the backlight just a white screen

[@pentiummmx2294]

looks much better than the stock non backlit screen

[@damiensees4232]

I just attempted this mod and I ruined my screen peeling the reflective sticker off. I guess I pulled too hard and separated the two layers of the screen in the corner. I have a spare DMG to try again but I'm seriously considering spending the money on a Funnyplaying IPS screen kit.

[@gamez1]

@retrorepairs can you give me an estimation of the battery life impact when the backlight and bivert mod are installed? thx

[@dtiydr]

27:28 There is a huge ground just beneath it which is the very reson the ground on the board is right there.

[@nellfuntimecoops5331]

Great vid but I was wondering has anyone noticed that there volume doesn't go as loud once the backlitscreen is fitted.

[@DerUntergangRush]

I'm wondering about a dyi for repairing a badly delamianted/contact damaged screen on my still funtional GB. I'd like to hack it into a diff beast altogether.

[@shadowking141ghost]

you should get ultrasonic cleaner. can you do gameboy advance next

[@josephhopper3849]

You have great content thank you 😁

[@JonasVilander]

Hot damn, that original Game Boy is PRISTINE compared to the ones I usually see.

[@RetroRepairs]

Amazing what happens when people take care of their stuff. It's baffling how some people let their stuff get to be in such bad condition

[@kupo1upofficial549]

The backlit bivert mod only gives this blueish light?

[@TinnitusRelief]

What to do about a couple of vertical lines that won't go away with a soldering iron, and don't even show up with pressure? Not for a second. :/

[@mezgo4537]

Tinnitus Relief ! Most possible situation is unfortunately they are most likely permanently damaged and unable to be fixed

[@Krimsorn]

Aagh, you cleaned invisible dust at the end but left the fluff ball in, The OCD in me is boiling lol

[@RobotJeeg]

Can you tell me when you clean the battery contacts in the video? I have no time to see the whole video now and I cannot find the exact moment. I want to know what you use to clean that kind of rust-corrosion-green-stuff .

[@RetroRepairs]

In order, eraser, alcohol, very fine 2500 grit sandpaper if necessary

[@RobotJeeg]

@@RetroRepairs Thank you.

[@nintendoentertainmentsyste5705]

Is the Bivert mod required to install for the backlight?

[@unfriedtoast2861]

Just recently purchased my first GameBoy DMG, everything seems to be working fine, but there is a screen burn. Where can i purchase a new reflective polarizer? I don't think i want to commit to putting a backlight in it yet as i want to keep this one original. Any help would be great. Thanks for any help and I love the channel!!!

[@Ricky_85000]

My screen starts with a fullscreen and then darkens a few rows at the top of the screen. Is this normal ?

[@mattresetar7178]

Does the bivert chip stop the Game Genie from working somehow?

[@Grynjolf]

Why did it look so much better when you rotated the filter 45 degrees than the full 90? And are the horizontal lines from the camera or are they actually there?

[@RetroRepairs]

Horizontal lines are from the camera. I think it's all about the way the camera captures light

[@PrsnmanGaming]

What kind of soap did you use when soaking the plastic?

[@RetroRepairs]

In this case, just regular hand soap, but I'll also use dish soap like dawn. Nothing fancy. Hot water is more important that what soap

[@PrsnmanGaming]

@@RetroRepairs Awesome, thanks

[@theberch]

So, if one wanted to buy one of these... or send in my current GB .... how would one go about that.

[@Raskolnikov32]

Those bits of cardboard on the blades are slide-off, so you slide them back on again.

[@jcreazy]

I did one of these and got a tiny bit of alcohol stuck in between the screen and polarizing film and it won't go away. I don't feel like talking the Gameboy back apart though.

[@RetroRepairs]

That's a pain. It should dry out eventually as it's not airtight in there

[@alexanderarce3341]

@ RetroRepairs I need your help repair a Game Boy Color I have.

[@dacgaming415-30P]

after the retro fit i got no picture but i have sound. dunno what i did wrong. i watch you do it while i was doing it on mine pausing and backing up. lost my gameboy.

[@RetroRepairs]

Did you make sure to replace the Polarizing filter? Without it, you won't be able to see any image. These screens send the display line by line through a ribbon cable, so it's unlikely you've completely killed it. Even if you botched it, you should get some sort of image.

[@dacgaming415-30P]

@@RetroRepairs i used the polerizer that came with the back lite screen. i have no picture. i have link awakening in. no picture and all i have is sound. could i have gotten a bad bivert module?? i put it to dark no pic. changed it too light no pic.

[@dacgaming415-30P]

@@RetroRepairs I took off the bivert module and zelda is backwords on the screen.

[@RetroRepairs]

@@dacgaming415-30P did you mske sure to resolder the pins and check for bridges?

[@dacgaming415-30P]

@@RetroRepairs not yet but used the old polierizer i took off and holding the pins down with a flatheat the zelda name is backwords. dunnowhy it would be backwords

[@kellycarter4517]

11:15 Me: Uhh guys r u hearing what I'm hearing...?

[@Jpars231]

If the shell was more yellow, how would you go about cleaning it up?

[@RetroRepairs]

Look up a technique called retrobrite. It's basically a heavy duty peroxide & UV treatment

[@TJ.Mars_art]

Can you review the nubsup emulator

[@datswissguy5387]

I really enjoy your videos. But there's something i don't understand: Instead of your makeshift battery-pak, why didn't you hook it up to an adjustable PSU? Just use some alligator clips and hook up the output of your Lab PSU to the battery terminals, no batteries needed.

[@RetroRepairs]

Had i had an adjustable psu, then that would definitely work, but i make do with what I've got

[@Alice.59]

after you put the backlight and bivert mode , did the line on the screen are just due to the camera or is it like that in reality too ?

[@RetroRepairs]

That's the camera. It's much cleaner in person

[@Alice.59]

@@RetroRepairs nice :) , thank you for answering

[@joseantoniopelaezamador9493]

Hi! First of all thank you for the video! Please, I need some help! I have already installed my backlight and bivert chip but I don't know why gameboy only works with games without internall battery, I mean, for example when I play kirby's dreamland everything works properly but when I try to play pokemon or Mario land 2 which have battery , gameboy do not works. It is switched on but only the the panel light. I think that I have a problem with the voltage. Is it because of the batteries? I have tried to put a resistor ( 100ohm and 200ohm ) and remains in the same way. Please could you help me? Thank you!

[@RetroRepairs]

Odd, I don't have this issue with mine. Where did you tap into 5v to power the backlight? Possibly its drawing too much from that source?

[@joseantoniopelaezamador9493]

@@RetroRepairs I soldered the wires to the central capacitor as in the video. My voltage on the cap pins is 4.2v and 3v at the cartridge inlet. I have thought of soldering directly to the + and - of the battery connector. What do you think about it?

[@SnowyAshton]

Curious, but where did you get your blue repair mat?

[@RetroRepairs]

Amazon

[@richardhudson3014]

I actually had a game boy just like that and I just wish that they had a mod like that one back then and my gaming experience would have been a lot better not saying that I didn't have a lot of fun but my game boy would have been much better than it was!!!

[@richardwest711]

I found a DMG that had been in a carport for God know how long, the lady said she was the original owner, but it's weird? It had vertical lines, been watching you vids for a wile now, so I figured I would run your video wile I did my repair. It's a grey dmg I am sure never opened. Why does it have Philips screws?

[@RetroRepairs]

There may have been some versions with Phillips screws, some old NES carts came with those instead of the security screws. I haven't come across it myself, but that wouldn't surprise me if that were the case

[@richardwest711]

@@RetroRepairs I wish I could send you a pict, and i owe you a few beers, the stuff you have taught me so far has help more than you know. It's just such a sweet find for me, comes with a cool story to.

[@strra]

@30:04 uh oh that line...

[@Ronin7477]

Do you do this as a service as well? I want to do this to my system some day, but have no soldering experience.

[@RetroRepairs]

No, i just don't have the time to operate a repair shop.

[@Ronin7477]

@@RetroRepairs I understand, thank you for replying. I'll probably have to do it myself and use your video as a tutorial. How hard is it to learn to solder?

[@RetroRepairs]

It's not bad at all. My suggestion is find some board that you don't care about and practice there. Practice soldering parts on and removing them. Check out Eevblog on KZbin hes got some excellent soldering tutorial videos.

[@titosimoes9782]

does this mod look alittle more blue than usual? i've seen a couple other videos and i feel like they didn't look so much like pen ink. Maybe its just the camera? Either way, Good work, thanks for showing us each step so clearly

[@RetroRepairs]

There are different color backlights as well. I was debating Between white and soft yellow which would look a bit more like the original.

[@titosimoes9782]

@@RetroRepairs oh cool. Everyone also seems to go for the blue mod. I'm gonna look the other colours up, thanks!

[@edgardhomar]

Very very cool.

[@vanitas-gaming]

i want more videos you're awesome

[@omegacloud20]

Literally just did this mod last week, from British Columbia myself 👍

[@purifierphoenixthemecca]

how bout a 120hz display?

[@dannymartinez2380]

Can you do a full mcwill screen mod for the sega game gear

[@RetroRepairs]

Not for $120+ shipping, no

[@chillgroove2038]

HELP @retrorepairs ! I performed this mod but when everything plugged back and soldered the backlight was working but screen and sound not working, seems games arent booting... seems like ive fucked it :( any ideas?

[@RetroRepairs]

Only suggestion is to go back and inspect your soldering. Make sure there's no bridges or shorts to ground. Are the pins you soldered to the bivert board connected properly? If all else fails, remove the chip and backlight and see if it works without then try again.

[@chillgroove2038]

@@RetroRepairs the plot thickens! So the GB will power on and display the black rectangle with accompanying sound with no cartridge in but will not boot with a game in it and just show blank screen... any ideas? btw really appreciate the help!

[@retrogameplus3838]

ALL PRAISE KONA

[@limitlessgodjosh8870]

I really want this done with my game boy Im kind of nervous I’d brake it

[@juliojacobo8425]

Wish I could get my hands on one. I lost my game boy about 3 years ago when I moved out. Are you selling this one by any chance??

[@RetroRepairs]

I might sell, hadn't really given it any thought

[@dw9932]

Mine was kinda crappy but great with being old as it is and I restored it

[@MarcianoDeAndradeJunior]

do you have any ds lite to fix? I need to clean some milk that got between the lower screen, but i'm too scared to open it up by myself... ps.: you are making me like to fiddle with eletronics again, I haven't done that in ages lol. I love your vids man

[@RetroRepairs]

Unfortunately no, no ds lite. Shouldn't be too diffixult to open, just be patient and careful around any ribbon connectors, they're very delicate on the ds

[@TheBrokenPast]

Sorry, I don't meant to cross-spam on @RetroRepair's videos. But if you want a super-detailed walkthrough of a case swap / refurb of a DS Lite, I've got a pretty in-depth video of that process! You can see it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npO7iHmoqbGmnJY It's a pretty detailed process, but if you take it slow and steady, it's not too bad of a process! Especially if you're only doing the lower screen, it's a super easy process to swap the screen / digitizer out if you need to!

[@lolix331]

Anyone have idea how to replace ribbon attached to lcd responsible for vertical lines? have one good screen with damaged ribbon, and second damaged screen with good ribbon

[@RetroRepairs]

I've never seen it done, not sure how possible it is. Connecting it to the board is definitely doable, but it'll be a challenge to remove it from the screen. You might be better off trying to jump the damaged part of the ribbon with some wire

[@lolix331]

@@RetroRepairs Removing this ribbon is rather easy, just using some soldering iron and when its hot its just letting go... but attach back its impossible since glue is no longer holding. WireJumping its hard since there is no connection point on both ends

[@420BraiseIt]

I'm in Canada too. Whereabouts are you located?

[@RetroRepairs]

Northern Ontario

[@420BraiseIt]

@@RetroRepairs Oh cool! I'm in southern Manitoba

[@RetroRepairs]

Right on. Close, but also really far

[@420BraiseIt]

@@RetroRepairs Yeah, I used to manage a Source electronics store here, so when I saw your Nexxtech solder I got all excited! I know that I've ended up buying many "end of life" clearance spools of solder and at least a couple "helping hand" magnifying glass holders haha.

[@Fr0st3d]

Hey another Canadian! (I'm from Vancouver Island)

[@djdresden242]

Yay dog! :D

[@eldontyrellcorp]

What is this bivert feature ?

[@RetroRepairs]

It inverts the color of the pixels on the screen, then you rotate the polarizing film to invert it back. The result is a much better contrast and much easier to make out the different greys.

[@eldontyrellcorp]

@@RetroRepairs thanks for nice explanation ! I've ordered this kit btw :)

[@RetroRepairs]

Awesome. Good luck with the mod, it makes a world of difference

[@jeremyowen1]

I remember my school crossing guard sitting in her little lawn chair playing tetris on her gameboy DMG.

[@thelegendkillersshittyduff1335]

Out of all occupations she should not be playing a damn game.

[@TheHobbsTV]

Great video as always! If you want to sell it, shoot me a PM

[@RetroRepairs]

I was actually just thinking about doing a few of these and trying to sell them, I'd put the link in the description or something. Since KZbin has taken away PMs, send me an email to [e-mail] and we can chat.

[@bradp213]

Don't use a paper towel to clean the screen. Use a microfiber cloth. Paper towels scratch the shit out of it.

[@roodgarddemesyeux6673]

Would you be willing to mod my GBC if I mailed it to you. Willing to pay

[@Meechree]

I don’t mean to poach any business from RetroRepairs, but depending on what you’d like to do and what you’re willing to spend, and if RR declines, I’d be interested in helping!

[@RetroRepairs]

Sorry, i didn't see this. I don't really have alot of time lately to do jobs for people, so unfortunately i wouldn't be able to help you out with this one.

[@eco98]

I hate he left that bit of fluff under the lens