How to FIX Vertical Lines on a DMG Gameboy Screen

[@potse]

Do you have an explanation as to why this works? I've heard that dropping alcohol directly onto the screen can be dangerous, as it can leak under the display. What's your take on this? Great video btw! :)

[@KyleAwsm]

Thank you! 🙂 Unfortunately, I don't have an exact explanation - There's something about old displays like this that, after 30 years, they just start to develop this problem. Once I get the chance to tear down a dead/too-far-gone one, I'll make a video on it! Also, the alcohol can be hazardous if it gets into the creases between the layers of glass. My experience of using it as a topical cleaning solution on many different kinds of displays hasn't failed me yet! I just recommend not using too much. A couple drops go a long ways! 🙂👍🏻

[@bengrimmett1239]

@@KyleAwsm Regarding how it works, the ribbon has a layer of conductive glue which makes contact with the tiny traces on the glass itself. Heating reflows this glue and rebonds the contact. As for alcohol, on LCD's with multiple loose layers, like the GBA with its diffusers, if it gets in contact with them it causes them to swell and warp and this can't be undone. The DMG, pocket and GBC don't have these diffusers so you can drown them in alcohol with no ill effects - within reason.

[@KyleAwsm]

@Ben Thanks man! Always backing me up! 😎👍🏻

[@KyleAwsm]

For anyone looking at this pin, make sure you heed Ben's advice above! 👆🏻 Good advice and insight there!

[@potse]

@@bengrimmett1239 Thanks for the explanation :)

[@esotericsean]

This should be the go-to standard video for fixing vertical lines. :)

[@KyleAwsm]

Thanks so much, Sean! 😊👍🏻

[@David-bh7hs]

This channel is critically underrated.

[@2mshiftboots345]

100%

[@Burgletrouser]

I was devastated when my game lost the edge pixels when I was young. I'm stoked this brought it back. Thanks!

[@slink4u]

Thanks! I used this to restore ALL ~30 dead lines on my DMG! A few notes: 1) Clear away the adhesive strip over the ribbon cable from the affected areas--that stuff will just slow you down; 2) Clean tip is key; 3) When close to done, it helped to press the ribbon a little with a blunt tool; 3) Patience is also key--first time took me about 2 hours; 4) Remember to get the speaker behind the top pc board before reattaching the ph screws; 5) Actually, 1-2 lines didn't restore directly with the solder/press method but fortuitously revived when everything was reassembled, perhaps from the press fit of everything.

[@barrelroll_poopoopeepee]

Ive seen various videos about this, but I didnt know that setting the iron to 450 is helpful. Thank you so much!

[@dmagginnis]

Epic! I just took the Gameboy apart, removed the inner screws to access the LCD rubber bumper area, ran my soldering iron over the area under the bumper until all the lines were gone and now my screen is back to normal. Thank you so much for this video! I thought I was gonna be stuck with just one gameboy. Really wanted a set because I have multi taps. After putting everything back, It works like new!! You rock! Thanks again! Dave M.

[@petruccilewis]

Hi, I've just noticed your channel for the first time and I'm still watching this video, but I have to say: great content, awesome quality. Image is sharp, everything is clearly explain and edition is accurate, so you can go straight to the point. I love it

[@skylerwatkins8562]

Just tried this on one of my Gameboy systems that was having this issue. 550°F worked better for me than 450°F, but I followed your steps and successfully fixed it! Great video!!

[@HeyyitzAlyssa]

Thanks so much for this video! My parents just found a gameboy in the garage and it worked but had a lot of vertical lines on the screen. Your method worked perfectly :) a 1989 gameboy restored and looks almost new after cleaning and fixing the lines :) it felt good restoring a piece of history. I was planning on selling it but I don’t think I can now lol

[@craigselder]

Brilliant stuff. My heart sank when I turned on the Game Boy I had as a kid to see a ton of lines missing. All fixed now thanks to this video!

[@rrafal]

Oh man I was always doing that through the rubber and with that special one I was about to give up but man you showed me that the iron is not gonna destroy the ribbon directly... now it works properly, thanks a lot

[@ro8inmorgan]

Thank you very much! Today I bought a Gameboy from somebody online for 50 dollars including 6 games and when I was there to pick it up I only turned it on briefly seeing the nintendo logo scroll down I assumed it was working fine. Person seemed very trustable. Once home I realized both on left and right allot of part of the screen was missing which I didnt see because the nintendo logo is only in the middle. I was really sad and kinda felt scammed, but then I saw your video and decided to give it a try. And indeed it worked perfectly and my screen is like new. Thank you very much you made my day!

[@DJLegoMan13]

This tutorial worked like a charm :) My dad's gameboy sprung back to life in an instant!

[@Ones2watch]

Thanks to you i could fix the first console i ever got as a kid. I couldn't use it for years because of the screen. Now I'm playing my zelda links awakening that i bought on release date december 1st 1999 (europe) . Amazing very well put together video with great instructions.

[@7070g]

It didn't do anything at first. After a few minutes the first lines disappeared permanently and now it is like new. Thank you!

[@leviblanchard8256]

Incredible! One important note! Dont be too firm with the iron or too light, just a slight amount of pressure!

[@megapixel2004]

Just checking in to say this video was very helpful for me! Got my DMG-01 fixed right up! Thanks a lot!

[@shadowdancer2439]

Thank you very much for this! I just purchased an original gameboy off eBay with this issue, and didn't realize I could fix it. Now I can play all my childhood classics again!

[@yanyanyan1113]

After watching your video and noticed the repairing part was roughly underneath the LCD, I pressed that part down gently and firmly without openig the shell. Wala, the missing vertical lines are back! Thanks for the tutorial!

[@Irons_FN]

Thank you! I can’t believe that worked! I’ve had my original gameboy since 1992 and man, I was sad when I booted it up this evening. But that is to your video, it works like it did back in the day! Pokémon silver, here I come!!

[@gavinweaver5291]

I'm repairing about 15 and a few have this issue, thanks for the guide!!

[@cableferret9804]

I honestly thought the screen was a goner until I watched this. Thank you!

[@OG_Zero_Cool]

I just picked up a DMG Gameboy for $10 yesterday with this same issue and though I would have had to replace the entire screen!! THANK YOU!!! +1 LIKE & +1 SUB w/ Notifications!!!!

[@redstonegaming7969]

Where did you get a DMG for only $10?

[@SianaGearz]

Lucky that they seem to have a somewhat temperature resilient display cable there. On other types of devices, the cable can be polypropylene based and bad things happen when such repair is attempted.

[@KyleAwsm]

Yup, the DMG is a tank! 😁 Even the LCD ribbon is robust. Thanks for watching!

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Cool, this can also be used to fix laptop lines. It's nice you informed us of the temperature of the soldering iron. God bless.

[@matheuselias3981]

Man thank you so so so so so much. My uncle gave to me his old game boy when I was a kid, but it has with that problem, today I finally could repair him and now it works perfectly, thank you so much again.

[@diddles976]

Will definitely be trying this. I got an old Gameboy from somebody that had both sides of the screen completely dead.

[@thomasbosdijk2973]

Thanks for this , works like a charme ! I did use a wider solder head and a higher temp.

[@oidempseyio4682]

Thanks had mine sat in the cupboard waiting to do this finally got round to it found this video thanks worked a treat happy holidays

[@petruccilewis]

Thank you for this great tutorial. I just got a dmg gameboy and the screen had the same problem, but even worse. Thanks to you, I have been able to fix it :)

[@Newbluejay]

Thank you for making this video, i’m getting a new front motherboard to replace mine and it has vertical lines. I’ll keep you guys posted on how it goes

[@mparsons85]

Worked great! Thanks for the help. Got worse before it got better. Be patient while doing this.

[@sblexls]

Awesome job brother! Thank you for the informative video. Well done, deserves way more likes and views.

[@susanfit47]

I use to do it the past growing up. Now I want to do again on the regular Game Boy soon...

[@AdrienJOLY]

I successfully repaired my GameBoy's display by following your instructions, thank you so much for that! The only doubt I had was when trying to put the black rubber thing back into place: I thought it was gonna stick but it didn't, so it was a bit complicated to keep in position when reassembling the screen / front of the GameBoy. Cheers from Paris, France !

[@levimaaia]

Mine had a ton of lines. I ended up starting with the soldering iron and then whipping out the surface mount heat gun on 300°F on low fan setting pressing down with a tweezer. Worked a little better than the iron, actually. This method might work to save screens that are really far gone.

[@CandiedC]

This issue started forming for me a few years ago. Now it’s gotten to the point of ur gameboy

[@Gameboy-Unboxings]

At 4:42 did you just put the original rubber strip back on?? If not, where do you get a new one? And also does it actually have to go back on? Thanks.

[@jacobwatson5484]

This video is great managed to fix the 2 lines out in my CiB DMG. Thanks!

[@ryancarroll6625]

Great video, been thinking about doing this for a Gameboy I recently picked up, although I had horizontal lines as well and a discolored shell, so might just go full on with it and get a funnyplaying mod kit for a new screen

[@ayth81]

Great tutorial! I managed to finally repair my GB. I couldn't put back the rubber band directly beneath the screen. But there was still some glue on the other side beneath the glass part so I used that. Only issue is my screen looks slightly off centered now so If may have reopen the case.

[@JBAHM1]

Great video, but I will say to anyone who has a rework station on hand "just skip the soldering iron". I fought with my screen for about an hour with my soldering iron and really was not getting very far with it, 20 seconds with my air rework station set to 250 C/lowest airflow settings and the screen was back to perfect. FWIW.

[@XxascusxX]

Super helpful comment the screen was super stuborn with the iron but I managed to fix it in less than a minute with the rework station.

[@GrumpyTy34er]

Worked great for the hoarder house Gameboy I found! That said, I lost a $10 bet because I thought the unmarked game was going to be Tetris; it was Super Mario Land!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

Excellent video. Only as long as it needed to be while still giving clear instruction. I've been on a major Game Boy kick lately, and decided to pick up a broken DMG that came with it's original box for my channel. My only concern was the Game Boy needed a vertical line fix, but looks like it shouldn't be too much trouble! Perhaps I could direct people to this tutorial in my video celebrating the Game Boy :) Would you be okay with that?

[@KyleAwsm]

Thank you for watching! And of course - I would be entirely ok with that! 🙂👍🏻 Cheers!

[@RetroBirdGaming]

@@KyleAwsm All right! Sounds good :)

[@ChrisSmith-oy8fg]

How do you replace the rubber strip? Is it a new strip? Where do you buy? What type of adhesive do you use?

[@jasperbaker1155]

He means just put the old one back not buy a new one

[@SpareRoomPokemon]

Thank you so much for the video!!! I'm going to fix my girlfriends Game Boy and she's so excited :)

[@marklefireflowerpeevus4796]

worked like a charm. Thank you, great explanation.

[@jezarmstrong7891]

you sir, are a life saver

[@Ghostie.]

Thanks dude! Just what I was looking for.

[@nicolocetto]

So i found out that hot air guns do work aswell, just be careful with the temperature (i lowered it 40-50°C from the recommended one in the vid) and be careful not to blow it on the screen directly!

[@huhhuhhuh4069]

Do u have to use a solder? Some tutorials just press down on the contact strip…

[@thornwall6303]

I was looking up how to fix screen lines, and this was the first google result! Should I be concerned that I didn't need a tri wing screwdriver in order to take off the screws on the back? it had philip's head screws

[@saskatoonguy]

Too late now but that just means your DMG-001 was an early release model.

[@HeyyitzAlyssa]

No don’t be concerned, mine was the same way

[@cardboardcomputing]

Good tutorial, Worked perfectly!

[@Dannyqmchtc]

Hi Kyle. Is it possible that some lines are totally unfixable? I've tried on mine, but doesn't work, the vertical line is still there. If I'll insist to much, the bottom screen will turn black, but the vertical line won't fill up, it's still white. Do you have some advice? Thank you!

[@birdman0149]

Thank you!!! Worked like a charm!

[@sj314]

Thanks Bro just got GB from ebay with same lines like in ur example

[@nextlvlroy]

where do you buy those rubber strips that go under the display screen? thanks

[@marekrakowski]

Do you have any recommendations on what glue will work to replace the original adhesive strip? On my GB the adhesive was so worn out that the rubber piece wouldn't stick to it, so I applied a tiny bit of paper glue for time being, but would rather replace it with something more appropriate.

[@DavidJohnson-FridayShoes]

My dmg has poor contrast, any videos on how to fix this?

[@carez4]

You can change the cap kit, old capacitors are usually the issue. Sth like this : console5.com/store/game-boy-dmg-01-cap-kit.html

[@KyleAwsm]

Car4 beat me to it. Yup, dying/bad capacitors are typically to blame for stuff like this, sound issues too. Cheers, guys! 🙂👍🏻

[@LogrusUK]

What an absolutely SPOT ON video tutorial. I am going to do this later today! Thanks, man - easy Sub from me - have a great weekend.

[@michaelharris5281]

My soldering iron only goes up to 400 which worked okay! Thanks so much for your help

[@Ezyasnos]

Probably that's in Celcius, which is about 752 Fahrenheit.

[@katho8472]

@@Ezyasnos Yup! 450°F equals roughly 230°C...

[@OnGod1007]

Work perfectly. Thank you very much

[@Thegreat772]

Oh so just patience. I'll try again tonight but I actually think it's done for. There are lines so that's something

[@brian83011]

Personally I also remove the adhesive strip just by peeling it back it seems easier and cleaner, I just use a glue to to glue the black rubber strip back afterwards

[@KyleAwsm]

That works, but I wouldn't recommend that, in case you have to repair the ribbon again sometime down the road, which I've seen happen from time to time. Thanks for watching! 👍🏻

[@brian83011]

​@@KyleAwsm by glue stick I mean the kids type so it just lifts off again easy in future but is strong enough to keep it on

[@mnida32]

@@KyleAwsm I need to reapply my rubber strip. What adhesive do you recommend for that? Thanks for the video.

[@DavideNastri]

Great video! I have one pesky vertical line around the center of the screen left... What can I try?

[@Gameaddict2o9]

Thank you so much! I restored the screen!

[@voltazh]

Does this repair actually last? I'm thinking about buying a cheap-ish gameboy and fixing it, but i don't want to risk opening it and potentially damage it if this doesnt last for a relatively long time. Nice video tho!

[@Jagg753]

Where do you get the Rubber Strips for the bottom of the screen?

[@jasperbaker1155]

He means just put the old one back not buy a new one

[@leosagat]

Thanks!

[@lilGyros]

thanks a lot!! it really worked C:

[@carlnikolov]

Thats a very cool silicone mat where did you get it? :-)

[@gonebloodypsycho8759]

It's funny cause I'm also on a dmg playing links awakening and it's the thumbnail 😂

[@aaronvelting4491]

I don’t have a temp controlled softening iron but just a normal one, will that work?

[@rowanslattery6589]

Mines missing two horizontal lines, how do i fix that?

[@viking120373]

I got a japanese DMG 01 gameboy Classic and i have different lines missing even in center of screen ... They are all screen missing, so not only on the Borders... Could be unfixable? 🤔 I need find a friend help me With soldering iron because i'm not good. Thanks For reply

[@Ezyasnos]

This unfortunately didn't work on my (European) Gameboys, as a matter of fact; it made things far worse. So, if it doesn't work out, I'd say quit it and just put some extra rubber on the rubber strip so it pushes it physically down.

[@willrussell01]

Would using a hot air iron work too at that same temperature?

[@968one]

Thank you

[@anthonyknight2081]

i am going to try this has i have the same probblem

[@MrCrammer]

What size tri wing screwdriver do you need?

[@Sam-pc5cr]

How did you get the rubber strip to go back on?

[@kabirh3626]

Do it in Celsius or tell us at least 🤔

[@GeoUser]

is it normal for it to take long to revive the dead lines

[@thedagenator2006]

can i use my soldering iron if it doesn't have a temperature control?

[@huge_balls]

Yeah I was wondering the same

[@HeyyitzAlyssa]

I did

[@sukellynunez2877]

Can I send my old game boy. So you can fixed. I am willing to $$$. She has the horizontal lines. Still turn on and you can hear the game in the background.

[@gameaccount7160]

it has links down it

[@gameaccount7160]

can you fik my dmg game boy

[@florianpartage444]

finisht

[@KyleAwsm]

Thanks for watching! 🙂

[@Pixelated_Chicken]

This made it worse for me