Sega Game Gear Repair

[@graufuchs88]

There are lots of videos on youtube on how to do this,and your is the ONLY one I can understand, see clearly and enjoy.

[@VFL83]

I knew you would have a video to fix a game gear. I just found a box of broken game gear systems that i have had for years and this is going to help me greatly. Thanks Luke!

[@bencheshire]

truly warms my heart to hear the poor game gear raging again at the end! i'm gonna give this a go, been teaching myself to solder, and used game gears are pretty cheap because of this problem.

[@evilkinggumby]

It is is fun watching you do these. Ya know, in your reply to the bike tour of japan video when people suggested you get a forehead/head cam to make it easier to ride and talk and stuff, and you explained why not... I actually think that type of cam (or something on an articulating bandy arm) would do you SO much better in these videos so you have hands-free repairwork, package opening, and general taping. Pricey, but.. MAN.. would be really sweet to see you less frustrated :)

[@xbmc767]

Never seen soldering with the mouth; hope it’s lead free ;) I also recently replaced the caps on a Game Gear. The hardest part was fitting the new caps on the sound board. I ended up tearing a cap's leg off along with its soldering pad reassembling. It was the same cap you used a surface mount for. The sound still works; score one for Half Ars repair lol Always de-solder the old caps as the pads are fragile. Never tear them off like many KZbin guides recommend. Glad you did things right

[@douglasfernandes9969]

one of the greatest classics of Sega that surely deserves a good restoration.

[@lawrencelal1]

Thank You Luke. Got My Game Gear Working. It's Been About 10 Years Since Last Boot Up For The Unit. Part's Came From The Source Canada, And Radio Shack USA. Changed The Same Cap's You Did. Burned Three Of My Fingers With Soldering Touching The Hot Pen, But 3 Day's Later Booted Up Perfect First Hit. Thank-You.

[@PixelManiaLeCast]

Hi Luke, thank you so much. Today i repaired my first GameGear, you helped me so much this video. Best regards, MrShu.

[@IgkuitBBswm]

Awesome! This is a repair that I was actually going to do here soon, so this is great! A quick question. Is it a Model 1 or 2 Genny/Megadrive AC adapter that the GameGear uses?

[@MercuryCobalt]

Thank you so much for posting this great video. I just got all of the capacitors I need. I hope I'm able to resurrect my Game Gear too.

[@getxyzzy]

jeez Luke, it's like watching full metal alchemist. "and now, all you do is-" *clap* *whoomp*. Awesome stuff! How do you know which caps you can swap voltages and ratings on?

[@ArcadeMagician]

With the new caps the sound became very nice! Great hit DUDE!

[@emmettturner9452]

11:30 I sure hope that’s lead-free solder if you are holding it in your mouth!

[@neilpirelli9240]

lead makes you strong

[@psistis80]

Nice vid Luke.I have a Game Gear my self and i was wondering if i can install a tv output and a Master System Controller because it is bulky in my hands.I have seen this done before but i did not get a response for 3 months now.

[@Locut0s]

Another fantastic video Luke, thanks. You are giving me the courage to try my hand at some of my own electronics repair even though I'm a newb. BTW would it be possible to give us a very rough idea of the cost of replacing the caps here, just ballpark numbers. Thanks again!

[@xbmc767]

Good point about the time/value ratio; I had the same nagging feeling when replacing the caps on my system. It costs me about $5 in caps & 1 hour of my time. However it was a learning experience. I would recommend replacing the caps on a GG as it’s a nice way to boost your confidence & grow accustomed to soldering. Digikey has caps for cheap & priced low too. They also have the oddball cap values that the GG requires. Don’t order cr2032 batteries though as it makes shipping costs ridiculous.

[@MrRom92DAW]

Hey luke, since you're much more experienced with this stuff I'm hoping you can help out. I'm having a REALLY weird issue after attempting a recap. I'm a complete beginner so I'm sure I screwed something up but I'm not sure what, and I'm hoping you may be able to point me in the right direction. This game gear I received had the typical lines on screen (or sometimes no image at all), and no sound problem, etc. I'm sure you know the deal. For the record, it is a VA1 board revision, with 1 ASIC. Yesterday, I started out first with the 2 smaller boards (audio and power) and completely recapped them using the caps I got in a kit off eBay. After doing so I reattached them and reassembled the console just to do a quick test to see if there was any improvement so far. It looked great! And it made sound! Although the image wasn't perfect it was pretty good all things considered. I'm thinking I probably should have left it like that. But anyway, I dissasembled it again so I could do the caps on the main board in the morning. Better to do things right than to leave a job half-done. So jump cut to today, I proceeed to remove all the caps on the main board. Clean off all the corrosion from underneath the caps, add some solder, put in the new ones… 2 and a half hours later I'm finally done and ready to close this thing up. Pop the cable connectors back in, put in a cart and get ready to see it in action. This is where things start getting weird. The image has actually gotten worse. If I leave the brightness dial in the middle, then the image looks absolutely normal. But if I start to turn it up brighter, the image actually begins to distort and stretches vertically as I turn the knob! Some lines appear as well. I really have no idea what might cause this but I'm really eager to get in there and make this thing right. I look at all the connections and they seem all right to me but again I honestly just don't really know what I'm doing. Like I said, complete novice. Are there any connections I should be looking at in particular that deal with that brightness knob? If it could be narrowed down to a particular capacitor I should be looking at that would be so helpful. Any assistance would be really appreciated!

[@1simo93521]

Lots of great tips. Thanks Luke. I have just bought my first soldering kit and will be trying some stuff myself. Thanks again.

[@dooronron69]

I fixed mine today using the paper guide that came with the caps, was really easy except surface ones on sound board, ripped off a couple of solder tabs on the board but did a work around with wire to the next point in the circuit and yippee I have a fully functioning gamegear, now to re live my childhood, :-)

[@EHProjects]

Great video! I just pulled my Game Gear out of storage and it's having these same issues. Now I know exactly what to do. Thank you!

[@ZPEntertainment]

Well, I just tried a friend's Game Gear the other day and it didn't work: it was in way worse condition (no sound, white screen with horizontal black moving lines) but maybe it's just a worse 'version' of the same problem... :) This video is what I needed! :D

[@Frenomnom]

I have NOO idea what you are talking about when you are looking at the motherboard.. but hell... you are AWESOME.. :)

[@jimsyhammond]

Hi! Great videos... Just wondering if you could answer a question. I brought a game gear and when I turn it on the screen goes black for a second then turns off. The power light doesn't turn on either. Would replacing the caps fix it? Or is it something else Thanks

[@einsp227]

Never cease to amaze Luke. Love all your vids.

[@Riddler95]

I was able to find a 100uF 25V Microfarad Capacitor, even though it isn't 16 or 10 volts could I still use it in place of the 68UF 6.3 Volt Capacitor?

[@Decidetto]

Hey Luke, have you ever had to recap a Mega Drive? I'm about to receive one (Japanese model 1, should be a VA5) and while it said it worked fully, I'm a little afraid it might need some work after all, so I'd like to be prepared. Do you have any pointers maybe?

[@R9000]

Hey do you have any videos on how to diagnose the causes of these problems (e.g. leaked caps)? I mean like a video devoted to diagnosis.

[@andersevenrud]

First time I've ever seen someone solder with the mouth... awesome!

[@samalayork]

black lines FIXED! my game gear is back to life i didnt change all caps but seems the .47 Mf ones you mentioned (R47) are the reponsibles for the black lines..all caps replaced came from a junked old sports radio.RECYCLED :D THANKS A LOT LUKEMORSE1 !!!

[@mintydog06]

haha very nice video :) And had some more information that others don't, like that weird 4.7 and 0.7 uf, ugh :( Would you say this is an easy system to repair? I've never even attempted to repair a retro console, but I love the idea of being able to repair them, so was thinking of getting a faulty Game Gear just to see if I could repair it.

[@darksondap94]

As you said afterwards, the capacitors marked with R47 50v have to be replaced with 0.47uf ones not with 47uf. I received a GameGear recently with this mistake, i hope the damage is not done

[@MicrofoneDC]

Hey Luke, nice video. So I'm trying to fix my game gear and couldn't find the .47μF and the 130μF capacitors. The others I found with the same μF but with high voltage (ex.: it's asked for one with 100μF and 4v but mine is 100μF and 16v, I guess it's ok right?). So, could you indicate different μF for those two that I still missing, please?

[@gworkshop4111]

I got a question, is it ok if I use for example a capacitor with the same uF but the Voltage like 2x ou 3x times more than the normal voltage?

[@TortureBot]

Awesome awesome job Luke! Nice work dude! Sounds amazing after the new caps!

[@16BitBrothers]

Awesome stuff Luke ! I am half way through fixing my game gear and had to leave it cuase my local electricals didnt have the capacitors but forget that im gonna order them online and use this vid to fix it up ! Cheers pal :-)

[@R3TR0R4V3]

Thanks for sharing! Now I can revive my dead screen game gear if I can source all the parts somewhere. Doesn't look too complicated though, you made it look easy. Cheers!

[@KrolTrol]

Perfect timing Luke. Got my hands on some game gears with all these problems. :) Thanks.

[@josecruzdesign]

Hello. I need screws for my Sega Game Gear: years ago I took it to a technician to fix a problem with it, but it came with two missing screws. I wanted to buy them. Could you please tell me, what kind of screws does it take? Thank you.

[@DamnDealDone]

Why wouldn't you clean the old solder off and the corrosion and the leaked capacitor juice? Fresh solder doesn't really mix with old solder very well.

[@samalayork]

Hi Lukemorse1! Great fix tutorial!!..my story: today after about 10 years i found my GG in its box, i remember it was working perfectly last time i used it, but now i tried to play it and it has the volume a little low, great screen brightness but black horizontal lines, i opened up and followed your tutorial, i found 4 leaked caps; C1,54,55&46, do you think the black lines issue would be fixed if i ONLY change those leaked caps? I mean... is the black lines issue related to the bad caps? Thanks! BTW i just restored an old tube Cb radio amplifier with big cap issue too, so i know some electronics but never into micro-electronics,but i wanna give it a shot on this fix...tnx again. Kind Regards

[@TheSynrgy1987]

when i recapped my gamegear while back, i was able to get hold of some short/stubby caps which i used for where you used that surface mount cap on the audio board, think i got them from maplin(uk) or ebay i can't remember now(maybe that'll help someone)

[@JiraiyaPlaysRetroGames]

If you ever get one of these in I need a replacement block thing. It’s that square resistor thing with a green or yellow wrapping inside it. The one I got had been modded unsuccessfully

[@tommyb1378]

Hey I'm having problems with the signal for the right dpad... the rubber and contacts are all fine but in games it's as if you are holding down the right dpad button. The game gear works great with the new capacitors but I can't stop moving right :(

[@Stevo701]

I goofed up and broke a solder pad. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[@lonewolf031]

I want to learn how to do repairs like that got any tips? I got a game gear that is not powering up when plugged or when batteries are inserted.

[@123Actionful]

We love you & all your mods/-repairs :) you are awesome!

[@tiborostube1]

Thanks, now I know I have a potentially perfectly functionnal Game Gear at home since it has the same screen and sound issues. It's up to me to try and learn some welding here.

[@ilcool90]

Luke I saw mods where modern screens with integrated modern backlight were fitted to the game gear, could you do such a mod ?

[@Chainsawyou]

How do you know if the capacitors need to be replaced?

[@MrEmilecraft]

Luke, can you put the links of the capacitors in the description?

[@BavarianM]

Now i got a game gear and i replaced the capacitors like a pro but i broke the contast whell do you have any replacements?

[@ValensBellator]

Finally a video with my particular model Game Gear :)

[@MegaGoVideo]

please give a list of the capacitors and where u got them

[@fgmonstertruk]

Is there a list for Capacitors to sega game gear bord number 837-7996 IC BD GG MAIN EUROPE? Because someone have already tried to repair this sega game gear with the wrong Capacitors.

[@lvpepe38]

Great video Luke. Have a great holiday weekend buddy even though it probably not a holiday in japan.

[@HelloComics]

Awesome repair job as always, Luke.

[@Soulcommander]

Nice job....Now where to get the caps. Loved your video. Thank you for showing everything with some detail.

[@teddygoray]

How can I fix the sound? I can't hear anything on my game gear? Thanks

[@ronaldhenson9170]

Try replacing the sound board it's on the left side held in by two Philips head screws

[@beachlife2968]

What type and size of soldering wire would i need for this job?

[@thespiralmatrix]

Odd I opened mine up and its a reddish color inside of the case and the 2 50v caps are grey and look factory.

[@souljubilant12]

I just recently purchased two gamegears from eBay one worked and another one after 30 minutes completely shut off I'm interested in buying the capacitors and stuff but is there anything I should know why it does it or something.. help !!

[@KingHenryVR4]

Mine is having the same problem with the screen. and now wont stayed powered on with ac/batteries, but i'm not even gonna attempt to rip it apart and try to fix it.

[@user-xj2fj9nn3x]

Ok so I bought a game gear and it had a weird viewing angle so I opened it up in mind of cleaning the button membranes and after unscrewing the board with the lcd and 3 screws on the reflective part for the light bar and then realized i was going nowhere. I put it back together and now it won't turn on. I need help I tried new batteries and an ac adapter.

[@SM-ye8dy]

If the display is white or with lines... the recap can fix it?

[@aeneasfate]

It's not easy at all. The proper screens are all composite, so you'd need to build a video encoder circuit to convert the rgb signals. It's a big enough of a pain that it's usually only done when the screen is already broken. You can pretty easily swap out the old tube backlight for one from a broken GBA SP/DS screen though. Much brighter, even backlight with better battery life. I think Martin(RetroGameTech) did one like that.

[@CyScape]

Great video, thank you! I thought I was the only one who used my mouth as a third hand.

[@Gavrox07]

Where can i get replacement capacitors?

[@Ghozer]

hi, my game gear has a black screen, theres power to the unit, and the back light works, and contrast... but it wont load cartridges... it's in good condition inside, no greening on the caps, doesn't look like any are bulging etc (have replaced caps in other things, so I know what to look for) - I have cleaned the cartridge slot, cannot see any signs of damage anywhere - any ideas?

[@foxrepair8851]

Colin Hadley it is the caps no doubt about it. It is just the way they are built. Thay tend to dry out prematurely.

[@electricadventures]

I have two of these to do, have the parts just need the security bit and some clear time so I can concentrate. Did an AV mod on a PAL Coleco the other day while in a teleconference, so my soldering skills must be improving :)

[@RetroClash95]

Really the perfect video for me right now, I just got one with the exact same problems, thanks man.

[@butch405]

I knew it. You can fix everything. Great job Luke!

[@intel386DX]

I rec-caped one GG, but the image is barely visible :(

[@intel386DX]

you replace 68uF with 100uF ?

[@eosme]

Where can I buy these caps from?

[@Evaldas256]

Twenty Two Minutes and Twenty Two Seconds. Luke, was that intentional? :)

[@Citadel_Of_My_Thoughts]

Thank you so much for this vid. I've got 5 screwy Game Gears in the hospital.

[@zombie42080]

my screen is black, video is very informative. my game gear still work with the plug in but doesn't work with batteries, any ideas?

[@sawajiri100]

That is a not varistor is the filter capacitor for High Voltages Backlight inverter do you see the yellow behind of capacitor that is inverter transformer

[@mattnova18]

Pretty cool video man! Now I'm tempted to get a cheap "dead" gg and try to revive it!

[@luke27luis]

Great video man, It will be so helpful when I get to repair 2 gamegears I have over here ;)

[@jpstyles85]

love your videos.. i have to say very clean system internally. i come across some horrible condition game gears inside.

[@Bangulo]

Those are 0.47uf Not 47uF as stated.

[@vougbour1]

good catch. i also noticed that, he does say later in the video that they are .47uf

[@CdnGamer]

Wow! What a difference. I'm going to have to try this with mine. It's pretty much unplayable at this point.

[@jujucheche9735]

Thank you so much Luke, I did it, my GG works perfectly

[@MariaEngstrom]

I never understood why electronics manufacturers use electrolytic capacitors on the sound part, sound is basically an AC waveform and electrolytic capacitors are polarized so failure is guaranteed.

[@SeeJayAre]

Damn that sounds like a lot of work to save a game gear... I've got 3 broken ones laying in the closet right now.

[@KevinTwiner]

Luke that's fuckin amazing,next solder with your feet,while cleaning a N64 cartridge.;) An the short leg negative cap tutorial was simple and stuck in my head.Thanks for the walk thru,was interested too see that hard cap installation ! You have a knack for simplifying things! Thanks bro for the video

[@GamingTechnologyVarietyChannel]

No I will know how to repair one if I decide to add one to my collection I have always in a way wanted a game gear but my parents back in the day wouldn't spring for one. For one thing I already had a GameBoy and the GameGear cost way too much at $180. Thanks for the tutorial and tips

[@JMFSpike]

Would you fix my GameGear if I sent it to you? I do not have the tools or the knowledge to do it myself, and you obviously do. My GameGear has no problem in terms of audio or power, but the screen has the same problem as the one here. Considering you are willing to fix it for me, how much would you say it would cost me?

[@SPac316]

A nice informative video. My Game Gear has the same issues as well, sadly.

[@bigjohn6458]

hey luke do you by any chance repair game gear's for money?

[@lukemorse1]

I can do that yes but the worst part about everything is the shipping costs. they will cost a lot unfortunately

[@bigjohn6458]

I see, thanks for getting back to me. :)

[@scotshabalam2432]

Lemon juice or vinegar on the board?!!!! Are you SURE that's not going to leave residue that will eat out the copper traces in time and cause a bigger problem? You can have fluid trapped under components and short of ultrasonic with cavitation you wont ever be able to do complete fluid remediation, if it's an acid like vinegar or lemon it's going to eat away at the metals on the board like copper traces. I think you should be using an inert fluid, with low impurity, and low vaporization rate like industrial isopropyl alcohol (Search MG Chemicals on amazon.) or distilled water. You shouldn't be trying to burn acids or bases off the board with other acids or bases but instead dilute the active high Ph or Base down to a safe level through cleaning with the inert alcohol. Also I liked the video, sorry about being contrary but if I am wrong then I can learn a shortcut from you. I just had to say something because this goes against some things other instructors have taught me.

[@ccc822007]

lol... Now I wish I had a picture of morgan freeman pointing upward and saying "You know, He's right?" Guys never use lemon juice on your board. The most I ever use is an adhesive remover only on occasions where I need it 3M or goof off makes good removers. I still go back over it with isopropyl alcohol.

[@hybridplc]

Wow, I bet your neighbours can hear that GameGear now!

[@vorkev1]

68uf is not uncommon its just a huge range the ez to get ones are 450v or higher on average. its horable when things off or expensive caps

[@RogueCrockett]

dude your intro is awesome!

[@SNKNostalgia]

The screens on Game Gear, Nomad, Turbo Express and Atari Lynx are pretty dated anyways. I find it is best to replace them with modern LCDs, Much better picture and no ghosting. Also, it is a good idea to use different backlights (especially LEDs).

[@Lowmandavis]

On eBay there is the game gear capacitor kit

[@VintageTechRepairs]

Good vid, While your there do the Led back Light mod- trust me it's worth it

[@nissan300bhp]

mines the same, and sound gone, got caps ready to repair, my next project

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Awesome video! Mine died of bad caps but I couldn't revive it, I can't solder - nooooo!!!