Making the Ultimate Retrobrighting Box

In this video I'll explain how top make this box for retrobrighting aka removing yellowing from plastic. More info of the actual retrobrioghting process can be found from this tutorial • How to remove yellowin...
Parts list at the bottom
First you need a box. Make sure it's as big as you will ever need. I recommend buying 2 of them (if it's transparent). This way you have the largest possible container to but your yellowed item in when you stack them inside each other. I always recommend using as small continer as possible, and especially one with the smallest possible surface area, this will minimize evaporation and save you some hydrogen peroxide.
The box is lined with aluminum tape to keep in the heat and light better. Aluminum tape is real metal so it is conductive, I used transparent tape to isolate my UV LED strip from the metal to reduce the risk of shorting. The strips were attached inside the box and the lid of the box with even spacing. Next the strips were soldered together and the strips on the lid were connected to the other strips with a long wire to allow enough movement for the lid.
Next I used W1209 temperature control board. It's a board which can be used to turn on and off heating/cooling devices based on temperature. here's a complete guide for the settings: www.kelco.rs/katalog/images/17...
The important settings are, P0, you need to choose H for heating. (you can use this to control AC or a fan and for cooling, thee you would choose C). For P1 I used the standard 2.0. This determines how much bellow of the target temperature the temperature need to go before the heater turn on. I set my target temperature for 50 degrees Celsius (ALL THE TEMPERATURES DISPLAYED ARE CELSIUS!). So with my settings when the temperature drops bellow 48 C it will start heating again and stop at 50 C.
In this setup I made 3 separate circuits. 1. LED lights, which are controlled by the green switch and the power input is on the left. I use 12V for that because that's what my leds are rated for. 2. Circuit for the heater. It goes from the middle power plug to the heating unit through the relay on the W1209 board (KO and K1 connectors) There is no switch because the relay will turn heating off when the power of the control board is off I use 12V power and 12V heater for this ( but the heater can easily be upgraded to one that uses mains power if needed). 3. Power for the control board. It goes from the rightmost power plug to the positive and negative terminals on the W1209 board. It's very important to only use 12V power on this one, higher voltage will break the board.
As mentioned for the heater I chose 12V submergeable heating unit. I felt this is the safest option as I only need to make sure it will stay in the solution to prevent it from over heating.
The bellow links are affiliate links and I get a small commission if you buy anything from the site after using the links. To support my channel you can do all your online shopping through these links.
Here is the parts list:
Aluminum tape: amzn.to/2S3C6s1
UV LED strip: amzn.to/3vogftL
Controller board (W1209): amzn.to/3aIpoWn
Heating element: amzn.to/3aLud0Z
Power source: amzn.to/32QMg1h
Power jack: amzn.to/3tX4udH
Switch: amzn.to/2PvnqRK
Pair Wire: amzn.to/3dSXNUi
Tools:
Electric screwdriver: amzn.to/2QsZf75
Soldering station: amzn.to/3xrpv25
Wire stripping tool: amzn.to/3u10E2F
Hydrogen peroxide: amzn.to/2K5OmTS​
Flux paste: amzn.to/2R3Idfw
Hot glue gun: amzn.to/32RGlZQ

[@lidet19]

The Ducktor looks like he was going to a rave!

[@RestoredChannel]

It must have been a nightmare to film with all that reflective tape, you did it like a champ! Very clever build and use of components👌 Thanks for sharing!🙏

[@slido-yt]

or he put literally 10 different adjusted Pol-Filter on that Lens xD

[@RestoredChannel]

@@slido-yt 🤣

[@ricardocapunay6459]

I have only one word, he's the greatest!

[@rahadianaryo5979]

@@ricardocapunay6459 Indeed he [Odd Tinkering] is, Ricky: He's the *greatest one* ever ✌️😁!

[@gabriel2s]

I'm not much into restoring and retrobriting stuff myself, but I'm totally making this for sous vide cooking, thank you!

[@Odd_Experiments]

It definitely works for that too. First I was thinking I would use one of those ready machines for this but decided to do this. Great to hear you came up with new use for it. That's ingenuity

[@Fellkragen]

I think you shouldn't cook stuff in hydrogen peroxide but I'm not a cook either so wathever.

[@gabriel2s]

@@Fellkragen oh no, I'll be using regular water xD

[@milanfanas]

I suggest you to use melted ice, it works better 😬 anyway, for sous-vide cooking you need to circulate water, a controlled heat source is not enough

[@FlyingDutchMan2245]

@@Odd_Experiments so is the heating element necessary? I have been using the sunlight to retro bright some items. But the time frame is just too long.

[@jmsta.romana4660]

I'll call that the "Plastic Time Machine 2.0" since it turns yellowed plastic back to original color.

[@MagnumForce51]

I was about ask how you keep the LEDs from shorting out in the water, but then saw you put a separate container inside the bigger one and was like...That makes more sense. :P

[@Retrobution]

The moisture build up on them would surely cause a short, not something I would leave unattended really, or touch accidentally by lifting out anything. Imo you can just buy waterproof led strips that would be better :)

[@watzeroorda5601]

Dude, you are such a boss for handling tape and other adhesives while wearing latex /vinyl gloves: that must have been such a pain!

[@nedonair]

Your videos have inspired me to take up small electronic repair....I'm just getting started of course, but thank you for inspiring me :)

[@TMRu22311]

NICE! I been waiting for this one. Very nice Ret0Brite setup you made and Thank you for sharing!!!!

[@IanPrino]

Looks like i have another project to do. Thank you for this tutorial my friend.

[@alexanderthegangreviews5141]

Ok this is the best invention I have seen. I used your first retro bright technique and worked wonders. Now I am wanting to try this process however I am not good at wiring etc. however this looks like it makes it a lot quicker for you. Very creative technique and I say patent this technique. Also I bet you can make a lot of money if you decide to create this and sell it. I would be first to buy it to be honest with you.

[@prestonhale2194]

hey dude, I’m doing this build myself and the part you have linked as the controller board is actually just the case for it, which I realized after it arriving. The actual part ships faster than the case itself funnily enough so I’m cool on that part, but I wanted to let you know so you could fix it for anyone else who tries this build.

[@neniv]

RIP i wish i would have read this before buying all that stuff, I just went through the exact same thing.

[@alexvalentim1418]

I would add a small aquarium\water fountain pump to the mix to keep the temperature more even in the liquid. Great job!

[@emwenterprises6669]

i made mine with tinfoil and clear packing tape...i didn't cut the light and have it looped all over...lit on the bottom instead of the lid...took me 5 minutes and it works like a charm

[@spokehedz]

This is, literally, the best thing under the sun. ;D

[@swervature]

Very cool. Love your channels.

[@jameslowrance4849]

Really really cool idea!

[@miguelangelcarolopez5774]

Outstanding work

[@THEWORKSSHOP]

That's very handy to have, my UV tape is always a mess to try to rewind on the spool. I might steal this idea. :)

[@compedagogo]

Greatest content ever, I love this!!!!

[@MelsvanWees]

Build a box myself with just led strips and aluminiumfoil but this is gonna be a nice upgrade for my summer holiday 😂 building a uv box when there is enough outside 😂

[@shadeofentropy]

I made my own off the back of this, awesome guide by the way. I used a single 360W power supply to power both the LEDs and the heater all at once, a much more elegant solution in my opinion, even if it does involve a big ugly steel box with a fan bolted to the side of the storage crate. I also wired up the aquarium pump that I saw down here in the comments, it circulates the hydrogen peroxide nicely and gets a more even temperature.

[@dotmatrixmoe]

Looks simple enough. Wonder if I can make a drawer into "The time machine" so I can leave it there. 😋

[@LordOfHunger777]

The brighter. The better. I always say.

[@revengenerd1]

My first retrobrite "box" was a literal cardboard box with foil taped inside and a led strip bent around it, it did work but had to replace the foil once (I only retrobrited about 8 things) as the led strip wasn't exactly flat against the sides it came unstuck and stuck to the plastic items so when lifted tearing it. so far the only things that have reyellowed using that is a Nes and Snes controller which is probably not a coincidence. I then got a led floodlight and retrobrited a white saturn from nicotine white to looking brand new and rather than leaving it in at least a day it only took about 8 hours! I have now made a new box out of a large plastic container and due to it being easier to tape the foil and using a floodlight I expect great results.

[@ahmedalanzi4315]

The best channel ever❤❤❤✌🏼✌🏼✌🏼✌🏼✌🏼👍🏻👍🏻🔥🔥🔥

[@waldorfmuppet8804]

Just ordered the who set... My Commodore 64, Amiga and GameCube really need some love. Greetings from the Netherlands

[@LOLMAN9538]

I might make me one of these soon.

[@neniv]

Hey heads up the link you have for the W1209 temperature control board is a listing for just the acrylic box. I was waiting a few weeks for mine to arrive and when it finally did I realized what I had paid for was just the case. x.x I found another listing with a set of two boards, so hopefully I'll recieve them soon so I can start building my own retrobright box!

[@RestorationAustralia]

Very cool I may build one.

[@nicholasjankovic7395]

This is an awesome invention, I am literally waiting for all the parts now to do this myself... I do have one question relating top the condensation.. did it ever cause an issue with shorting the LED's?

[@johncreasy8965]

You’re simply awesome.

[@user-vg6oc8pd6m]

It is really really serious revolution.

[@andy70d35]

Totally over the top build, I have being messing with retrobrighting for years. My set-up is a large container like yourself, but I put the LEDs horizontal and did not need any soldering, because of the large crate I just did them in a spiral then fed the leads out the top for PSU. I always use hydrogen peroxide high strength cream, works every time. A pain in the ass tho brushing it on every surface.

[@wettuga2762]

I just came to comment on a sunbrighting video, and KZbin's algorithm suggested this video. It isn't mentioned in the video, but I'm guessing it takes about a day or so for the retrobrighting process to finish? I just left an very yellowed computer's front plastic outside in direct sun light for 3 hot days, and it's almost back to it's default beige color, so I'll leave it for 3 more days to see how far it goes. For those who don't mind a longer waiting time and/or prefer a cheaper (free?) method, it's definitely an alternative. I don't promise it will remove 100% of the yellowing, but it does work and doesn't expose the plastic to chemicals.

[@batmyke]

I am in the middle of making one of these myself - so far so good! I am opting to buy a thermostat controller and plug-in heating element instead of doing all the wiring and programming required for the temp controller, but I'm really hopeful about getting my old consoles looking nice. One note: Hydrogen Peroxide is EXPENSIVE! I was planning to retrobright an old Mac Classic, but I'd have to spend at least $150 on enough H2O2 for its shell, so maybe not...

[@mstepuch]

Great project! I think that, It would be better to connect led strips in parallel not in series. Less voltage drop, easier to connect.

[@simpleelectronics7863]

Great 👍

[@tjsynkral]

I have had really good results with just 2 big "100W" LED lamps overhead. No wiring. The plastics float at the top unless I put glass jars on them to pin them down.

[@ShinoPuppy]

I literally just made one of these myself earlier today, except that I put the LED tape on the outside facing in through the clear plastic container, then put foil around the outside of that so that I could use the container itself as the liquid holder. The biggest difference between what you made and I'm doing is I read that using a small amount of oxidizing catalyst (like that found in OxiClean) helps boost the process and can replace the need for additional heat. In addition, I have access to 15% Hydrogen Peroxide so I'm using that instead; it seems to go much faster, though only time will tell if this is as safe for the material.

[@Odd_Experiments]

I decided to do it like this so I can use only as small container as possible to reduce loss of hydrogen peroxide from evaporation

[@ShinoPuppy]

@@Odd_Experiments That certainly makes sense. If I wasn't doing such large computer case pieces and didn't have access to several gallons of H2O2, then I'd probably be in the same boat. I love seeing different ways of tackling the same problem. Thanks for the video!

[@LibertyFixxxer]

@@Odd_Experiments plus hydrogen peroxide is hard to find now adays

[@justjoe13]

​@@Odd_Experiments Do you recycle the peroxide?

[@Kudluck]

Hi, great video! I wanted to know if it was mandatory to use a heater?

[@TheMr77469]

I bet The 8 bit guy would love something like this!

[@fratslop]

This is a fantastic build! Very Impressive! Don't leave so much length on your tinned leads tho, you only needed like half of that. Clip em! Thanks for the content man, super cool!

[@abdulmuhaimin5274]

3:15 That transition, though.

[@sebastianignacio8113]

No entiendo nada pero fascina ver como construye la caja suprema exterminadora del color amarillo

[@fritzfantom2783]

Hello, thanks for the video. Can I use a simple sous vide device to hold the temperature?

[@ollagnierchristophe3893]

Hello, first of all, i really enjoy your work. One question, do you think it's possible to get back thales of symphonia gamecube color's back ? Thanks a lot for your advise.

[@cosmokramer4585]

Like the design, building one myself currently. I am looking for the black control box and having zero luck! Where did you get that from? Thanks again!

[@CKCKCKM-cx3jx]

Great build and job. Id like to build this, can you tell me what 3 PSU`s you used please.

[@andrewrichards312]

Great project; I plan on doing it as an art therapy project and getting going with toy restoration with it. I had a question though. Would using aluminium paint still provide the same reflective surface, or do I need to use the tape? Also if I did use the tape, could I hit it with a clear coat to act as a reasonable insulator? Finally, how much current is the water heater drawing? I'm wondering if it and the strip light have a combined current draw of 10A, in which case, I could run the entire thing on mine off a single power outlet.

[@roncola1980]

Can you reuse the hydrogen peroxide after the 24 hour treatment or does it lose its oxidizing power to clarify another plastic parts batch?

[@R0salance]

What is the black box you're using for the switches? Also is there a specific amperage of power supply that should be used for this?

[@AndehX]

do you have a detailed explanation of how the switch box is wired up?

[@hiseminencetheholymacdiarmada]

I want to build this even though I really have no need for it

[@madmommy]

Could you use an aquarium heater and thermostat for this?

[@retroreplayemulation3276]

Great video! Do you know if i can also use a fish tank heater instead of the one you made?

[@falconmick]

Yeah I wanted to give this a go too, the issue is the 50” water temp, lol that would fry any fish so good chance you won’t find one

[@khanv1ct244]

I’ve found that even with the submerge method the whitening doesn’t last. Less than a year after treatment the yellow has returned, even for items that have been stored in a dark, temperature-controlled environment.

[@Vinou-pz4hq]

Question sir! Is there a risk with H202 like taking fire or gas evaporate? I mean is it safe if i use this process at home? Thank you!

[@tiberod]

What do you think about using a combination of the set you made before and this one? Without heater and using the led strips around?

[@Odd_Experiments]

In the previous one the leds heat the liquid more because they are closer so it has partially the same idea. This just has more flexibility and is a bit easier to use. Just make sure it heats up the liquid a little because very yellowed parts take a long time if there is no heat

[@OskarHellstroem]

Love the content! Question about Retrobrightening: does it work on consoles that are colored or only those that are white/transparent? I have a "purple" Gamecube that looks quite sad, could the Retrobrightening help restore the original color you think?

[@hessZL1]

If I remember correctly he's done a retrobrighting of a colored semi-translucent N64. The best visual results come from white/gray/transparent plastics but it can still work well on plastics regardless of color.

[@collinpribula3270]

Aawweessoommee!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🥰🥰🥰💓💓💕💞💛💛💗💗😍😍💖💖❤️

[@pcbucher]

Hi there ! I want to venture into retrobrighting and repairs in general and I have questions for you. Where did you get the thermometer that goes into the H2O2? Would you recommend a specific one? what about the smallblack box where you intalled the three jacks and the two buttons? Can you reuse the H2O2? if not, how can you dispose of it for minimum eco impact? I love both of your channels and think you do a great job in repair editing and explaining what is going on. Thank you for sharing

[@TMRu22311]

The sensor comes with the W1209 board. I posted a link for a 2 pack on Amazon. The small black box he used is called a "Project Box." You can find them in many different sizes on Amazon. You most certainly can reuse your solution, just be sure to funnel it back into its container with the lid on tight.

[@R41sound]

It's possible use wood bulb (2x 26W) for uv? I use oxiding emulsion 40% vol. Thank's

[@titan_burn_gaming_yt]

That's definitely better than spray painting to remove yellowing.

[@user-pg2rr8xq3h]

I'm building a retro bright box like this. However, my question is how did you calculate the spacing for the LED strips?

[@kfay9201]

Can you please walk those of us who want to build this exact setup through the wiring process? Thanks.

[@Lukrativ508]

Where did you get the plastic shell to use for the control box? That's the last aspect I'm missing. I could make it more basic and simply plug all my tools in, but would love to have a control unit like that!

[@schuerfer]

Great invention! :-) Have you ever tried the process for removing the discolouration of other tones of plastic, or will it just whiten/eliminate the yellowing of white plastic?

[@DeadstormX27]

He does the same process on some Nintendo Gameboy and N64 shells that are clear/colored on the main channel

[@user-wt6eh5jh2o]

It works best on white and grey. Be especially careful with anything red as it can fade.

[@cinzley244]

Dude I would love to learn from you like personally I could be like your robin and you be like my batman lol

[@FakYuhGoogel]

Have you had any luck with fixing yellowed nontransparent color plastic like teal or purple gameboy color or blue play it loud gameboy?

[@patcherandpatch]

I came back to this video because I thought that it could be used as a chamber for curing resin 3d printings. Let's hope that it will work

[@richardtheblue6294]

Out of curiosity what's the size of the container you used?

[@LibertyFixxxer]

If I didnt do the heater, how long does it take from experience for video game plastics? I would never use it for anything else besides that

[@Misterblank]

I purchased almost everything you linked, but you didn't link what that black plastic box you put the switches into was, or what sort of bit you used for the drill on that plastic box.

[@rezamjj]

It was very cool What should be the ratio of water combined with hydrogen peroxide (12%)?

[@wartinskater]

the leds you use are the waterproof ones? i just bought 60w non-waterproof uv leds

[@VictorNamba]

It works with yellow musical keytops? Thanks very much

[@peppiino]

Can you use that same box to cure uv resin?

[@ZERARCHIVE2023]

I have a question. I'm going to do the same stuff as you did in your vids for my old SNES and N64, and possibly my old gamecube, it needs it ngl heh Well...do you dilute the hydrogen peroxide in water ? D'you put all of it in that container ? And how many liters to you dilute it with ? I'm determinated to do the same thing, theses are my childhood's gift, i want to make them work again. Thank you for motivating us to take care for our games, consoles, and many other stuff.

[@mlsmithjr]

How long do you typically need to expose a part? I know there are many factors, but for example your GameCube front panel restoration. About how many hours did that take?

[@Odd_Experiments]

Something like 8-24h is usually enough. I'm not constantly looking at it so I don't know for sure. I think the front plate was in for 12h or a little more but I don't constantly check on it but just leave it be so I don't know exact times

[@4468]

One thing I have always wondered, how long does retrobrighting work? I had always assumed yellowing was caused by a chemical reaction in the ageing of plastics and would have also guessed that retrobrighting is a temporary thing, it cures the surface level yellowing but hasn’t stopped the overall reaction in the plastic causing the yellowing 🤔 it’s fascinating and would love to know how long it’ll stay yellow free.

[@tsukimaru131]

Unfortunatelly it's neither permanent nor long-lasting. Usually the plastic starts yellowing 3-6 months after the process, so you have to re-treat it each time it happens. This is literally the single downside to retrobright at this moment.

[@randybobandy9828]

@Tsukimaru 1 no way... as long as you keep the plastic away from UV light it will last along time. It's UV light that causes the yellowing

[@malracle]

@@randybobandy9828 i would retrobright it first and after the whole process is done. spray coating to the plastic with uv protectant

[@randybobandy9828]

@@malracle good call. A good Matt Clearcoat thar doesn't change the natural finish of the plastic.

[@malracle]

@@randybobandy9828 yessir. first thing first change my window's curtain to a block out one.

[@spamaccount6460]

What about building a box with the sides being all mirrors?

[@Kleavers]

I am dying to know why not all plastic seems to turn yellow. I've seen SNES consoles on your and other channels where the entire outer shell part is a dark yellow, but a top and side bit look like new and unaffected. Why is that? Different material? Treated with some coating?

[@roncola1980]

How many hours should the hydrogen peroxide treatment last?

[@jasonklinefelter601]

I want to do the same with an aquarium and mirrors

[@starshipexplorers]

What is the name of the clay-like rubber used to attach the bolts to the parts in the video?

[@aomine6817]

you don't even need a blacklight LED strip, I tried with normal white strip I have at home and it worked!!! I'm honestly shocked at the result, I just wrapped it around the yellowed piece of plastic, I also used a homemade retrobright gel made from liquid laundry oxi bleach, aloe vera gel and potato starch

[@MorrickMX1]

3:33 such a beauty *_*

[@MattFNC]

I'm curious if you went to school for a lot of this. :P Being real this channel has gotten me to want to tinker with my own projects in the future. Any advice for a beginner?

[@petergoestohollywood382]

How about stop commenting useless stuff on the internet and actually conduct a project.

[@epic_playz4283]

​@@petergoestohollywood382 facts ngl

[@paulinhaschr]

Do I need the clear tape insulation when doing it with the aluminum tape? Can i just put the led strips on top of the aluminum tape?

[@thatoneair92]

i’ve got an old xbox 360 controller which i restored but it’s very yellowed so this should help it look like nee

[@68MalKontent]

​ @Odd Experiments Are you sure the LEDs on the sides do anything? It seems to me that you could totally skip the LEDs on the side walls of the container, both in this version and in the previous one, where you put the LED strips on the outside... UV permeates the container walls in a neglible way, so most of the work is done by the LEDs on the lid. The visible part of the spectrum does shine through the plastic walls and contributes to freeing the oxygen atoms, but I doubt any UV does. Did you try to turn off everything but the lid light and compare the time?

[@zan8289]

Wanting to do this project but it seems the controller board w1209 you linked in the description only comes up as box only, so no board or anything, do you happen to have a link to the board itself?

[@Christopher-kf6nf]

Hydrogen peroxide link not working, love your vids I watch them with my son!

[@przemysawkurzynski4596]

Hey, Odd. Please tell me what size your container is. Can this method be applied to metal things whose paint has turned yellow? Thanks a lot for your help

[@lyianx]

Do you know how many amps all three devices use so you can power all three from a single source?

[@AnthonyCammisano]

please help with one source

[@nexomusi-maker6044]

Adding this to my "highly satisfying videos for no reason at all" list.

[@jameslowrance4849]

Would this work for curing UV Resin models?

[@hudayounis9832]

How to remove yellowish from silicon we need to know please

[@cameltoeinspector6015]

will this work for removing yellow from Jordan shoes too?

[@user-pt4oi4rw1c]

Вопрос: сколько литров объема этого контейнера на видео? И сколько минимум нужно?