A Job Lot of Faulty SNES Game Consoles from eBay - Can I Fix Them?

Hi, here we have 3 broken Super Nintendo Entertainment Systems purchased from eBay for £50. They have a mixture of faults such as no power, black screen of death and one plays the game but doesn't show the display properly.
How many can be fixed, none? 1,2 or 3....let's find out.
Merch is here!!!!! www.puddlt.com...
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If you have an interesting 'non returnable' item for a 'trying to fix' video then my PO box is as follows. Please only use if you are from the UK and using Royal Mail.
PO Box 2597
WATFORD
WD18 1HT
UK
Remember that this is just for entertainment and I am not an expert in these repairs. The processes in the video may not be the best way, the correct way or the safest way to fix these things. I do love fault finding and trying to fix broken things, so I hope that comes across in this 'Trying to FIX' series. Many thanks, Vince.

[@HoneybadgerZombies]

I like how real this is. Having no clue what could be wrong. He makes mistakes. He acknowledges them. And he shows us that he's human. I love it ❤❤

[@SparksNZeros]

some common issues ive found when working on pal snes, the pico fuse (the little floating component) fails extremely often just from age but typically because of the 7805 voltage transformer failing also. the four rear most smd capacitors should always be replaced, they fail constantly but often leave the snes working in an intermittent state and eventually cause a black screen when they die, when they leak they can wreck the whole power circuit or often the audio. next cartridge ports have a tendency to condensate moisture and wick it down on to the board connector meaning the port can look clean but the board connector itself is corroded, its also good to check the boards underside for cracked solder joints on the connector. next step is the reset switch can often stick causing a reset loop that looks like a black screen, just desoldering it can be a good way to diagnose if its at fault. then finally the hardest to fix is cpu/ppu chip failure, although with flux and hot air they can be exchanged from donor boards the likelyhood is that even working chips will fail when exposed to even a fairly low temperature making it a challenging task.

[@owoden2361]

The old game system repairs are definitely my favorite to watch! would love to see more!

[@jefffan171]

Hey Vince. Great video. For the really Yellow ones, would you think it may be worth another try at the de-yellowing technique used by odd tinkering? He seems to have tremendous results and would strengthen the plastic on the most yellow. But even with retro bright they look great. You're definitely a legend. Videos are so open and honest and the work always insightful

[@Pulverrostmannen]

I have a Snes which I put together with parts from a completely trashed console and some new case parts. The buttons were more yellow than black and front piece was as bad if not even worse than the yellow in this video and I got it a bit lighter than I wanted. however that was in the middle of the winter and no sun here then so instead of UV i just heated the Hydrogen peroxide and put the parts in it. The retrobright was done in less than 20 minutes and the result is flawless without any shift in color and are not going back to being yellow either

[@aellipsis]

I’m glad when you upload the “boring” fixes. They aren’t boring at all really and often can be the more common problems.

[@johnproudlock2900]

Fixes like these personally make for better viewing. I enjoy watching retro consoles repaired and saved from land fill

[@Byront83]

I think this definitely needs a retro brightening video vince! Get them back to how they should be and a “how to” at the same time! 👍🏻

[@TampaTec]

You have a good eye 👁️ I don't think I would've spot it👍

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Paul, I was very lucky with these 3👍👍

[@LagrangePoint0]

Yo dude!, you have a great channel as well!

[@paulfinney]

The yellowing when its uniform like that will be because they used to put bromide in the plastic as a fire deterrent. When its uniform yellowing like that that’s just age. The first one you fixed looked like someone had been in there before. There’s a lot of solder on the fuse pads

[@chrisred87]

I blew that fuse on my SNES because of static. I actually saw it happen. I was wearing football shorts while messing about with it which was a mistake. I actually saw a flash and a long thin spark hit the board. Still it was easy enough to sort.👍

[@Mymatevince]

I'm amazed at how easily they do blow. Watching back the video I didn't really manhandle the board. Unless it was static like yours...I was on a wool carpet???? Cheers Chris 👍

[@stpworld]

@@Mymatevince I have nintendo kiosks there fun the wii u kiosk is hard wired to the game pad as well. It also sends all power from the back of the unit to the gamepad.

[@thomasives7560]

Yellowing can occur due to high heat and humidity, as well. There are lots of competing theories (oxygenation, bromine, etc.) about *why* it happens, but simple aging is the case, and high temperature + moisture will accelerate aging. The corrosion was also likely caused by moisture, as well, and slowly dissolved the trace. Great channel, love the content. Cheers!

[@jakesmith5278]

An hour went by very quick. I've enjoyed that. Thanks.

[@RedScorpion2005]

Have many years experience with repair snes, nes and genesis consoles. Important for the next time, please make 2-3 power on/offs without ac adapter connected to unload the capacitors. Sometimes it could happen, that the rest of the capacity unload to ppu/ram and damages the parts. Nice video. Have fun! )

[@philbrown1910]

Had to rewatch this because unbelievably I have 2 with the exact same symptoms. (Down to the alternate yellowing patterns!) The no power one is the fuse. One thing I read when looking into replacements is that you should use the 125V ones not 250V for better protection. They are also available from RS £0.79 each for 5. Great video as usual and thanks to everyone for the comments with good advice on the cause of the fuse blowing. 🥰

[@Ragnar8504]

I'm not sure if the voltage actually matters, it's basically the highest voltage the fuse can break safely without exploding. Since we're on 9 V here, either fuse is so far out of its design range I really can't imagine it would matter.

[@simascnop8033]

The silver SMD capacitors are known to leak and eat the traces away. I bought several high quality panasonic capacitors and replaced all capacitors on my own SNES before I got any damages. I also replaced all capacitors on a friends SNES, there they already were leaking, I came just in time. Also the reset button was not working on my SNES, some contact cleaner solved the problem. The SNES outputs RGB, I bought a rad2x HDMI cable. It was my first console, I got it from my parents for chistmas and it still is in use today :) Respect how you found the problem of all consoles and brought them back to life! R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

[@MrStereoify]

Hey Vince, rule of thumb is never to short out fuses. There's always a possibility to fry something downstream. Ask me how I know! Great video anyways as always. Cheers!

[@Mymatevince]

I feel you had a nicely fried chip once upon a time 🤣 Cheers M Marv 👍👍

[@jamesgillre]

Nice fixes as usual Vince, Exhaust heat was a special game for me, my dad bought it from Boots (the chemist) back when they sold games in the early 90s, the first SNES game and video game I ever got

[@GinandTronics]

I purchase my mega drive with sonic from boots. brother thought it would be a good idea to sell it and open a bank account with promises of buying more SNES games. I can't remember if he did buy more games, but I dinned out on the fact he sold it for years, once he was on the yts scheme earning 47 pound a week.

[@andersmmvfc.8376]

4 years with ipa and your hands give up now :) pleas try the green working hands, hand cream, it works wonders! Brilliant video! Thank you

[@Mymatevince]

Yeah, I think they are not getting the chance to heal properly, and also maybe all the hand sanitising isn't helping when out and about 👍👍

[@dreamcazman]

Nice repairs. Small tip: For fixing the screw posts, as the plastic is ABS, make some ABS juice (slurry) or use straight acetone, it will melt the edges & make a really strong bond. I've never had much long term success with supa glue. Alternatively, replace the case completely, there are new aftermarket cases available.

[@ShiggitayMediaProductions]

This was satisfying to watch! I actually have a similar SNES console, albeit it being a Super Famicom from Japan I got at a convention. I love the nonUS case design very much. I'm glad you got all 3 of these working (aside from the borrowed fuse situation). Also congrats on approaching 800k subs relatively soon! I think I subbed when you had like 200k if not a bit less! You've come such a long way! You rock!

[@hadesmcc]

Loved this one, it's great to see these getting back to working order.

[@Norrecito]

You were so lucky Vince! :) All the ones I had with the black screen of death turned out to be dead CPUs which seems to be one of the most common faults.

[@Dylan-my2fe]

Great job vince. These videos give me great courage to do fixes on vintage electronics. I would not have this courage without you vince, keep up the great content !!

[@TheCod3r]

Nicely nicely. Love these retro repairs Vince. First by the way 😂

[@Mymatevince]

Got really lucky on these ones Phil. Congrats on first although I feel it is slightly cheating 🤣👍

[@TheCod3r]

@@Mymatevince nah pure skill mate 👌 and haha nah it isn't cheating if I pay for the privilege 🤣

[@Mymatevince]

@@TheCod3r 🤣💰🤑

[@windowsxpprofessional]

@@TheCod3r pay to win😂

[@TheScottyvdubs]

Hey Vince, I remember reading an article a while ago now about the yellowing, it was something like - The discolouration is due to a flame retardant additive being added to the plastic and different parts would be made with different mixtures of the additive in batches, which would possibly explain the colour difference in different parts of the system

[@LucaBlightOfHighland]

As for the mysterious yellowing inside, I can tell you that uv rays are not the only cause, cigarette smoke can cause it for example, and I will tell you more, in my cellar I have seen many items bought in perfect condition and yellowed by themselves being ALWAYS in the dark and away from the smoke, I came to the conclusion that even some type of mold can produce this effect.

[@tumbles8350]

Most likely bromine in the plastic

[@SimonQuigley]

I have probably commented it before, but I use solder as a temporary fuse when diagnosing things, just wrap it between the fuse holder sides. If there's a fault the solder melts very quickly :-)

[@ventrue6516]

Vince, if you're going to "retr0brite" the yellow SNES, be sure to either paint the plastic in the creamy peroxide and cover it with the plastic wrap. Or you can submerge it in water, adding liquid peroxide.

[@M1LAD81]

Hi Vince. Please put the SNES branding plate of the second SNES onto the first SNES you fixed. So it matches at least. I would like to see you retrobright the consoles and your SNES controller. Nice work as usual.

[@GadgetUK164]

Great job Vince!!! You really lucked out with those SNES (having genuine faults)! So many have bad CPU or PPU1/2 these days, and have been worked on before =/ BTW - heating those customs, they can often die with little heat! I am relieved you didn't need to swap any of them around! This is also one of the reasons I've not bothered with trying to fix many SNES myself!

[@1up_Gaming]

I was doing one before Christmas, finally got it going and THEn realised half the video had cut off, so had to scrap it , was annoyed as had repaired some corroded traces, annoying :(

[@Hayatory]

Yeah, the snes I’ve had since childhood recently just developed a bad ppu within the last couple of years, really unfortunate, I thought it was the capacitors at first but no dice.

[@Mymatevince]

Very lucky on all 3. Really unusual to find something like that job lot on eBay. All untouched and perfect little fixes... I loved working on them. Thanks Chris 😎

[@Mymatevince]

@@1up_Gaming Woah...Mike has been a busy bee on the videos....Well done!!!!

[@NeonGenesisPlatinum]

Vincent I cannot tell you how much I love your work. Thank you very much mate. All the best for you and your family for 2022 from Sydney.

[@dannyhtheretrogamingmaster9548]

Great fixes for all 3, I've been looking forward to you doing a fix video on snes consoles as the faults with these are very common..

[@Mymatevince]

Thanks Danny, I loved all 3 of these, just single faults that knock out the whole unit. Hope you are keeping well mate 👍👍

[@tiporari]

Hey Vince, an alternative to that specialist solder mask is UV hardened nail polish like they use at salons. Not sure which is cheaper where you are, but nail polish is cheap as chips in the US. It's solute is acetone or mineral spirits so IPA shouldn't attack it. Otherwise ladies' manicures would melt when they put on hand sanitizer.

[@ImaginationToForm]

I know you say "trying to fix" but you've gotten quite good at fixing as I've watched your videos overtime.

[@benthebossjackson4388]

Nice one vince! £50 job lot pretty impressive! u will make a good profit on these if u sell them ! :) the SNES still my fav

[@ZonicMirage]

Very nice work. Considering how so many Super Fami/Ninty consoles are going out, it's so nice to see some rescued from becoming e-waste.

[@originalbadboy32]

You should consider retrobriting them to get the original colour back.

[@PunkNDisorderlyGamer]

Vince you’re a better man than me 👍 congrats on fixing those SNES’s.

[@brokenastartes2848]

Hi vince I really enjoyed this video good honest faults with really interesting fault finding from yourself and decent fixes.

[@damiencarter5307]

so glad there are some genuine people out there not everything on ebay is trash just most of it

[@GarthBeagle]

38:20 Congratulations Vince! 🎉🎉 I laughed so much through this part, perfect music too 🤣

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Garth, one of my proudest moments. I actually got every single bit of the reassembly wrong...🤣🤣🤣

[@jameswheeler111]

Some old plastics do go yellow over time, a trick I use is to put it in direct sunlight for a week or so.

[@Daishokurou]

That's great, now if you would be so kind as to post this video to me back in 1995 I may have been able to fix mine back then. Great video. Love your work.

[@Fizybubele]

After a long day of working, your are the right guy to chill with. I like your videos so much. Thank you for that smooth kind of entertaining. Keep on going.

[@MattyGlobal]

I dont know much about electronics but love anything Nintendo and really enjoyed seeing how you fixed these faulty snes's. Great work!

[@DEmma1972]

great job. I guess older tech has something going for it

[@missionpassed4584]

The yellowed plastic is apparently where the plastic has degraded over time, also it becomes very brittle, I've seen many retrobright videos on the subject and it seems to work well.

[@RVNR2022]

always change c59 on these consoles. they are part of the primary power supply system. they are of very poor quality, under great electrical stress and release liquid that corrodes the circuit underneath it and around it as you see in minute 52:26

[@kriswillems5661]

You're getting very experienced. What looks to you as a simple problem would have fooled many repairmen.

[@armstrongskyview2810]

Rely good video, the longer the better. Dont stress about time as we all enjoy watching the process

[@iorix98]

You got the fuse broken because the console keeps some power in the caps. Whenever you need to perform any repairs on an snes, after opening it, turn the console on so empty the capacitors and youll see the Power LED on for a second. When it goes off its safe to use the console. Not doing this can lead to blow the fuse. It happened to me too.

[@spooktasticaparanormal]

Hi Vince, I've thoroughly enjoyed your channel content and watching you grow in regards to your abilities to repair many things. Very well done my friend. Kind regards. Paul.

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Paul👍👍👍

[@spooktasticaparanormal]

@@Mymatevince your welcome Vince. Keep up the great work. 👍

[@hadesmcc]

On the second one, you might have just blown the fuse by touching some component on the board without discharging the console, when trying to take out the cartridge. That was what happened to me with my console.

[@mw5885]

I can’t believe how lucky you got with these 3! Nice repairs!

[@kotm3]

I ran Hadrian’s wall for charity last November. As I was running from Newcastle to Carlisle I came across a new wall on the wall that someone had put a PlayStation one and a Super Nintendo in it. I really wish I could post the picture. It was crazy!!

[@Oldgamingfart]

I'm glad you swapped the plastics over as I was thinking the same thing! I recall the severe yellowing was to do with the fire retardant chemicals added into the plastic during manufacture. I have first-generation machine (purchased on release) and no yellowing whatsoever! :)

[@stevb1395]

A spent many hours as a kid playing killer instinct and street fighter still have all carts and controller just no console yet!! Love the videos vince

[@Pallanamnjavelet]

@18:26 These get yellowed because they contain a certain fireproofing agent, the name escapes me. Sunlight might accelerate the process, but they all turn yellow eventually. @32:20 You should never start these with any of the rf shields missing, they play a huge part in the grounding, that's why the fuse went i'd bet.

[@ShinryuZensen]

I believe you can find aftermarket shells for the cracked SNES. At least it would look good and it would be protected for many years on.

[@daz41262010]

pretty cool to see all three SNES working in the end :)

[@terryroxburgh3276]

Nice one Vince. 👏With things the way they are with computer graphics cards, any chance of trying one of those so we can see the diagnostic process?

[@doslover]

Got a good chuckle at the "spot the mistakes" bit, congrats on the world record 😄

[@paullefur6213]

Vince is now to be known as the SNES whisperer, long live the SNES whisperer. 😎😎

[@nixielee]

Maybe use schematics from the start when available so you can actually learn where everything goes and what the components are instead of guessing. Every repair will give you a serious amount of knowledge + save time.

[@jochenwuerfel]

SNES? Yeah!! Killer Instinct? Yeahhhhh! Your 2nd fix will be very helpful for me, my SNES sometimes work and sometimes it doesn't: only display BSOD. Wasn't aware that you can remove the slot itself, but will have a look this weekend if it might be a broken trace too (or a faulty slot). Thanks Vince 🤝

[@MyRegardsToTheDodo]

Nice fixes. If you don't want to retrobrite the 2nd console, just wait until summer and when there are a few really sunny days put it out into the open where it gets a lot of sun. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I've been told it brightens it up. Of course you won't have perfect results, but it still should make it better.

[@Jack-nb1zx]

I miss your Long Play videos. Great fixes on these!

[@digihorse6730]

Well done great work. I think the unpowered switch cycle is to discharge the DC power circuit electrolytic caps. To prevent the shorted pin issue upon removal of the cartridge. Maybe slackness in the cartridge holder can allow some to come up uneven and short pins.

[@johneygd]

Great work🙏👍 Now about that cracked case you could actually 3D print those missing parts of it and glue it to the case to make it look more prestine,but who ever knows.

[@kyle2778]

snes was my favorite as a kid. its interesting to see the EU version being fixed!

[@dschult3]

Great job on the fixes! I would love to watch a video about you refurbishing the consoles. I'm always fascinated in different perspectives on retrobrighting.

[@chrisstyles4630]

A good all around fix & nice to see some more retro consoles getting the vince treatment & bringing them back to life instead of ending up in landfill 👏👏👏

[@Darryl603]

Once the copper has been covered with solder, the solder mask is no longer necessary.

[@sammydavis3796]

Makes it look better though

[@Shundi12]

I made a drunken purchase on eBay last year of a faulty Super Famicom for £12. Was thinking about doing a repair video on it, but it ended up that there was nothing wrong with it. It's still working now. How boring! :)

[@rangerreview1780]

I blew out my SNES fuse because I went and used a 3rd party ac adapter that had a changable tip. And the positive and negatives where flopped on the SNES. Compared to the Gamegear AC port. That's one way you can do it. I ran my SNES with just a bare wire for years. I eventually replaced it with a proper fuse.

[@kbaisley4947]

Great content. You should do a video with using salon peroxide and some UV from outdoors, it will clear up the yellowing significantly.

[@themightyimp08]

This is good timing. I received my SNES from eBay today that I bid on a few days ago. 2 controllers, 2 top games, an original power supply, and a 1 chip SNES (the best graphically) all for £60

[@mark-andrews]

As viewed from the carpet, never seen a SNES, in that colour scheme for the case, (the middle one) yuk! Used to have this new it's a great game system with 100's of fantastic game. Good luck with the repairs and happy gaming, hopefully.

[@ovirsive]

It’s because the case is made with a fire proof plastic which changes from grey to a yellow overtime

[@steliosemmanouilidis5050]

They were not made like this. Back in the day they all looked the same, but due to the sun hitting the plastic on some of them they turned yellow. Some kind of chemical reaction

[@mark-andrews]

@@steliosemmanouilidis5050 ok, thanks.

[@martindekoning8346]

good job, but it might be more sensible if you buy a soldering iron with a finer tip (0.9 mm), a fiberglass pen (to make the PCB paint-free) and a PCB wire cutter. That works a lot better. And when you're done, protect the print one more time with print lacquer. Everything on Aliexpress for sale for little money.

[@robwebster7406]

Thanks for the vid, my Snea went yellow just being in the attic, I replaced the the fuse with a glass one, but now not working, starts up but hangs and you can see a slight image on the screen, but that’s all. Will look more into it after seeing this vid 👍

[@dreamcastfan]

That smashed up one would make a good candidate for the new transparent repro cases being made.

[@TechGorilla1987]

@27:10 - Vince, I have a salon nail curing box with a removable bottom so you can use it for larger curing jobs. It has 26W of UV in 4 bulbs. It's certainly no torch style. I should probably ship that to you.

[@seguramlk]

3 out of 3. Amazing, Vince 👍

[@welshtony1]

Great fix Vince. I keep meaning to buy a snes myself. 1 of the only consoles I never bought.

[@jamesp5780]

3 for 3, is that a hat trick Vince? Really enjoyed this video. Love all your posts honestly. Cheers from Baltimore, Maryland USA!!!!

[@ssbmeleefan31]

Vince you should look into Retro Brighting those yellow consoles and that will make them look like new. The 8-Bit Guy has some great tutorials on it.

[@jvlowlife101]

I’ve repaired a number of SNES and that pico fuse has been the issue in maybe 60% of them. If not the fuse, it’s usually the card reader. Currently have two very rusty card readers soaking in vinegar. I’ve never tried that before. Figured they were garbage anyway so why not 😊

[@kins749]

3 out of 3, all simple fixes but still needed identifying, great work!

[@921186940]

Really liked the longer video to be honest gets everything fixed and gives a surprise to next video instead of knowing there are another two very similar videos on the way great work keep it up

[@lukedougan7908]

Great video!👍😁 I love working on super Nintendo Consoles, so much fun to be had with great results .

[@lightman7397]

Hey Vince, Really like your channel, just wanted to throw this out to you , when you run into stickey rubber try mixing up some baking soda and water , you want a good creamy paste almost like tooth paste , cover the intire area and let it set for at least 24 to 48 hours , i did this trick on a rechargeable beard trimmer , that was stored under a vanity light in the bath room , the light broke down the rubber some how , dont know the science behind it , but it worked , like brand new now

[@mitchyk]

Whenever I've repaired anything like this I've circled it with a permanent pen and written a quick note somewhere close by for any subsequent repairers to see. It's very handy! Normally us OHP type pens but permanent version. Who knows you may get one of mine someday with repair notes inside the case or on the board! lol

[@tumbles8350]

"good luck, it's completely fucking fucked mate" right on the underside of the board you see after completely dismantling everything 😂

[@justinrivera7800]

Such a great video! I was having issues with not getting any power to my snes and yeah for me it has to be my port. Thank you for showing me how to check for dc/ac!

[@MrKCDavis]

Couldn't wait to watch this. The SNES is my personal favourite console. But at the end, seeing one in such bad condition, broke my heart. I thought for a second, it may be the brother or sister to that PS5 Tronixfix tried to fix, that took a leap of faith down a stairwell. :)

[@MrBrainFear]

We love you Vince. But please get some plastic pokey tools, you’re legendary at slipping with those metal tweezers. 🤣. Good video.

[@thatman84]

Great to see 3 SNES brought back to life. Nice work Vince

[@Coldmoogle]

Hi Vince, great video! Back in the day when the SNES was all the rage people would use adapters so they could play American or Japanese games and sometimes the converter would blow the internal fuse.

[@RDJ134]

3 SNES's saved :) Love this system so much, and so much great memories on it.

[@se7enity648]

As a jeweller and silversmith you know that solder with flux always flows to the hottest part of whatever you are soldering. Joint must to clean and grease free.

[@ruudb72]

Yeah Vince..using a 'proper calibrated fuse' can get you far when you dont have the real thing :-)) Great video!