Sega ASTRO CITY With No Power | Can I FIX It?

I bought this awesome looking Astro City mini arcade game thing off of eBay for £54.
It was sold as faulty, with no power and not turning on. Let's see if we can fix it!
Hope you enjoy!
Steve
PS. I'm not an expert in repairs at all. I do this for fun, and it may not be the best or safest way to go about repairing broken stuff. I'm pretty good at melting plastic though. Please don't copy me - I'm an idiot.
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Some of the magic things I use to break stuff;
My soldering iron: UK amzn.to/2Isf360 US amzn.to/3dfq8Xe
My hot air station: UK amzn.to/3kPxaBQ US amzn.to/3xo0SoM
My microscope: UK amzn.to/2VP3msU US amzn.to/3DmDgED
My desoldering gun that goes "moo": UK amzn.to/3HHt73P US amzn.to/3QHJOkb
My multimeter: UK amzn.to/2LjBgnN US amzn.to/3qEiSHy
My blue mat: UK amzn.to/3nDVs3A US amzn.to/3LcZUkI
Filming equipment;
My camera: UK amzn.to/38IdR7s US amzn.to/3BiwyNg
My 2nd camera: UK amzn.to/3Rfjn6U US amzn.to/3BGOB1i
My microphone: UK amzn.to/3rCriPc US amzn.to/3QJwWtS
VOS's mic: UK amzn.to/3pz2c1L US amzn.to/3Lc7aO1
Links are affiliated where possible to help support the channel. Nice.

[@StezStixFix]

Stupid Astro City Mini Arcade Thing.

[@MagralhoPT]

Stupid filter! eheh

[@delavanty]

Me wondering how much it is and what exactly does it do

[@jasonezekiel3250]

I'd like to see you fix my 1st PC, The TRS-80 model II "Portable" computer, I live in australia and no longer have the thing anymore, but it would be really cool to see you showcase what most of us started out on ;)

[@petemiddleton64]

when you fix something steve and it makes you happy it makes me happy

[@peterfordham3562]

The filter would still measure as continuous even if it wasn't actually connected to the tracks underneath. You could use a usb breakout board to measure continuity from the port to the bottom of the filter, but you still can't be sure it's connect to the tracks that go to the chip without grinding the track and measuring.

[@jeremiefaucher-goulet3365]

I came here for this. I had a big facepalm moment, thinking the new filter is just floating there doing nothing with the two bottom pins too far from the pads.

[@wzzupp548]

Also came here to check for this comment.

[@hugegamer5988]

I’ve had good luck using very sharp insulated micro probes. You simply insert them into the solder pad on each side, without touching the chip. It’s then easy to see the difference, bonus points for a sensitive ohm meter and wiggling the chip a bit. If it’s delaminating under the pad then it won’t work, but it’s a quick and easy and non-invasive way to tell some failure modes right away.

[@KB1UIF]

@Jérémie Faucher-Goulet Exactly right !! All Steve was testing was the continuity of the component.

[@FixerUK]

@@jeremiefaucher-goulet3365 Ditto!

[@Mymatevince]

Nice device and a nice fix Steve 👍

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Vince, it's a lovely machine. Looks great hooked up to the TV too! 👍

[@BinaryPretz3l]

Just when I thought your videos couldn’t get any better you go and throw down a ska track. Brilliant.

[@Greg_Watchorn]

I was wondering when Jefferson Starship was going to play. Great work as always Steve!!!👍🏻👍🏻

[@StezStixFix]

😊 Thanks Greg!

[@lkswift]

I’ve waited so long for a Ska patron tribute, and you did not disappoint!

[@za_ozero]

I re-soldered a microusb port legs on my neighbours phone and fixed its charging partially because of your content. It took a microscope, a multimeter with thin tips, thin iron tip on a temperature regulated iron, 0.5mm blue kaina solder wire, 559 flux from aliexpress. It went ok, not my first job on sub millimetre stuff, but first on mobile a gadget. I wish you best of luck, thanks ❤️

[@silabar5751]

Good work Steve. Looks like an ESD/surge filter/protection for the FPGA inputs directly connectet to it. The both "VF"-diods over the filter are TVS-diods and the filter is working as a choke.

[@hugegamer5988]

The ubiquitous TVS gang, keeping everyday pins free of the murderous thunder hammer since around 2000. Better late then never my suppressors, better late then never. But know this, I will still blame all unexplained problems on ESD.

[@Okurka.]

@@hugegamer5988 than

[@stephencooper3067]

Love your content, been binge watching all your videos since i found your channel month or so ago. It would be great if you could do a run down of the equipment you use, iron tips and temps etc. I think that would really help novices like my self moving away from your cheap point and click iron to a station where you can change tips and set temps. Little unsure which tips to use for which job etc. I think your quite relatable as you seem like someone who took it up as a hobby and built up quite a high skill level from there.

[@pauleerockstar2744]

Love watching you work, glad to see your channel continue to grow :)

[@jglg7238]

i love the classic Astro City cabinet look, simplicity. Really wanted to own a real one decades ago.

[@philash824]

That was by far the best Patreon shout out you’ve done, I didn’t skip it after 3 seconds and I actually went back and listened to it again

[@tsimeone]

Same. Music genre greatly improved

[@MrTimsvids]

Cant wait to see your 100,000 subs plaque, nice one !! Brilliant content, many thanks

[@krisfromthe80s]

Nice device, nice fix! Plus the ska section worked pretty well, please do more!

[@vincelicas2422]

Ohhh! I have one of these too! Its an amazing little thing and I'm happy you got yours fixed! Amazing video as always!

[@ScottFix]

Great fix Steve. Always enjoy your videos, not just for the fixing but for the comedy as well 😄 👍

[@BlondieSL]

I'll say this, probably like Steve, the piece of equipment that I use the most is the electronic microscope! As I use it all the time, I only wish that I would have had something like this "back in the day." It's wonderful that we can buy these microscopes at a reasonable price. The one I have, also the same brand as he has, is a model with a very small screen. However, that's a non issue, because it has HDMI output at a full 1080P. I have it connected to a lovely 24" IPS panel. Love this thing!

[@Okurka.]

What's an ISP panel?

[@natsterjam]

Yeeessss Steve! From Reggae to Ska! Love it! 👊🏻 AND a great fix! 👍🏻 You make watching fix it type uploads way better than most bro. Thanks for the knowledge/learning and the entertainment!

[@kyfeam]

bought one of the microscopes you use.. and a bunch of SMD items just in case i fix what your fixing.. i mostly work on vintage receivers and boomboxes.. but it never hurts to be prepared.. love your channel!

[@STHelton1]

Ok, that song was way better than it deserved to be. I’m not gonna say I don’t like the raps, because they are fine. But when this song came up I could have sworn I was paying THPS and it put a genuine smile on my face. Good job.

[@joshuagorecki4743]

I'm so glad you're mixing it up and not only rapping the patreons :)

[@dfive444]

Great vid as always Steve, I've bin binge watching your videos they make me chuckle and I just like what you do. Oh by the way I think the astro city has a few hidden games that can be unlocked

[@phazonclash]

This thing has more connectivity than a $2,500 Apple laptop 😂 Fun video, good job Steve, you're the man 👍🏻

[@virgildeklerk]

Nice find and nice fix Steve, love your content 👍

[@VenomDDD]

Love the ska bop. And stellar job as always. Much love.

[@thematthewlondon]

loved today's shout out song, the genre expansion has been great

[@stuartliddell2513]

Almost at 100K Steve.....keep going mate. :)

[@realnutteruk1]

I believe those middle two pins are used for available power negotiations between device and charger... Because the filter was shorting them out the device couldn't tell how much current it could take, and so it took nothing... Taking the filter out cleared the short, so the device defaulted to the original USB charging spec (1A) from before the modern charging standards were invented.

[@sonicrocks2]

They aren't, microUSB just has straight +5V and GND and then two differential lines for data. I think you might be confused with USB C which can do power/voltage negotiation depending on how its set up

[@rafaelgsbr]

@@sonicrocks2 but there are micro USB devices which can fast charge at 9 volts, there must be some kind of negotiation.

[@sndestroy]

@@sonicrocks2 there are standards for quick charge over microUSB too. And what he said is 100% correct, some devices won't power up even with a solid 5V there, if they can't make out what the data pins are doing.

[@Heckatomba]

When USB charging started to become a thing the way you would indicate "this is a charger" was by shorting the two data lines with up to 200ohm of resistance. Then the device knew it could draw 500mA (or was it 1A?). Cheaper chargers didn't bother with the 200ohm resistor and just shorter the lines.

[@krzysztofk.8842]

Guys… I actually learned a thing from YT comment section. Thats a first. Cheers.

[@enforcingtomb6148]

I love your work Steve, great vid mate.

[@BuyitFixit]

Great Job Steve. Looks a nice bit of kit that!

[@TheMadSqu]

That ska song was AWESOME!!! But to end it with starship was even more AWESOMER!!!!

[@RBKing80]

Great video as always Steve. 100K soon !!

[@MrJessejamesharris]

Fantastic listening to your thought process 👍🏼

[@Allerick178]

Fantastic work Steve.

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Frederick! 👍

[@MrFixiit]

nice to see you fixed it steve , only one problem with testing the emi filter like that you not acctualy testing the trace to see if the data make it to the via's.

[@BuyitFixit]

Was going to say the same. He was just measuring the filter and not that it was actually connected to any pads.

[@mattcrowston]

Great job Steve. Best patreon shootout yet.

[@acalavidyaraja]

nice fix once again, steve. i love how it has virtua fighter. you didn't seem too excited about that though.

[@Taktich]

Great work, as usual!

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Pacalon! 😊

[@gkimble90]

You brought me back to the Mod music years 😆 great job 👏 👍

[@basbrederode4413]

Great repair. Thanks for the great video.

[@BrassAmTV]

I can just imagine Steve practicing for the soundtrack of the day for hours... :)

[@garrycowan4394]

The only thing is when you are only halfway through the video say "let's try this" there's little to no chance it's going to work because we still have half the video to go...the suspense has gone 😂😂

[@epicmotorcyclerides2812]

Nice fix Steve. Love the SKA mate….. Anyway just been posted to Saudi so your vids are keeping me sane.

[@HardPumpers]

I ordered one of these from a Japanese seller on ebay. It worked initially then began exhibiting the symptoms shown here. The seller was very cooperative though and agreed to have it repaired. He even paid for the return shipping. Glad because I don't have the steady hand to do this kind of soldering work anymore.

[@chrispike7249]

Another interesting item & fix there Steve 👍

[@danb9388]

Loved the look of that so just ordered one on amazon ! Nice vid pal. Dan in spain 🇪🇸

[@segaatari4050]

Great work and great video.

[@karlwalker1771]

Love Your Channel Mate And Fully Appreciate You Fixing 80/90 Hand Held Gaming Units TOP MAN!:)

[@Chrismettal]

Pretty sure that's the best shout-out song yet.

[@moritzhahn4130]

love the music in this episode!

[@GameRaveTV]

Fantastic filter fix :D

[@sarestoration6253]

Nice save, you legend!

[@I_RacooN_I]

Thanks Steve

[@chrisj2848]

Nice! I was a bit worried there for a bit. 👍

[@StezStixFix]

😁 Thanks Chris!

[@Tomppa8.2]

Loved that patreon song!😁

[@_paulmac_]

Best content ever. Although my knowledge of this kind of stuff is less than minimum to say the least. So what makes good content, a great content creator. 😉 Good job Steve.

[@BestBackingTracks]

That was a proper good ska song mate, nice work!

[@wisher21uk]

Looks fun nice fix Steve I wouldn’t of thought a filter would do that 😊

[@Okurka.]

*have

[@enriquemartinez1030]

Well you done it again another great fix well done

[@OoMetaLHearToO]

Mate, you need to do a Heavy Metal song. I been waiting to hear you belch like a boss for months. Let's get the heads rolling bro. \m/

[@Suif]

That music section was fire dude 💥

[@joe.tiziano]

I would not know what I would do without the "StazStix Fix" videos, your videos really makes my week and will we be seeing the "StazStix Fix Music Album"? I am serious or is it just stupid me? 😃

[@twotone3070]

Made me laugh when you tested the new filter in circuit and it had continuity... well it would. I love your videos.

[@nbaua3454]

The brand new - broken - back to life and beginning to look like a new one.. nice rebirth of the console

[@TataWiktor]

17:28 New master of suspense 😁 Nice job

[@john4013]

What a great repair

[@benoitmorin7008]

Best ska intro, loved it!

[@marcelo_campitelli]

Perfect fix, veryyyy satisfying :):)

[@motohddk]

Thats a cool little system!

[@vadergamer7722]

Dude you are wizzard!! Love your videos.... Pandora box fix brought me here.... Is that you Singing ska??😂

[@yousefslimani99]

Nice song man! your songs deserves to be on "Sound Cloud" or "Spotify"!!

[@oscarpicazo5367]

ur vids don't show up in my recommended no mo and its upsetting ur vids are awesome.

[@lexpee]

Fantastic that SKA song.

[@MyklBlue69]

Love the t-shirt Steve, 👍

[@SkaPunkJay]

I love the ska! Channeling your inner Terry Hall! R. I. P legend.

[@macorourke2222]

Neat'O video Brother Thanks for sharing Your passion and adventures from Toronto Ontario Canada 😀 👍 ❤️ 🇬🇧🇨🇦❤️💯💯

[@Beaps73]

Great vid as always mate. I actually have the full size arcade machine of the Astro City and I’m looking for the mini to go with it if your selling.

[@pacotaco333]

Bro this ska song got me dancing....you should do ska more often

[@sambranton3346]

Your videos always inspire me to buy broken electrical items to fix up. Have a soldering iron, multimeter and a slightly above average understanding of electronics. However the video microscope is out of reach, and those awfully small micro components in everything modern put me off taking the leap. I love your videos.

[@andersb80]

Best intro song so far!

[@ericcatman9977]

Actually a cutie 😊every smile shine my day, thanks Steve

[@TonyDeCoste]

6:47 "Harry, I took care of it!"

[@SSR_RedDevil]

The rap in this one is the best.

[@abeldirk1985]

Hi Steve ,on 15:05 you see your testing those filter . You test it wrong. You test the filter and not your solder connection. Grtz Dirk

[@StezStixFix]

Ah, good point Dirk! I should have checked it went to the components behind it. I'll take it apart and double check it, as it's not connecting up to my PC (I'm not sure if it's supposed to, but that filter must do something!)

[@boydsterling3193]

Yes loving the ska shout out

[@jasonmuller1199]

Love Steve fix, hate that damn hot air gun, that thing is a chip killer

[@holemajora598]

You sole my dead bird to a blind kid!😂 Such a good movie! Watch out for the gas man!

[@laserhawk64]

Nicely done! Also: you need to do a musical cover album. Seriously.

[@paulnorris1]

Cool device 👍

[@zKaltern]

Can't help but wonder if a heat gun exists with a directional nozzle small enough to not blow all the others away!

[@StezStixFix]

You'd have thought someone would've invented that by now! 😁

[@theantithesis1]

Someone probably tried and it immediately sent the component into the fifth dimension.

[@sjakke85]

Or maybe hot tweezers?

[@EsbenH]

The Hot Tweezers - isn’t that StezStix Fix’s band?

[@ariecos05]

Making the nozzle that small and would amplify the force from the airflow. It would all kind of just even out

[@loveyouripod4747]

Hey Steve, loving your videos and working through a few at a time. I was watching one yesterday where you used a small hot glue pen to secure and HDMI or USB port. It looked cool - do you have a link on where to buy please.

[@K0jim0ji]

Song: *is ending* Steve: "peace"

[@KM89Shadow]

today i liked the song. i liked it very much. you got better ^^ nice :3

[@smugkid1588]

I think that is your best song so far

[@1970sSupertramp]

unorthodox but effective Stevie baby...

[@user-sv7cb6so1d]

Dave thinks the filter wouldn't have made a dif , BUT that it would have made the picture wavy or out of sync.

[@afelinecasanoca]

Alien Syndrome is awesome. Easily one of my favorite NES games

[@john2800]

Best intro yet......

[@jchapalee]

the Specials got a new front man right here

[@TheBudgetMindedMotorist]

Loved the dumb and dumber reference 😂 great video as always!