DISGUSTING £30 GameBoy Advance SP AGS-101 - Can I Fix it?

I bought a faulty GBA SP AGS-101 on ebay. Whats wrong with it? Can I fix it? Let's find out!
Tools -
Screwdriver: ebay.to/2sPVoVJ
Wowstick: ebay.to/36oXKJJ
Soldering Iron: ebay.to/2Flc89T
Support The Channel: / theretrofuture
Everything else you need -
The Retro Future
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JERSEY, UK
JE4 9RF
#TheRetroFuture #GameBoy #Retro
(Links are affiliated where possible to support the channel)
Huge thank you to / joeypecoraro and his team for letting me use his music!
Please note links above are affiliated where possible to support the channel. Thank you for your understanding.

[@mhtweeter]

How did someone see this 12 hours ago? Dang

[@TheRetroFuture]

They are a Patreon!

[@mhtweeter]

@@TheRetroFuture oh ok makes sense

[@thechonkywuf651]

Ah yes... paying to see a free video

[@basti__]

@@thechonkywuf651 Paying to support the creator?

[@hayashi02]

no need to be a sour apple man jeez. if someone wants to support a creator they like, leave 'em be.

[@speedwaynutt]

If this gameboy could talk i imagine it would have one hell of a story on what the heck happened to it.

[@TheRetroFuture]

Hahaha imagine

[@YodielandInhabitant710]

A proper war story full of drama and horrors I assume.

[@stevenbenson9976]

The story is simple - it was used for parts and when it couldn't be used anymore, it was bundled up and sold for more than the cost of the one good working part

[@emlyndewar]

"Kill me" perhaps.

[@alekszandor]

It would be completely catatonic from the trauma...

[@marcusgrosso4713]

‘Won’t spoil the shell’ looks at thumbnail

[@tomthaw]

Beat me to it!

[@damian9303]

I thought the shell was what was ‘disgusting’ about it. It looks like shit.

[@gezbit]

@@damian9303 honestly its hideous

[@draconic5129]

@Silveeo I think he meant the original

[@stephendowdican7589]

@Silveeo it loo,s like piss with blood

[@extroy1250]

Nobody gonna talk about him spin the screwdriver on his hand and flexed on us.

[@alexlock6813]

Elliott: I dont wanna spoil the shell Also elliott: shows it in the thumbnail

[@TheOfficialGlitchTTG]

Oooooffff

[@Jasonhadjigeorgiou]

in that condition it should've been free

[@TheRetroFuture]

😂

[@stevenmartinez2530]

To be fair, the screen was in good condition

[@troll4life662]

Hjen Thai But it didn’t even run games! And of course it was in good condition game boys are surprisingly durable! Were you the one who sold him the gameboy by any chance?

[@stevenmartinez2530]

@@troll4life662 no, just saying that the screen is worth more than being completely free

[@troll4life662]

Hjen Thai You’re right they should of paid him to take it off their hands........

[@spacebloomers]

In the words of dankpods: "SoMeOnEs BeEn In HERE!"

[@IanC14]

I was just about to post that!!

[@abrendan_dev]

@@IanC14 same xD

[@kleann]

lol

[@sc-935]

🤣🤣 SoMeOnEs BeEn In HeRe Oh no it was me🤣🤣

[@momomigogoc3943]

Its ear not here, fake fan

[@kirin1230]

Me at the start of the video: This doesn't look disgusting to me. Me halfway through the video: 🤢🤮

[@Ckoz2829]

Cookie Ugh, when he popped the hinge out and all that filth came with it, I nearly puked. How can anybody be so careless with their electronics?

[@McShizzleFoShizzle]

Cookie Same like🤮 dude take care of your stuff jeez

[@kaniurchidambaram6482]

🤢🤢

[@nmuniz2]

@@Ckoz2829 timestamp plz

[@alivewoman]

okay but why was that screwdriver spin at 2:16 so clean???

[@craigpotter392]

Haters gonna hate but switching boards was probably the right move. Lifted traces and missing caps chips etc would be a fab video , you'd need a good 30 mins plus to do it justice though. WE BELIEVE IN YOU 😂

[@wozzup-ve8sw]

I would love to learn how to repair the older hand held systems

[@EvanSage]

Same, I’ve been looking through ebay and found one, the only problem is the speaker doesn’t work so I hope I can save up and ask my mum to buy it along with a replacement speaker, but I think you have to solder it, I don’t have a soldering iron so I’ll probably look at some other ones that are classed as “broken or spare parts”

[@jasperbaker1155]

@@EvanSage the speakers are a few quid on ebay normally like i think I got a gameboy colour speaker for like £2.50

[@EvanSage]

@@jasperbaker1155 lmao im sad cus the bidding stopped oof

[@jasperbaker1155]

@@EvanSage Ooff

[@EvanSage]

Calum thanks lol idk how much I’d use it though

[@Miller_Time]

Little did the person who dropped the gameboy in liquid know that thousands of people would be watching somebody fix their shite

[@tsubasaplayer16]

holy crap. I was looking at that exact listing earlier last month thinking that I should buy it and attempt to repair it myself, but I'm glad I didnt cause it had more problems than just a missing charger port and non-reading games.

[@TeruteruBozusama]

How in the world did the charger port get out?! I played with mine so much the battery bubbled up so I had to change it, but nothing that bad!

[@giannamazzorana9797]

TeruteruBozusama I’m thinking it was harvested for parts so they probably used the charger port for a different one

[@TeruteruBozusama]

@@giannamazzorana9797 maybe, because I can see them getting burnt during charging if there's a bad lightening..!

[@giannamazzorana9797]

TeruteruBozusama yeah or someone used the charger port for a different one they were fixing... because the prongs in the charger port can get bent and messed up and that can cause it to not take a charge

[@crunchyfrog555]

Replacing a board with water damage that is as visible as this is always going to be the best solution, as you'll just be chasing ghosts forever. And I've got to say, as a sad old git in his fifties, I love your content. Seeing you offering good advice to people about solid economic repair is great. I must confess I had an irrational dislike to you at first because of looking like Jacob Rees-Mogg, but that ain't your fault.

[@tobysalvaje4511]

Daniel Linger 😂

[@Shyverin]

Wait a minute, so if you didn’t reuse the shell, and didn’t reuse the motherboard, did you end up paying 41$ for just an OEM AGS 101 screen?

[@nicklong27]

That is actually still cheap. They sell for £50+ these days. And we got a video out of it and Elliot made some money. Win win everybody.

[@oftankoftan]

Look at it this way: Instead of ending up with something that was broken and being down 41$, he salvaged what he could and can now make a profit from it.

[@Dave_Bike]

also got a fully functioning, near mint condition ags101 for 40/50 quid...

[@TesserLink]

they are pretty hard to get for less than that.

[@aetherblackbolt1301]

He's got 90k views on a video >10 minutes long and is monetised. I'm fairly certain he's made the money back from it. Understand that the motivations for entertainers buying stuff means they can invest in otherwise useless stuff.

[@AdamIannazzone]

Just want to say - thanks for the regular content during quarantine! It's great waking up in the US and having a fresh video every day.

[@thedoubleleafturtwig]

I really love it when you replace the shell because it always gives me a good idea of seeing what is really wrong with the system. Because of your videos I was able to take apart my really old water damaged 3ds, clean the mother board, replace the broken parts, and get it working all together in a new shell.

[@SkinnerNoah]

I love the yellow. When I was in elementary school, my friend Jimmy had a custom yellow sp with black racing stripes

[@maisies515]

That’s pretty wholesome

[@pabloescobar9370]

I love watching your channel after smoking. So relaxing and nostalgic! I just did the mew glitch and gengar glitch on my Pokémon yellow save on my atomic purple GBC. Cheers!

[@thelonelyrose8153]

Just repaired my first gameboy! And is was able to do it because pf your video,s and all i learned from them. So keep up the good work And stay safe out there And greetings from the netherlands

[@daanvissers]

Leuk hè, dankzij hem heb ik hier ook een hobby van gemaakt.

[@thelonelyrose8153]

@@daanvissers yeah its just a lot more fun than sittung at home doing nothing thats for sure

[@sofie4045]

I'm not really into doing this sort of stuff myself, but something about your content is so good, chill vibes man love watching you refurb stuff and chilling out, your voice and editing style is relaxing AF. Anyone else?

[@Fr331995]

Bro i literally work all the time and when i do get 15mins to watch a video thats not about work i come to you just chill informative and great content.

[@nathanlopez5610]

Elliot: I won't spoil the replacement shell. KZbin thumbnail: "Oh I don't think so..."

[@ikramrafi6481]

"I've got another shell but I'm not going to spoil what it is." *Puts it in thumbnail.* Lol, good video tho! 😂

[@ryanrdlps]

You're great on camera Retro! Awesome to watch! But, man oh man. That tight macro-zoom plus music combo. That's my sub right there. Love your stuff!

[@Poweruser75]

Hey Elliot from the retro future. Poweruser here. Looks like KZbin is serving me some of your older content but very enjoyable for me. It's nice to see that you're still going strong and have not given up. You've stayed consistent and kept everyone's expectations throughout the years. Thanks for all the cool videos man!

[@kevinoh7707]

Got in to retro gaming by watching your videos since the lock down has started here in Italy, I spend a lot of time watching your videos, thank you so much for keeping fresh content Keep it up🎮🎮

[@matthewnations501]

I really appreciate new SP videos. Getting ready to do a little work on one myself. Great content as always!

[@ungratefulmango]

Nice video. Very juicy in terms of how much you had to do to it. Also, your lens you've started using lately is so crispy, it makes your videos look so legit

[@Jlemon4731]

bruh, this was posted less than 5 minutes ago

[@TheRetroFuture]

He’s a Patreon.

[@AfroNinjaTacoz]

I came to the party late, but man I really do like your videos. They're relaxing, and you speak in a way that someone like me can understand. I'm not good with the jargon but I'm a huge Nintendo fan so seeing stuff from my childhood being looked into for even the smallest reason is enough to reel me in. Cheers!

[@hanktank45]

Awesome video as always. This channel is great. Really educational and relaxing to watch. Keep it up.

[@SkellaBella1396]

I’m not a handy person, I get my brother or step dad to help me with just about anything mechanical (one time I took my box fan apart to clean all the dust from it and that felt like a monumental accomplishment!) but modding and fixing these little consoles seems so satisfying and fun! I’d love to give it a try after watching a dozen of your videos!

[@cococrazy420]

Man i love your content, thanks to you now im interested in game boy modding and the fact that you take your time to upload quality content almost everyday it's just so passionate and nice from you honestly your vids makes this quarantine be less stressing for me, thanks for making such great videos. Keep that up man you do a very nice job!

[@sniks9901]

A very detailed video as always, very nice and helpful.

[@grumbirky]

Hello! It was good that you showed cleaning up the flux residue afterwards, I read some 101 soldering guide that leftover flux could be corrosive. 🤘🏻

[@TheRetroFuture]

Sure can!

[@keeper__88_]

This is the earliest I've been watching one of your videos. Nice work as always.

[@Th3OmegaPoint]

Nice job Elliot, these kind of projects are so satisfying, where you take something damaged and make it look awesome again. Definitely made the best decision to ditch the original board - an insurance company would call that 'uneconomical to repair'!

[@sleepycrow3849]

great video, i learn a lots from it, i didn't even know there are two chips to handheld gba and gb, gbc game.

[@nataliekate2176]

Watching the Nintendo sticker fit into place was so satisfying 😂 Great video as always! x

[@nvtrs]

"I'm so glad we've got our replacement shell for this to go into. I won't spoil which one it is yet..." - have you seen your thumbnail mate?

[@timothyritchie5290]

You look so pleased with that end result. Nice one- good job

[@TheRetroFuture]

Sure am! Thanks

[@bretwhitten7038]

great video i just repaired an ags 101 myself and it took quite a lot of work

[@luke27luis]

God, someone did a lot of terrible things to that poor motherboard! RIP! At least the rest of the components could be saved. Great job as always dude! Always enjoy your videos :)

[@TheShrimpWizard]

Elliot, you make my day just a bit better every video

[@izzieb]

You've been using a lot of Joey Pecoraro music recently. No complaints from me, I love his music.

[@unserioes0815]

These videos give me hope, i recently bought a limited edition SP from ebay little did i know that the seller heavily edited the auction pictures because what i recieved was a scratched up and dirty mess i payed 70€ for lmao Sadly i wasnt allowed to give it back so now im stuck with it and probably will try to clean it with the help of your videos, paint on it and then donate it or something

[@OmoiSenpai]

Whoa. Never knew that part about cleaning the LR buttons. I thought those 4 black dots was part of the rubber button itself. Welph, now I know!

[@Easiermarlin33]

I suspect that cap missing was an audio or power filtering cap (probably audio bc the device powered on). The missing RAM is strange though, as that static random access memory is probably necessary for any games to boot...

[@cosmug2935]

Great video! Looking forward to the potential motherboard repair though :)

[@geomar686]

Excellent work! I have a question,i want to change my gba sp shell ,got a shell from ebay with the tools but .... One of the four screws in the back of my gba sp cannot be removed and i cannot replace the shell!! Any ideas on how you can remove a broken phillips screw?

[@thepotto8175]

I do the same thing you do with walkmans. Accept there is no camera, no audience and everyone who hears me talk to nobody look at me weird XD and a good percent of the time, i strip screws. Love your work my dude.

[@thepotto8175]

basically, im saying I talk to myself to not get too frustrated during my refurbs.

[@FalkRutha]

Can you make a video about the soldering tools you're using? Or even a little soldering tutorial?!? That would be super helpfull as I'm currently trying to revamp my gba and the way you do it seems so effortless.

[@92000]

You're a master of taking bad offers but you still fix it pretty good

[@davidmisca347]

I am very sorry about the trouble you have been through with this GBA

[@Night_Rider83]

I got an SP for £6. No one was bidding so I got it. The shell was pretty crap but I got a pikachu shell like yours. This really helped!

[@StaticShock234]

Would love to see you take apart/fix older gaming systems. Like the nes/snes. I would be impressed if you took an nes and upgraded it. That or try a hand at making a nintoaster

[@josephneale10215]

love the replacement shell and a great video as always

[@DerekMelinger]

Thanks for the video. Quite enjoyable. If I may ask, is the purpose of using flux before soldering?

[@alchemyforbeginners]

Could you strip the protective covering at the top of the ribbon cable and solder the second ribbon cable to that? The bottom of the cable could still pass though the hinge since it has nothing attached to it.

[@MrTomFTW]

"I repaired this AGS-101, and all I had to do was replace the battery, and the charging port, and the mainboard, and the shell..." Marvellous, it's the GBA version of Trigger's Brush hahaha. Enjoyed the video!

[@aapplemadeanaccount2085]

Yesterday i ordered a original DMG style shell for my play it loud red gameboy. Your videos inspired me to do this. The set comes with shell, screws, buttons and lens. I can't wait for it to come and hope it is a good shell.

[@invaderlean]

AapplemadeanAccount i really hope you see this, but the hinges are very hard, make sure you really study ways to get the ribbon cable through the hinge, i suck at is and have ruined many screens in my day, good luck man

[@aapplemadeanaccount2085]

@TakeThatL Thanks for the heads up! I will be careful, thanks for the advice!

[@JackieWohlenhaus]

Good job on the sound mix. Didn’t need to mess with the volume at all.

[@TheRetroFuture]

Fuck yes!!!!! I got some new headphones and used them to help me get the levels right. You sir have just made my day.

[@ZephaniahNoah]

I would love to see a fallow up video where you buy some sram and that missing cap and try to repair this board.

[@danielwilson7885]

Such a satisfying video Elliot! 😊👌

[@TheLaserman1000]

I have a question, i have purchased a used gba sp but the sound doesn't work. I took it apart and tested the speaker that works fine but when i hold it to the contacts it does not work. Any ideas?

[@Bravo_13]

Hi Elliot,did you use AGS101 motherboard for replacement?I have one AGS101 in same condition but I do not know if I can use the screen by using AGS001 motherboard.

[@Overclockinfo]

Eliot, make a collab and send that fault board to Vince, from My Mate Vince. That's gonna be a brilliant collab!

[@Connor-mj3vf]

Great video! Just wondering, if you live in the UK, why are your eBay links for the US site?

[@GreatGig]

im confused - what is all that clear liquid youre using? im not the most experiences with soldering but i've worked my way around a few tings and never used anything like that before?

[@PKDionysus]

Nice work, Elliot. 👍🏾 Tell me, will we be getting a Mr Nutz review in the future?😂

[@BeltWearer]

I really like the looks of the new lens

[@TheRetroFuture]

Ah thank you!!!!

[@sebastianward2188]

does anyone know how many pins the bumpers for this have? mine stopped working and I can't really find a definitive answer.

[@seanmagvire]

Hey Elliot, Both my gameboy advance and advance sp have a green battery life but constantly drop to red/ flickers to red. Do you know what the cause or repair for this would be? Thanks!

[@emmettturner9452]

I was hoping you could show how to remove the hinges safely. There is a 3D printed tool you can use or you can use the trick I've been using for over 15 years: trim off a small piece of a Bic RoundStic ink pen. The screen front body piece needs to be opened to the detent position when removing or inserting the hinges due to tabs in the body pieces that line up with slots in the two sides of each hinge. If you force them out then the two halves of the hinge will not be aligned and will not fit back into the GBA SP shell correctly.

[@alexjamouneau1166]

Love the transparent AGS-101 but the screen just doesn't look right is that a black sticker on the back of the screen ? Just feels like it should just be the metal colour underneath shining through, what are your thoughts you may not even be able to remove it. Also love this video more solder work please! Top notch content as always 😊

[@TorutheRedFox]

8:26 that's the RAM they removed the AGB and the CGB hardware both reside in CPU AGB B (the Game Boy Micro has it too, but it's missing a lot of the other hardware making it incapable of reading cartridges, and having the screen rotated the wrong way)

[@stefanellrodt52]

Very nice work. I like it!

[@magicvampirelver1321]

That's a cute shell Elliot also the one with the tribal symbol is cool too ;)

[@darkmask2717]

I actually got one with charger for around $25 like 1 or 2 years ago ,has a sticker covering top part and scratch from being used but it works perfectly fine so I'd say its pretty good deal

[@Xx-ru3ng]

Right on. Man. I did the same refurbish and fix on my 101. Gata love the pikachu case. Really brings my pokemon collection together.

[@Yulises]

I've never modded or deconstructed a handheld before, but I recently discovered you from "building $200 gba" And now I honestly want to do the exact same thing, alongside I've been watching a lot of emulation videos, and want to construct a gba for that very reason. -Unfortunately, retro modding has halted their shipping/deliveries. Alongside that, they're all out of gba shells, so now I don't know what to do exactly.

[@overdriver99]

thanks for video. I also prefer original AGS 101 LCD screen to new IPS. I have 2 old AGS 101 model with slightly darker edge on LCD. I think it is burnt out due to old age. so.. I know some ebay or aliexpress dealer sell AGS 101 LCD screen but I doubt it is real Nintendo LCD. I wish to know any dealer who sells REAL Nintendo AGS 101 LCD screen...

[@harrymason3966]

Search for the chip and try to fix it one day love your quality btw

[@Koushiiiro]

Bro you work like a machine, 100% perfect, I hope one day work like you, so I can see how are my little consoles.

[@Mawww_MMD]

man now i'm sad i've left my gba tribal in my mother home =') you made me nostalgic

[@enkn]

I had NO desire to watch you try and sort that motherboard out. Great video - this is the reality of buying spares and repairs on ebay. I have to know though.... Did the shoulder hinges come out of that old gameboy as effortlessly as the video made it look? because I have so much trouble with them - let me know if you have a trick!

[@belialsawakening4577]

Excuse me good sir, do you have any tutorials on how to replace polarizer film of an gameboy advance sp? I have one and it has screen burn but i want to play badly

[@Zippy9000]

do we have to have permits from police department to use isoph- something alochol bottle for that or is it legal to buy one long as we dont sell it but keep it??

[@KSR3]

YOOOO the screwdriver flip was super cool and smooth damn

[@ross3076]

Big fan of the vids. Just bought a PSP and was wondering if you know any good websites that sell PSP battery’s and housing? Thanks

[@ryokovv006]

Hey Elliot, love your videos. :) Have you ever come across an SP that will play GB, but not GBA? I've cleaned the cartridge slot, no visible damage. Any ideas?

[@Donald_Truck-uz2eu]

For me it is midnight, but staying up to watch this is worth it

[@GLXY_1000]

I bought a NOT working Play It Loud DMG today in clear for $30 CAD. I got it working but it had no sound so I cleaned the headphone jack and did some tweaking to the metal contacts because it wasn't seating properly in the closed position (headphones removed). Now I have a fully functioning clear original DMG.

[@ericlopez911]

I have a situation i recently bought a "refurbished" ags-001 Gameboy advanced sp from eBay for $120(tax and everything. But for some reason whenever I save the game, as its saving the screen glitches out and sound goes silent then after the game is done saving the screen is back to normal and the sound is partially there. Also when I tilt the charger cable to the left, the volume goes silent but when I tilt it back its fine.

[@DarthDestiny07]

I just finished a shell swap on my AGS-101. It came with a pearl blue shell in scratched top condition, but the bottom was fine. I had the opposite with an AGS-001, so I created a dual color silver and blue 001, purple 101. I was disappointed you didn't show how you finished the hinges on the new shell. I struggled with mine for a solid 10 minutes. And stabbed myself with my screwdriver.

[@redbool1115]

It honestly annoys me to see that, the graphite is “one” of those gba sp colors that don’t have a ags 001 version, and it’s one of the rarest colors too, so it just annoys me seeing one in such condition, good job repairing that piece of scrap metal, I still love my pink ags 101 :)

[@k1ttyp3t10]

i've been waiting for this 🥰

[@niek7586]

Do you ever sell one of your fixed gameboys or do you have any tips for buying one? I want one but i don’t want it to have problems with it

[@seiotonashi4049]

good job sir.... because of motherboard problems the only solution is change to a new one but some parts would be still intact to original...thats the right choice...

[@wow42022]

I want to find a cheap preferably working ags 101 with a damaged/scratched shell. Replace the shell with a clear one and add a headphone jack. I think it would be pretty cool even if it’s a ags 101 or 001.