This FROGGER Has Stopped Frogging | Can I FIX It?

Many thanks to Dave for sending this over to me. It's the rather awesome CGL Frogger electronic game from 1980. Dave had been keeping it in storage and it seems to have been badly corroded. Consequently, it has no power and doesn't turn on at all.
Hopefully we can get Frogger Frogging again!
Let's try and 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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[@StezStixFix]

Stupid Frogger Thing

[@JonnyMudMower]

Nice👍🏻🇨🇦🍻

[@sergiobisonte]

convert to a rechargeble usb batery.. the zinc is gone from the metal.. it will always corrode no matter what you do.....

[@9paraneil]

Finishing the video with a beautiful rendition of Michael Jackson's Them in the mirror was brilliant 😂. Loving your work pal, a great dry sense of humour too 👌🏻. Damn that bloody Sam Smith and his Fisherthem nonsense.

[@iso-c]

Would be interesting see if cheap "hot tweezers" are reasonable thing to buy if fix smd pcbs

[@Rick-hx1ne]

Yeah you should have a motor brush it remove stain or corrosion off the plate faster pace rather than have pick or whatever scraps off the stain . Thanks for sharing and enjoy show.

[@davidkeaney6270]

Amazing work! I was properly ashamed of how dirty it was inside but so pleased you got it working. It brought back loads of memories. Enjoy playing it.

[@astra6712]

My goodness how could you treat something like that! I’d love to see how your house looks if Frogger looked like that!

[@drewcaddell8179]

Don't be ashamed David! Life happens and things sometimes fall by the wayside, especially after 40 years! Luckily it's nothing that a little TLC can't fix. Plus, if it hadn't been in such condition then we wouldn't have been blessed with this wonderful content. Thank you for sending it in. Brought back some great memories

[@PorchBass]

Remember it probably had foam or plastic inside the case that would have been turned to powder. No shame you kept it in the game.

[@delboy1362]

@@astra6712 you’re a bit of a rude knob head

[@astra6712]

@@delboy1362 I’d bet your house looks like trash too. Why turn off comments on your childish video games?

[@hobby_games]

just a tip: when dealing with an old device like this, first remove all the solder before doing the reflow, use a rust remover, clean it well and then solder again, the old solder had a different composition that in contact with the new solder causes "infinite melting" ", it happens a lot in Ataris, mainly in the ones that were manufactured around here otherwise, great job as always, hello from brazil

[@CTCTraining1]

Good point ... I’ve had this a few times and assumed that it was some side effect of the old flow-soldering process but a different composition makes more sense. Steve - maybe an opportunity for a mini-revisit on this one??

[@warpath6666]

Or just use 40 year old solder 😝👍

[@yUm666]

About every solder will work as long as it's leaded solder which should always be used on old devices. The infinite melting can happen if you mix leaded and unleaded solder together which you never should do. That kind of mixing can even lower the melting point so much that the joint becomes "self-melting" when you use the device as every device tends to produce at least a little bit heat.

[@nickk6109]

Yup - best thing is to remove the solder completely, then use a fiberglass flux pen to clean the joint (the pad AND the pin) then resolver as normal. Corrosion, difference in solder composition and contamination/dirt all cause the solder to simply not flow properly. Get the same with audio gear.

[@TristynRusselo]

but, ive seen him do it proper in older videos, he has solder wick, he knows how to use it. never seen him clean his tip....

[@JonathanBugg]

As someone who's had a life long issue of finding leaking batteries in old toys watching you rebuild the battery terminals was so therapeutic! Love the videos mate.

[@therealpanse]

might be worth looking into a little wire brush for a dremel to clean up terminals like that. makes it much easier to get them shiny again.

[@sos.gamers]

i think its easier to clean it with vinegar, just put a glass full of vinegar and it will take care of the rust

[@jnharton]

Honestly it looks like the best thing would have been to completely remove all the solder and the screen, clean up the area really well, and then reinstall it with new solder.

[@dankorn2938]

Pin were definitely super oxidized and you weren't making contact with the metal. You should have tried to deoxidize it or sand the pins clean. Thanks again for your videos. Always so enjoyable!

[@nexus1972]

the solderings a bit embarassing really best course would have been to wick away all the old solder clean and flux the pins and resolder. Also less solder would be good they should like like mount peaks not hills.

[@allfluxedup6924]

I'm very impressed with the switch fix - those things are horrifically fiddly!

[@StezStixFix]

😁 they definitely are! Thanks AFU!

[@hugegamer5988]

Non-deterministic switches determine how frustrating my day is.

[@phantom240]

Perhaps using an acid type flux, cleaning with deoxit, or brushing the pins/bad joints vigorously with something like vinegar would have removed some of that crud that was giving you such a hard time on those first few pins.

[@jobbo_]

Always amazes me that you're not only fixing a thing and editing video of it, you're also writing and recording a song/rap that incorporates your Patreon users.. which is not an easy thing to do! Love your channel Steve.

[@hurly_bird]

Underrated channel for sure

[@stevenphilcock4178]

not to mention the awesome retro music to boot!!

[@fyfoh]

Yeah, this is high effort stuff. Respect.

[@thadofalltrades]

​@@stevenphilcock4178 the retro music is unquestionably my favorite aesthetic.

[@unperrier5998]

What you need is a bench grinder with a wire wheel. It's not expensive and would work like a charm on those corroded battery contacts.

[@nonchip]

i think those display pins might have corroded _inside_ the joint (there was green crystal gunk on them after all), and then the oxide layer refuses fresh solder.

[@Rob_III]

Steve! We need our... errr... StezStix Fix! Can't wait for your next video! Hope you are well!

[@alanmark8345]

This was the first game I actually 'completed'. I played for so long that the score couldn't go any higher and the game stopped! Great memories seeing this again as haven't seen since the 80s. Great fix once again. Cheers 😃

[@NNITRED]

This was a fun watch. A little sandpaper or Dremel wire wheel will make easy work of rust rust.

[@helmutlvx]

Can't believe you got that switch back together. Battery terminals could use some new plating to prevent future corrosion but at least it works now. Good job

[@ARTofTY-TV]

Yeah I was going to say the same thing. Steve you should get a little nickel plating setup going. It won't take up much space either.

[@BuyitFixit]

Great video Steve. I bought a job lot of 5 of these some time ago, I've yet to do a repair video on them.

[@01Chris02]

I love how crazy the trace paths look on this thing. Nothing today looks as crazy as that. Maybe because it's a single layer board? Either way really cool

[@Samsemillya]

Steve what the hell is going on! I need my dose of funny electronics repair! What are you doing?! Get on with it! Love you ❤

[@TerryLawrence001]

Close to the batteries on older stuff are often in need of a good cleaning, more flux and higher temperatures. Model hobby shops have nice metal strips, tubes, and angle bar that work well for making new contacts and bus bars.

[@Devilboy-6666]

All ok Steve no videos for 2 weeks hope nothing is wrong..

[@joshkelly4682]

Been waiting on a new video, hope all is well

[@willemvdk4886]

Gotta love those old school one layer low resolution PCB's where you can clearly see all traces!

[@knoxieman]

With dry Joints you need to remove the old solder scrub the pins to take the corrosion off clean then re solder, the reason the solder wasn't sticking was because you didn't clean the corrosion on the pins, it might work now but those joints looked really bad and those dry Joints will return quite quickly, if you sell that onwards I would sort it properly first.

[@mrbenn180]

Went into a hardware store asking about soldering supplies and the guy recommended this channel. I am glad he did! Awesome.

[@matth2357]

Brilliant stuff! Whenever you see the solder fall away into infinity it's best to desolder completely and clean the pins with a small bit of sandpaper or a small wire brush. Should take the new solder after that!

[@MatthewHolevinski]

omg that moment the sound came on, instantly hit me like a brick and teleported me back... That was wild.

[@Rich77UK]

My brother had this as kids. I loved it! Frogger is such a great game.

[@Devilboy-6666]

Where is last week's video Steve

[@TheGameboyGTS]

excellent video! only thing i'd advise on these it to re-nickel plate the battery contacts.

[@rciancia]

What a great hopping video !!! Excellent job on the battery terminals

[@StezStixFix]

😁 thanks Ron!

[@Greg_Watchorn]

Looks like you turned this frog into a fantastic Prince with your fixing kiss!! Go on Steve!!!🐸🐸🐸

[@StezStixFix]

🤣 thanks Greg!

[@zKaltern]

When I was a wee boy I was utterly OBSESSED with these awesome games - first one I had was the Firefox one you fixed a while back, but my absolute favourite was Astro Wars. I had Scramble, Caveman, Donkey Kong G&W, PacMan G&W and MunchMan... umm, Oh and a 2 player Galaxians which was pretty cool. Great times. Never had Frogger, sadly. But you have given the gift of frog back to a viewer which is awesome :D Looking forward to the next one.

[@StezStixFix]

Yeah, I love these things too! Definitely going to keep my eye out for more of them!

[@ThumpertTheFascistCottontail]

I had Cobra Supercopter. Endless fun.

[@TheRealDJSigma]

Me too! I got to play a bunch of them via friends owning them. The only one I owned was one called Earth Invaders and in hindsight I don't know how I even played that, given the layout of the controls. My claim to fame from that era is that I once won an Astro Wars tournament at a local fête and was presented with a £3 postal order as my prize, lol.

[@retro_reflections]

Yeah, had quite a few of these myself, not least of which were Astro Wars, Tron, and Defender (which of course had me pointing like a Leo DiCaprio meme at Groot in 'Avengers: Infinity War').

[@CraftMine1000]

Tip: spring steel and other steel (and some other metals iirc) usually have a surface that almost refuses solder adhering to it (sometimes it's because oxidation, sometimes surface roughness, sometimes chemical properties), scratching the different pieces before soldering makes sure there's a rough surface with no oxidation for the solder to adhere to, it works wonders

[@TrimeshSZ]

My guess is that the fumes from the battery stripped off the plating on the VFD leads, leaving the base metal, which is probably Kovar (chosen because it has an expansion coefficient that matches the glass) - that's why you were having so much difficulty soldering it. The factory finish is normally Ni with a very thin Au flash plating then tinned, because Kovar is a pig to solder.

[@cmsaunli]

Brilliant analysis

[@AG-cg7lk]

Nice one. Probably worth getting a spray can of contact cleaner for pots and switches. Works much better than dribbling in IPA.

[@ian3314]

Great video! Man, watching you grind and wash away the corrosion was soo satisfying. Loved the unexpected ASMR also. 😃

[@nhand42]

The synth tracks remind me of every film from the 80s. Great work.

[@mr.cykelcrash8390]

I need to get my butt away from my switch and start fixing some stuff i have been ignoring for some years now. Thank you Steve for inspiring me to get back into fixing stuff again.

[@danisaac]

I’ve made new battery contacts out of hammered flat copper pipe and springs before reminds me of that. Good job there 👍

[@Ragnar8504]

Vinegar works a treat on battery leakage! Also removes most of the corrosion without eating into the plating. I saved a Texas Instruments TI92+ calculator with that a while ago. Also tried it on a Dymo label printer with the absolute worst battery leakage I've ever seen - the battery compartment looked like it was filled with icing. Surprisingly, hardly any visible corrosion though. The vinegar made the stuff fizzle and dissolve but either I didn't clean well enough or there's something else broken, no signs of life after at least half an hour of applying vinegar and scrubbing. The bloody thing is impossible to take apart, the two halves of the shell seem to be connected by a whole bundle of wires soldered on both ends.

[@johnbaldwin143]

Just when my life was getting bleak. You posted and saved the day!

[@DisectUK]

It's alive. With terminals maybe worth dipping in a solution overnight? I'm sure there are rust removal solutions out there. Loved the video 😊

[@Lolindir_Fox]

the scraping of the grime away with the grinder pin was so satisfying haha

[@michaelolsen4196]

Oh Gakken. Reminds me of those experimentation kits where you could build sound generators, blinking lights, and much more just by placing blocks with resistors, capacitors and transistors. Lego with electronic.

[@tecnicoemeletronica]

2 weeks without Steve 😭

[@paulb4uk]

superb work steve i expect some of the leaked battery acid made those joints a pan to solder .

[@lavatrout]

Great fix! Shame the joy stick is missing its top, but the system looks great otherwise! Loved that close up of all the frogs

[@adamdavies163]

The joystick is not missing it's top, that's correct as it is. The only thing that is missing is the sticker off the hood.

[@lavatrout]

@@adamdavies163 Oh! You are right! The joystick looked odd on the top down view, but looking at it on google images makes it make sense

[@mwk1]

14:00 - no, it's because 40 yrs before solder had an lead ingredient, while nowadays does not, so they just won't get along with each other like a good old married couple ;-)

[@dazsmith690]

100 percent the oxidisation on the screens pins was the issue..id suggest removing the screen altogether.. get a rubber with a coarse and fine end..clean with ipa then use the rubber to clean each pin on the removed screen..is then clean it with deoxit then tin the legs before the oxidation returns..(mins) same with the battery holding clamps..if u get them clean enough they will take a layer of solder tinning and stay oxide free..your skills for self taught are very good..i used to build satellite circuit boards at mil spec standard..and clean the tip of that iron every time.. shock the oxides off and the solder will flow so much better..tin the iron every time helps keep it oxide free as well..keep up the good work

[@JamsieYT]

Love watching these old video game resurrections, excellent work as always

[@darkxceed]

I would strongly recommend to plate the battery terminals with soldertin. Exposed copper to air will oxidize.

[@johnmuff1348]

Nice repair it works

[@ivanalvarez7194]

I discovered this Channel literally yesterday and it's already my favourite Channel.

[@Adam-lt4fx]

the old solder joints are super oxidized so its best to desolder first rather than just adding and mixing new solder. If you do mix then you need to have a good solder iron and do it at like 450

[@_-Limbo-_]

Just Started watching your Channel last few weeks ago. I was into electronics years ago, Its fun watching you troubleshoot and repair Great Work!!!!!! thank you

[@dazsmith690]

we used to clean the legs of brand new components..with rubbers,,surgically clean..resistors and similar components leg bends radius have to be perfect so the drop straight in and out without touching the sides..and soldered so the leg was central to the hole without touching the sides of the hole..the operation frequency of say 240 volt stuff at 50-60 cycles causes the circuit to vibrate at that frequency and slowly cause the joints to break and go dry..

[@ygstuff4898]

When I saw the ballbearings pop out of the switch, I -sighed- too (haha).

[@wisher21uk]

Brilliant fix Steve nice workaround with the springs too 😊

[@heateslier]

fixima jaggery without the attitude and the video isn't a commercial under the usual youtube ads, love it 😁👌

[@mart1nandersson]

The solder wasn't flowing because of the battery pooh. White vinegar is an excellent and cheap way to neutralize it. Don't forget to wipe it off with isoprop afterwards or it will continue to do damage.

[@Balsksks]

Extra install of the missing jack would be awesome, but anyway again nice episode Mister!

[@Jimnymudhunter]

Brilliant video.. just a heads up that yellow color off the switch could be the grease off the rail.. you need to put very little grease on them.

[@novaglow1466]

You should try nickle plating for battery terminals

[@kosmos_marichuanovitsch]

Cheers Steve! Always a pleasure.

[@Marrro]

There are special solder pastes with hydrochloric acid content for contacts such as those at this display.... These have to be washed off after soldering so that the soldered parts do not corrode.

[@Scott-M1]

Well done. Done a similar thing today with a auto bin lid thingy. And "them in the mirror" was tremendous 🤣👍

[@hollgo626]

Great Work gut Nest time, when repairing corroded solder joints, clean them up with vinegar and IPA first....Fresh solder does not stick on corroded joints...

[@djdrwatson]

I had this! Frogger is/was *NOT* a stupid game! 🐸 Should've added back a DC power socket to replace the missing one.

[@Bigrignohio]

Interesting ball bearing detent system in that switch.

[@followthetrawler]

Remember kids - take your cells out when you put things away for a while. Nice work!

[@KericthePally]

"I am just going to have a look at these battery terminals, because I'm feeling positive..." Damn, so close to being a perfect pun

[@adamdavies163]

I noticed that one 🙂

[@zviper]

I really wish i still had my old Frogger, that start up sound brings back good memories :)

[@chrisj2848]

Great fix Steve!

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Chris! 👍

[@eathenalexander2836]

Grinding out the rust was a great idea . But they do need to be nickel plated again to make them last and prevent rust.

[@MarioSalasEspinoza]

Stez, how about a zinc coat to those terminals, should be easy with small projects like those terminals. Keep on restoring.

[@AhmedKhaled-sj1zx]

I don't know what to say. NICE WORK. this is more than perfect

[@zerocks88]

I would look into electrolysis for the rust removal, it's really cool and I think you've already got all the tools for it!

[@Cassandra_Johnson]

You need some green scrub pads to clean up those contacts. Would not be as damaging to the nickel coating as the grinder pen. The copper underneath is going to oxide in short order - at least cover it with a layer of solder. And ya, frogger can be tricky

[@LOrealHardly]

21:00 I think you could have twisted that second spring into the metal plate, maybe, Steve?

[@MrJDNJ]

I've watched folks soak battery terminals in CLR Cleaner (Calcium Lime Rust) with good results.....On most of my handheld games (TV plug and play, etc) I've installed DC power jacks to eliminate battery use and prevent battery corrosion.

[@Dukefazon]

Careful with vinegar, don't leave it on too long as it can eat the actual coating on the metal parts. You should neutralize the vinegar with baking soda, rinse it off with water and apply alcohol to get rid of the water. If the contact is brown that means it's rusty, rust converter might help though I'm not sure how good electrically the new surface is going to be.

[@williefleete]

Solder not taking to pins. From corrosion. Remove the display and other affected parts and clean the pins, either mechanically or chemically until you get clean copper, then tin them

[@chrisstyles4630]

The terminals can be cleaned & new nickel put on them there are videos that show you how to re-nickel them odd tinkering should be of help as he has a video to show you how to re-nickel

[@Frank-Thoresen]

This was a nice repair. I was hoping though that you installed the 6V DC connector. Batteries often ends up being forgotten in the game console.

[@FixitFrank]

I'm sure you know this by now, but if you scrape the pins with a scalpel/razor they should take solder easier.

[@garymucher4082]

When I come across such corroded pins on any circuit board like that, there are only two ways to get them to take solder again. First try some highly activated flux and make sure you clean that flux off after soldering, OR remove the chip and abrasive scrub the pins and tin them and reinsert them back into the board and solder. Either way, it is a real pain. Seems the battery corrosion leaked across that entire board... Thumbs Up!

[@pman1902]

i had that exact game looong time ago. funny to see it on the inside

[@aggelossir]

For rust I usually use w40 or vinegar with baking soda and salt

[@TheGazzz99]

Love the 80's vibe on your videos! 🙂

[@mediatour8898]

I love how excited you get when you fix something 😊 I do the same thing!

[@SixtyDoesStuff]

ASMR Frogger, wasn't expecting that. Good idea with the springs!

[@captcraig777]

Quite a challenge there. I am very surprised the traces are in such good condition. Great work!!!

[@jonskitch8082]

Great job, good determination - well done!

[@serpentza]

Epic music this time round mate, mind sharing who it is?

[@chrisstokoe3169]

Now that is some serious nostalgic game changing tech from the past love it

[@whodatdere1]

You should invest in some good contact cleaner and a wire wheel for your grinder pen. It will make these jobs go much more smooth! The battery acid likely corroded the pins on the VFD, causing the solder issues. Had the same thing happen with leaky caps too.

[@jefffranks6213]

Those pens were corroded that's why they weren't taking solder. If you go back in the video you can see the green tips

[@ItsMrAssholeToYou]

21:28 A little hint for you: There's a reason the spring end of the part is slotted. Further hint: It's to provide clearance for _something._

[@chase2para]

great fix, took the solder issues etc.. in your stride. well done bud

[@Inugamiz]

I remember back a year ago this channel only have 2 holy hand grenade shout out... now is always full. Been trying to get it.