I Bought a BROKEN Game Boy MICRO - Let's Fix It!

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BROKEN Game Boy Micro Repair - I bought a broken Game Boy Micro that won't power on. I tried a new battery but it still wouldn't turn on. So I ended up having to take it apart down to the motherboard to discover what was wrong.
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Tools I Use:
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[@TheCod3r]

Given the circumstances surrounding this, I'd say the fuse blew because it had a damaged port. Someone replaced the port but didn't go an further with it. Awesome job :)

[@Tronicsfix]

Yep, I'd agree with that.

[@herrakaarme]

It seemed to me the liquid covering some of the IC's legs also did some short-circuiting. Maybe the device would have worked without cleaning that stuff, but it could have potentially caused instability.

[@mouthwash8182]

@@herrakaarme the liquid damage likely fried/shorted the port, and the bad port likely killed the fuse. Someone replaced the port, still didn’t get it to work. They sent it to TronicsFix, he replaced the fuse and cleaned up the liquid damage. Problem solved

[@herrakaarme]

@@mouthwash8182 Yeah, sounds quite plausible. It's just kind of strange the previous owner didn't clean all the liquid residue despite replacing the port.

[@mouthwash8182]

@@RWL2012 just stop, no one cares.

[@kirara4953]

This type of restoration, where there's no schematic or booklet to help, just pure skill, are so satisfying to see.

[@ImPattMan]

The ability to pick up a device you've never seen before and quickly and accurately diagnose the issue is what separates the amateurs from the pros. You my friend are certainly a pro, I know you like to feel you way around devices blind when you get them for the first time instead of looking up guides (which certainly would have been available for a device like this), and I think that gives you a certain amount of knowledge and expertise that's difficult to obtain elsewhere. Love watching these, and keep killin' it my friend!

[@ricahrdb]

I love the GBM. It is just about the most perfect portable gaming device. Great to see one brought back from the dead. 👍

[@AnarickTheDevil]

Maybe if you have baby sized hands and play looking through binoculars. Original agb-001 is the best epically when you do the ips backlit screen mod, It's compatible with all gba accessories and can be used as a controller for playing gba games on GameCube through the gba player.

[@ianmitchell4742]

I have absolutely no intentions of fixing anything like this but your videos are mesmerising

[@MyNewOldConsole]

I loved it! You should have a retro fix section, there are a lot of pseudo fixers that do "obvious" repairs (like replace the charging Port for example) and then they ruined the devices or leave it because they asume there is nothing to do. Great video, great job! I hope to see another retro console repairs in the future

[@CoasterNut]

That seemed like a very satisfying fix. Always fun to see you work on a new system!

[@danboy37]

Way to succeed in trying something new. This video just goes to show that if you work hard and keep practicing at whatever project that you want to finish, you can succeed at accomplishing such amazing goals.

[@lysergicaciddiethylamide6127]

I remember playing this in class in middle school. This is pure nostalgia.

[@nitrax8629]

Love these tiny Game Boys! The screen is probably the easiest part for these to source ironically, as it was a standard part used in many cameras at the time.

[@abandapart82]

Fantastic! I love it when you fix these old handhelds! Great to see that old Micro comeback to life.

[@luismarquez4757]

It's beautiful when an old console is bring back to life. They deserve a second chance to bring hours of fun.

[@StephaneGarant]

Love your videos because they show that sometimes things don't work out as planned. We have to work without schematics and things get messy. So thank you for showing everything, even if it doesn't work. I learn a lot and look forward to your videos every week.

[@FatassRat69]

My parents got me one of these for about 15 dollars when I was little, that thing was my childhood

[@Tronicsfix]

Fifteen? That was a great deal!

[@MyRegardsToTheDodo]

@@lordjaashin Considering your subscriptions I'd say your hood is whiter than toast.

[@3VAvenue]

I had the 25th anniversary Gameboy Micro. It was super cool!

[@kurisu2873]

@@lordjaashin low quality bait

[@theringoffire67]

It’s great watching this because you know so many others would just throw broken electronics in the garbage while my man here is giving them a new life.

[@dreboski]

This video put a smile on my face. Glad you were able to fix it! I love the oddity that is the Micro.

[@gargaj]

Very cool to see a video out of your comfort zone; with the videos on modern consoles it sometimes feels like you immediately know the problem just by looking at it, but here it was a lot more fun to see the thought process and the actual process of elimination to find the problem!

[@grahambaker7563]

Great video Steve! This was obviously a challenge for you, but you came through in the end. Boy done good! Btw, love watching your channel. Always entertaining!

[@cirugiaretro]

Your videos definitely inspired the ones I´m making! Thanks for showing your great work!!!

[@raf42]

I don't know why, but you scrubbing at a chip with a toothbrush and suddenly the lights coming on made me laugh harder than I have in a long time. Keep up the amazing work!

[@Chiller31916]

Really enjoyed the video! I enjoy seeing repairs on old hardware. Maybe in the future you could repair a Gameboy/Gameboy Color or any other old console.

[@FrugalRepair]

Wow, great repair! It's always so great to see things come back to life. For the scratches on the screen, have you tried a magic eraser (the OEM brand) for those kinds of scratches on the polarizer?

[@windowsxpprofessional]

It won't work, since it has gone too far. If you saw Jerry rigs video on how to remove scratches, you know it or else pls watch that

[@notmyrealname1526]

It probably makes more sense to replace the polarizing filter. Not exactly the most fun task, but the result will be leagues better. Provided you can source the correct materials, that is...

[@RestoreTechnique]

A polarizer replacement is very cheap, and pretty easy to do

[@BloodlustNL]

@@Easymoneysniper5 if ya don't want spoilers, don't read the conments before watching the video😅

[@LolmenTV]

Car polishing resin maybe remove the scratches 😉👍

[@muruhs]

Man I love your videos, I love the aspect of taking something apart fixing and cleaning it up and putting it back together, I do it with every used item I buy, its so fun to me.

[@virgildeklerk]

Yes it's tronicsfix friday again. I really adore the gameboy micro it was such a great small console for it's time. Great to see it come back to life so someone can enjoy it again. Love those repairs so keep em coming. Have a good weekend Steve

[@ChrisEpp]

Heck yeah, awesome to see you text another device and especially the one you’ve never done before!

[@alirezamosadeghzade]

man! I love the way you fix things, the way that you make alive the dead! it feels really great to me! Hope you have a good one!

[@chasefournier]

Loved this video Steve! I remember when the Gameboy micro came out soo many years ago, I wanted one but it wasn't super practical at the time, + I was young and had an original DS from what I remember. Anyway, crazy that one fuse blew and caused it to not turn on! I really enjoy these types of videos, I love seeing how electronics are fixed with no schematics. They look intimidating if your not familiar, but electronics aren't as complicated as they look! (Well maybe sometimes LOL @iphone boards)

[@TheGlitchyMario]

It’s always cool seeing a repair on something you’ve never taken apart. Always learning.

[@randomretroplays3123]

Hi,just wanna say I love your channel very much. I like game consoles and repairs so your content is perfect for me. Subscribed ages ago and still enjoy now 👍.

[@kikihobbyrepair]

Nice job Steve! Good to see you saving these old consoles from being scrapped. 🙂

[@forewheeler]

This was really impressive man. Never even worked on the device and diagnosed the issue. Color Me impressed

[@caddilex8770]

Gosh, it’s the one Gameboy missing in my collection to collect the whole series of Gameboys. I love the video, keep up the great work😁

[@rikprince8414]

Nice fix, Sir! I got one of these as a gift several years ago. I could only play it for a few minutes at a time as the small screen made my eyeballs ache!

[@MikeeVee]

Another great repair video. I was actually unaware of the existence of these handhelds til today.

[@shyvika9445]

I think i'm in love with your work, really you enjoy it so much and it's so high quality, i appreciate the hard work you put in your videos, i hope your channel grow to the infinity

[@TheCod3r]

These things look awesome, might have to grab one for my collection. Great video as always Steve

[@Tronicsfix]

You should! These are great little handhelds.

[@Sam-gw3gc]

prepare to have to pay a million dollars for one

[@handyhomebrewnetwork2142]

@@Sam-gw3gc are these worth something now? I have a black one thats been played like 10 times. Maybe I should off load that.

[@aldesalOG]

@@handyhomebrewnetwork2142 yeah, they've been going up in price

[@jpaulobiem]

Amazing job, as always my friend! Congrats!!

[@lilrex2015]

I really love this channel. You inspired me to get back into doing Maker stuff. Thank you.

[@willkra]

What a technician you are! Very nice job!

[@JuicyJakeRepairs]

it cleaned up nicely! The inner plastic bracket is quite fragile but luckily you had no issues. I need to pick up some gameboy micros at somepoint but they are very expensive haha

[@TemptationS666]

WOOOOOOOW what a blast from the past even seeing a Gameboy Micro!!! great fix!

[@juampimlb1745]

Tronix, your voice is si calm. I almost fall sleep with the sound of this video 😁

[@Tronicsfix]

Ha, ha...glad to hear it!

[@mightyflower]

Almost? I ended up sleeping. I had to rewatch the video. He did a great job! 👍

[@factsheet]

Your restoration videos give me life

[@ifacepunchppl]

Finally 😭 your upload couldn’t come fast enough. I love your channel!

[@Tronicsfix]

So glad you enjoy!

[@brendanh864]

Great video! I love seeing people repair things

[@jacobf6723]

I love watching your videos, your work always amazes me. I wish I could ship you my sons learning tablet, one day it just randomly stopped turning on. He loved that learning tablet.

[@pedropicapiedra3598]

Even without the PERFECT amount of thermal paste... great video, man!

[@ikathan26]

Great, You should do more of these retro fixes 👌

[@r100curtaincall]

Nice job! I’ve had to do some extensive repairs on a couple of these, It can be a little bit of a pain. Great little devices and a little ahead of their time. Very compact custom boards for the time period. It’s not surprise why they were so much more expensive, but because of that they didn’t really make a lot of sense to buy at the time. Very cool though.

[@samuraifez]

Nice repair! Thank you for your videos, these are well done and very helpful 😁

[@BlueFlyer21]

Great stuff , thanks Tronics

[@squallneko5004]

Missed your repairs. Hope life is good. Never had a game boy mirco before.

[@RockCity1111]

The intensity is off the charts this vid !!🔥🔥🔥

[@neojeets]

Nice work! Elliot over at The Retro Future channel would be happy to see a Micro restored.

[@panandcsupomona]

Please continue to make these videos and fix more electronics like this. 👍😄

[@Jetsfan0786]

You make great content, love watching your videos. I've learn a lot from your videos. Keep up the great work!!

[@Tronicsfix]

Thanks, will do!

[@zantar666]

Excellent video.. Love your work man.

[@MageLeaderInc]

You should do more videos of repairing older consoles. I see a lot of people that have PS2s&3s and Xbox 360s that are starting to fail and it'd be cool to see some brought back to life.

[@StezStixFix]

Love these little things. I've been keeping my eye out for one, but boy are they expensive! Great fix, Steve 👍

[@Tronicsfix]

Prices are crazy on most things right now. These included

[@sdewey4152]

Sheesh, just checked the prices, my green ones been in a cupboard for nearly a decade..I lost the charger but even without they seem to be expensive.

[@Yuppp-]

I really love Your videos and it motivates me to start fixing stuff

[@gooseman247]

Great video! These are such good watches on a quiet Saturday with a cup of coffee.

[@thatdude5104]

Nice fix, never seen one of these before, cool looking device!

[@RalonsoF1]

Superb and very interesting, informative repair!! 👍👍👍

[@user-gj6vg6nq2f]

Nice job Steve! those are fun to fix I buy alot of them from Japan for cheap sendico auctions and fix and sell them

[@ExcenGaming]

Love the Micro. Great little handheld.

[@Tronicsfix]

Yep!

[@samuraispiritsx]

I hope you do more retro systems, this was great

[@waltercomunello121]

a blown SMD fuse. I had a similar problem (no power, aka NLOD) on a PS2 slim, I spent a lot of time tracking down the culprit, and it was a single tiny fuse bringing power to a secondary power rail with a switching regulator which among other things brought power to the on/off button board. the voltage went from 8,68V to under 2V on the other side, and verifying resistance on the removed piece showed more than 1MOhm - that acted like an open circuit. So, blown fuse. once the fuse was replaced the whole system was working again I had to resort to schematics though. always refreshing to see old video game consoles back in shape from a nonfunctioning state

[@TM_Stone]

Great fix as always!

[@deeranfoxworthy6069]

I've got an item coming in that I hope to fix and has a power issue as well. Thanks for the tips and tricks on fault finding power issues! May not be a micro, but still helpful!

[@JC-ld6yz]

amazing work, please more retro fix

[@jimcanterak7349]

Man I loved this thing as a kid. I still have it in pristine condition. This video certainly put a smile to my face.

[@Fulvica133]

Love these type of video you make

[@Tronicsfix]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@ryanmartie1244]

I was looking at the battery hanging out there while you were cleaning and wondered why you left it plugged in 😂 Oops...glad ya fixed it though! Never had any doubts!

[@onasazi]

Great fix and fault finding Steve! You should do more portable handhelds!

[@rickyphineas5165]

I am Rodrigo's uncle, the video that the school boys made for you was with a lot of love, I would love for you to watch it

[@mtshark7]

Well done Steve!

[@RavenWolfRetroTech]

Nice Repair. I can't count how often I had to explain to a customer that each tech has to do their first repair on each and every model they work on at some point. People would complain if a tech, doing an on-site repair, was using a service manual. I would simply ask "Would you prefer they wing it?" We would, of course, adjust any labor charges to account for any additional time needed when dealing with new models.

[@Madblaster6]

Most Game Boys it's the F1 fuse when it doesn't boot with battery. Crazy how quick he was able to find it without that knowledge.

[@muaries12]

When cleaning the chip i was thinking " did he unplugged the battery" seconds later it turns on " oh dear" Great video as always!

[@andycap8469]

This was a satisfying fix. Can you go into detail on what helps you remember how to put things back together? Like using photos or notes or just great memory?

[@wolfson9308]

Nice work, just by guessing you make this thing work again. Keep the work up :)

[@fishing9308]

This is exactly the video I like best I hope there will be more of it

[@AlbertNaranjo]

I have had your videos recommended to me lately... and I have watched a few. Great stuff... but THIS VIDEO... THIS ONE... made me click "Subscribe"!

[@Tronicsfix]

Wow, thanks! Welcome to my channel!

[@carlosfacio7717]

Great job bro!!

[@Leon.G]

Great repair!

[@Killing_One]

Very nice fix ,cool video.

[@lookitskazzy]

That charge port was definitely reworked. Giant solder blobs, messy flux, dirty joints. Probably was an attempt to fix it, not realizing that some corrosion on that IC was the real culprit that caused the short and popped the fuse. Great job!

[@epicplayz2001]

We all got together to send you the video that Rodrigo made for you. It was with a lot of love and humility

[@tonymosbach2868]

Anyone else find it oddly satisfying listening to this guys videos? 🤩

[@SneakyHoboJesus]

Back in my working in a second hand store days, we had one of these come in. the faceplate was made to look like the game and watch lcd games.

[@mikew1978]

You just reminded me that I still have one of these. Thanks

[@dannyb1187]

crazy i just found a game boy micro at a yard sale for 2 bucks and then you put this video up nice

[@AntonioWengratt]

That's an awesome video and a awesome fix!

[@YaffleTank]

Had no clue this existed, real cool!

[@elvsrbad2]

Any news on a new challenge between you, Vince, Tampatech, etc? Those I loved that series and would love to see another

[@bademume449]

It always surprises me that the Micro isnt well known, cause i had one and since i lived in a very small village and were not meeting a lot of other children I assumed others must have one too. Due to the smaller display everything, especially Golden Sun, looked so cool. It was a very good Console.

[@frostedbutts4340]

It came out at the same time as the DS, which really overshadowed it

[@samanthastevens4197]

Gosh your really talented. I am jealous - My attempt at that would have ended up with me raging it right into the trash can. Good Job! :)

[@ryanballs7808]

Great fix well done

[@turks1966]

thanks, you got talent man, pure genius what you can do :)

[@Fenrir11119]

Glad to see this repaired but whoever took care of it absolutely abused it. That case is a wreck.