Trying to FIX: Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP that doesn't CHARGE

[@Tronicsfix]

Really good fault finding here Vince! I really enjoyed watching this video.

[@Mymatevince]

Thank you Steve, it was such a relief when I finally found it...Many hours went into this one but it ended up being one of my favourite fixes :-)

[@donaldmcgowan6580]

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[@SpeedyJoe.]

I'm new to electronics repair (started a new career). I've looked on you tube for videos teaching circuit board troubleshooting and came up with nothing helpful. Your videos are hands down the best the absolute BEST circuit board troubleshooting videos I have found. Please make more!

[@whatasteve7992]

Hi Vince, just wanted to say a big thanks as you inspired me to try my hand at some component level repair during lockdown. I got a completely dead PS4 for £50 on ebay and after sorting out the 5V PSU connector on the mainboard that had been GLUED?!?! back in place after being ripped off probably when someone tried to remove the power supply, with some IPA and some actual solder it works perfectly and had my very own YESSSSSS moment! Hope you and your family are staying sane :-)

[@MellowVR24762]

That's awesome I love buying busted and repairing 😄it's great when you get the fix ha ha

[@ot928]

@whatasteve just a quick question what soldering station do you use and congrats on getting the ps4 working

[@masterball2928]

This video is much better than every so called repair and restoration videos... It teaches us every components and actually finding the source of problem in a motherboard. Good job

[@therobotx512345]

Thank you for this post. Because of you I was able to fix my AGS-101 board. The board is a different design but I checked the connection from the diode to the battery port and it was bad as well. So I jumped the diode and the battery port and it worked. You really went all out on this and I appreciate the effort. Thanks.

[@ZealousWins]

Just want to say, congrats on your fix! I'm glad you could get it working again :) What color is your SP?

[@BrianOfAteionas]

Great job Vince! Amazing troll from this board! The location of the corrosion being under the connector, the fact that it looked like it cleaned up nice, the dual via situation... I'm so impressed that you defeated this absolutely crazy problem! What a glorious orange light!

[@LucasFowler]

This video REALLY helped me in fixing an old SP I bought for my 5 year old daughter. I have a basic understanding of passive electronics from guitar wiring but small circuit boards without discrete components are intimidating to work on for me.

[@ryanbeall7542]

Thanks! Literally EXACTLY the same problem I had. Saved me hours of rework. Thanks brother! Also was very helpful to watch you cover down on all the chip exploration (even though I wanted to just jump to the end, but didn't) because I couldn't find a schematic anywhere and you pulling off all the chips to identify what they were helped fill in all the gaps without me having to take any off. One bridge wire on the vias and I was back in business!! Thanks again. KZbin needs a way to send people a free beer cause you'd get one from me!

[@monstratorfull]

I just discovered this video because I also had the charging problem and after checking everything that was visible nothing has changed. I followed everything he did and realized that the motherboard had the same problem and now it works great !

[@kevindavis4305]

Because of this video I have now fixed two SP’s. Blown fuse on one and a bad charging port on the other. Wouldn’t have known what to look for without watching you go thru the process. Thank You.

[@hnasje66]

seeing you swapping the chips you improved your skills a lot. nice fix

[@rafa159x]

Hi Vince! Thanks to your video I was able to find where the charge problem is on my AGS-101 motherboard. Kind regards from Mexico and take care!

[@SkippyDa]

I would recommend watching Mike's Electric Stuff video called "Wire brush for reverse engineering PCBs" for easy finding where stuff goes to.

[@getyourkicksagain]

Wow, that _is_ a time (and eyesight) saver! Thanks for sharing.

[@instanoodles]

Thats what I use, great for power issues but with so many chips being bga now that trick doesnt work so well with those.

[@Drunkenpaws]

Thanks Vince, I had a short between two via’s which I never would’ve found without this video showing underneath the cartridge slot. Legend!

[@xerxes4863]

I commend you on your extreme patience and hard work :-). You don't give up! Watching your videos is good for me. I fixed the tape deck of an old Philips compact stereo the other week and had it not been for watching your videos, I would have thrown it into the closest wall the 15:th time a little plastic lever behind some springloaded plastic thing fell right into the rest of the mechanism. Thanks!

[@Sam_Holt]

You have the patience of a saint. I'd have given up at about the minute 2 mark. Congratulations on another really interesting fix. I'd be interested in knowing your fix to fail ratio across all of your videos. *I think you are getting to the point now where you can't call yourself an amateur anymore* :D

[@mitchelboehm6408]

I had exactly the same problem and it was driving me crazy. Thank you for your extremely helpful video!

[@MemoryHunts]

This video helped me SOOO much! My SP has the EXACT same issue and its been driving me crazy! So thank you for your pain!! lol it helped me with mine! Every time you went to test it early in the video I was hoping it wouldnt work because mine didnt either lol. Horrible I know, but all in all you helped save my SP so thank you! Crazy how it was the same thing. Must be more common than I thought, or we are outliers.

[@Mymatevince]

Excellent, cheers for letting me know. At least my pain helped ease your pain, I can only say that now as so much time has since passed. In the first few weeks the pain was immeasurable 😂👍

[@guymatteson6321]

As an Electronic tech myself, I run into these kinds of problems as well. Great video Vince!

[@dtrotzjr]

Vince, thank you for doing this video. I had a similar issue to yours and learned a few good trouble shooting skills in the process of watching this video and was able to fix a GameBoy Advance SP that was not charging due to the EM8 being bad. Thanks a million!

[@basshikaru]

I have no knowledge of how circuits work yet I enjoy watching this so much.

[@joshuastill2619]

This is insane, it’s very satisfying seeing your joy when it works!

[@robocitizen8103]

So cool to see a repair that hits me with so much nostalgia at the same time. Luckily my sp still functions perfectly to this day, even the battery can hold a good charge along with my other handhelds.

[@DOMINATOR3211]

This video was a god send. I had the exact same issue under the slot. I didnt want to risk damaging the cartridge slot so I just a wire from the diode you removed to the fuse you blew. Works great now. Thank you so much😁

[@Pingoinnn]

39:02 Was an ABSOLUTE torture to watch ! But I'm so happy you eventually fixed the conection between the bloody hidden wires ! Have a nice day !

[@frunkchungus]

Thanks for this video. I was planning to use it to guide through some common charge circuit issues to find what mine might be having an issue with. Lo and behold, it was actually water damage corrosion at the very same via. I crafted a jumper wire to repair the via just like to you did, and we're back in business!!!

[@b21lukas]

Nice work done! I actually have an SP with exactly the same problem which I gave up on after checking Fuses and Batterie now I'm. Probably going to have a revisit with it 😁 I'll keep yall updated

[@NickMicallef]

What a miracle, Vince! So glad you were able to fix it!

[@davidelliott8016]

Hi Vince, great video! If you're hunting through a board and can't find where a via goes, get a very fine wire and put it through the via hole, makes it very easy to spot on the other side that way.

[@terminationshock1356]

Just an hour ago I checked to see if there was new video from my mate. And it's even my favorite kind! Retro gaming repair FTW! Like Vince always says when he successfully repairs something... "YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!"

[@TorqueEffect]

Big thumbs up to you Vince! I retraced your exact steps and found my SP had the same exact via issues. (though I didn't remove the cart slot) but I didn't have continuity between the two via after the diode and the positive battery terminal. I jumped a wire from that via to the positive battery terminal and it worked! So not as elegant of a fix as yours, but I'd rather not go through the trouble of removing that cart slot. xP

[@squallneko5004]

That's totally awesome Vince, it's always cool to watch your videos and learn things. I hope to see many more videos. I hope you are safe.

[@legatusaugustipropraetore3484]

I have started with personal electronics work as well and must admit besides other sources I have learned a lot from your videos. I like the patience you have finding the problem and the precise explanation during your work. Therefore this is really my favorite electronic fix channel. Keep up your great content. Cheers from Germany!!

[@littlebalup5676]

I had the exact same issue. Same corroded vias under the cartridge slot witout any conductivity and no charge. You saved my time. Thanks!!!

[@guigro_]

Thanks to your process of following the trace I managed to repair my non charging GBA SP ! My trace was lost just after yours, now it works perfectly thanks !

[@jhgpsimons]

This video is a long time ago, but still congrats with this very difficult find. I still feel your happiness at the end when you found it

[@StuartHicks01]

Absolute awesome fix, sheer determination to get it fixed come though in the end, well done.

[@AnonGolden]

wow, just wow. This repair had it all. Better plot than most movies i tell you

[@GhostReaper2043]

Nice work Vince Can you please do more of these long repair videos I like them a lot. It seems like watching theses long videos you are doing makes my day go quicker. Looking forward to the next video keep up the good work. Hope you and your family are safe and healthy.

[@Th3OmegaPoint]

F1 & F2 probably refers to the fuses.

[@thomasandrews9355]

First the beginning I partly assumed it was an issue with a connection to the battery as when you found it didnt work without a battery. Good job!

[@1up_Gaming]

GBA and DS don't switch on if there is not a battery inside, won't work on power supply alone.

[@Letfordlay]

You should try installing an ips mod into the Gameboy. It has a backlight, is higher resolution, and the screen is larger.

[@lucaspagan3576]

Letfordlay I would recommend it as well, but Vince said at the beginning that he was a bit wary about doing it.

[@maximwannabepro3021]

Moding is not vinces dipartment, that is Eliots :D

[@NoshAbroad]

@@lucaspagan3576 really? But the IPS install is so easy compared to the tier stuff he has done. In fact, you don't even *NEED* to install the single wire... You just won't be able to take advantage of the full brightness.

[@EvilTurkeySlices]

I wouldn’t recommend it as it’s a higher resolution. It will make the games look blurry or blocky.

[@lucaspagan3576]

Maxim WannaBePros Exactly Vince has tried replacing the screen with a SAGA GameGear, but that didn’t go so well. Vince did learn from it, which is the important part.

[@klayer9990]

Excellent work, Vince! This was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I'm really glad it worked out in the end.

[@CryPlz]

Huge win Vince, really enjoyable watch!

[@mldesigns6846]

Oh man im glad I found this for a better understanding of charging issues, I fixed two motherboards from non working sound and had to do same thing... Hours of following all the traces but end the end it payed off and fixed both ")

[@deadguy3669]

That was the most epic thing I’ve ever watched. More gameboy advance sp won’t charge videos!

[@theMetallico666]

I have a GBA SP with the same problem but to see how much troubleshooting you went to find the issue inspires me to attempt to fix mine. Tried the basics without success and since I don't know how to solder, I can't check for any corrosion under the cartridge slot which honestly it would surprise me since I have my SP in excellent condition and didnt find any corrosion in the mainboard at all and NEVER had any water damage. Now I want to learn how to solder and get into this kind of stuff so I can fix my stuff and why not, fix others stuff :D Thank you for your video!! It will guide me when my time comes.

[@cesar8ramirez]

Best video I've seen thus far. Well articulated and assisted me in getting my SP to charge. Even though I had the newer board it truly helped! Thanks a mil!

[@cesar8ramirez]

@Mymatevince I need to change out the CPU on mine. Looks the 2-3 prongs that broke off were because of corrosion. I was trying to clean up the CPU using alcohol with a light brush but no luck. I know it worked before because my won used it for awhile. I ended up changing out the EM8 chip because it wasn't charging anymore and converted to a USB-C charge port. A bit sloppy on my part because I burnt the board in those areas but its turning on and charging at least now. I shot a video so I can show you. Definitely not my favorite project to work on. What would you charge me to fix the CPU?

[@silent-ghost]

Man! Hats off to your patience, perseverance, and smarts!! Kudos!

[@CecilMcW00t]

Please do more Game Boy family fixes! This was so nostalgic for me 🥰

[@Runningbowels]

I admire your tenacity. Great job! I kept rooting for you throughout your video.

[@hali_moto]

Learned a lot watching this video, very happy you were able to find it in the end!

[@Doc_Fartens]

Interesting that the blown fuse caused the same symptoms as the other system had, despite having different problems

[@Pingoinnn]

That's what I was thinking ! What I thought (might be totally wrong since I'm new to electronics) was that some connecions were operated on the two motherboards, but those connections weren't complete. Like that : -Vince's Gameboy : Charger plugged > Charging circuit operational > Lights turn on > Broken fuse on the way > Blocks current > Lights turn off -Faulty Gameboy : Charger plugged > First half of the charging circuit operational > Lights turn on > No connection between two wires in the middle > Current can't continue it's way > Lights turn off If someone can confirm if it's correct maybe (again might not be that at all lol) but that's how I saw it.

[@UserUser-ww2nj]

@@Pingoinnn The charger detected no current draw so it turned off , a safety thing

[@fahadalbaz7680]

I have over 100 gameboy Sp 's and they all have the same problem you addressed in your video. When you charge the gameboy the orange light stays on for few seconds then turns off. Easy Fix is you need to trickle charge the battery. Just keep pulling and inserting your charger multiple times over 1 min and it will start to hold charge. You will start to notice that the orange light stays on for longer time. It works 90% of the time

[@PunkNDisorderlyGamer]

You know you could just boost the battery back to nominal value with a AA battery it takes 10 seconds. Connect the positive to positive and negative to negative and hold for 10 seconds.

[@Ashbasher]

Dead chuffed for you mate! I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through! Really entertaining video Vince, keep it up buddy!

[@legion6546]

Good to see you back with the vids mate, been over a week and started to get withrdawal symptons.

[@ArreglandoCosas]

Excellent video vince. I felt release mysellf when that orange light of hell remained on. Just excellent

[@Huntingslife1]

No quick version? Still worth the watch great vid Vince!

[@MarcusMiranda]

Vince, i't so joyous to watch your videos! I really enjoy watching these... Kudos for finding the problem on this GBA! Your determination inspires me! Keep doing these videos, mate!

[@th3_tatt3r3d_and_t0rn]

I watched this video and ended up fixing my gameboy, the problem was that there was corrosion around some of the important parts for the charging port and i just took a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol and wiped it away and bought a new battery and now my gameboy works just like new! Video was very helpful

[@jinxnatorx]

Yessss Omg I been so bored now I have a hour of you buddy hope you and your family keeping safe and well much love

[@kriswillems5661]

I don't think I would have found that one. Nice fix Vince.

[@1up_Gaming]

Literally JUST opened KZbin to see if this was up yet :-p

[@juma0427]

Thank you very much, I had exactly the same problem, and I was about to give up, but I found your video and it helped me a lot, again thank you very much for your time and your knowledge. Greetings from Mexico.

[@AnonymousRepair]

EM is a choke/filter/coil

[@makho]

Exactly what I came here to say. Thanks. Also, "F10" is actually "FIQ" -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_interrupt_request

[@pbakai182]

Great job, Vince! As expected, another rollercoaster ride of emotions. Just a small tip (pun not intended), when you were soldering the "U" shaped jumper wire thru the via, you should really be using a thinner tip to solder that bit, as it looked like you were heating mostly just the jumper wire with your wide tip, when you should be ensuring to heat both the via & the jumper wire to get a good solder connection. Otherwise, if you just hit the copper with heat, the solder may form a cold joint as it runs down and cools on it's way to the via. Not really an issue for that joint there, but could help with future jobs!

[@ZackMuffinMan]

F1 and F2 are fuses. (That's what the paper was referring to.) Also, the NES shell is not aftermarket, it is a limited edition.

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

Your patience is insane. Great fix.

[@wassupjg]

Appreciate the uploads Vince, hope you and your fam stay safe during this time

[@prashantandsapna]

Good job Vince! Enjoyed that fix. I love your technique for fault finding.

[@captainwasel8377]

It is so satisfying at the end. Very good man.

[@wisher21uk]

Well done Vince ....... determination always pays out ...

[@blagzster6255]

You did good mate. I thought you had it pretty early when you went straight to the charging IC and mosfet. That was a tricky find. Just bear in mind that sometimes in the charging circuit a mosfet can switch in the ground and not always the positive.

[@diggerdrum]

Well done mate, always a relief when you suss out a problem and get it working again. Always enjoy your videos and keep them coming. 👍👍

[@paullefur6213]

Another great vlog Vince, i was with you for a while on tender hooks, but you came through, like said a new LCD spray the cover and be good as new, top job matey.

[@KingKuni88]

Hey Vince, thank you alot for your Videos, but specaliy for this. I've got A GBA Sp with the exact same fault. And I got as mad as you while finding it. To be honest I couldn't find it until I saw this video. Now it is already fixed and works like a charm. So I just want to say thank you for your great content and for helping me fixing my Game Boy. Greetings from Germany!

[@bluethingfan5]

I got ridiculously happy when you got it working.

[@kylebarton6498]

I just now accidentally knocked off em5… the light doesn’t work lol heartbreaking but not nearly as bad as I was expecting.. figured I’d ruined the thing! :( was poking around to figure out why it won’t charge (When I found your video) super job by the way! Good camera work while doing such a frustrating job lol

[@onasazi]

Wow that was a great perseverance video! So much time spent on and in the end you found!!

[@algerinostylee]

Thank you very much from France. Great job Vince, very helpful !

[@stepanremes987]

oh my gosh. Had the same exact problem and couldn't figure it out for months. thanks a lot.

[@typicalpctech6674]

Hi Vince, I think the screen problem is near the top of the screen (looks like a dog had chewed the top, I wonder if you add pressure to top, going to need quite a bit as the dog or whatever caused it did. Great work. Glad you found the issue, stuff will drive you mad!!! :P

[@piplup2009]

7 hours? :o now whenever someone has the same problem they can just watch this video and find out :)

[@MirceaD28]

Oh man!! I almost jump for from my seat! Nice work Vince!

[@BikerBloke600]

Very Well Done Vince that was a tricky little fix, fair play to you. Keep up the good work and keep safe. Mick 👍🍻

[@MizzRosenrot]

You're doubting your skills way too often. This was fun!

[@krisfromthe80s]

At the beginning of the video you said that F1 and F2 are OK because you checked the shoulder buttons, however, F1 and F2 usually stands for the 2 fuses on the board. Just saying, no offense intended. I'm a big fan of your videos, they are really inspiring!

[@ndumisodube76]

You now my mate Vince you never gaveup

[@darrenthebuilder]

Well done on getting there and persevering!

[@peterolguin5086]

Hey there new subscriber just curious what hot air station and soldering station do you use? What do you recommend if ur going to start out fixing game consoles . Thanks love your work

[@3DSage]

I just discovered your channel and I really enjoy it! I program for the GBA btw :)

[@dvernor]

Your commitment is commendable! Nice job!

[@welshtony1]

39:02 I'm so sorry Vince but I couldn't help but painfully burst out laughing. Glad you got it fixed though. This is 1 console I actually never had

[@ScottFix]

Legend. Great video Vince. Learning so much from watching your videos. Thanks and keep up the good work. 👍

[@danosho-san1770]

I'm a huge fan Vince but normally watch your channel using my Mrs account (default home account) loads but at the moment I'm binge watching it so thought I'd sub with mine too, but yeah I'm seriously binge watching so I said It doesn't matter if I've seen a vid a few times don't skip any lol. I started with the "Trying to fix it" playlist then put it on shuffle, headphones on and all of a sudden you realise "ah there is a positive side to the lock down". My Mrs thinks I've gone insane watching somone repair stuff we don't even have, so I just say "Well, it's not like it's a stranger, it's My Mate Vince lol" Keep safe Vince, from Dan in the North West UK!

[@CallousCoder]

Wow!!! Well spotted! That was a very nasty little break.

[@DaMu24]

28:00 is a massive plot twist. Vince: *tests good Mobo* Excellent. I broke it. Also Vince: *tests faulty Mobo* This is broken too--- wait... Nooooooooo

[@compudoc8532]

The first item you removed was a transistor Q1 labeled that way on the board it looks like it is a very small power transistor it could be a darling-ton config two transistors in one package or may be a mosfet. my guess it that the charge chip controls it turning on and off the charge voltage or current using Q1 the tab on the other side from the three is probably connected to one of the others. because the charge chip is looking at both sides of the diode it may be looking at the voltage drop over the diode loose one lead and it might not be able to sense the charge (my theory) The broken trace was under the diode I doubt that you caused that. The water and corrosion under the game slot broke the via excellent job mate in finding that one yesssssss :)

[@nightstah]

As usual, you have the patience of a saint (which does you in good stead) - excellent video!

[@darrenthebuilder]

i havent got to the end of the video yet but ive kept thinking its that fuse f10 in the beginning. Looks like it was damaged and i didnt see you test it. Lets see what happens lol Edit:Well i was wrong. Thats was tough to find. Well done mate

[@PhilipBryden]

Thank you so much. My GBA SP had the same problem, no continuity from D1 to the battery connector. Unfortunately my cartridge slot removal didn't go as well as yours, so I had a lot of loose and ripped pads to contend with. 😢