Trying to Save These Rare Broken Pokémon Game Boys!

[@Tronicsfix]

Want more Gameboy fixes? I bought every (US) color of original Gameboy to see if I could fix them: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3KskGluqsqeqKM

[@A7mag3ddon]

Oh.. just got to the cart slot part and you mentioned vinegar lol. Why don't you use it on boards too?

[@subspecs]

19:40 Bruh, try replacing the screen, had a kid once bite into the thing and cracked the screen internally. :p

[@ril0s]

I had one of these as a kid. Dropped it in the toilet while I took a leak. When we took it back to walmart I said I dropped it in the toilet out loud but the clerk still gave us a refund, what an OG

[@Tronicsfix]

Lol, that's hilarious! Definitely a generous clerk. Returns were a lot harder back then.

[@PunchKickBlog]

Nobody plays portables outside. Portables are for the crapper and the nightstand. Period.

[@revengenerd1]

@@Tronicsfix The UK was no better, I had a broken OG Playstation took it back to store within a hour of purchase and the staff told me to go to manufacturer (the go to thing stores tell you to do in the UK) when by law the contract is who you purchase it from, and if you go to manufacturer direct you lose your rights. I stood my ground and was told I must of intentionally broke it for a refund, swapped it around with a broken one, and even because I knew my rights I was a scammer, I had to phone head office. Another time was a DOA 360 Elite and same issue and the staff even tried shouting at me as there was a queue forming and of course tried to make the customers angry at ME for holding up the queue, there was staff standing about and walking about who didn't go on a till on purpose.

[@GoofyPoptart]

@@PunchKickBlog Wrong I play my Steam Deck outside all the time what are you on about?

[@GoofyPoptart]

​@@PunchKickBlogLiterally had it at the park with me yesterday while I was waiting on someone.

[@OtakuShowboat]

I've bought and fixed up a few broken lots of GBCs as a hobby business. In general, the capacitor labeled C38 is related to audio grounding and is pretty much always the cause of speakers no longer working. This capacitor should get replaced when the speaker has visible rust. If you replace the speaker without the capacitor, you just invite a newly broken speaker in short order. For GBC #2, the screen issue most likely due corrosion around capacitor C35. That one connects power to the screen. While the cap itself looked okay, the contacts looked like they were corroded. Fix might need quite a bit of work with jumper wires, so I'd definitely put this one in my "fixable in spare time" pile. GBCs are so old at this point that replacing all three of the larger capacitors (C32, C35, and C38) in every single system, working or not, is recommended since they're at end-of-life. I make sure to do so for every system I fix up and resell.

[@thestevecalisshowpodcast8924]

Be great if you could make some vids about it, im trying to learn as much as I can about fixing up gbcs

[@walterwhite8477]

I agree

[@tonymarcella2077]

Pokémon Gameboy #1 (#2 overall) was mine! I was pretty excited to see you were the buyer last summer/fall and I’ve been looking for the repair for months! Super cool to see it on the channel. I bought it at a yard sale with a copy of Pokémon blue still inside it, and I had high hopes. Too bad to see the original board fall to corrosion, but I’m pumped someone gets to keep that shell alive! You’re the GOAT!

[@Tronicsfix]

That's awesome! Thanks for the back story. Bummer you didn't throw in that game with it when you sold it, lol.

[@tonymarcella2077]

@@Tronicsfix I needed to sell off both to cope with the pain of not being able to revive the Gameboy.

[@A7mag3ddon]

If you need to clean battery corrosion first use white vinegar with a soft toothbrush it will neutralise the alkaline, works for burst / leaky caps too. You know if its working as it will start to fizz slightly. Then you go do the IPA to clean the vinegar.

[@ianriot1578]

I use coca cola

[@ItsGamingFancy]

I'm pretty sure he used apple cider vinegar and that's why he didn't want to say what kind he used lol. The q-tip looked brownish at one point when he said he soaked it in vinegar

[@butterflypooo]

I watch so many gameboy repair videos, but this is the first one that explains your train of thought more. I think I am learning stuff! 😅 Maybe I could do this myself one day.

[@marblecornet]

Those game boys look super cool. Also congrats on getting to 1.4 million

[@Tronicsfix]

Thanks! Yes, these are super cool handhelds

[@Spartan122S]

Definitely need more retro repair videos! Thanks again Steve!

[@Tronicsfix]

More coming!

[@alyssareilly6138]

@@Tronicsfix I really appreciate your videos about fixing broken electronic devices because you're able to save anything that doesn't work. DS Lite, DSi XL, 3ds, Xbox one, etcetera. I found my old blue DSi XL in September of 2022. Unfortunately, it was totally dead. It did absolutely nothing. As much as I would have loved to save it after taking it apart, I couldn't because I am not a repair technician. Also, the game slot and charging port needed to be replaced on it which requires a soldering iron. My brothers do not have that equipment. It was unfixable. I had to throw it away Just curious if I would have mailed my dead DSi XL, would you be able to fix it? Not sure if you accept broken consoles from someone mailing them to you for repair I can't remember

[@bloink3511]

This was right up my alley! Been working on gameboys for a few months now, it’s been great for getting into electronic repairs and mods. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@Tronicsfix]

These are pretty fun to work on. I enjoy them. Glad you're getting into repairs! We need more people fixing this old stuff.

[@James-gj8rn]

Hello new subscriber here, i don't know why but it's just very satisfying to watch a teardown of a system and then see if a repair worked at the end of every video :)

[@Tronicsfix]

Welcome to my channel! So glad you're enjoying these!

[@James-gj8rn]

@@Tronicsfix thanks man i appreciate that :)

[@VideoGameRestoration]

Loving the retro love 😎 great repairs, replacing those pin connectors is always a task 😂 Sooome folks make replacement PCBs for Gameboys! If you ever need any more power boards I have a bag full of them 😅

[@Tronicsfix]

That was my first time messing with the pin connectors. I probably would have bought a replacement board for it but unfortunately, I was crunched for time on this vid.

[@310_Latchkey_kid]

Hey! Being one of the best repairman in KZbin and thanks to your videos, some of us get confident enough to do our own repairs.....you have the right to bragg if you wish to!

[@TheRetroFuture]

Lovely! Enjoyed this a lot 😊

[@Tronicsfix]

That means a lot coming from such a legend!

[@VashStarwind]

Wow, the only two people on youtube, that think swapping a whole board, is fixing a gameboy, coming together.. big surprise... lmao

[@benemery1644]

I have that driver set and there's definitely a bearing between the shaft and little blue top part that makes it buttery smooth

[@Kangamoos]

I'm chuckling at your comment about using the wrong kind of vinegar. Whatever works! :D

[@Tronicsfix]

Lol, it didn't work great but it did work. I have the right kind now.

[@adamstewart247]

I'm guessing you used Red Wine Vinegar. Am I right?

[@Fatninja479]

Never occurred to me I could just buy a broken limited edition gameboy, and just switch the innards with a working regular non expensive one. Big 🧠

[@Tronicsfix]

Yep, nothing special about the inside. They're all the same.

[@matteogilles4238]

Sweet camera work, upper level. Big love! ❤

[@isellstolenchainsaws]

I use to have one of those Pokemon Gameboys as a kid, loved that thing. Got too tilted playing Warioland and my tiny kid fist smashed the screen. Something I regret all the time and I use it to keep my frustration in check on occasions.

[@juansalomon748]

Love your videos, man! Fixing retro gaming systems is a definite W! Keep up the outstanding work 👏😎

[@Tronicsfix]

Glad you enjoy these!

[@therepairsloth]

I have repaired many a Gameboy Color, and the easiest way to test whether your buttons work is using a regular gameboy game and then changing the color palate at the boot screen. With each button you hold, and use in combo with a D-Pad push, a different color pallete will pop up. Super quick, super easy.

[@PunchKickBlog]

Kinda would like to see your parts storage. That thing has to be massive by now with alle those boards and spares

[@Tronicsfix]

My parts storage is very disorganized. It's ridiculous. I need to find a good storage system for this stuff.

[@bigttoodles4232]

Gosh I love watching you fix old video game stuff . Speical rare broken stuff that cam be worth a lot of money . Would love to see you fix up some rare Nintendo games

[@markballard325]

If I had to guess you used apple cider vinegar 😂😂 awesome video Steve thanks for the retro junkie fix

[@williamharris8367]

Everyone knows that malt vinegar is the proper way to go!

[@TheBoboTheIceMan]

Thats what I thought too.

[@javiles2331]

Awesome video as usual! You should do upgrades on these consoles!

[@Tronicsfix]

Agreed! I might make some upgrade videos at some point.

[@KaneBlueriver]

I think for the 2nd one, it looks similar to a common issue of the old GB models where the solder connections of the ribbon cable that goes from the board to the screen start getting loose; of course you can try cleaning the contacts on the point where it connects to the motherboard, but this actually happens on the connection point to the screen and it's harder to access, but to test it, with the console on (while open), press gently right along the bottom edge of the screen, if you see the lines filling up, that means that that is the problem, I haven't worked on a GBC yet but on a regular GB you can just use the soldering iron to reheat the contacts. Or since the screen can be released easily, you can just test a known working screen, but wouldn't completely discard the board to corrosion yet

[@hajimeshibata5284]

Every single time I watch your videos the quality gets better and better, Keep up the good work! 😁👍

[@badebias]

For those curious, since it wasn't mentioned, I did a bit of digging. On the first Gameboy Color, the board he replaced was a "Regulator Board".

[@hotrodchevy56]

From his previous videos, the motherboards in every SE is the same as a reg console. The case is the only difference.

[@zeuss1353]

whats the difference if i may ask?

[@infinityeight8705]

White vinegar is what's required to clean off the corrosion on the battery contacts - it will desolve it and neutralise it at the same time, can be brushed on or even better remove them and submerge them in a small cup etc.

[@leonh.1785]

To remove battery corrosion from metal parts, I often use a very strong cup of hot tea. Best if you can drop the parts in. Use 3 bags or so, the stronger the tea, the better it works. Don't drink the tea afterwards 😂

[@Tronicsfix]

Lol, glad you added that last sentence!

[@ericpode6095]

That's a very British solution....... But make sure you make a second cup to drink!

[@MrJadiin]

milk 2 sugars?

[@erinbuck129]

Interesting. Wonder why that works, from a chemical standpoint 🤔

[@12345.......]

It pretty wild how much handhelds have evolved.

[@chadjohnson3965]

I don't know why, but I love when you take parts from a broken console/handheld game and fix another with it. Its like video game organ transplant. No games left behind

[@Mik_S]

For the second one I can see that pads were ripped off when the connector was removed. Most of them on that side of the board do not go anywhere but pin 1 does and I can't see if that has a trace that goes anywhere on the reverse side. Probably the best way to fix this without removing the connector again is to jump a wire from pin 1 to the 3 vias just above it (where the V is of the VDD on the silkscreen) Those vias look crusty to so might be worth running a wire though and repairing the traces to make sure there is a good connection.

[@1ECRG]

Instead of the perfect amount of thermal paste we get the perfect amount of isopropyl alcohol in this video. :)

[@Tronicsfix]

Ha, ha...true!

[@CGingerbreadman]

You should look into some GBC mods. I think that would be a fun video coming from you

[@Tronicsfix]

Agreed

[@ArchToAchilles]

Love your videos. They inspired me to take out my GBA SP and all my GBC games, and fix all the ones that weren't working. It was a lot of fun 😊

[@BushyMc_muffin]

well you learn something new everyday. I didn't know the Gameboy speaker was a battery. ^^ keep up the vids man.

[@andreanairvin7724]

Those are some really cool Game Boy colors.

[@Wenlocktvdx]

Scored a Pikachu Gameboy color at a garage sale quite some years ago. Still working although I had to replace the speaker due to corrosion. Nice work

[@BASSGPLAYER89]

Hi TronicsFix! Love your videos, I think I've started to get inerest in fixing stuff from your channel. But the thing I've noticed in the last couple of months is that you are getting to simple cases, and there's not much of fault finding mysteries. For me, the most interesting thing about this kind of content is trying to guess where the problem is by deep analysis of the device together with the author, which is not that much in your videos in recent times. Still love your videos. I hope the feedback will be helpful for you, otherwise just ignore it;)

[@playerztransform8313]

Hey! Nice Video! Can I suggest a usefull tecnique for dessoldering this kind of board? 4:00 Try to use low temp solder, like chip quik SMD, you save time and circuit integrity.

[@iloc8one]

thank you for the amazing content, keep up the great work steve ❤

[@Tronicsfix]

Thanks! Will do.

[@jreen58]

8:20 the fact he does this with his hands is insane, that soldering iron is atleast 400-500f.

[@teedotfoster]

Really enjoying the gameboy & cartridge repairs surprisingly😊

[@Meda01]

Oh man that takes me back. I left my first yellow GBC in a rental car as a kid and the second one we sold in a garage sale after I bought a GB Advance.

[@G_Machine_Joe]

A baking soda paste should clean up the battery corrosion. It's a hack used on car batteries too. 👍

[@FabioKastro]

At 7:40 the screen was acting up, did you unplug and replug again? Or it had something to do with the speaker?

[@jasonallnutt5049]

Just curious. Where do you buy all the damaged gameboys? I would like to get into fixing them and on eBay I am finding a lot of repaired or working condition auctions. Thanks

[@christphern]

My first GameBoy Color was one of these, that I got for Christmas. Came with Pokemon Yellow. Someone stole it out of my backpack from my locker in Gym class in High School. The Yellow one you repaired first was the replacement color I got eventually.

[@mtshark7]

Nicely done Steve!

[@mebs791]

Hey there, I solder quite a bit and if you want to make it easer to remove solder I recommend a desoldering heat pump. Its like a soldering iron but it also sucks solder

[@Tronicsfix]

I have one. They work great. I just didn't want to get it all out for this.

[@mebs791]

@TronicsFix yeah that makes sense. Congrats on 1.4 mil though! Here for 2 mil ❤️

[@path1400]

I have a question about the PlayStation 5, I watched you clean out and repair hundreds of them. This makes me think they are not built very well, but my question is can I cover the console with a fine mesh material to keep the dust out. If I loosely covered it, it should not be a fire hazard. Want do you think?

[@Tronicsfix]

Sure, just be sure to clean it often to remove any buildup

[@awilliams1701]

When my Prusa MK4 kit comes in, I'll be building it with that ifixit kit. The mk3 I built with the allen keys they included with the printer. My hands hated me for that. lol

[@Omega_Mark]

22:59 Instead o scraping the metal with a pick and scarring it, try some flux and then heat it up with a heat gun or hot air station until it evaporates. The heated flux will suck up all the bad stuff from the affected area. Of course do the vinegar solution first, as usual. ps. Your flux gets unusually black from normal soldering.

[@josephvanleuvan1200]

I love the iFixit tool kit but using the lid is not a great idea for the screws. It's super easy to flip it with your hand and have your screws go flying all over the place. I would suggest getting a little case that clips closed. They're super cheap, only a couple dollars and they keep your screws nice and organized. They even come with numbered tops so you know exactly which order you took them out

[@wrenches8896]

I still have my Pokémon edition Gameboy that i got as a kid for Christmas. (35 now)

[@Tronicsfix]

Wow, that's awesome!

[@wrenches8896]

@@Tronicsfix makes me feel old now haha.

[@antiricergt]

Is battery corrosion pretty easy to clean? I have a electric fuel pickup and left the batteries inside. Unfortunately when I tried to use it I noticed lots of green stuff from the batteries. Idk how to clean it or if I can. It has a small board

[@Tronicsfix]

Vinegar works great most of the time

[@antiricergt]

@@Tronicsfix Thank you I really appreciate it bud.

[@ebudd08]

Wait when did you put the new inductor onto the board of the first GBC? I missed that? Did you just get a new board?

[@S1L3NTG4M3R]

These are great! I have seen so many... (2023)... thanks again!! :)

[@jatiendruw]

Thx for the video, this kind of content is relaxing. Especially on soldering and cleaning parts... Keep it up 👍. I hope u can do new 3ds xl again. 😸 or whatever i just love ur video.

[@Tr3v0ne]

Heat up the spring near red and it will come back into shape. Unless its not the right metal, in that case nothing will happen.

[@j.lietka9406]

Is it a safe idea to use a small amount of baking soda / water mix to help clean the green corrosion?

[@Tronicsfix]

Sure, but baking soda can be annoying to clean off. That's one of the reasons vinegar works well.

[@j.lietka9406]

@@Tronicsfix ok thank you 🤓

[@frozerinosrepairs]

Great video as always ❤❤

[@rambofan1]

Dang those were some Clean broken gameboys!

[@Tronicsfix]

Yes, really not too bad.

[@James_D.]

Great video! 👍🏻

[@Tronicsfix]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.

[@pretzelcoatl_1121]

Shot in the dark on a response but what’s your ideal soldering set up when dealing with handhelds? Like nib size, wicks and ribbons. I’ve decided to get froggier with my repair skills and have some F1/F2 fuses burnt out on some NDSLs. Love your vids btw super helpful

[@Seonacgaming]

I’ve got one that still works!!!! Got it for my birthday when I was like 9? Had the carrying case for a while too! I lost the battery cover (obvi) but I still have it! ❤️ mine was the pikachu edition!

[@Tronicsfix]

What?! That's amazing! I never had one when I was a kid so it's super fun to repair them and get some special editions.

[@emprem1917]

'this one's got some bitemarks up here... not my favorite, but it is what it is' absolute lmao

[@petereldergill2942]

I didn't notice. Did you have the spare parts on hand from other game boys? Or were they new parts

[@johnstewart7059]

Stupid question time. Have you ever tried to clean the corrosion with white vinegar? I have used it on battery terminals, works well Then light rinse with distilled water and IPA last

[@srockisinthehouse]

I love my Ifixit kit!

[@Tronicsfix]

Yep! They are really great tools!

[@ForrestPlump]

Hi, do you have an Ultrasonic Cleaner to clean different parts? Is it usefully at all?

[@oOignignoktOo1]

One of my friends had this model way back in the day I think they bundled it with Pokémon : Pikachu Edition (yellow). I had one of the Purple colors and later on got the Gold and Silver edition. A few years back I got my hands on a lime green one as well before prices kinda went absurd. with retro games during the pandemic.

[@Melechtna]

For that super coroded one, honestly, might have just been a good idea to get one of those repro boards for it at that point.

[@310shadow310]

Where can I get the part that you put on the first game boy? Also I love your shirt! I feel like that saying has been true for me lately as I am just getting into soldering and repairing electronics. But I love it and won’t give up

[@keithyoung5709]

You know they sell that deoxide in spray can also. Works great for that battery corrosion.

[@caodesignworks2407]

When you're removing corrosion, I've found that just dunking the part in boiling hot water dissolves it almost instantly. It started with using it for my car's batter terminals, but then I thought I'd try it with a board I had to clean and was almost instant

[@JonathanSantos-fq6nb]

Hey Tronics I bought a broken nintendo switch lite the screen backlight works but no display. Also you. An hear sound when you touch the screen. What you think it could be?

[@angelperez4168]

@Tronicsfix Love your videos. Where do you get your silicone wedding ring? I work as a mechanic and a silicone wedding ring would be ideal.

[@Tronicsfix]

I think my wife got it on Amazon, lol. It was in a multi pack. They do wear over time so it’s good to have a few. I do highly recommend them though.

[@MRgrimlock84]

You can now purchase brand new unpopulated Gameboy Color motherboards. It would be really cool to see you transplant the components from the old board.

[@Tronicsfix]

That would be a fun video to make. That's a good idea.

[@02337755]

Did you try replacing the screen in the second one?

[@serenblue3646]

Love all your videos, you are awesome!

[@nickolaswilcox425]

as soon as i saw the corrosion in the vias like that, i knew it was a write off, the pokemon mini does that too, almost guaranteed to happen if it leaks, it just eats all the vias and destroys a good portion of the board which for a small item like this is ultimately irreparable

[@jonlovean018]

Where can you get GBC parts? Or are the ones you have robbed from dead units?

[@FortisVoluntas]

at wich Temperature should i set my soldering Tool at such a Job?

[@digoqr]

Could you make a video installing the IPS screen on the Gameboy, that would be really cool!

[@rikotron1482]

wow pokemon edition now... nice video

[@Tronicsfix]

Thanks! Yes, I love saving these old special editions.

[@mastercpu2]

As always..great job and video. 👍🏻 I’ll have to keep an eye on your eBay if you sell them. 👀

[@TigraZ]

Balsamic vinager works like a charm!!

[@grantrule6593]

Great Video Steve

[@Tronicsfix]

Thanks!

[@Lawless-zv3iv]

I know this has nothing to do with this video, but I'm curious what you would do for stick drift on console controllers if anything.

[@Tronicsfix]

I'd try BW 100 first and if that didn't fix it, replace the potentiometer. It's a matter of whether it's dirty or worn out. If it's just dirty then cleaning it should get it working for at least a while but if it's worn out it needs to be replaced.

[@Lawless-zv3iv]

Thanks for the reply. Appreciate you.

[@bradbornmann1757]

Where did you learn to do all these fixes in your videos?

[@Tronicsfix]

Mostly just trial and error

[@growboy9316]

My guy used apple cider vinegar and didn’t wanna hear nothing about it 😂😂😂 I love it.

[@raymondburris5108]

Love these videos helps pass the time at work!!

[@lazereth45]

I usually use kapton tape to protect other components when heating something off

[@hayleywaalen2612]

Lucky Luke needs to get a Pokemon of his own but great job fixing them.

[@emmettturner9452]

Ads are still rolling. A lot of those yellow and blue Pokémon GBCs have bad speakers. I had to replace one last year.

[@H2Oredfirefox]

I'm surprised you didn't try a different screen to see if it was the LCD that was damaged itself

[@pintokitkat]

The 'battery' you keep talking about on the second fix is also called a speaker. Does a similar job, I understand.

[@lukeholland4825]

I have never seen you do any nacon play station controllers! As someone that uses them regularly I would love to see you fix some!

[@edricwallace8625]

Can you do the Xbox 360. I'm afraid to take my apart to put new thermal paste