Vintage Console and Handhelds restoration Projects

[kup]

Nice work Kup.

I have my original Gameboy still, unfortunately I have several columns of dead pixels in the screen.
it might just need a clean out but can you point me to this store run by console fans?

That may not be dead pixels. It happens when the data ribbon is not making proper contact. Removing and re-inserting it should be enough.

Here:

http://www.ifixit.com/Device/Game_Boy

http://www.nintendorepairhut.com/rep...=1253681398558

[UltraMarginal]

Cool, I might see if I can get around to that tonight.
I love some of the games on that little old console.

[kup]

Bad news. I managed to power up the original GB despite some severe corrosion. It loads games fine and the sound is good. The horrible bad? It has the feared horizontal lines of death which cannot be fixed apparently

With the GB the screen is soldered into the front motherboard so it can't be replaced. You need to change the whole thing. Now I am left with having to find a junker with at least vertical lines which can be fixed.

[UltraMarginal]

Bad news. I managed to power up the original GB despite some severe corrosion. It loads games fine and the sound is good. The horrible bad? It has the feared horizontal lines of death which cannot be fixed apparently

With the GB the screen is soldered into the front motherboard so it can't be replaced. You need to change the whole thing. Now I am left with having to find a junker with at least vertical lines which can be fixed.

That link you left yesterday shows how to solder out and replace the screen. if you've got a soldering iron it wouldn't hurt to try, the worst that could happen is you still can't use it...

[kup]

That link you left yesterday shows how to solder out and replace the screen. if you've got a soldering iron it wouldn't hurt to try, the worst that could happen is you still can't use it...

Does't cover my needs unfortunately. I'll explain why:

The Screen is soldered to the front mainboard through two flex PCB connectors. The one connecting from the bottom controls vertical lines (Y) and this can be easily fixed with a solder to re-establish the connection as it's heat resistant. So if you have 'columns' on your GB, it's an easy fix. My GB above had that and it was easily fixed.

However the other connector coming from the side that controls the horizontal lines (X) is also a flex PCB but the end leading to the LCD is of this horrible flimsy material that is not heat resistant at all. As a result you can't really use a standard solder iron as it would burn right through the ribbon.

So now I have the GB all fixed up but it's got one very thin horizontal line in the middle and a large bar at the top (where the score would be in Mario Land). From what I can see online, no one has been able to fix this problem other than replacing it with a part of a junker. Apparently you can't buy screens on their own for original GB since they are hard connected into the front board through those flimsy connectors - Removing/replacing is instant kill.

Here is some visual aid:

http://blog.gg8.se/wordpress/2011/07...harder-to-fix/

Two avenues are open to me now to fix this:

- Buy a junker and hope as hell the screen is ok or at least with dead columns instead of bars.

- From a bit of research, the (X) ribbon has a melt point of 200c so if I buy a heat adjustable solder, I may have a chance.

All in all, pulling apart that GB was one hell of a learning experience. I am now very familiar with how the system works. It is infinitely more elaborate than the GBA and most of it is easily repairable which is a shame about the screen issue. If it wasn't for that, the GB would now be in fully working condition.

I will see about buying one of those adjustable solders for $20 on ebay and hope for the best. Long shot at best but if it succeed - new gameboy

[Sam]

I think restoring these units take real time and dedication, and should be considered a form of art in their own right.

Well done, kup.

[kup]

I think restoring these units take real time and dedication, and should be considered a form of art in their own right.

Well done, kup.

Thanks Sam But so far I only had success with the GBA. That GB is proving to be a real pain in the A.

I tried baking the GB screen part to see if I can get the carbon fibers on the X ribbon to melt but nothing. All it did is melt the wrong contact which I had to re-solder. No harm done I guess as no further damage was done.

My last chance is still to try a solder with a variable temperature setting or get a junker. Too bad as although it doesn't look it in the photo, the case is real nice and everything else works superbly.

[kup]

My latest addition - The Atari 2600 - Light Sixer model. Everyone knows about this console and it's place in gaming history but to me, it was my very first console ever as I think we had it before I was even born

Although I have a feeling that I owned a Sunnyvale Heavy Sixer model as a kid, this is likely the closest I am going to get as the shipping costs from US for that lead monstrosity would be horrendous. Plus the Light Sixer looks almost the same anyways.

All that it needed was a thorough cleaning. I also ended up with three old Quickshot/3P joysticks and two busted up controllers for parts.

This completes my vintage Console collection as I wanted it. With the addition of the Atari, I now have regained all the consoles that I owned and meant something to me as a kid .

Although I first gave it a go on an LG Plasma TV that is much newer than mine, it refuses to work properly on my Panasonic so I just used the old CRT I had for this sort of thing.

[kurdt_the_goat]

My parents had a 2600 (clone i think) probably from before i was born too! I discovered it while rummaging through a box in the shed, and that was when it all began! Actually i'd say after Super Mario Bros. 3 which my cousin had... That cemented me as a gamer. A 7800 was the first console i remember my parents buying though!

My fav games on Atari... Circus Atari and Warlords (with paddle controllers), Adventure, Pitfall, Asteroids, Space Invaders, Ghostbusters (don't cross the streams!)... Midnight Magic, some wrestling game, Summer Games.. Shit i'm pretty much listing everything we had cause they were all good!

[CoRDS]

unlike transformers. i still have ALL my video gaming things from growing up


all the way from current back to atari 2600. and they all still work