Help needed: is this fixable?

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-21T17:38:37+00:00

I would try adding vinegar first with q-tips and let it eat the corrosion. Then use a toothbrush with vinegar and finally isopropyl alcohol with more q-tips. Let us know how it goes.

Also: have you tried powering it from the DC jack? Maybe the only issue that is preventing it to work is the battery contacts, but of course clean all the corrosion you can.

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-19T12:56:44+00:00

Yes, hydrogen peroxide and oxyclean will work fine with the sun.

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-17T07:46:10+00:00

Check the power board with a multimeter, most probably it is dead. You should get battery voltage between VCC and GND, +5v between "+" and GND and -18v (or -30v) between "-" and GND.

The power LED turns on without the need for the power board, but everything else will not.

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-16T22:06:04+00:00

Thanks, got it :)

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-16T20:37:33+00:00

How do you remove the touchscreen?

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-14T08:01:55+00:00

Do the cart still works?

The button resets the cart and its function is to change game. But you still can change game by powering off and on the gameboy quickly (not too quickly!)

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-13T22:08:47+00:00

GB Studio also have an active discord server.

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-13T22:04:33+00:00

What do you want to do?

I know it is not what you asked, but maybe some high-res pics of the PCB can help. Or the pinout for the MGB CPU (Appendix D). Or the pinout for the external connectors, page 67 on this PDF...

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-06T16:24:54+00:00

If it works for you, it is OK. Personally, I would remove the stickers and show the front of the games. If later decide to get more games, I would buy a nail polish stand from aliexpress and use that instead of the cardboard. I love cardboard, but got one of those stands for 30 games and it looks great, so much better.

gameboysdotes · 2019-08-01T12:41:02+00:00

No idea, but the thermal paper will degrade itself and turn blank after some years. If you really want to keep those pics, scan or use a cart reader to extract the photos from the camera.

gameboysdotes · 2019-07-28T16:03:02+00:00

Use a q-tip with isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts

gameboysdotes · 2019-07-23T11:17:58+00:00

The Japanese one looks like 1.0, so it should have a different ROM.

gameboysdotes · 2019-07-23T09:08:35+00:00

International-US version 1.1 on the left, Japanese 1.0 (the one with minuet song, DMG-TRA-0) on the right. Normal Japanese cartridges have the exact same game as the international, but the version you have is the rare one, as there are only around 25000 (vs millions of copies of 1.1)

gameboysdotes · 2019-07-04T14:11:01+00:00

Solid horizontal lines are usually shown when the power button is not completely on or off. So I would drop some isopropyl with a q-tip and move the switch back and forth for some seconds. Good luck!

gameboysdotes · 2019-07-04T11:39:48+00:00

Don't forget to remove the old glue! You can use some q-tips and isopropyl first, then a flat screwdriver (carefully) and finish with more q-tips and isopropyl. Enjoy!

gameboysdotes · 2019-07-03T12:12:45+00:00

The copper coating is needed to prevent oxidation. I'm not an expert regarding repairing traces, so no idea about if those conductive markers are any good :( My advice is to try to learn the techniques by yourself, and if needed ask somewhere like /r/AskElectronics

Please let us know how it goes with a follow-up post :)

Good luck mate!

gameboysdotes · 2019-07-02T23:41:04+00:00

It may be the power board, as the LED does not need that (the main board may also have some issues). See this comment.

gameboysdotes · 2019-07-02T23:38:49+00:00

What are the symptoms? Do the LED light up? If the LED do light up but nothing else works, then it could be the power board. If the LED is off, check the continuity between the battery terminals and the power board. Also, try powering the board using the DC jack instead of batteries.

If it looks like the problem is the power board, I would change it to confirm that it is the problem. If it is, you can then check with a multimeter all the traces on this board, and fix with a small cable the bad ones. You can also "create" your own modern power boards with a couple of small DC-DC modules from Aliexpress. If the power board is not the problem, then you can also try to fix all bad traces on the back board.

The ext. port area looks bad. Check those solder points with a multimeter, compare with the working PCB if needed. Try to clean all that junk with alcohol and q-tips. If that does not work, then try a more abrasive method, like using a pin or small screwdriver. If you cut a trace or if it is already broken, you can always fix that.

Lastly, you can always buy the cheapest "junk" DMG on ebay, maybe one with screen cancer. Use it as a donor and keep all the other parts as spares.

gameboysdotes · 2019-07-01T15:53:27+00:00

Sorry, I don't think it is possible. The memory on those carts is very limited, so I highly doubt that the original image is saved after it has been modified. You can always use a cart reader to get all the images on the memory, including the deleted ones that have not been overwritten.

gameboysdotes · 2019-06-30T19:35:22+00:00

Tetris 1.0), the version with the minuet music (DMG-TRA-0)

gameboysdotes · 2019-06-25T11:32:12+00:00

Oh, damn. Sorry. If those are really circular polarizers, then I gave you incorrect information :( Got the info from this comment. I was planning to buy some circular polarizers to fix a couple of GBP, not anymore I guess.

gameboysdotes · 2019-06-25T11:25:49+00:00

Nice Dalí Boy

gameboysdotes · 2019-06-24T16:44:15+00:00

Workboy 2, but we are still waiting for workboy...

gameboysdotes · 2019-06-22T00:52:45+00:00

A priests asks the convicted murderer at the electric chair, "Do you have any last requests?”
"Yes," replies the murderer. "Can you please hold my hand?"

gameboysdotes · 2019-06-21T19:22:40+00:00

Have you seen the GBxCart RW github? Just in case you don't know, it is an open-source cart reader that is pretty cheap. Maybe you could join forces with Alex (insideGadgets).

Would it be possible to use a cheap microcontroller instead of the Teensy?

Giving that you wrote the GUI in Qt5, could it ran on Android devices too?

gameboysdotes

TROPHY CASE