Mine didn't appear to have any gunk on the plate but I cleaned it up and put it back together and it now stays green! I have very little soldering experience so I must say it was a bit terrifying to perform surgery on my childhood. Thank you for the tutorial!
Bro from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for making this video. I just got a GBA from Japan and it had this issue and was driving me fucking crazy. This fixed it. I used even smaller iPhone lightning port cleaning kit that got in there really nice and cleaned all the crap out of it.
Uff, I was wondering why my IPS GBA LED kept switching to red after just 1 hour of gameplay on AA's. Followed this video and it doesn't do that anymore! Thank you!
Thanks for the helpful vid. I was able to fix power led flickering on a couple gameboys this way. I used a pointed eraser instead of baking soda. Might be easier and less abrasive that way.
My issue that solved it required using a higher volt battery because my modded backlit gba is so powerful. Anything lesser than 1.5v could not handle the power of awesomeness. Saved me a lot of time taking apart that bad boy
Nice video! I really enjoy your content. Would you ever consider doing a video on the Gameboy Advance sp and charging problems? I have a few that won’t charge.
Found my old, busted up sp, fixed it up with new shell, ips screen, and battery... miserable battery life. One hour to red light, not quite three to dead console. Add maybe an extra half hour to both if using og cartridge instead of flash cart. I thought I just got a dud battery, so I got multiple new ones from more reputable sources, same story. tried this today, fingers crossed it fixes things... though I'm not holding out too much hope as the switch wasn't that dirty inside once I opened it up, & cleaning didn't make much of a visual difference.
Well, there was some improvement - went from about a 3 hour battery life to a 4 hour battery life, with most of the increase while the light was still green. Significant improvement, but it remains pretty far from the minimum of I'd call acceptable for a pocket handheld. Still, 33% improvement's not nothing. Maybe I'll go back and try again with the baking soda. Very much appreciate this old video showing me how to do this. Years later & still helping.
just cleaned my 2 franken sp's, both assembled from scratch with new parts, one agt with 101 screen, the other ags with ips. I even added them a headphone jack. now they don't lose power when I look at the power switch weird. this could also explain why I was getting just a couple hours of battery on the ips one using the lowest and second lowest brightness when the battery is also new.
I had a GBA with the shutting itself off problem and followed your tutorial. Unfortunately, as usual, I can't seem to do things as smoothly as you experts, and although I tried pulling the shielding with the cutter as you do in the video, the solder resisted a lot before it melted, I added flux and a little solder in order to melt it together with the old one with the hope it would make things easier, and I think I messed something up. Anyway, I cleaned the power switch and looked really clean, but I don't know if I put the shielding back the right way, I can't really see if it's in its right place -although there is enough solder for it to not move. Problem is the console doesn't even turn on now.
DMG power switches generally don't need cleaning in my experience. There are no replacement videos because there are no replacement parts and even if there were, it's a simple through hole part. Simply desolder the old switch, solder in the new one.
Power light indicator flickers from red to green randomly on mine not shutting off on its own or anything. Just the indicator shows red with fresh batteries. And I am using normal nonrecharble batteries. I read using reachable barriers can cause this as well.
Wanted to know if you have any idea how much power to use when soldiering? Have never done soldering myself and wanted to make sure I’m using the right output. Thanks!
In this particular case, we want more friction. The wipers (or the switch tabs) need to make solid contact with the pads on the switch body or the console will not function properly. Upon disassembly and cleaning, there is a tendency to flatten out the wiper so bending them out is a way to reverse that action. Bending them too far will cause issues but as long as it's not done repeatedly, it shouldn't cause any metal fatigue and by cycling the switch a few times, the wipers usually mostly break in. There are always exceptions, unfortunately, but I find that this works best the vast majority of the time.
Why not just add a drop of solder to the battery bumps to make them as big as a normal battery bump? Then they would act up when you spin them would the solder simply not stick? I’d imagine you could even groove the metal first then apply a solder drop
Hey, do I need to you use a particular soldering iron for this job? I have just a cheap one with not adjustable temperature but I’m scared to damage the game boy if the temperature is too high.
I would recommend a temperature controlled iron for stuff like this but if you're comfortable with the tool, you can use it. If you're new to soldering, please consider starting with a solder practice kit before taking an iron to your game boy.
Do you know where I can get a replacement power switch for a Gameboy Light? Last year the plastic base of the power switch disintegrated when I tried to turn the switch on. It was weird, I felt a little resistance and then I heard a soft crunching sound so I took the back off and the brown plastic base of the switch was in little bits. I've since been looking for a replacement but I can't find one. Specifically an SMD, 2 pole, 3 position, 7 pin switch. It seems like it's possibly proprietary to the Light and isn't sold anywhere.
That's one dirty gameboy. I would be hesitant to touch that thing without gloves. It looked like something was living inside the wrist strap slot. Lmfao
In your experience, does this seller (J4U) ever try to fix their consoles prior to re-selling them? In another comment you said you like to be the "first one in there" or something, so that nobody else has mucked with it
I have a GBA (standard) which I IPS modded and after a couple minutes it restarts and turns off by itself. Could it be a dirty power switch or would it be the capacitors? It was working fine before the mod.
Second question: If I've got my power switch pretty clean but the top piece is missing the bent metal bit, can I just replace either the metal or top part of the switch separate from the rest? I had a dead GBA that wouldn't power on and I either lost that metal piece when cleaning it or it was already gone from the previous owner. I can power on the GBA now by shorting the contacts inside the switch, so I think the lower half is good and could still be used. I would hate to desolder it and put in an aftermarket one that probably won't fit as well (I'm seeing bad reviews for replacement power switches online).
@@SoundToxin If it ain't broke, fix it till it is. No need to clean it if your console is not having issues. And yes, you can probably just wedge something in there, the slider just needs to make solid contact with the contacts. Doesn't even need to be metal if you want to make like a 3D printed bracket that you screw in.
While trying to remove the shielding my entire power switch decided to lift off the board as well, and interestingly it looks like the copper plating delaminated from the board and was still attached to the legs of the switch. Should I just junk this board or is it repairable?
@@makho I thought about finding a board schematic and running my own power wires from the switch to traces on the board but you definitely have more experience and video making capabilities. I'd be happy to send it to you, and hopefully whatever comes of it helps someone in the future.
makho thx for your fast answer 🙌🏼. I have a chinese IPS screen and I did the cleaning that you did in your video and it improves a lot the battery life. In fact, even though the red light appears in a half of an hour, (around 01:35 am in my country) the console still On after 7 hrs with Metroid Fusion Tittle Screen (09:00 am). Anyways, my question was because one of the terminals has a blue thing at the back but not directly where it contacts with the batteries. So now I’ll try to get rid of that corrosion ✨ Greeting from Chile 🇨🇱 and sorry for my english 😭
Oh my god you are so rough with that switch. I give it a bit of a rub as you did (little lighter) then get some wet&dry (very fine sandpaper) and give it a GENTLE rub just a few times back are forth on the metal plates and a tiny bit on the tip of the arms on the switch
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Mine didn't appear to have any gunk on the plate but I cleaned it up and put it back together and it now stays green! I have very little soldering experience so I must say it was a bit terrifying to perform surgery on my childhood. Thank you for the tutorial!
This explains so much about one of the GBAs I have. Thanks! I’m gonna try disassemble that power switch and clean it out
"...say the magic words like AvE" every time I hear someone telling their camera to focus the magic words play through my head lol
Bro from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for making this video. I just got a GBA from Japan and it had this issue and was driving me fucking crazy. This fixed it. I used even smaller iPhone lightning port cleaning kit that got in there really nice and cleaned all the crap out of it.
I fixed mine rolling the batteries just like you did at 19:19
Thank you! 😁
clean your battery terminals if that's the case
Thankyou so much for the video. I already clean it, now i am not seeing the flickering red light anymore.
Uff, I was wondering why my IPS GBA LED kept switching to red after just 1 hour of gameplay on AA's. Followed this video and it doesn't do that anymore! Thank you!
Nice to you know watch AvE too!
Thanks for the helpful vid. I was able to fix power led flickering on a couple gameboys this way. I used a pointed eraser instead of baking soda. Might be easier and less abrasive that way.
Definitely, good call
My issue that solved it required using a higher volt battery because my modded backlit gba is so powerful. Anything lesser than 1.5v could not handle the power of awesomeness. Saved me a lot of time taking apart that bad boy
Thanks for the latest short & this video makho. Because if you I was able to fix all my Game Boy.
Nice video! I really enjoy your content. Would you ever consider doing a video on the Gameboy Advance sp and charging problems? I have a few that won’t charge.
www.reddit.com/r/GameBoy/wiki/repairs
makho thank you!
I have just done this on my one (IPS modded) - hope it stays green longer now!
The spring battery contacts look to be the same as the ones found in Wii controllers, so I suppose if you were desperate you could swap for those.
they are not -- I've tried.
Damn makho you buy some real crusty consoles. Thanks for the vid
It's a weakness I have. I figured it would clean up nicely, but after looking at this one in person, I'm thinking this GBA is getting reshelled.
Found my old, busted up sp, fixed it up with new shell, ips screen, and battery... miserable battery life. One hour to red light, not quite three to dead console. Add maybe an extra half hour to both if using og cartridge instead of flash cart. I thought I just got a dud battery, so I got multiple new ones from more reputable sources, same story. tried this today, fingers crossed it fixes things... though I'm not holding out too much hope as the switch wasn't that dirty inside once I opened it up, & cleaning didn't make much of a visual difference.
Well, there was some improvement - went from about a 3 hour battery life to a 4 hour battery life, with most of the increase while the light was still green. Significant improvement, but it remains pretty far from the minimum of I'd call acceptable for a pocket handheld. Still, 33% improvement's not nothing. Maybe I'll go back and try again with the baking soda. Very much appreciate this old video showing me how to do this. Years later & still helping.
@@Malisteen I mean, if that's the original battery, it's over 20 years old. The estimated service life on most lithium batteries is like 3 years.
just cleaned my 2 franken sp's, both assembled from scratch with new parts, one agt with 101 screen, the other ags with ips. I even added them a headphone jack. now they don't lose power when I look at the power switch weird.
this could also explain why I was getting just a couple hours of battery on the ips one using the lowest and second lowest brightness when the battery is also new.
Thanks for making this video.
Great video thanks, very helpful, subscribed.
Just the video I need! Thanks! 😄
I had a GBA with the shutting itself off problem and followed your tutorial. Unfortunately, as usual, I can't seem to do things as smoothly as you experts, and although I tried pulling the shielding with the cutter as you do in the video, the solder resisted a lot before it melted, I added flux and a little solder in order to melt it together with the old one with the hope it would make things easier, and I think I messed something up. Anyway, I cleaned the power switch and looked really clean, but I don't know if I put the shielding back the right way, I can't really see if it's in its right place -although there is enough solder for it to not move. Problem is the console doesn't even turn on now.
The shielding must be reinstalled perfectly flush. It holds the slider in place on the contacts.
A kit making noises at 12:05
Good content, bro
Keep on doing it :)
How bout a DMG power switch cleaning vid, or wilder yet - a DMG power switch replacement? There's nothing out there in that regard.
DMG power switches generally don't need cleaning in my experience. There are no replacement videos because there are no replacement parts and even if there were, it's a simple through hole part. Simply desolder the old switch, solder in the new one.
Power light indicator flickers from red to green randomly on mine not shutting off on its own or anything. Just the indicator shows red with fresh batteries. And I am using normal nonrecharble batteries. I read using reachable barriers can cause this as well.
Wanted to know if you have any idea how much power to use when soldiering? Have never done soldering myself and wanted to make sure I’m using the right output. Thanks!
I usually set my iron to about 280c. The iron manages power on its own to maintain that temp.
I fixed 2 gbas priced at $20 each (from the same seller you got yours from)
all it took was ipa to the power switch
6:20 how are you holding that does it not burn?
I wasn't holding it there very long. But yeah, it does get pretty hot.
my sp it was the battery contacts. OG battery still lasting more than 4 hours
It should last a lot longer than four hours.
At 13:00, why would you want to fold the tabs on the switch? Wouldn't it cause more friction/wear? Also, can contact cleaner be used in place of IPA?
In this particular case, we want more friction. The wipers (or the switch tabs) need to make solid contact with the pads on the switch body or the console will not function properly. Upon disassembly and cleaning, there is a tendency to flatten out the wiper so bending them out is a way to reverse that action. Bending them too far will cause issues but as long as it's not done repeatedly, it shouldn't cause any metal fatigue and by cycling the switch a few times, the wipers usually mostly break in.
There are always exceptions, unfortunately, but I find that this works best the vast majority of the time.
Why not just add a drop of solder to the battery bumps to make them as big as a normal battery bump? Then they would act up when you spin them would the solder simply not stick? I’d imagine you could even groove the metal first then apply a solder drop
I already did. You can only add so much solder.
A better solution is to just get better batteries, which I also did.
Hey, do I need to you use a particular soldering iron for this job? I have just a cheap one with not adjustable temperature but I’m scared to damage the game boy if the temperature is too high.
I would recommend a temperature controlled iron for stuff like this but if you're comfortable with the tool, you can use it. If you're new to soldering, please consider starting with a solder practice kit before taking an iron to your game boy.
Do you know where I can get a replacement power switch for a Gameboy Light? Last year the plastic base of the power switch disintegrated when I tried to turn the switch on. It was weird, I felt a little resistance and then I heard a soft crunching sound so I took the back off and the brown plastic base of the switch was in little bits.
I've since been looking for a replacement but I can't find one. Specifically an SMD, 2 pole, 3 position, 7 pin switch. It seems like it's possibly proprietary to the Light and isn't sold anywhere.
It is proprietary. The only source that I know of is another Game Boy Light.
That's one dirty gameboy. I would be hesitant to touch that thing without gloves. It looked like something was living inside the wrist strap slot. Lmfao
If you think it looks bad, just wait until you find out about the taste
@@makho you tasted it? Lmfao
What is the 101 blue thing near power switch ?
what is this cartridge your using in the beginning of the video? Can it run games and save games normally! I think thats what im looking for!
ez flash omega. If you want one, make sure you read the manual
In your experience, does this seller (J4U) ever try to fix their consoles prior to re-selling them? In another comment you said you like to be the "first one in there" or something, so that nobody else has mucked with it
No they don't but since they are a reseller, they sometimes get consoles that someone else has messed with.
I have a GBA (standard) which I IPS modded and after a couple minutes it restarts and turns off by itself. Could it be a dirty power switch or would it be the capacitors? It was working fine before the mod.
It's always the power switch.
@@makho Thank you! Fixed my GBA because of you.
Do you think this is worth doing to a GBA that's not yet exhibiting these issues when you pick up a new used one?
Second question: If I've got my power switch pretty clean but the top piece is missing the bent metal bit, can I just replace either the metal or top part of the switch separate from the rest? I had a dead GBA that wouldn't power on and I either lost that metal piece when cleaning it or it was already gone from the previous owner. I can power on the GBA now by shorting the contacts inside the switch, so I think the lower half is good and could still be used. I would hate to desolder it and put in an aftermarket one that probably won't fit as well (I'm seeing bad reviews for replacement power switches online).
@@SoundToxin If it ain't broke, fix it till it is. No need to clean it if your console is not having issues.
And yes, you can probably just wedge something in there, the slider just needs to make solid contact with the contacts. Doesn't even need to be metal if you want to make like a 3D printed bracket that you screw in.
While trying to remove the shielding my entire power switch decided to lift off the board as well, and interestingly it looks like the copper plating delaminated from the board and was still attached to the legs of the switch. Should I just junk this board or is it repairable?
it's probably repairable but even if it's beyond your ability you can still sell it (coincidentally, I am looking for boards like this)
@@makho I thought about finding a board schematic and running my own power wires from the switch to traces on the board but you definitely have more experience and video making capabilities. I'd be happy to send it to you, and hopefully whatever comes of it helps someone in the future.
Hello my friend. Could some corrosion in the terminals affect the battery life?
yes, that's why I mentioned cleaning battery terminals (or just spinning the batteries for a temporary work around)
makho thx for your fast answer 🙌🏼. I have a chinese IPS screen and I did the cleaning that you did in your video and it improves a lot the battery life. In fact, even though the red light appears in a half of an hour, (around 01:35 am in my country) the console still On after 7 hrs with Metroid Fusion Tittle Screen (09:00 am). Anyways, my question was because one of the terminals has a blue thing at the back but not directly where it contacts with the batteries. So now I’ll try to get rid of that corrosion ✨ Greeting from Chile 🇨🇱 and sorry for my english 😭
Can this issue also occurr on the GBC?
every GB
Oh my god you are so rough with that switch. I give it a bit of a rub as you did (little lighter) then get some wet&dry (very fine sandpaper) and give it a GENTLE rub just a few times back are forth on the metal plates and a tiny bit on the tip of the arms on the switch
You claim I'm rough but then you used sandpaper?
Doesnt apply to the PSP its a soft power switch.
No shit