How To Fix Common Original Nintendo GameBoy DMG-01 Problems
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ต.ค. 2018
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In this video, we cover some common problems with Gameboys, and discuss how to go about fixing those problems. The most common problems with gameboys are vertical lines on the LCD and corrosion in the battery compartment - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I’m amazed that you are answering most of these comments. Props to you. Very nice video, thank you.
Im happy to share any information I have about gameboys :D Its something I miss doing! I actually have a whole bunch of gameboys with a freind as a business project but I havent been able to visit him to work on the inventory to make it resellable since Covid jajaja. Maybe in a few more months!
Feel free to ask any questions and Ill help out if I can
Nice video man! I am already struggling with soldering by using both of my hands, you are filming, talking and on top of that using your left hand to solder. I am amazed!!! Nice explanations too!!!
Bajajaja Thanks! At the time I felt like I was struggling to film, struggling to talk, and struggling to solder all at the same time xD
Thnx Bro, I really needed to see a video like this, I have a GameBoy with vertical lines that I need to fix!
Chances are youll be able to fix it :) Just be patient and try to use as little heat as you can at first. It takes some getting used too!
Thanks, and please create more videos like this!@@JPValheim
Is there any known method on how to fix the horizontal lines? I have a gameboy with half the screen gone due to missing horizontal lines.
Thanks you so much Mr jack
Have one with the up directional pad not working. Swapped LCD boards and problem remains so problem is on the power board. Any ideas? Schematics too complicated!
I had a DMG with vertical lines down the left side and I tried this and no matter how hard I pushed or how long I left he iron there it didn't change whatsoever. While heating the ribbon more lines appeared in the center and right side of screen and running over in that area quickly fixed it but again the ones to the left side would never budge. I could wiggle or bend the ribbon and it didn't change it at all either. Very disappointing I couldn't fix it but it just didn't seem to be the usual issue. Ever ran into that?
Yeah, I've had that problem with a few gameboys. I'm always much more alarmed when I see a gameboy with just 1 or 2 vertical lines vs tons of vertical lines. A gameboy with 1 or 2 usually has the problem you are talking about, or somebody has tried to fix it already.
Funny how more lines is actually a good thing repairability wise!
that being said, sometimes not all the vertical lines go away even when theres a bunch.
Link for a replacement speaker? I used one off ebay but its slightly too big and the gameboy wont close
Great video 👍, what kind of rubbing alcohol is the best one to use
You want as high % as possible, the water can damage the electronics if you don't let everything dry... if you use 70% rubbing alcohol that means its 30% water... you want the 98% alcohol if possible... if not then use the 70% but leave your gameboy open under a fan for 30 minutes before you close the gameboy so it can dry
@@JackPitmanNica thank you for replying so fast and for the explanation in no uncertain terms very helpful; and that is what I figured but I thought I’d ask someone who knows what they are doing, very helpful dude 👍 much appreciated!
Is there any place you could buy that brown ribbon cable from?
Not really. It's a very very sensitive part and is virtually impossible to replace. People would just use the circuitboard from another gameboy to fix it.
I have a Gameboy where I turn on the console, everything works but for some reason my screen just has a black square on it.. do you know what that can possibly be?
The black square shows up when a gameboy turns on without a game inside it. If you put a game in the black square will be a Nintendo icon. If the black square is showing up when you put a game inside, it means that your gameboy cannot detect the game. Try cleaning the game cart and see what happens
What's your experience with screens glitching out completely? The boot screen looks like it's nothing but random symbols and letters, I can hear the game, and I can interact with the game. It's just that everything is a glitched mess and I can't see anything.
There are two main circuitboards in each gameboy - the circuitboard holding the screen and the circuitboard holding the batteries/game. The best way to test this is to get another gameboy and switch the circuitboard. This will show you which part of the gameboy is messing up. If you switch the boards and you still see glitches then you know your problem is with your LCD. If you switch the boards and don't see glitches then you know the problem is with your other half.
If I where to send you mine it’s has the vert lines? I can’t find anyone in my area to fix it
Where can you get the little black rubber strips that go underneath the screen?
The easiest way is from an existing broken gameboy. You can buy them on ebay pretty cheap like $15 usd + shipping. You should also be aware of www.handheldlegend.com it is an amazing gameboy mod site with everything you can imagine
How do you reglue the rubber strip back?
Someone used a thin coat of Elmer’s glue.
What’s the purpose of the rubber strip?
The strip places some pressure on the ribbon cable so that it doesn't move around too much and get damaged (I think). You can remove the strip and the unit will work; but theoretically it would be more prone to damage
I am having an issue with my speaker. every thing else works, including the headphone jack. It looks as if I get continuity from the board to where the wires connect to the speaker, but have resistance when measuring across the speaker. Do you think replacing the speaker will work or is there something else on on the board I should look at to troubleshoot it?
Thats a really common problem, usually replacing the speaker fixes it. In rare cases sound distortion can be caused by the back half of the gameboy, the part where the game gets plugged in. However its probably just your speaker
@@JPValheim Thanks for the reply. I replaced the speaker but it did not solve my problem. Gonna replace the wires on it next.
Hello friend, I need help with my game boy dmg, the problem is when I turn it on it shows lq pqntqllq completely black. When you raise the contrast it goes up and down without a problem but there is no point where it shows the game, although if you hear the sound of it, what could be the problem, I tried it open and closed and still the problem persists, I hope your help many times. thank you.
It sounds like you need to replace either the backboard or the front LCD. I don't know of a simple way to fix that problem unfortunately. Youll probably need to switch the parts with a working gameboy to figure out which part is defective
Hey this is awesome! I have two DMG-01s from my childhood that worked perfectly every year then died this year. They simply do not power on in any way. They were stored indoors, low humidity, no batteries. Do you have any videos that might cover common issues? I'm hoping for like... "oh this capacitor here likes to be the first one to die" or whatnot =)
You would need to test it with an AC power supply. If the gameboy works with AC, then the problem is something to do with the batteries / battery connection. If the gameboy does not work with AC, then the problem as something to do with the back circuit board. Gameboys basically have 3 parts; a front circuit board (the screen, highest value part of the gameboy), a back circuitboard (medium value), and a shell. (lowest value)
Ahhh that's such great advice. I hadn't even thought to bisect the problem with a power supply first. Thank you :)@@JPValheim
How do you clean the corrosion ?
Vinegar! Vinegar and a toothbrush or a q tip. Just make sure to dry it properly afterwards so it doesnt rust. You can leave it under a fan or something for thirty minutes to dry
My game boy turns on and shows an image, but when I insert a cartridge, it doesn't read it, as if the cartridge or the cartridge slot were dirty, but they aren't. The logo that appears on the screen appears to be corrupted. Could this also be caused by a burned out or damaged processor?
Unfortunately I do not know why the problems happen :( I just know that if you swap out parts then it fixes certain problems. It sounds like the back circuitboard with the game slot needs to be replaced. That part is pretty easy to get, you could probably buy a "broken" gameboy and use it. Look for a gameboy that has a visual defect on the screen, you'll be able to find a working part that way for cheaper
Picked up a DMG-01 today. Turns on but nothing else happens. No sound or video when a working cart is in. Have you come across this? The red light turns on as well.
There should always be a red light, a beep, and a black box on the screen when no game is inserted.
If you look at this video, you will see there are two circuitboards in each gameboy. Your problem is with the back circuitboard. This is actually a good thing because the front circuitboard is the valuable circuitboard. I recommend that you try buying a gameboy that has a broken screen. These are usually like $15 - $20. That should give you the parts you need to fix your gameboy. Unfortunately you could fix it to just find that your screen is also broken! You could have one failed component or multiple. No way to know until you test it out
@@JackPitmanNica thanks for the reply! I dont know where you're looking, but I cant find any of these for less than 50 bucks damaged or not! Would you have an idea of what components I can check over on the board to try and find the problem?
@@Jay-un2zc The cheapest way to get them is via auctions on eBay, usually auctions with bad titles, mislabeled keywords, etc. If society in general is more distracted you can catch more cheap auctions. It takes time though and all this retro stuff just goes up in price really
You said your gameboy has a red light but there is no sound and no image. That means the problem is most likely 1 of these two
1) Problem with back circuitboard
2) Speaker & Video both failing
So I just found my old Gameboy. When I turn it on I see a flash of dark on the screen and it makes the power on noise, but then the screen goes blank and nothing shows up. Any idea how to fix this?
Your best bet is to purchase a second gameboy from eBay and swap parts out to identify where the problem is. Gameboys basically have 2 main circuitboards - a front circuitboard with the lcd and a back circuitboard where the games and batteries go. The problem you are talking about could be causes by both parts so it sounds like you'll need to purchase a second gameboy (maybe a cheaper one with physical damage to the shell).
@@JackPitmanNica thank you, I'll definitely try that
What kind of screwdriver do you need to open the game boy? Like the screwdriver type/name for it?
Hey hopefully you found the answer by now but just in case search for TriWing screw driver. IFixIt has a nice multi bit set
Have you ever suffered an issue with the noise channel of sound? I suddenly lost it 😐 any idea on how to fix it?
If you are lucky, the speaker is broken or a wire fell loose and you can either replace the speaker (cheap) or resolder the wire. If that doesn't work, If I remember right that means you need to replace the back circuitboard of the DMG (the one that games plug into). Luckily the back circuitboard is the cheaper part to replace because DMG with damages screens often have a viable back circuitboard
Hey there - so turned on my game boy DMG 01 after years of in activity - worked well - until suddenly - new batteries in, no power at all - there is some corrosion in the battery contacts - what can it be?
Max Portelli sometimes the corrosion causes the contacts to become rough. You can easily clean all of the corrosion using white vinegar and some Q-Tips. You'll see the corodded parts bubble. Make sure you dry it properly after cleaning.
A good test is to put 4 batteries in
The Gameboy, turn the switch on, and then roll your fingers on the batteries so the batteries spin. While the batteries spin and change position with the contacts, you might notice the power flicker on and off. If the power is flickering that means you can fix it by cleaning the contacts and sanding them. If the power doesn't flicker when you roll the batteries, then you may have a problem with the Circuitry in the Gameboy and probably have to replace a part of it
Hey man, i was wondering if you know what the problem that causes a gameboy to turn on but the Nintendo logo is blurred with no game in and how to fix that?
Thats normal - every time you turn on a DMG-01 unit it will only show the Nintendo logo if a game is in the unit.
Without a game, it will show a block and go "ding" and nothing else
Jack Pitman lol 🤧 i feel dumb i didn’t realize that that was the no cartridge indicator since i just got into modding dmgs. Thanks for the response!
What is the Temperature you put the solder to so you don’t burn it?
Jajajaja to be honest I always used a cheap soldering iron that didn't have a temperature gauge... Its not really the temperature of the soldering iron that you need to worry about, its how long you touch the device with your soldering iron. If you have a cooler iron, then you can touch the device longer with it, but if you have a hot iron, you have to be careful. As the connections heat up you'll see some damage start to occur around the green part of the circuit board (the coating will start to change color and flake) if you let it get too hot. But this is usually not a problem
hello, I have a dmg that turns on but not screen, I already tested the lcd board with another power and it works, so the problem is not on the LCD board, help me?
Theres two main circuitboards in a DMG - you can think of it as the front half and the back half. The front half has the screen and the buttons while the back half has the slot for the game and the batteries.
I recommend you buy another DMG off ebay for like $30 and then switch out the components and figure out which one needed to be replaced that way.
If your LCD isn't turning on then you've got serious problems in your gameboy that you can't easily fix. Your better off replacing the parts with parts from another gameboy and seeing what you can do there.
Hello dude. Could you advise me how to fix speaker hiss after a IPS screen mod. Thanks in advance
Usually speaker problems are an issue with the speaker itself. So you've got two options - replace the speaker or replace the back circuitboard unit (sometimes theres something wrong with the circuitboard the games get plugged into and it can cause speaker issues)
However its also normal for there to be some hiss. Lots of people just don't notice it. Theres something you can do called "Pro Sound" that will completely elliminate all hissing. Research DMG pro sound mod
They make LCD replacement boards to replace the whole front unit now. $70-80 though but it's the ultimate mod!!
IPS v2 display is beautiful, yeah, but if you want to have original one, it's nicer to repair old one. I have my IPS v2 modified one and I have old original one which I stashed after I cleaned and fixed it.
Funny how nowadays $70 is like what people pay for just a clean working gameboy jaja
My gameboy DMG1 turns on but doeswnt display anything. Could you possibly tell me how to fix this?
Sounds like a bad LCD. Basically buy a new gameboy cause that part is the same as buying a working gameboy :(
You can troubleshoot it a bit though... Youd need to find a second gameboy; then take them apart halfway. Swap out the pieces and see what works and what doesn't work. That way allows you to know for sure whats wrong.
Here are some questions that might help you
Does the gameboy make beep noise when it turns on?
Does the nintendo logo, or box, show up on the screen when it turns on?
Is the contrast knob causing any noticible change on the screen?
@JPValheim yup it has sound and everything and plays games, I checked the contrast wheel as well
Question, the blue tint that happens from heating, will that always show up doing this method, and will it last forever even if done correctly or eventually fade away if you didn't over do it?
The blue tint goes away as soon as the area reaches normal temperature. Its only blue like that when it is heated. Its pretty hard to overdo, to be honest. Its much easier to accidentally melt plastic somewhere with the tip of the soldering iron going into the wrong place than it is to overheat that area and damage it that way.
When i press down on the d-pat onvmy gameboy its opens the start menu, left dosent respond and b dosent respond
It sounds like there is a liquid spilled onto the circuitboard or something like that; try opening it up and cleaning the gameboy. If not; then you need to replace the front panel with another one
@@JPValheim well that didtn work
@@wedelsgarage9023 Damn! If the inside of the gameboy and its button pads are clean, then it sounds like you have to replace the front circuitboard. Unfortunately the front circuitboard (where the buttons and screen are) is the most valuable part so you might as well just buy another gameboy :(
@@JackPitmanNica i think ik gonna buy a backlit screen with the custom front motherboard
@@wedelsgarage9023 Nice. I used to make those backlit gameboys. They are super cool! Nowadays you can get some really high quality parts pretty easily from websites like handheldlegend
Omg 😆 you crack so easily! I remeber that!
how much do you usually pay for broken Gameboys?
I bought some and fixed them (Paid about 20$ each) but I think they have not a big resell value because noone buys them for a reasonable Price...
You can sell them as "Refurbished" game boys. Make sure to include in the description every problem you've checked for. People will pay $40-$50 for a professionally refurbished game boy with a glass screen. I used to sell modded backlight gameboys and it wasn't until I moved to Nicaragua that I learned refurbished game boys are a bigger and better market xD
Jack Pitman I am going to try this thank you!
@@Gooomba64 did it work? were you able to make profit by selling a gameboy? I am planning on buying one broken gameboy for 25 Euros in the hope to fix the screen issue it has and to sell it.
0:24 that voicecrack haha
But how to fix the horizontal lines?
Much harder, usually have to replace the screen
If you break them why don't you make an LCD mod for 50 to 60 dollars maybe even put some new shell on it and sell it for 230 to 250 on etsy or ebay?
I have one HORIZONTAL line in mine. HOW TO FIX! no one shows how to.
Yeah, I fixed the vertical lines myself on mine, but now I have horizontal lines, too... I think it's a lot more difficult, but no one has a video on how to do that anywhere I've looked so far, it's amazing...
@@frankgile1996 yeah it sucks! But... luckily for us DMG gameboys are like $20-$30 bucks. So long as it works we can take out the guts and put in our old shells or new ones.
@@Deadcrows1981 depends what you find.. I bought mine for $5 (yeah, I know) with the vertical lines, but since I haven't seen anything go for less than $60-$70... And, since I'm a uni student, I think those prices are a bit too much for a DMG, a GBP is much more reliable... I just don't want to throw away the DMG I have now found myself with either, you know?
@@frankgile1996 well anything near a uni and retro will cost a load more then usual. All people that age seem to want to be trendy. But if you ever take a road trip out of a uni town prices will get smaller. Try online too. Gamestop or other retail stores might still have em for sale cheap.
@@frankgile1996 OMFG i just fixed the missing horizontal lines!!!!! it was the tiny foams in the back of the screen that keeps a buffer zone behind the screen and the board. It was applying too much pressure so took them out and the screen fell back into place and its good as new!!! FUCK cant believe it worked! I just bought whole new set of buttons to spice up the DMG :D
I have some black splats at the bottom of the screen
Unfortunately those cannot be fixed, I call them "LCD Worms"
You could buy a gameboy and replace the LCD itself but the LCD component is 50% of the circuitry jajaja so you might as well just use a new gameboy in that case
@@JPValheim Ok, thanks
I fixed 2 old original NINTENDO gameboy systems I bought off eBay I spent $120.00
Thanks AWESOME!!! What problems did you have to fix in each unit?
I had to fix one with badly corroded battery terminals I cleaned those battery terminals with oven cleaner and comet and also scraped away the corrosion and both gameboys work fine thier previous owners did not care about them it ticked me off a little bit everytime I buy old retro systems off eBay I take the system apart clean the plastic and motherboard I fixed 2 NINTENDO entertainment systems 2 super Nintendo entertainment systems and 2 old original NINTENDO gameboy systems
Sounds super fun :)
The battery terminals clean SUPER easy with vinegar, just for reference. Regular houshold white vinegar works really well because it reacts with the corrossion and it bubbles away
Get a tripod man ...🤦🏻♂️
You have absolutely no clue what you’re doing
Yup! I learn new things everyday. What exactly in the video made you feel like that? Teach us!
@Jack Pitman Nica get a tripod for starters and use both hands man ...
@@kabirh3626 A tripod would have made it much easier to make this video jajaja