Hey I just wanted to explain something about the issue with the potentiometer. What you are adjusting is the resistence (ohms) to the power going to the laser. When a laser goes bad you need to decrease the resistance to give it more power. So the laser being bad was likely not the fault on this (a dirty lense perhaps). There is a range where the laser can operate and if it can work with the potentiometer set high it'll mean the laser will go longer before it burns out, if it's too high the laser will not be strong enough to read the disk. On the other end, the lower you set the potentiometer the faster the laser will burn out. Set it too low and it will burn out very quickly. If cleaning the lense and the assembly doesn't solve the issue lowering the resistance can be a short term fix for sure. It might just a little tweak and it might chug along for years. I've simply never seen a laser potentiometer set too low and it being the cause for it not reading discs (I have seen it set too low and the laser being burnt out though) that might be just a coincidence though so please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks for a good and enjoyable video :) I'll be sure to watch all of them! PS: If you happen to read this I was wondering doesn't magic eraser have micro abrasive material in it and if such doesn't that dull the finish? I have really wanted to find a good way to remove scratches and blemishes without resorting to a polishing wheel.
I'm also confused about this. My laser is now set to 100 ohms to read burned discs better. I think it's typical to lower it for that. I'm afraid mines too low tho. If I can raise it and it'll work???? Maybe I should try that
im waiting on some gamebit bits in the mail, and then i plan to open up my silver gamecube that has served me well since childhood. its been a real trooper all these years, so i dug it out from my old box of consoles and i want to try to give it the cleaning it deserves
@@RestorishOfficial i disassembled, washed and cleaned everything and let it dry for a day and a half, and its all back together now nice and clean! i originally ended up with two "extra" screws after reassembly (oops). i went back and found where i missed reinstalling them and made it right. my gamecube has a spring underneath the open disc button that yours didnt seem to have. it took me a while to figure out which button it belonged under. i plugged it all in and slapped in a memory card and super smash bros melee, AND....nothing. i thought i broke it. turns out i didnt push the video connector all the way in. after i double checked my plugs then everything booted up. someday i might go back in there and replace the clock battery. mine isnt dead, but it starts to lag behind in minutes pretty quickly. pretty good for 20 odd years. thanks for the walkthrough!
Amazing job dude. Not only is the clean so good but it’s crazy how you can remember how to put it all back together! The game cube has sooo much more inside than I would of thought lol
The disc drive's potentiometer should not be touched at all. The first thing to check are the capacitors on the drive's board. The caps are the main failure point of these drives and making them output higher voltage can sometimes make a GC work for a bit, but only speed up its demise.
The hair looks like animal hair, probably both cat and dog hair, and the sawdust look could be regular dust mixed in but, for that amount to be in there, i'm willing to bet it was in a lounge garage setup. A lot of people used to have their garages as extra hangout spots for watching sports or playing video games outside in the summer. So it's probably debris from sitting in a garage for multiple years, especially if whoever owned it liked to work with wood in the same space like my grandfather does, the garage is basically his crafting space and he owned a lot of old consoles and games back in the day, so if the previous owner was anything like him, definitely a garage gamecube. It could also explain the rust without widespread liquid damage.
How exactly did you remove the white spots/scratches on the black shell? It was just the soapy water + the isopropyl alcohol or was it the magic eraser which removed those?
@12:20. A little disappointed you didnt brush out the heatsink. You did all that work and the heatsink with a narrow brush could have been cleaned out to look as great as the rest of the work. Don't take it the wrong way cleaning these consoles is a huge undertaking which your 15 min videos do not show because of the algorithm but still....12:44. Changing the factory laser settings via the pots or potentiometers ultimately will burn out the laser sooner than later (I know its suggested) but just letting you know.
10:52 - 11:01 -- I don't buy that, dude. If someone is willing to disassemble their console that is filled with delicate and intricate parts, setting up a small bin with some hydrogen peroxide solution and a few UV LEDs that are already configured for use by plugging them in should not be a problem. On top of that, hydrogen peroxide, UV LEDs, and a small plastic bin are inexpensive. Are you sure that is your reason -- accessibility? Just seems more of an excuse to me, all things considered. Or is this one of those things where fear that you will be deemed an Odd Tinkering clone or some other similar channel? You did a good job on the cleaning, but if you're not going to bother retrobrighting those two panels, it seriously leaves the job feeling incomplete, so why do it at all if you're not going to see it through? Just my thoughts on it.
I loved how at the end you showed us if the GameCube still works. Really appreciate that
Noted. Thanks for the comment!
really loved the background music in this vid!
Hey I just wanted to explain something about the issue with the potentiometer. What you are adjusting is the resistence (ohms) to the power going to the laser. When a laser goes bad you need to decrease the resistance to give it more power. So the laser being bad was likely not the fault on this (a dirty lense perhaps). There is a range where the laser can operate and if it can work with the potentiometer set high it'll mean the laser will go longer before it burns out, if it's too high the laser will not be strong enough to read the disk. On the other end, the lower you set the potentiometer the faster the laser will burn out. Set it too low and it will burn out very quickly.
If cleaning the lense and the assembly doesn't solve the issue lowering the resistance can be a short term fix for sure. It might just a little tweak and it might chug along for years. I've simply never seen a laser potentiometer set too low and it being the cause for it not reading discs (I have seen it set too low and the laser being burnt out though) that might be just a coincidence though so please correct me if I'm wrong.
Thanks for a good and enjoyable video :) I'll be sure to watch all of them!
PS: If you happen to read this I was wondering doesn't magic eraser have micro abrasive material in it and if such doesn't that dull the finish? I have really wanted to find a good way to remove scratches and blemishes without resorting to a polishing wheel.
I’ve found that recapping the lasers board is a way better solution than messing with the Pot.
I'm also confused about this. My laser is now set to 100 ohms to read burned discs better. I think it's typical to lower it for that. I'm afraid mines too low tho. If I can raise it and it'll work???? Maybe I should try that
Retrobrighting doesn't require an elaborate setup, just hydrogen peroxide, a clear plastic container and a sunny day. That aside, great video!
im waiting on some gamebit bits in the mail, and then i plan to open up my silver gamecube that has served me well since childhood. its been a real trooper all these years, so i dug it out from my old box of consoles and i want to try to give it the cleaning it deserves
Yes! Love hearing this. It’s gonna look so good!
@@RestorishOfficial i disassembled, washed and cleaned everything and let it dry for a day and a half, and its all back together now nice and clean! i originally ended up with two "extra" screws after reassembly (oops). i went back and found where i missed reinstalling them and made it right. my gamecube has a spring underneath the open disc button that yours didnt seem to have. it took me a while to figure out which button it belonged under.
i plugged it all in and slapped in a memory card and super smash bros melee, AND....nothing. i thought i broke it. turns out i didnt push the video connector all the way in. after i double checked my plugs then everything booted up.
someday i might go back in there and replace the clock battery. mine isnt dead, but it starts to lag behind in minutes pretty quickly. pretty good for 20 odd years. thanks for the walkthrough!
Amazing restoration my friend salutes from Costa Rica 🇨🇷
Thank you my friend!
Amazing job dude. Not only is the clean so good but it’s crazy how you can remember how to put it all back together! The game cube has sooo much more inside than I would of thought lol
The disc drive's potentiometer should not be touched at all. The first thing to check are the capacitors on the drive's board. The caps are the main failure point of these drives and making them output higher voltage can sometimes make a GC work for a bit, but only speed up its demise.
There's no harm in using a small tip paint brush (or those eye makeup applicator brushes) for the tight spots, vs the toothbrush.
Another good one!
I always enjoy seeing how you fix mistakes. Thanks for sharing!
The hair looks like animal hair, probably both cat and dog hair, and the sawdust look could be regular dust mixed in but, for that amount to be in there, i'm willing to bet it was in a lounge garage setup. A lot of people used to have their garages as extra hangout spots for watching sports or playing video games outside in the summer. So it's probably debris from sitting in a garage for multiple years, especially if whoever owned it liked to work with wood in the same space like my grandfather does, the garage is basically his crafting space and he owned a lot of old consoles and games back in the day, so if the previous owner was anything like him, definitely a garage gamecube. It could also explain the rust without widespread liquid damage.
Another satisfying clean!
Hey man great video! I just cleaned mine. However the disc will not spin after the pot adjustments😢 what now
I have two GameCubes. Can you restore both? They just need some love
How exactly did you remove the white spots/scratches on the black shell? It was just the soapy water + the isopropyl alcohol or was it the magic eraser which removed those?
@12:20. A little disappointed you didnt brush out the heatsink. You did all that work and the heatsink with a narrow brush could have been cleaned out to look as great as the rest of the work. Don't take it the wrong way cleaning these consoles is a huge undertaking which your 15 min videos do not show because of the algorithm but still....12:44. Changing the factory laser settings via the pots or potentiometers ultimately will burn out the laser sooner than later (I know its suggested) but just letting you know.
Thanks for the positive feedback and info!
would love for you to do a Wii Mini restoration
My logo doesn’t even pop out at all so I was like what do I do now lol
Lol
I’m not sure if I messaged this question before or not but do you do your own business at fixing stuff like this ?
No I just make videos for Restorish, and help behind the scenes with TronicsFix who transitioned out of running a repair business a few years ago.
@@RestorishOfficial ahh okay thanks man
@@RestorishOfficial damn I was trying to find a reliable source who could do that . Thanks man :)
Dead skin dust
10:52 - 11:01 -- I don't buy that, dude. If someone is willing to disassemble their console that is filled with delicate and intricate parts, setting up a small bin with some hydrogen peroxide solution and a few UV LEDs that are already configured for use by plugging them in should not be a problem. On top of that, hydrogen peroxide, UV LEDs, and a small plastic bin are inexpensive.
Are you sure that is your reason -- accessibility? Just seems more of an excuse to me, all things considered. Or is this one of those things where fear that you will be deemed an Odd Tinkering clone or some other similar channel?
You did a good job on the cleaning, but if you're not going to bother retrobrighting those two panels, it seriously leaves the job feeling incomplete, so why do it at all if you're not going to see it through? Just my thoughts on it.
editing, pacing and music all on point. solid video
Appreciate it!