I thought I had fixed my Gameboy ... until it wasn't!

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One of the worst aspects of original retro hardware is that, well, it is old.

On the other hand, if you are interested in learning electronics, taking things apart and putting them back together is where most of us started.

Plus, it is great practice for using meters, soldering irons, bench power, etc.

If you are practicing on YOUR machine, it is even more motivating!

I have been trying to repair this Gameboy since I got it as part trade when I sold one of my 3D printers.

It's been working on and off but when I fix one part it fails somewhere else.

Today it is the screen.

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The audio works, cartridge slot is fine, the screen even draws power and flickers pixels, but doesn't show the data.

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My guess is the ribbon cable failed seeing as the contrast pot still works.

After cleaning the PCBs as best as I can, I only imagine this Gameboy was kept in an aquarium most of its life. In Florida.



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3 comments
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Thats impressive that youre able to take things apart and not only fix them but also understand what youre looking at. Anytime i ever take apart a piece of electronics I immediately think to myself "well that was a stupid idea." I never know where to begin to identify the proble because I dont even know what im looking at lol. I hope you get that thing working again. I wish I kept my gameboy. Like an idiot, I sold mine to a pawn shop for nearly nothing. Idiot move on my part.

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I wish I kept mine too from back in the day. The way I approach taking things apart is I take lots of reference photographs so I know what goes where and which way around :)

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