Can a Faulty Sega Game Gear Be Tamed? Round 2, Fight!

No video

Can a Faulty Sega Game Gear Be Tamed? Round 2, Fight!

Рет қаралды 17,816

2 жыл бұрын

In this video I attempt to repair the second unit in a batch of three faulty Sega Game Gears that were donated to the channel.
If you missed Episode 1, link below:
🎮 Sega Game Gear Repair-a-thon - Round 1: • Sega Game Gear Repair-...
This particular unit was in great cosmetic condition, and powers up just fine. It does not however display anything on the screen when a cartridge is inserted.
Similarly to Episode 1 of this Game Gear Repair-a-thon, I took the necessary step of recapping this unit to establish a healthy baseline and diagnose any issues further as needed. It turned out to be a VA4 model (compared to the VA1 from Episode 1, and the layout was a little different.
I plan to give away one of these Game Gears when I am done working on them to a lucky subscriber, so stay tuned for your chance to participate in one of my upcoming giveaways.
👕 Support the channel by buying one of my T-shirts, designed by me and made by American Apparel right here in the USA (ships worldwide)
www.BorderlineO...
🛒 My New Soldering Toys
Desoldering Vacuum Pump: amzn.to/3JdWex9
Circuit Board Holder: amzn.to/3k35Pzm
🔧 Toolkit
Screwdriver Set: amzn.to/2X7s0Gj
Automatic Wire Stripper: amzn.to/30F5TJm
Pocket Multimeter: amzn.to/3IdvzQz
🖌 Soldering Essentials
TS100 Soldering Iron: amzn.to/2YIJZUR
No Clean Flux Syringe: amzn.to/2NFUZvQ
No Clean Solder: amzn.to/2NHEAqQ
Desoldering Braid: amzn.to/312Grws
🔍 Soldering Add-ons
Fume extractor with hose: amzn.to/3hspLZi
Tip Tinner: amzn.to/31w2EF4
Helping Hands Soldering Aid: amzn.to/3ihgksP
🔥 Thermal Compounds
Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste: amzn.to/2Ak2y8w
1.5MM Arctic Thermal Pads: amzn.to/2Vv1RQU
🎵 Music
Castlevania - Bloody Tears "Epic Metal" Cover (Little V)
• Castlevania - Bloody T...

Пікірлер: 197

@hero_in_deepblu 2 жыл бұрын

Honestly, I love that you show everything even when it doesn't work. A lot of channels gloss over the failed attempts and such, so getting to see the entire process here is awesome. Keep up the good work!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Of course man, failure is part of the process. I don't have much incentive to show you that I'm invincible as I'm not running a business and I don't take repair jobs. Just someone that loves this hobby and falling more in love with it with each project. What you see is what YOU can expect if you decide to tackle similar systems. I've been very lucky with my hauls but you can't win 'em all!

@Systemsquirrel 2 жыл бұрын

Funny how so many of GG recap videos are always a success first try . 🙄 I worked on hundreds of game gears half a decade ago before the Mcwill mod and 1/3 the time the original LCD's had a smattering of dead pixels. The K models always had dead screen segments.

@Systemsquirrel 2 жыл бұрын

I used to recap game gears and resell them on ebay. The models that end with a K all have that type of screen and they're always missing segments. I always made sure to check the pictures to make sure I wasn't buying one of them.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent tip, thanks for sharing.

@nj1835 2 жыл бұрын

Dude I watch a lot of electronics repair videos from many different people and I know you think of yourself as a non professional but honestly you are one of the best, your attention to detail is second to none and always a satisfying watch. Keep it up bud you make great content.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Haha appreciate it. I actually think being a "non professional" can be beneficial in this case, as I work on these systems for personal enjoyment only and can therefore dedicate more love and attention to them compared to someone solely running a repair business.

@bobmcbob4399 Жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD That's a great reason why I like your content too. You're not robotically knocking em out one after another, your work is smooth and relaxed, like a hobby should be.

@migue647 2 жыл бұрын

it is addictive to see you fix things, without a doubt this is the console that gave you the most work

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Appreciate the continued support bud. Thanks for stopping by.

@99Vood99 2 жыл бұрын

Borderline OCD, you'll have to replace the screen on this one and the last one. You've already done half the work with the excellent recapping, might as well go all the way now.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

They are candidate for LCD mods for sure. It seems there are no options for the VA4 yet but the VA1 will be a good candidate with currently available kits.

@FatTonyMaranzano 2 жыл бұрын

New to this channel, but first thing I noticed was what an unbelievably clean desk and shelf set up.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Welcome aboard. Indeed, we run a tidy operation here :P

@Omega_Mark 2 жыл бұрын

That looks like Columns cartridge. I had fun playing Super Columns on Game Gear back in the 90s. Didn't have many games, as back then you would have to pay a full price for each, but I'm glad I got it back then as it was lots of fun... and I still have it to this day somewhere here:).

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Indeed I was testing with a Columns cart. It's great you still have it. Maybe you'll uncover it one of these days.

@Omega_Mark 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD I still have all the boxes, including for the handheld. I always try to keep boxes for everything, if I can :). I remember that day when I was buying Super Columns. Next to it on display was the Columns game that was cheaper (older). I was like "I want the Super one" lol.

@jeffgoodnough9704 2 жыл бұрын

Your videos are excellent, thorough but not tedious. I'm learning a lot, and you do a great job of covering technique, but it would be even cooler if you shared protips, like your choice of soldering tip or small technique tricks. Content such as that could make great shorts or variety episodes; I expect many of us have subscribed to your channel because your bona fides are evident and your presentation is clear and clean, and we're already learning from your videos- that is to say, I would be delighted by more educational content. Thank you for everything so far!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't considered doing Shorts. I'll keep it in mind!

@Nontheistzero 2 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy the workmanship and care. I've picked up a few tricks along the way. Thanks for the quality content!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it. It's a labor of love indeed!

@dni4292 2 жыл бұрын

Love the news toys! Very useful. I had to laugh at the end has it was like the gg mocking you by saying "you did it"😂

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, I'm enjoying the new toys as well!

@Brian-Burke 2 жыл бұрын

"The screen is effed." haha! I know it's frustrating but I still learn a ton even with things not being fixed. You'll get the next one.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you got some entertainment out of it!

@Brian-Burke 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD You're going to come out like Tyson on round three!

@1977Bonifácio-man 2 жыл бұрын

Great video, these old game gear consoles are always a surprise, sometimes they look great and they dont work others look like crap and they work flawlessly, first va4 recapping that ive seen.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it my man.

@madcat4563 2 жыл бұрын

Bummer man. I appreciate that you show us what you did. Even if everything doesn't go according to plan. Hopefully third time is the charm.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you found it entertaining!

@hewlett-packardlovecraft2297 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry man, I feel your pain, but- silver lining here is at least you get a good, entertaining video out of it. Will keep my fingers crossed for ya in the 3rd, though. By the way, I love the little rotisserie you've got there; that'd pull great double-duty as a model-body holder for painting... always fun to get new tools to knock around with. Thanks for the upload as ever, and enjoy the rest of your week.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks my man, appreciate the continued support. And indeed, it was a fun project, regardless of outcome!

@StopDropRetro 2 жыл бұрын

That desoldering gun is badass!!!

@StopDropRetro 2 жыл бұрын

Also, this video proves once again that SGG hardware is hot trash.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

It is indeed a fun tool, and quite effective I might add. Was hard to justify prior to now, but I'm pretty sure this hobby isn't going anywhere!

@Geistein 2 жыл бұрын

These are actually a lot of fun to work on and I personally really enjoy them. I would recommend targeting ones in the future that say 2110 only for the model without any alpha character. This will assure that you are getting a VA0 or VA1 most of the time. The VA0 and VA1 are much easier to work with when it comes to aftermarket displays. Love your videos and have learned a lot from you. Keep up the great work.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Great tip with the model number! I did indeed feel that the VA1 was a little easier to recap. There were a couple of areas on the VA4 that were really tight between the caps. Would have been very tricky without such a narrow iron tip. I've found some info on VA4 LCD compatibility "in the works" but haven't found a suitable mod kit yet. Do you have any specific info to the contrary?

@Geistein 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD to my knowledge they are currently incompatible with anything other than the VA0 and the VA1. I would imagine it is simply a matter of pin out variations on the the screen connection to start but there is a lot going on in regards to power delivery that looks different. I must say the pads on your VA4 were much better than the VA0s and VA1s I usually mess with. It is very uncommon for me that the sound board doesn’t require a jumper wire. RetroKai has been my preferred display and they are actively trying to come up with a solution for the VA4 &VA5 boards. I was honestly curious to see what display you ended up going with as I wasn’t aware of a solution for those models.

@CraigyGInDaHut1993 2 жыл бұрын

It is great watching you missing things as it shows your human and that any person can miss it. As I have missed things plenty of times. Unlucky with the screen that it was faulty again. Hopefully it is 3rd time lucky

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Appreciate that. This is where experience plays such a huge role. Every new repair and you know the system a bit better.

@CraigyGInDaHut1993 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD experience helps a lot. I'm able to take fat ps3's apart easily now. Did forget to put the blu-ray drive back but we will gloss over that 😉

@snowman5020 2 жыл бұрын

Bad luck, we've been spoiled getting to see you pull a miracle fix out on a lot of these jobs :). But as mentioned below, theres some good lessons for us in seeing your process anyway. Fingers crossed for the 3rd one. I love the Game Gear, not so much to play on, but the design, the accessories, the box art and cartridge design. Every collector should have at least one on the shelf :)

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

I got a chuckle out of your reasons for owning a Game Gear. Everything is good about it except playing games on it haha. I've already gone ahead and purchased some Game Gear games that were originally Master System releases. I'd personally love to own a working one of these. While I didn't own one growing up (played it though), I did own a Master System and this will become my portable SMS.

@glassvial 2 жыл бұрын

I never owned a Game Gear when I was a kid, so these videos have been a bit of a crash course, and an unfortunate lesson that they haven't aged well. It's a shame there's no screen for this revision, if this was some flavor of Game Boy there'd probably be tons of choices and likely cheap, too. Looking forward to round 3! PS: that new desolder gun (currently out of stock on Amazon as of this comment writing) looks awesome! I don't do much rework anymore, but if I did that would be a good move.

@VantaCube 2 жыл бұрын

Heck yeah, I was wondering when this one would drop

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for stopping by.

@olivierauberger 2 жыл бұрын

I view this as a success. So many more things working.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

When I first started out I would have called this a success, but these days I expect a bit more from myself :) But, I find it enjoyable any time I get a chance to do some soldering so it's always a good time.

@fairrodthecapacitor 2 жыл бұрын

These restoration videos are getting more awesome with the new stuff!!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them! Thanks for the continued support.

@misterzealous8696 2 жыл бұрын

I got too excited to see the board gripper with the axis swivel. Smooth and useful engineering is my jam.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Haha I'm really happy with it. In Episode 1 of this repair-a-thon the board was just flopping around everywhere. It was a pain in the butt to work on (and a bigger pain in the butt to edit the footage and not make you throw up on the faster scenes). I wish I had gotten it sooner. Nifty little contraption!

@mjc0961 2 жыл бұрын

12:21 - At least you can still play Columns. This is now a Columns only Game Gear. Nah that sucks though, too bad screens in a row. Fingers crossed that the third screen is good. 🤞

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Ha true. Given it seems I won't be able to LCD mod a VA4 yet, maybe it can serve some small purpose other than testing cartridges.

@floridebori7626 2 жыл бұрын

Fingers crossed, see you next time! Thanks and kind regards from Germany

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Fingers crossed!

@my2k2zx2 2 жыл бұрын

My wife gave me that same desoldering gun for Christmas. I've been ordering kits and recapping anything I get near.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

It's pretty fun isn't it? It's nice when you feel like you have big boy tools, and this definitely falls into that category!

@my2k2zx2 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD Oh for sure. I was not having any luck with removing through hole parts with wick or a spring loaded vacuum pump.

@GoWstingray 2 жыл бұрын

I repaired my screen by using like that but remember there only being one dark rectangle and it was shiny, so it might only work on the 2 Asic. Also, unless you have some kind of mint example or it was yours from childhood maybe a ips mod is better anyway like you say. Great tidy recap video as well, when i did mine corrosion destroyed many pads so i had to fix them also.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah it seems the VA4 has a different screen altogether, as well as differenced in the mainboard. I was hoping to get a stock example working but there's an LCD mod at some point in the future for sure!

@wallyf7020 2 жыл бұрын

Good luck on the 3rd game gear. Hope eventually you are able to get all 3 as functional. I find your videos so informative and so pleasant to watch.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them! I hope to get a stock unit working. The VA1 from last week can be modded with LCD kits currently available. This VA4 apparently cannot (yet) with any existing mod kit.

@EpicGamer-ny1fu Жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCDthere are lcds available for va4 and va5 now are you planning to revisit?

@eduartmisiraj8031 2 жыл бұрын

Pretty nice video, liked it a lot. I noticed that the soldering tip you use is a long J tip. From practice I can tell it's very difficult soldering with them as they don't have a lot of surface tension. I wold suggest you get a ksges t12 soldering station and use a jO2 tip. Is what Voltar uses and it's amazing. You'll fill unstoppable with it when solderin and I use the jO2 tip for 95% of my work, it's that good. Just a recommendation 😆 Love your videos a lot keep it up, and can't wait to see more of Game Gear repairs.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

So what I have is a JL02 tip for the TS100, not sure if there's another variant with a similar but larger profile. It's good for tight jobs like this. I'm pretty invested in the TS100 at this point. I think it's important to "out grow" my tools so will probably be a while before I consider another upgrade. And indeed anything that Voultar says is gospel as far as I'm concerned ;)

@vwlssnvwls3262 2 жыл бұрын

I look forward to your successful conclusion, and conquer of the Game Gear trio.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks my man, appreciate you tuning in!

@marcianzero_yt 2 жыл бұрын

Finally some more of the Game Gear guys. :)

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you're enjoying it.

@barthanes1 2 жыл бұрын

Alright! Game gear screen upgrade. Can't wait.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Turns out no kits available for a VA4 yet, bleh! But last week's VA1 will get an LCD upgrade.

@Sirhackbard1001 2 жыл бұрын

I Do like your new gear Setup!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Stepping up in the world!

@Norrecito 2 жыл бұрын

I bet this one has a faulty screen. Perfect candidate for your screen upgrade :) Just don't give up. The first Game Gear that I've managed to fix 100% was the 6th I've bought. Funny how people think that all problems are resolved by a recap when it is the bare minimum you have to do. It was nice to see a USA VA4 pcb. Even the ribbon cable of the screen looks very different. We only got VA0 and VA1 in Europe...guess it wasn't popular here..yet it is one of my favorite handhelds :)

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks buddy. I plan to mod it in future, especially given how clean the internals were. It appears there's no suitable LCD kit for the VA4 yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time before someone makes one.

@jsmedina1 2 жыл бұрын

I love all of the restoration videos that you have made. I do a lot of electronics repair at work and I just use the desoldering gun to clean all of the old solder from the pads for the surface mount capacitors. It works as well as the solder wick and is much faster.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tip, glad you're enjoying the content.

@mopspear 2 жыл бұрын

I love your channel. It's inspiring. I try to do my own repairs because of videos like this.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it. As long as you enjoy it, keep at it ;)

@jaydaytoday3548 2 жыл бұрын

Down two to the game gears, 0 vs 2. Hopefully next one is a winner.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah I got ass whooped but let's call it winner-takes-all in Round 3!! Argh!

@idlethumbs01 2 жыл бұрын

Great video buddy, really looking forward to the modding aspect. Really think you should look into custom shell art.. would be awesome to see a "borderline OCD" art work behind you on the shelf!.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Haha I'll think about it, although I would just love to have a fully working stock unit to start, even with it's primitive display and all.

@kevinjohnson9929 2 жыл бұрын

Great video. Great new toys

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you 🤗

@drPeidos 2 жыл бұрын

I would love to see one of the GG that have faulty screens being converted to work on TVs.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Ahh, interesting suggestion. I hadn't considered consolizing one.

@drPeidos 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD I bought a few years ago a GGTV from Tim Worthington, it's a board to solder on the GG to give TV output. I don't know if today there are newer/better alternatives.

@davef113 2 жыл бұрын

I have that desoldering gun; it's awesome. I NEED that spinny board holder thing. I'm replacing some caps on a CRT board for a repair and something like this would be so great. Right now I try to balance the thing in my lap w/o bending or breaking anything off. It's a pain.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

After last week's recap with the board moving around everywhere I wanted to get something and I'm glad I did. The board holder is great, and I look forward to using it more often.

@GarmrNL 2 жыл бұрын

Great video again, too bad the screen doesn’t work but that’s part of the game! Very clean install of the caps and I love the new tools :-D

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks my man, appreciate you stopping by.

@ewrooney 2 жыл бұрын

Got the same de soldering gun and pcb holder. good luck with the next game gear

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, I'm gonna need some luck on my side!

@MrStereoify 2 жыл бұрын

Great video as always. I really hate working on the Game Gear. The screens are really finicky and fail often, so it is mostly a let down to put a lot of effort in recapping those devices. And the aftermarket LCDs are unreasonably expensive.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

I wish the LCD kits we're a bit more affordable but I think the prices will come down. There are more players in the market now compared to just a few years ago when it was really only the McWill kit.

@getliquified 2 жыл бұрын

Another great video! Looks like bad screens are just a thing with these old Game Gears.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Indeed they are unfortunately. Too bad, I would actually be content with a working stock screen, with its washed out colors in all their glory. Good things come to those who wait!

@pcwrangler09 2 жыл бұрын

Reflow the pins on left and right just beneath those pads you were touching. Nothing to lose at this point.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

I've messed with it a couple of times since this project was recorded. Initially reflowed the bottom three connectors, later the two on the right side as well. Tried the iron thing again with a larger tip and more heat. Tried a bit of hot air on those chips. Not even a spritz of life from those two screen sections. They are stone cold dead.

@mottzilla4858 2 жыл бұрын

Did you look into if reflowing the pin connections for the screen from 1 to 21 and 43 to 63 would have any effect? Maybe they developed cracked or cold joints. Otherwise maybe it is that those chips on the left and right just died. Too bad they didn't make them easy to replace.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

I did tinker with it a bit actually. Reflowed the bottom connector (didn't do the right, as I believe its for vertical lines but might be worth trying at this point). I also blasted a bit of hot air using the rework station on those black chips, just to see if the image returned even for a moment, but nothing at all. I didn't push it too far though, figuring folks might have some further suggestions I could try before I inadvertently melted the connector or something, but I'll probably mess with it a bit more before I start working on the final unit.

@GrandTheftWatto 2 жыл бұрын

GG screens are just at the end-of-life - seems they all need to be replaced these days. Either way, great work!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. They are indeed. 30 years is a long time to hold up to wear and tear! I'm impressed the tubes haven't been a problem yet on the units I've worked on.

@Tiigsi_Retro 2 жыл бұрын

YESSSS!!! New BOCD on a Monday!!! Boom!!! 😎

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Lol. I try not to get too carried away with timing the launch on a weekend. Videos usually post as soon as I'm done working on them. Often it falls on a weekend but not always.

@Tiigsi_Retro 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD Thanks so much for the reply. It was revolutionary for me to be able to watch a channel where a person has the same attention to detail that I do when I am carrying out repairs and restorations.

@urfearz3983 2 жыл бұрын

Love the content man, keep it up.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated.

@zerocks88 2 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see an even more in depth attempt to repair the screen, successful or not!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

There's not much you can do with them unfortunately, at least not at my experience level. The culprit chips are under those black epoxy blobs and once they are dead, they're pretty much dead.

@buddyweiz 2 жыл бұрын

My Mate Vince has some game gear screen revival tries documented in his trying to fix series.

@PrettyWichiDoremi 2 жыл бұрын

@Borderline OCD There is now an IPS screen mod for VA4 (and VA5 and Majesco). It may take a while to get to your door as it ships from Australia but it’s worth it

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

That's great news. Can you give me more information about this? Who sells em?

@mjc0961 2 жыл бұрын

**reads your shirt** All of it. 🤣😭

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

I expect nothing less from you, young grasshopper.

@jehad78 Жыл бұрын

Love the Bloody Tears riff. Was it in any of Dracula X games?

@pedromimoso8804 2 жыл бұрын

Great work! You just need a tiny bit of luck with the screens, that's all. Keep up the good work!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks my man. Cheers!

@iretromods2963 2 жыл бұрын

Great attempt but it’s always a 50/50 chance with these screens, unfortunately with this model the 2010K no screen upgrades are available. Only for the 2110 models.

@goku445 2 жыл бұрын

ouch, are you sure?

@iretromods2963 2 жыл бұрын

@@goku445 yes, currently only the VA0 and VA1 boards are upgradable. I believe RetroSix and BENNVENN are working on expending to VA4 and VA5 but not sure what the progress is.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Indeed, this is what I have come to learn since posting this video. Nothing currently available right now for the VA4.

@mjc0961 2 жыл бұрын

My face when a desoldering gun actually works on SEGA caps: 😲 Usually they've got the leads so bent that you can't get the nozzle around them to use the desoldering gun properly. SEGA recaps are my least favorite because of that.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

It's a fun recap project. Not too easy, not too hard. I personally found some of the SMD caps tricky to navigate around due to the tight spacing. Would be very challenging without a narrow tip.

@ManOfBullshit 2 жыл бұрын

Great video, dont mind me asking but where do you get the tips for your soldering iron?

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Amazon. JL2 tip: amzn.to/3oIALEL and KU tip: amzn.to/3JlefJQ. My iron came with the B2 tip although you can get the starter kit with another tip instead.

@TheodoreWard 2 жыл бұрын

Just to double check and rule out anything on the boards I'd try swapping screens on the 2 devices.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

They are unfortunately incompatible with each other due to the different revisions.

@kevinjohnson9929 2 жыл бұрын

I totally want that desoldering gun!!!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Haha it's pretty sweet. For the price it can't be beat. Loving it so far.

@kevinjohnson9929 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD ordering one now.

@kevinjohnson9929 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD oooof scratch that. Gotta save up some more allowance before I can get that.

@nikos8462 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent job! Your videos are very helpful. I would like to ask you how many degrees do you have the soldering iron? I know that the pcb is old and with more heat it can easily break a pad.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

If I had to give you a range I would say 340-380C on most projects, although it can be higher or lower. I'm on the higher end of that range when desoldering and using wick. I also tend to lean towards the high side with the narrow tip as its thermal transfer is low. I'm on the lower end when using attaching components with regular leaded solder. You get a feel for it (and for your particular iron/tip) and the board area you're working on, like if you are on a large ground plane that sucks up a lot of heat.

@Victorinot 2 жыл бұрын

What if you swap the screens from this game gear with the first one? This way you'll know for sure that it's the screens that are faulty. Cool content as always, you even include some SCIENCE.

@Red_Panduh 2 жыл бұрын

Swapping the screens is not easy and they are already easy to damage. From experience, I know both of those screens are faulty.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

I believe they're incompatible due to the different variants (at least with VA4) but its unfortunately a common symptom and those chips under the epoxy blobs are most likely dead where they show no signs of life like this.

@andreschiriff4354 2 жыл бұрын

The new soldering gun is next level I love your new setup. I was talking with my friend that he fixed my Sega CD and a couple other consoles and he told me that there is no led screen for the model 2110k game gear. I hope they come out with one soon and if you know one please let me know.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

You would be correct. I have since been enlightened. To my dismay, no LCD for this unit (yet) but there are murmurings of one in the works.

@andreschiriff4354 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD that's great news man. Thank you for letting me know 👍

@MrPoisonMilk 2 жыл бұрын

I just ordered my parts to repair a game gear i bought years ago. But what I really want is to order up a broken GBA and modernize it just for some tetris and advancewars while im in school

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Good luck with your Gam Gear repair!

@BrainSlugs83 Жыл бұрын

@13:17 -- no dude, the pins, not the squares (COB chips) -- like gameboy games -- sometimes the pins just need to be reflowed, because for whatever reason, the joint looks good, but the connectivity just isn't. -- Also... why the reluctance to do an IPS mod? -- Like if the screen is dead, why not put a modern replacement in? -- You can sell it for more, and it will give the console years more of enjoyment to someone out there.

@vartaxe_1210 2 жыл бұрын

I love the GAME GEAR but im hate that screen and capcitors as well

@gersonstanley01 2 жыл бұрын

will there be a 3 round? just so that the score does not remain 0-2

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Of course, you can count on it!

@Raven7886 Жыл бұрын

I love my ts100 as well. Just cannot get the TIPS always sold out or fake.

@russl3632 2 жыл бұрын

Do you always listen to megadeth while doing board repair?... If so, right on brutha!!!

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Haha. I usually work in silence, preferably after midnight. Some of these projects are recorded between 12-6 AM... But I do enjoy this style of music when I wanna get amped up.

@brooklyn11218 2 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see the LCD upgrades if you do them.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely, will be a future project for sure. It seems the VA1 is a good candidate but nothing yet for the VA4.

@davedobbs 2 жыл бұрын

It might be worth checking, but I don't think that the aftermarket screens are compatible with the VA4 model. You should be fine with the one from the previous video though.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

This has been brought to my attention and you are indeed correct.

@tuneandsmash9346 2 жыл бұрын

Just curious if these screens were used on any other electronics during their time period?

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

I don't know about this exact screen, but the technology was pretty common. The PSone LCD screen uses similar high voltage fluorescent tubes as a backlight, as does the Atari Lynx. Pretty amazing that you can probably get the same illumination from a couple of low voltage LEDs today.

@poopy_fingers3324 2 жыл бұрын

Do you do viewer fixes per request? If so, how much do you charge?

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry bud, I don't take repair jobs. This is just a hobby and I do it for fun.

@musiqueacoustique1 Жыл бұрын

I'd like to know why you don't use a battery powered screwdriver.

@franciscogimenez4178 2 жыл бұрын

So disappointing that this one doesn't work either. I hope the third time is the charm

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Indeed. We'll get one working eventually, one way or another!

@PaulTheFox1988 2 жыл бұрын

Sadly that va4 can't have the screen replaced afaik, there's no screens available for that revision :(

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

You are correct. Apparently there is something in the works but nothing as of this moment.

@Elshiem 2 жыл бұрын

I have a question: Why you add new solder when you are going to desolder someting? It's not more easy to just desolder the component?

@Pyrichia 2 жыл бұрын

Adding solder helps reflow oxidized, old solder. Also, he’s using a special solder alloy which is made to reduce the needed temperature to get the solder to flow, which makes removal easier.

@Elshiem 2 жыл бұрын

@@Pyrichia Thanks for the answer, i didn't know that info

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

As mentioned above, it's to lower the melting point. Lowers the heat required and minimize potential trace damage removing components. Here I'm justing using leaded solder, which has a lower melting point than the unleaded solder on the board. Sometimes I use a low melt alloy like ChipQuik but its overkill for a project like this (and quite expensive).

@Pyrichia 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD indeed! One thing I wanted to mention and forgot was that newer unleaded solder melts at a higher temperature and is kind of “gummy” to deal with on its own. By melting in a little bit of leaded solder it melts easier and behaves better when trying to wick it, reflow it, or suck it up. (just to fully flesh out the explanation)

@Elshiem 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD Thanks for the answer. I learned to solder a few years ago but never knew about that. I keep learning new stuff everyday thanks to people like you. Thanks for the knowledge

@omarguerrero8057 2 жыл бұрын

I live by a repair shop and the owner has a lot of game gears

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

Thats cool, you don't see repair shops that do video game consoles much anymore, at least here in the US.

@electrohacker Жыл бұрын

Benn venn now sells a screen kit for the va4 and 5

@BorderlineOCD Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the heads up. Just checked their site and glad to see it for sale. I might wait until they iron the bugs out. Looks like no Master System support or brightness adjustment right now, although the latter can apparently still be modded on the board itself. Good to see this finally come out though.

@electrohacker Жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD thats odd, his normal game gear screens have brightness. I have too many game gears and screwed up and bought a va4. No more k model numbers

@pintokitkat 2 жыл бұрын

The timelapse segments aren't improved by the frantic music. Perhaps a more serene track would compliment the timeless speed better.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

But, it's Castlevania! Sounds like you're not feeling the vibe... :(

@pintokitkat 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD perhaps my days of feeling a vibe are long gone.

@notneb82 2 жыл бұрын

rotten luck, but it's pretty common.

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

So it seems!

@TigerWhite987 2 жыл бұрын

7:00 The ASMR :(

@BorderlineOCD 2 жыл бұрын

The death metal not giving you good vibes?

@TigerWhite987 2 жыл бұрын

@@BorderlineOCD its cool but i like more the asmr. more even if you look at your voice, because it is calm and relaxing... just like bob ross of the hardware.