fixing vectrex consoles has got to be one of the most worthy restorations to do. those things are beautiful, and so unique. nice work mate, good to see you back too. to think its probably been laying dormant for years, all because of a blatantly fucked plug. lol. nice find. :)
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Thanks, dude. That vector display is awesome! I hadn't realised how cool it would look in real life. Now I need me some more vectrex games! :)
@SurvivingTheApocalypse8 жыл бұрын
Considering these sell for £200+ you got the bargain of the century.
@TonyRTTR8 жыл бұрын
it makes you wonder how much fixable stuff is just sitting in landfills.
@vinnytheplayer55003 жыл бұрын
Ive dumpster dived for computers
@nuardanuarda90309 жыл бұрын
Been years since I've seen a plug like that! I remember when elctricals didn't come with plugs and you had to buy them separately! Thank god for molded plugs!! At the tender age of 10 i was wiring plugs! We were taught at school how too and I'm not ancient - only in my late 40's! lol
@DCPorter7110 жыл бұрын
Just want to say good job and thanks for your videos. You have a real relaxed approach to problem solving. I'm 42 & I can remember those systems when they were all the rage, but am not the sort of person who would normally think about taking consoles apart. I watch your videos with interest and have learned a lot from them. I also have used some of your videos as reference when fixing housing on my kids more modern ds handheld games. You videos in particular have given me the confidence (& probably many other people ) to have a try at simple fixes to broken consoles. (Something I couldn't do without revering to KZfaq) As I have 3 kids all into gaming systems your videos have been some of the most useful and have saved me money, not to mention made me look cleverer than what I am! ;-) Please keep them coming!
@sandwich24738 жыл бұрын
Legend. Can't help but feel bad for the seller.
@vhcmwashere10 жыл бұрын
Any day retro uploads a video is a good day.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Ha, cheers!
@dempsy409 жыл бұрын
am i the only person who expected him to put it on a brown sofa
@sittingduhk6 жыл бұрын
its a Vectrex, not a Game Child
@j.r.huffnstuff35496 жыл бұрын
sittingduhk I half expected Mark from CGR to pop out and say the vectrex is basically as good as a ps4
@RideToHellRetribution6 жыл бұрын
bit of ashens to liven up my day
@H3adcrash10 жыл бұрын
Nice find! Sadly, a "standard" controller wont work with the Vectrx. It uses a analog joystick in stock. however, with a pair of voltage dividers, replacing the pots in the joystick, you can use a D-pad or a digital joystick for it. I got a video on my channel, explaining a bit how it's done. Also, a guy in the UK sells a custom made cartridge with all the 72 ever released games, including DIY games and demos on it. It's about 30 odd pounds for it.
@Lokithefeline8 жыл бұрын
those old tube/crt screens are like batteries, have to be carefull because they can hold a charge for a long time
@rollercoastermaniac28 жыл бұрын
more like capacitors, they release it all in a very short burst, and kill instantly.
@xChillDudex10 жыл бұрын
Awesome , been waiting for this since you first tweeted about it a while back. I love your videos man you inspire me to take my consoles repair needs into my own hands. Never paying repair fees again.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Haha, thanks for watching and supporting the channel. Glad you like the vids :)
@RobG-videos10 жыл бұрын
I love your videos a lot! How are you so knowledgeable in repairing stuff? You are a genius! I love my vectrex!
@ChillValentine10 жыл бұрын
Great to see you back, Martin! You have been missed! And congratulations on your Vectrex score, with what may be the easiest fix I've seen you execute yet. :)
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Thanks, buddy! I've been a little too busy to make vids recently.
@PaleHorseShabuShabu7 жыл бұрын
I have one of these. One of those came through my electronics pawn shop, and the seller was some grandma who didn't know what she had. I bought it for $20 - $30 dollars after testing it out. I had to have my friend who teaches electronic engineering replace . . . something on it because when the Vectrex was powered on, it made this low, constant, and annoying buzzing sound. And there's the buzzing sound at 7:20 just as I was typing this! Anyway, it's a surprisingly fun system that I break out about once a month or so.
@Floydzabarber10 жыл бұрын
This game on the Vectrex was the first video game I ever played, so your video brought back some good memories for me. By the way, awesome deal you got there.
@Keshihead10 жыл бұрын
There's a couple of videos on Ashen's channel about the Vectrex, so that would be a good place to get clued up on what it was and some of the games you can get for it. Wow, hard to believe it was such a simple fix to get it up and running again! Well done!
@osga2110 жыл бұрын
Great video. I always love watching your videos for some odd reason, too bad you don't post too often...
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Thanks! I'm glad you like them! I try to make vids as often as I can but I don't always have the time these days.
@godspoon10 жыл бұрын
Man your channel has inspired me so much, I hope you get back into it!
@CMM121510 жыл бұрын
SO glad to see you back, Martin! Great video and amazing find. :)
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Cheers, dude! :)
@WesNG10 жыл бұрын
lovely. nice to have you back, matey!
@GadgetUK16410 жыл бұрын
LOL, nice pickup! I cannot believe that people don't check something as simple as the plug and wiring.
@Nomaran10 жыл бұрын
Very lucky and awesome! I live over in the USA and I have to say the UK plugs are way better then ours, even though they are bigger.
@theboys96572 жыл бұрын
Great score and glad you got it up and working so easily
@djmaxi10 жыл бұрын
Thanks for posting another video, I truly appreciate your effort.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching! I appreciate your time :)
@Polaventris10 жыл бұрын
That must be the easiest fix for a faulty system ever. Excellent to see another video from you :)
@Blasthedgehog110 жыл бұрын
No, the easiest fix was when he bought a faulty Wii, and it wasn't even broken.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Thanks buddy :). Yeah definitely got luck on this one. I bought it expecting to be making a series of repair vids on system. Guess not then, haha.
@CrazySandtrooper10 жыл бұрын
There is something very appealing about the graphics on a Vectrex. Good job dude =)
@bobbypaycheque10 жыл бұрын
Always good to see you put another great vid on youtube man. Great find!
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Cheers! :)
@scotth.814410 жыл бұрын
Awesome find. Even better, you didn't have to do anything remotely technical to get it up. I was worried the crt was faulty. Glad it was just a neutral lead. lucky score!
@GRUSSNewton10 жыл бұрын
Nice fix! Glad to see another video from you.
@DaveSimonH10 жыл бұрын
Wow, people continue to amaze me, what they will sell as "faulty". Well at least you were able to take advantage of this deal.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
It kinda feels like cheating to even call this a repair :P
@SproutyPottedPlant10 жыл бұрын
Really really nice find!! Can't believe the only problem was a dodgy old badly wired plug without the protective sleeve found on modern BS1363 plugs!! Now that she is safe and well you will not be able to stop playing!! Love the Vectrex display!
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
I was fully expecting to have to open it up and replace the transformer. Very lucky! :) The vector monitor looks epic!
@SproutyPottedPlant10 жыл бұрын
RetroGameTech I was expecting the word 'leaky' and 'capacitor' used more than once, perhaps add in a little flood damage and some burned components but no :D Not even so much as a corroded trace to be repaired!! I wish I had your eBay skills maybe then I can find myself the perfect Dreamcast hehe
@ross432910 жыл бұрын
Nice to see ya back again!
@Scott-M18 жыл бұрын
Not so fun fact. Back in the 1980's most electricals weren't pre-installed with a UK plug. You had to fit your own, which alot of people didn't do correctly back then, which resulted in alot of deaths & fires. If i mind right, bbc watchdog had a massive influence in changing this law. Now plugs come as standard. I bet you that plug was probably installed in 1982! Nice find :-)
@MrTechnoSqueek10 жыл бұрын
Glad to see another video my man! I am actually looking at some model 1 sega cds that say they are broken and try to get one to fix up because I have always wanted a model 1 because they looked so awesome to me back in the day.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Cheers dude. Those model 1's are usually pretty simple to fix. A very common and easy to fix fault is a blown fuse on the mobo right next to where the power supply connects.
@KITT17110 жыл бұрын
That is cheap for a Vectrex. I think this is one of the most interesting things you have fixed I have seen you do; not many of these around so the more working the better.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
I don't know if you could even class that as a fix. It was way too simple :P Unfortunately it'll probably cost me double what I paid for the console to get hold of a controller for it! haha
@KITT17110 жыл бұрын
Well it kind of is in a way.
@KITT17110 жыл бұрын
I think I read something once that you can also use a Genesis/MD controller, I think.
@albertpratt49999 жыл бұрын
You only need the original screen overlays, the Vetrex use clear plastic screen overlays to show the playfield/backgrounds. Nice find only needing the wire attached again LOL
@GadgetUK16410 жыл бұрын
Glad to see you haven't stopped doing videos btw =)
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Cheers :) Just been too busy so taking a little break.
@devjock10 жыл бұрын
That's a massive score! What a great price for it! Vectrexes are a collectors wet dream. I have a feeling that possibly the seller deliberately pulled out the neutral pin, to comply with laws on selling vintage equipment. Anyway, great deal. Never sell that, it's a goldmine. Recycledgamer *Chuck van pelt possibly has some controllers for your system ;)
@LAGGYMOO9 жыл бұрын
When are you coming back to uploading videos, I loved all these eBay junk and fixing videos
@edt113810 жыл бұрын
Gotta love the simple fixes.
@ivanmendoza602210 жыл бұрын
I watch his videos at night because his voice is so seductive :) and makes me go to sleep :)
@BrewOnABike10 жыл бұрын
Your channel has inspired me to learn electronics and repair old consoles- is there a console you would you recommend for a beginner to work on? What I mean is there a console that doesn't have difficult fixes.
@stephenmartinez19 жыл бұрын
It seems to me, that if you can fix one old console you can pretty much fix them all.
@Desincarnage9 жыл бұрын
Brew The NES is definetly the easiest to start with. 99% of its problems can be fixed by carefully cleaning the cartridge connector, the rest is bad caps and broken cables.
@garbo1819 жыл бұрын
+Brew I repaired a GB Pocket, pretty easy. The main problem was it wouldn't even start. I just cleaned the battery connectors and worked fine. Then I realized the LCD cable had desoldered from the screen. I tried to resolder it but in the end I had to replace the LCD.
@der_pinguin448 жыл бұрын
+Brew There's a couple channel recommendations I'd like to throw your way. If you're not easily offended by swearing, AvE is great. Then there is bigclivedotcom. I heartily recommend these channels, they are fantastic. There is also Afrotechmods, who still has his original website and forums. As far as consoles go: anything Nintendo. They are amazingly simple machines to repair.
@4hand5618 жыл бұрын
One with the least amount of parts possible... So not dreamcast or a handheld because you'll have to deal with disc drives and screens... I'd say NES
@mrtiff9910 жыл бұрын
A new video at last, Thank you!!!
@MrVolksbeetle10 жыл бұрын
I love these old systems, I think this came with (or at least some games) color overlays for the screen.
@Dolphination10 жыл бұрын
What a ridiculous bargain! Great system. Worth getting hold of the home brew version of Thrust.
@woodysgeekchannel220410 жыл бұрын
Good for you! That's great to hear!
@ChrisDaltonInnit10 жыл бұрын
I know you didn't need it, but an old trick to see if there is any power getting to a tube based screen/system is to place the back of your hand on the screen when you turn it on. If there is anything getting to it, the hairs on the back of your hand will stand up *like static*. Just for future knowledge.
@beatchef10 жыл бұрын
There's a retro shop on ebay trying to sell one with one game for £150... good luck.. There's one with no bids at £89 with a nice multicart like the one on Ashen's video.
@zdf4610 жыл бұрын
yay, I knew you'd return :D edit: If you are having trouble finding new consoles to buy and fix you should just buy random broken consoles and try to fix them as a challenge and see if you can resell them for a profit
@ganf10 жыл бұрын
he already tried this with a fat lady ps3
@iaminside110 жыл бұрын
Wow the graphics do look so sharp. That is really cool. Thanks for the upload. If you find a controller, I hope it's another Ebay junk, so we can get another repair video.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Thanks. Yeah maybe I can score another good deal on a faulty controller :P
@naiarunaiarunaiaru10 жыл бұрын
Dude, these videos are the best
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Thanks :)
@camaradahans8 жыл бұрын
keep the good work, i like very much your chanel! i will spread the word about it
@Vinny20010 жыл бұрын
love your videos, I found you rwhilst doing repairs for a ds lite....so many awesome vids :D
@nickallenray10 жыл бұрын
That's an awesome console! Please upload some footage when you get a controller working!
@johnavy49125 жыл бұрын
Cool video,I'm trying to track down a vectrex that works properly at a decent price.Love those vector graphics
@KevinArcade8710 жыл бұрын
I think I have seen this on eBay when it was listed. Yeah I'm 100% sure. I was thinking of buying it but with the shipping cost to Belgium it was ugh and I already own a few Vectrex systems. Around the time of the listing I bought a demo pod with a "non working" Vectrex.. turns out if you let it be plugged in for a while it eventually turns on :) Must be some faulty parts that I need to replace. It works, but when I plug it out I have to let it "charge" up before it turns itself on again.
@RetroRoadshow10 жыл бұрын
man... you really lucked out on that one!
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
:)
@khanv1ct2445 жыл бұрын
The Jimmy Fallon of repair with the fake laugh sprinkled in every so often.
@Bears9McMahon10 жыл бұрын
Sweet pickup & easy fix for the win
@colmiga10 жыл бұрын
Nice vid and a great score. Still, I would not be plugging in 30+ year old hardware (especially high-voltage CRT stuff) into the mains without opening it up and inspecting the internals first. You never know what condition the electronics are in after all these years and there's the possibility of permanently damaging something.
@ganf10 жыл бұрын
dude your back again
@sciencegey9 жыл бұрын
when I saw the wire, i rofl'd real hard. 'It doesn't turn on!' 'That's because the wire's fallen out...' 'oh.'
@vaporgator10 жыл бұрын
Wow so lucky! Another great video. I want a Vectrex really bad but they are quite expensive normally and I have little space to put it. Hopefully one day! Kind of funny actually, I recently bought an NES with a plug that looks near identical to that one (wires sticking out, a little rusty etc). It will need replaced soon as it doesn't work so good.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
The prices for complete Vectrex systems seems to be all over the place right now. Anywhere between £50-£150. I'd say definitely worth paying around £80 for a good working one :) Get that NES plug replaced before it causes a fire or electrocute someone! They cost next to nothing :)
@mrbisshie7 жыл бұрын
Jesus, the shipping of the damn thing probably cost nearly as much as the sale of the console.
@TBustah10 жыл бұрын
It's cool that the fuse is built into the plug, they aren't as accessible in most of the systems I'm familiar with.
@zorilla010 жыл бұрын
As I understand it, plugs with fuses are common in the UK because many older houses (namely the ones built in a hurry after the war) didn't have proper circuit breakers in the wall. These fuses are likely separate from any that might be located inside the main housing.
@Gambit7717 жыл бұрын
TBustah Newer plugs have a compartment that can be removed using a table knife so when the fuse needs repairing you don't need to take it apart.
@TBustah7 жыл бұрын
Gambit771 Is that right? We don't have anything like that in North America (well, at least not in the USA, I can't speak for Canada or Mexico even if most of the same products are sold throughout), that makes so much more sense. I had to change a fuse in a lamp a while back. It wasn't a big deal, there were just a couple of standard screws to get at it. But, I'll bet if that lamp went out on somebody that was less mechanically inclined, they probably would have just assumed that it was totally dead and chucked it. There wasn't any indication on the lamp itself that the fuse was serviceable, and the package and instructions were long gone. The fuse was housed in the lamp's base in a totally inconspicuous way, I didn't even know if it WAS serviceable, and wouldn't have bothered to look if I didn't like the lamp so much. It's a fairly new one, too. You'd think with so many people trying to "go green", they'd make these fuses easier to get at.
@Dannyvegas17018 жыл бұрын
I remember seeing a boxed Vectrex for sale at a games expo at Braehead a couple of months back. Shame I didnt have a spare £300 How you were lucky enough to find yours so cheap I'll never know.
@JohnnyBareToes110 жыл бұрын
Why was I no subscribed to you anymore ? Damn youtube shite ! Anyway, that was a great find there. I can't believe that they didn't even check the plug before listing it on ebay LOL. I would love to get a Vectrex sometime, I've never played one either. I do know someone who has one though, so I should at least get a go on one sometime LOL
@Dragondude252510 жыл бұрын
I've only ever plated a vectrex once and it is something I definitely want to own! It is pretty awesome but I do not have the space for it.
@deathaxe10 жыл бұрын
Hah, you are like a techno womble or something. Great stuff, good find. I guess most people when something breaks down, they are afraid to even open a plug. We tinkerers though, get out our tool kits.
@digitalblasphemy110010 жыл бұрын
The explosions look kind of like the pulsar map from the golden disc aboard the Voyager Spacecraft.
@Nkjones199910 жыл бұрын
The seller would be very annoyed if he/she saw this video!
@WeAreDeathModz10 жыл бұрын
played the same console in game in glasgow a few year ago, hink they were selling it at the time for 80 odd quid, 26 quid is a steal, nice find man :P
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
They had a Vectrex in Game in Glasgow? Haha, that's crazy. I remember seeing my local Gamestation selling a used Virtual Boy for £70 a couple of years ago. Kinda wish I'd bought it.
@WeAreDeathModz10 жыл бұрын
RetroGameTech when i say a few years ago, it was like 8 or 9...maybe more, not sure it was game at the time or game station, but feel the same, wish i bought it haha
10 жыл бұрын
Wow that is amazing dude. Congrats
@limpfinger128 жыл бұрын
it's hilarious no one does any troubleshooting anymore and just discards this stuff when it stops working
@KissTheFuture10 жыл бұрын
Good to see a new vid :)
@RelliKsReliCsTheBeerNinja11110 жыл бұрын
Watch out your going to catch the Vectrex bug! I have it and I love the system! You haft to check out all the homebrews for it!! Plus the Vectrex has a amazing library of original games also!!
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Too late! :P I'm already eyeing up overlays, flashcarts and controllers for the system. That vector display is a wonder to behold! :)
@thesilentcartographer5575 Жыл бұрын
Damn last time I watched this I was using a Samsung Note 3. Then upgraded to the Note 7 (the one that exploded, apparently), to an S10+, and am now on a Pixel 6 in 2023.
@zendell3710 жыл бұрын
NiceandGames did a video about his Vectrex. He got a Time Pilot clone for it that someone made recently. Seemed to be a pretty cool game if you are interested. Also, you can't always trust continuity on fuzes. Sometimes the filament will flex under load and break contact if one side of the filament isn't properly soldered into place anymore. This is definitely a few and far between occurrence, but I thought I would share.
@P5ychoFox10 жыл бұрын
I took a chance on a Vectrex 2 years back for the same price with the same fault but rewiring the plug did nothing. I spent hours tinkering with the console and ended up hating the thing.
@Rockythefishman10 жыл бұрын
You lucky git :) well done. That must be the buy of the year for you
@user-pc2jk9ip9q10 жыл бұрын
The only time I've ever played one of these was at the Insomnia 49 gaming festival. The camera really doesn't do the display justice. I'm assuming it's electron beams that make up the shapes, but I'm not sure.
@jesterface05218 жыл бұрын
Fucking awesome!! Now what you need to do is install a big speaker in it and turn the volume all the way up before turning it on. Then have somebody play it...heheheheh. DUN!DUN!DUN!DUN!
@TimsModelTrains10 жыл бұрын
yeah! you're back
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Sup :)
@TechNed4 жыл бұрын
Well done. Good score.
@niwtonnac10 жыл бұрын
Great find!
@321bytor10 жыл бұрын
Great vid - well done!
@tigerguy96579 жыл бұрын
The vectrex console is really cool
@dannyofthededd10 жыл бұрын
no way it was just the lack of connection on the plug haha..you can get all the games on one cart too. what a bargain
@Animated__Freak7 жыл бұрын
Hey maybe you can wire a Saturn 3D pad to work with this thing to get analog control. I think the Saturn and mega drive wiring is very similar and it's possible to change the plugs to use one on the other. So maybe if you change a Saturn 3D pad to get a mega drive plug it would work on the Vectrex.
@JuniorBlitz10 жыл бұрын
I saw it on ebay before you made this video.
@jenbug198810 жыл бұрын
This is awesome. Find it funny that this system was 6 years before I was born so there's my excuse for having never heard of it.
@Evaldas6510 жыл бұрын
Bitch please. This system is 17 years older than I am. So I have even a bigger excuse to not know about it...
@jenbug198810 жыл бұрын
Evaldas65 and your age/immaturity shows by your need to call me bitch.
@Evaldas6510 жыл бұрын
I was just trying to associate the "Bitch please" meme... I wasn't really trying to insult you by doing that... :)
@jenbug198810 жыл бұрын
Evaldas65 guess I am showing my age by having no clue what the heck you are on about. No worries.
@Evaldas6510 жыл бұрын
Well, sorry if I hurt you in any way. I really didn't mean it.
@EasyFunAITraining10 жыл бұрын
Oh wow, now that is retro!
@adamadkins402810 жыл бұрын
You should try Craigslist or sites like it. I see a lot of "parts" systems on there, though probably nothing as cool as a Vectrex
@FerbelDnB10 жыл бұрын
How many videos are you thinking to upload per week / month? because lets face it: it took a loooong time for another video to be coming. but i still trusted in getting more videos from you and that worked out good. please answer my question it would make my day.
@LucarioSHOCK2310 жыл бұрын
Idk know but I had a major déjà vu, I swear I saw this video a year ago!
@NotHimJim10 жыл бұрын
Ha ha!!! Nice! Easiest "fix" ever.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Haha :P
@carlfallows227910 жыл бұрын
Top vid martin. Well done kid.
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Cheers
@vampifrog9 жыл бұрын
Instead of cutting the megadrive controller connector, you might want to cut a controller extension cord connector instead, thus creating an adapter of sorts.
@PuffyRainbowCloud8 жыл бұрын
+vampifrog That's actually exactly what he did!
@jfrancis27684 жыл бұрын
to my knowledge these things are insanely rare, they died to the US video game crash of 1983, and i think they were even made in America
@StuartHerrington10 жыл бұрын
Keep us updated on what happens with this! Controller and games wise!
@RetroGameTech10 жыл бұрын
Will do :) I'll probably get a spare Mega Drive controller modded to use with it to start me off.