Had a couple faulty gameboy games that I hadn't bothered to look at, watched your video and it was the same issue. Both now working, much appreciated!

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jaysj! Awesome news. Glad it helped and glad you could get your games working! 👍

@JamesEley123

2 жыл бұрын

A cracked board to? How strange :)

@charlieretro

2 жыл бұрын

I've got one game myself I have kept 20 years and its never worked so I wonder if it has the same issue

@AmstradExin

2 жыл бұрын

I'll try that too!

@llJRLL1979ll

2 жыл бұрын

Seems like an intentional design flaw

I own a video game store. As soon as I saw this, I checked my defective games and found several, very nice game boy color titles with the same issue. I was able to easily re-flow the chips and got them running! Thank you for this video for a great perspective on what to look for on defective games.

@AgentHEKTAH

2 жыл бұрын

No need to thank him, he uploads videos for money.

@popcultureexchange7047

2 жыл бұрын

@@AgentHEKTAH Good for him, but the information is still appreciated.

@GHETTOCOWB0Y

2 жыл бұрын

@@AgentHEKTAH why you hating??

@jasonruiz9730

2 жыл бұрын

@@GHETTOCOWB0Y he a broke boi

@malcolmdrake6137

2 жыл бұрын

@@GHETTOCOWB0Y I guess his games had a different problem. lol

TronicsFix sent me here

@robertoborges1347

2 ай бұрын

Same

Wow, great video. This is fascinating. I'm searching eBay right now!

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Steve. I guess it has to be a common fault with these things! 😳

@eriks8382

6 ай бұрын

I was about to say “what are you talking trying to steal tronicsfix schtick?”

This is amazing, thank you so much. I've had some parts of my Gameboy collection stop working out of nowhere and I had no idea how to fix it. After seeing your video I grabbed one down and sure enough it had a wobbly connection on that same chip. Two seconds later and the game is up and running for the first time in years. This is definitely important information for gameboy game preservation reasons.

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mupple! It has to be the most common problem with these things! I wonder how many have been trashed! So glad you got yours working again! 👍

8:55 holy crap those sounds. My dad bought a original gameboy back in 1991 to keep all of us 6 kids and step kids entertained on the flight from Oregon USA to London. I was the only one who cared so I played that game for like 10 hours. Such memories flooding back in.

the design of gameboy carts means that repeateded removal from the system flexs the pcb making the chip legs cracking free from their pads an extremely common occurance. it's sad to think the amount of GB carts that have been binned because of what was likely an easy fix.

@SparksNZeros

2 жыл бұрын

@UnjustifiedRecs it's not a case of being necesserily rough handed it's just repeated use, it only needs the little pinch of the thumb against the cart to slide it out each time repeated say 100 times or less if the solder is already subpar for it to crack away. the same applies to sega megadrive carts having their traces worn away where the plastic shell edge pinches the board when it's removed or the controller port of the sega megadrive cracking loose from the plug being inserted and removed so often.

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sparks, yeah that makes sense. I just thought it strange that it was always in the same position, but you're probably right it must be something to do with insertion/removal... because they obviously all worked when they left the factory 🤷

@thesillyhatday

2 жыл бұрын

Definitly the way the cartridges have been handled through the life. Lets not forget that being a portable console the cartridges don't just live at home, they are being bashed around in back packs and pockets too. Very little solder on the chip legs, lots of impact and vibration and you have the failure. Note that the broken solder is also towards the center of the PCB too, where the most flexing will happen if you sat on it for example.

@NationOfMasturbation

2 жыл бұрын

Then that is horrible design

@SparksNZeros

2 жыл бұрын

@@NationOfMasturbation well it was more unavoidable design, most items are made with an understanding of cycles of use, these items still work after decades of use and abuse and are only just starting to show their age because of these design issues.

I love people with the ability to fix broken things. Good work!

@preachitdigga4085

2 жыл бұрын

I am a couplecoach. Thanks for your appreciation! 🥲

@___Zack___

Жыл бұрын

It's not an abiity, it's a skill. Just clarifying :)

@ikkezegtie

11 ай бұрын

looking for that special doctor for all my life, havent found it yet

I can’t believe the first thing you didn’t try was blowing it, looking at it confused, blowing it again ..and then moving on to the other fixes 😹

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

🤣 I was tempted!

There is something so refreshing about fixing electronics like that. Love it.

Wow, so many with the identical fault. Excellent video BUT not quite as excellent as that fine tee 🤣 You have never looked so good...Cheers for purchasing one Steve 👍👍👍👍

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

😁 no probs, love the tee it looks awesome! Yeah, I really enjoyed working on these games and I'm tempted to buy a few more but I don't want the faults to all be the same! 😬

@marcianzero_yt

2 жыл бұрын

Well I guess the credit for these fixes goes to MMV... Wouldn’t have been possible without MMV being in the room...

I can't get enough of your videos - After watching maybe 50 of your videos and having zero knowledge in electronics I feel like I'm learning a new skill haha having never worked on a circuit board in my life! Ah the joys of the internet.

11:15 Tootuff (Titeuf in French) is a French comic strip about a naive kid with a single lock of blonde hair doing nonsense with his friends. The comic strip had been then adapted into a TV show. Very popular in France back in the early 2000's.

Fantastic video. It’s great to see those old games get the love they deserve, and can’t believe you managed to fix the Super Mario Land cart!

This is one of the most informational videos for repairing these cardridges!!! Thank you so much

I remember as a kid when the Gameboy games didn't work, we use to pull them out and blow into the cartridge. It's amazing how often that worked haha

If Bob Ross did electronics repair, he'd remind me of you. I love it! Awesome work repairing those games and keeping them out of landfills. :)

Here's my guess for the repeated pin solder failure. The pad at the corner has 2 heavy traces leading from it, leading to a flooded area (possibly Vcc). Because of this additional thermal bridging, you are more likely to get poor soldering at this pad. If that mounting hole diagonally above C2 attaches to the cart case, you also have a nearby source of mechanical stress. Over time and use, I can see these two things leading to a potential failure at that one point.

@plgDavid

2 жыл бұрын

At last someone answered what I was thinking.

@Suraht

2 жыл бұрын

That does look like the design basically has a large(relatively speaking) heat sink next to those pins. The fix is pretty easy(longer soak time in the oven before reflow to get the board more evenly heated), but it's hard to see how they would have known there was a problem in the first place to do anything, especially if they're using class 2 standards.

@domothepilot

2 жыл бұрын

since all transparent ones are affected and its the top/top3 pins that are affected, could it be that the solder degraded faster with uv light (sun exposure for example)?

@Suraht

2 жыл бұрын

UV light has almost no effect on metal, or at least I don't recall any metals that degrade from it, so I can't see the radiation being a factor. However, if that particular section of the board was exposed to more light, it could have been exposed to more heat, which could have caused some expansion and retraction of the metal in those joints that sped up the breaking of them.

@domothepilot

2 жыл бұрын

@@Suraht you are probably right

Got a faulty GBC game working by immediately going straight for that IC leg and fixing it. A great and simple fix for 'dead' GB cartridges! Thanks

This was so relaxing to watch. Keep up the great work. KZread needs some drama free relaxing videos like this!!

Brilliant my friend. It is always a pleasure to watch your videos. You have been doing great work and every post is better and better. Great Job Steven...amazing.

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Oz! 👍 Really appreciate that. I keep trying to improve 😬

It's amazing that after almost three decades, you may be the first person to find this fault in GB cartridges. Or, at the very least, the first to document it. In 4K, no less.

@ddjazz

Жыл бұрын

More likely that more people know about it , but kept it to themselves to make money off of this obtaining defect games and fixing them , quality control with that manufacturer was open to a lot of improvement.

It's so statisfine watch this man fixed old klassic good times, he deserve this good rare old Gameboy games, keep going rescue this good old times ^^

You're awesome! This was interesting to watch. It's a satisfying feeling to fix something that didn't work and get it going!

The Toy Story game is Monochrome and Color, a dual mode cart (or type 2 according to Nintendo). I've seen N64 carts with similar fault.

@RWL2012

2 жыл бұрын

Yep, the black cartridges like Toy Story 2, Bugs Bunny Operation Carrots and Tetris DX (and the not physically black Pokémon Gold and Silver) display the Game Boy Color's 56 on-screen colours on a GBC or GBA, but are programmed within the original Game Boy platform's CPU/RAM/VRAM limitations (or disable features to run on it, like Tetris DX disabling animated backgrounds). There are a couple of originally original Game Boy games that got GBC re-releases on black cartridges - Zelda Link's Awakening DX and Wario Land 2. There's also a GBC game I know of that's a clear cartridge "GBC-only" one, but is actually a colourised re-release of an original Game Boy game that helpfully makes no mention of that on its packaging or error screen - Tom & Jerry.

This has made me want to start soldering, looks fun.

I had the same problem with 6 gameboy games. It's awesome now can play my old games. Childhood memories activated 😂 Thank you so much ❤️

Well done mate. Was satisfying to watch. The process of fixing these was a mystery to me - so it was really cool seeing your process.

I am loving the videos. This channel is great content to just watch back to back. Keep it up!

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Victor! Really appreciate that! 👍

So easy for you now, after the first 2 I didn't think the rest would be the same but wow couldn't believe that. I wish I knew about that easy fix back in the day when my cartridges packed in, would've saved me a small fortune. As meatloaf said you fixed them like a bat out of hell. 👍

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

😁 thanks Michael! It was surprising that the faults were all so similar!

Fixing faulty electronics is soooooo satisfying! Great job! 👌🏻

Glad to see you actually fixing these up, and not just using a 1up card and calling it a day like that Riggs hack I've seen do. Keep it up!

This has to be one of the best video's I've seen in a while! Your excitement with each repair made my day! I couldn't click the Subscription button fast enough! Thanks Stez!

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Inxayne! Much appreciated 👍

That's crazy! I have my childhood copy of Toy Story 2 (GBC) that one day just stopped playing. Same thing happened with my copy of Yoda Stories. If I had soldering skills I would check those pins.

Loving the almost childish enthusiasm at 8:48, great vid!

I had five gameboy games I got on eBay untested and a couple of them had the same problem with the legs of the chip and It works great. I like learning stuff from Steve!! Keep up the great work!!! 👍👍👍

I'm wondering if the way the cartridge flexes over its lifetime cause the lifting of that connector?

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I think you're right. I guess it's one of the most common failures on these things...

New to this channel, really like watching tech get repaired. Gained a new sub with this.

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jonathan, really appreciate that! 👍

12:01 "It"s clearly factory"... so that's one case where you actually made it better than factory! Good job Steve.

This is great information to have! That pin will be the first place I look next time!

I bet that one spot is where the board flexes a tiny bit in the case as you pull out the cartridge. Eventually it pops that one pin and maybe a few more down the row.

@tf5920

2 жыл бұрын

I think you might be right. It certainly makes sense.

I can't believe that one cart didn't work with the sellotape, that looked like a good fix to me. Lovely fix on that too. The others to all have the same issue was so strange, but great and nice easy fix across them all.

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

😁 yep, sellotape normally works! Thanks Craig 👍

@rocketsmall4547

2 жыл бұрын

need electrical tape obviously

Great video! Never really had an interest in this kind of thing but now I wanna see more!

Last week I bought 3 gameboy color games and they had the exact same issue! Well, one of them was working but sometimes it didn't, so I reflowed it anyway. Because of your video I could spot the problem immediately. Thank you!

minute warping in the PCB is making the chip pop,.. I think all broken GB games online have this problem. They get put in a basement and cool and warm and cool and warm, + humidity and drying,.. it's sad that people prolly threw away their favorite games for no reason

What a great catch. Cheers

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks WanJockey! 👍

Man I have so much love and appreciation for people who can fix electronics.

That look when you dropped the stuff off the table, hehehe I can relate. Nice video, sir!

Steve that was very interesting and probably caused over time by being stretched and bending at this particular point on the board by the numerous actions of inserting and removing the cartridge. In respect to Meat Loaf RIP, I think the singing was great. Dave looks quite puzzled though and did not know what to make out of it. 🤣

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks M m! 😂 yeah Dave would probably have left by now if he wasn't in his resin prison!

@___Zack___

Жыл бұрын

*over time. Two words, not one. But anyway, the causation of the issue is likely due to pressure on that part due to it's location. Handling the game may cause an incentive to squeeze it a bit there and the usage of it and pressure when inserted into the gameboy and removal etc would also increase pressure loads there

@mm0077

Жыл бұрын

@@___Zack___ Thank you for pointing out and that was just a typo and being careless. I sincerely apologise for not being so pedantic. It is so annoying and I have corrected it to stop the world from complaining. Yes your explanation on the bending and flexing issue is excellent. Find another fault LOL.

@___Zack___

Жыл бұрын

@@mm0077 You're welcome for the free eduction.

@mm0077

Жыл бұрын

@@___Zack___ I like the free "EDUCTION"

Wow, that goes to show that a lot of these 'broken' carts are probs this same reason!

I like your editing. You work efficiently while speaking, and when you're done speaking, you cut to the next relevant point. Thanks for the vid

You are so talented and skilled! I'm so happy you were able to fix these games and save them from being wasted!

I wonder how many of these cartridges are out there with this same fault. Steve, buy more of these and fix them. I remember playing super mario land when I had my GameBoy. I had Tetris, tennis, super mario land 2. Wish I still had them. I do have a Game boy actually three of them but different games. Also the Gameboy camera and printer.

That's cool you can still fix the Mario Land cart. 🤔 I would have taken one look at the crack and assumed it was trash.

@themonkeyhand

2 жыл бұрын

It's crazy but everything can be fixed, our culture has just made it easier to throw it away.

@Ogilla

2 жыл бұрын

@@themonkeyhand Not everything, but most things can be fixed. And I wouldn’t blame society but rather capitalism ;)

Found myself rooting for you in the end! Very satisfying

This was my first time watching your content. Shit was mad interesting and funny. I subscribed big dawg, now I’m about to binge on your videos. Stay up homie.

As entertaining as it is, it's hard to think of a less valuable use of time than fixing a cracked Super Mario Land cart. Maybe fixing a cracked Tetris cart.

@Ocelot35

2 жыл бұрын

He can send it to WATA now.

You should solder the whole width of the ground plane at 7:39, because it's the only mechanical reinforcement keeping the crack together when pulling the module out of the slot. And I think the module having been stuck too hard in an GBA is the reason for the PCB to crack at first. That UV epoxy doesn't have strong cohesion.

@MJFallout

2 жыл бұрын

You're probably correct, but it's also almost certain that - at this time in their lives - these carts will not have to fear e.g. rambunctious 8-year-olds.

@elmariachi5133

2 жыл бұрын

@@MJFallout You probably also are correct with this. Additionally you should not forget, that half the fun for many of us retro nerds is about preserving the old treasures for the future :)

@stevenbenson9976

2 жыл бұрын

I'd go one further and solder multiple wire strips across to give it more integrity

@johnnoreau3570

2 жыл бұрын

@@elmariachi5133 yes! This. I have a Pokémon silver cart that can’t hold a save but you can still play the game. I’m disappointed I can’t save progress but def good for hanging onto for my kids to enjoy

This is amazing! I have a ton of GBA cartridges that don't work... I'll open em up to see if I find something similar. Thanks for this!

This was super satisfying. I'm so glad you found the common culprit. Now I need to learn to solder and buy some broken retro games.

So, the reason for the whole "ebay lying" thing, is that, many people will try anything in their power to get out of paying a seller, stealing parts off something and then returning it for full refunds and the seller just can't do shit about it. So, if you say it's defective, when you have no idea, the buyer really can't pull any bullshit at that point.

@TheAlphaWolf2013

2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately if you get a dodgy buyer they can still open a not as described case even when you listed the items as for parts/untested.

Sellotape!😂 Honestly can’t believe it… 🙄 …especially when EVERYONE knows gaffer tape’s the only way forward 😑☝️

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

This is very true. Imagine Sellotaping fireworks together. It'd never work.

@ianfindlay3450

2 жыл бұрын

@@StezStixFix Only idiots would sellotape fireworks together 😑☝️🤔

Astonishing and excellent work ! Wow, just wow. 🙌🏻😯

Right on brother thank you for displaying your super skill I am ultra impressed!

I notice a number of scratches on your hand.....have you and Dave had a falling out?

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, he took offence at me taking him off camera in the Retron 5 video. Proper little spoilt brat he is 😂

Made me smile when you managed to fix them. So satisfying!

My friend, I haven’t caught a video in awhile (SUPER busy at work), I’m glad to see you’re starting to blow up!

Unbelievable how simple most of those were, looks intimidating if you've never done it before but I think your video will inspire a lot of people!

Thanks for this mate. It was a pleasure watching your work.

Love this channel, thanks for all the effort in making these videos!

The video I didn't know I needed to watch and it was incredible! Love your personality. You got a new sub!

Thanks for the video. Extremely satisfying bringing those gameboy games back to life. Subbed

first video I watched from you, great job of bringing them back to life!!

I absolutely love videos like this, great work!

Excited to check my faulty pokemon crystal. Thanks for the content!

Love your videos! Keep ‘em coming!

Great job dude! A pleasure watching your progress! :)

A very enjoyable watch; great skills to boot! Nicely done.

This is why I want to get into soldering. I am tossed an old nes game into the trash once because I saw the board had a break like this, and watching you repair it so simply makes me really kick myself.

That was a very informative video. Keep up the good work.!

I’m so envious of your skills. Took me ages to mod a Nintendo rumble pak to remove the need for batteries as so tiny and youve got all the gear too. You could make some money off this. Buy up all the ‘broken’ carts. Then fix then and sell them again. Keep them going too. Just subscribed too as I find your videos interesting. Keep it up 👍🏻

I have no idea how youtube recommended this to me but I stayed for it all. Amazing job, man!

Great strike rate Steve! Makes me want to jump on Amazon and grab the setup you have and start repairing stuff too! 👍👍

I've never thought that you can actually fix old school video game cartridges! I always thought (for some weird reason) that once they're broken, it's over.

Mesmerizing to watch. You've got a new fan!

my first video here, just amazing. love this. Makes me want to crack out my old soldering kit

Another great vlog of your fixes there on your Gameboy Colour games Steve would be good to see some console repairs too - Nice 1 mate 👍

@StezStixFix

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Chris! 👍

You rock dude. Great hands and skill

Very calmy process of error finding! Greetings from 🇨🇭

I came expecting to be very confused, I left understanding that a lot of gameboy games were produced faulty and can be easily fixed. Thanks man!

Wow! New to the channel and new to restoring games like this. Definitely going to stick around for more

Thanks for showing us that.will apply and check my dead ones too.

Your happy guffaw when things work is amazing! We all feel the joy when it happens

I have been watching your videos for sometime now Steve and I do enjoy watching you and to see you have some luck with your repair’s l still think about that 70s radio and you put Alexa in it great 👍 thanks Steve keep them coming 👍😊

Just discovered your channel. Brilliant love your sincere of humour. Subscribed.

First video of yours I've watched. Great job!

That song was so inspiring and also thanks for the rest of the vid bud

Bless you for fixing these things

This was such an interesting video. Fixing old games... you are a real one.

First time at your channel and I love this video! Excellent work and thank you for sharing. New subscriber here!