I was a little intimidated trying this on a broken game gear I bought but you made me feel better after watching this. Mind you I have replaced capacitors on a Xbox that I brought back from the dead too. Not many videos out there as good as this one. Bookmarked for when I try this. Thank you!
Thanks for the video. You did a fantastic job explaining everything and it must have been satisfying to nail it on the first shot. I’ve fixed many and never ceases to amaze that regardless of what issues the unit has, a simple recap as worked every time, ever unit, every version and model number etc...
Getting ready to hopefully repair my first game gear! You explain a lot of the stuff really well and make it seem easy lol, at the same time I know how horrible it can be.
Some tips... a bad sound board can actually cause issues with screen and power. Some guides will say you ‘can get away with only doing a couple’ but if your sound is like you are trying to tune into an am radio version of your game, or you still have no power then replace all the capacitors on the sound board. I’ve fixed 20+ of these, never once have I failed to revive one, but more importantly i have also yet to see one where the power board caps failed. 99% of the time I can bet the sound board is bad, as well as the main board ones. So if skimping, skimp on powerboard, but never on the soundboard. Often times any soundboard cap that hasn’t failed soon will after you replace just a couple.
@devtest8259 can you recommend a link for eBay where I can buy the capacitors you’re talking about? I can’t seem to find a valid link in any of the videos I’ve watched
Thank you very much. Videos like these are just gold. I'm subscribed. I will be trying this within a couple of weeks. What size heat shrink did you use for the capacitors that you bent?
@@Abernus69 Thank you for your prompt response. I will be ordering that kind of heat shrink. I really hope you're continuing to make videos/content. I'm going to look more through your channel now. By the way, the reason why I chose your video is that I saw that it was long in duration. I dislike condensed short videos. They're not good for tutorials. Thank you for taking your time to record this capacitor replacement in detail. I'll be watching it as I do it.
Thanks for the kind words. I am glad this video will be of some help to you. Just take it slow and don't rush and should be fine. All the best of luck to you when you start your capacitor replacement.
Great video, very well explained, my game gear had a black screen for a minute or 2 and then it used to work, but now its a black screen, it has sound, i assume it has bad caps, I'll try to replace them and see if it gets back to life.
This is probably a stupid question but I'm totally new to this, so please excuse my ignorance. I ordered a kit from Console5 for the VA1 repair, and you as well as every guide I can find have the 820 uF 6.3V, but I don't see that in this kit. The closest thing I'm seeing is a 820 uF 10V, but from what I understand that shouldn't work for that. Can anyone give me some insight on this?
I heard that the game gear screens have been too dim from the beginning and that age and use isn't necessarily the cause. What is your opinion about that?
The screens are dim as they use a fluorescent tube to light the screen. Also the screen itself isn't great (but it was for is time). I plan to replace the screen on one of mine for a modern LCD.
Hi there, great vid…. Complete novice at this but I’ve done a few capacitors but one I’m finding tricking, so much so the pad which you solder the capacitor onto have come off, do you have any advise to repair this?
If the pad has come off generally it's broken. You might be able to carefully peel away the screening behind the pad to expose the trace and solder a wire to it. However this is beyond my skill level. I would suggests searching for "how to repair a broken solder pad". As always you do this at your own risk. Hope you manage to get this repaired.
I have two of these that have been in a bag for years. I tried to turn these on but nothing happened at all with one. The other looked like it was starting up but switched itself off after a few seconds. Is there something more obvious wrong with the one that is trying to start. Will this need the power board caps replaced only? I can try a full cap replacement on the completely dead one. But I hate soldering surface mount stuff! Far too fiddley for me, just annoying.
You could check each capacitor visually for any signs of leakage. If any have leaked this would be probably be the cause of the problem and replacing them might bring it back to life. However this is not a guarantee.
@@Abernus69 Thanks for the reply. So it's probably worth buying a replacement caps kit anyway, at least I will have the correct cap if I do find a leaky one. I know it's not a guaranteed fix, but it's a good first culprit. Suppose I could try changing the power boards around as well, just to see if it makes a difference.
@@GarryGri yes I had 2 Sega Game Gears. One wouldn't power up at all so I swapped the power boards over and it worked. However after recapping the broken power board it still failed. I used a multimeter and found another component was shorting. But the original caps are not great.
Thank you for this video. I just recent completed a recap on a game gear and this was HUGE help. I only replaced broken caps (not all) and was wondering if there were any tips for the cap that hugs next to the large pin connector? Did you have to remove it in order to replace the cap?
I think my soldering skill level is just a touch below where it needs to be to do this. But I also have non functional game gears to attempt this on. I think I'll give it a shot.
Back in my neighborhood you had to have both. They each had signature titles but gamegear was terrible in bright light or sunlight whereas gameboy was made for it. Also the gamegear required a briefcase to carry it and the games 😂. And I was pretty much limited to being near an outlet with mine as 6 AA batteries were hard to come by for a kid lol.
Me and my nephew were doing some serious cleaning at his place and we came across his original game gear he got as a present back in the 90's. He had played it off and on with a very few long hours of serious gaming. Lasted about 3 years until the capacitors died. He had buried it away and forgotten about it until now. I did a look up and it's got the same problem as most people. Turns on and green screen. Shame on Sega for putting such crappy capacitors on an expensive hand held gaming device at the time. Capacitors are suppose to last at least 15-20 years especially when only exposed to a very light load put on them. Sega should have at least put in quality Japanese solid capacitors. Example, I'm still using a motherboard I bought back in 2010 and I made sure I bought one with all Japanese solid capacitors. I haven't had a single capacitor issue (or any other issue) with my motherboard even to this day and each day it's used under heavy loads.
Sorry it could be a number of other things. I am by no means an expert on this, but if you really want it fixed it might be an idea to send it off for repairs.
you shouldnt be trimming the legs until after you solder them, just stick them through the holes and solder from under the board, THEN trim the legs. otherwise good going. same goes for SMD caps, just bend them the way you need and then solder, THEN trim the legs.
@@Abernus69 retro six has a kit that looks to be pretty easy to solder and fit. I'm going to give that a shot although it was 30 dollars for an 8 dollar part to ship but I guess that's what it costs to ship over seas. I went ahead and used it for an excuse to get the lipo batteries and a few other things lol.... although I have a feeling I'll get it working and it'll just sit just like my steam deck.
@@Abernus69 my big drive to do it is because it was a childhood that my dad picked out for me and he's no longer here so regardless I just want it running because of that
Why don't you invest in a hot air desoldering tool. Instead of switching between contact points and trying to yank em out quickly you can heat up both areas at once and just pull. Lol
Simple answer is cost. Also I don't do enough work to warrant one. However I am looking to do a screen mod on a Sega game gear and I might invest in one for that project. If you are willing to donate one or buy me one I will accept that, LOL
I was a little intimidated trying this on a broken game gear I bought but you made me feel better after watching this. Mind you I have replaced capacitors on a Xbox that I brought back from the dead too. Not many videos out there as good as this one. Bookmarked for when I try this. Thank you!
Did you do it?
Thanks for the video. You did a fantastic job explaining everything and it must have been satisfying to nail it on the first shot. I’ve fixed many and never ceases to amaze that regardless of what issues the unit has, a simple recap as worked every time, ever unit, every version and model number etc...
Thanks for taking the time to go through this on you tube. About to do my own and just wanted to be familiarized with the process. Wish me luck.
Good luck, best advice is take it slow and don't rush.
It's like watching Bob Ross working on a sega gamegear, very nice!
Cool! I just found my game gear and it’s working great. Screen and sound are nice. Knock on wood!
If it ever goes out I’m going to fix it! Thank you!
Great job I learned a lot about re-Caping. Looking forward to your future videos.
Getting ready to hopefully repair my first game gear! You explain a lot of the stuff really well and make it seem easy lol, at the same time I know how horrible it can be.
Easy
Very nice video. Would have been nice to see how you placed the problematic capacitors at 29:00.
Thank you! Appreciate this walkthrough!
Some tips... a bad sound board can actually cause issues with screen and power. Some guides will say you ‘can get away with only doing a couple’ but if your sound is like you are trying to tune into an am radio version of your game, or you still have no power then replace all the capacitors on the sound board. I’ve fixed 20+ of these, never once have I failed to revive one, but more importantly i have also yet to see one where the power board caps failed. 99% of the time I can bet the sound board is bad, as well as the main board ones. So if skimping, skimp on powerboard, but never on the soundboard. Often times any soundboard cap that hasn’t failed soon will after you replace just a couple.
@devtest8259 can you recommend a link for eBay where I can buy the capacitors you’re talking about? I can’t seem to find a valid link in any of the videos I’ve watched
Thank you very much. Videos like these are just gold. I'm subscribed. I will be trying this within a couple of weeks. What size heat shrink did you use for the capacitors that you bent?
I used 1 X 45mm heat shrink
I got mine in a box of assorted heat shrink of Amazon. I got it a while ago but it wasn't expensive
@@Abernus69 Thank you for your prompt response. I will be ordering that kind of heat shrink. I really hope you're continuing to make videos/content. I'm going to look more through your channel now. By the way, the reason why I chose your video is that I saw that it was long in duration. I dislike condensed short videos. They're not good for tutorials. Thank you for taking your time to record this capacitor replacement in detail. I'll be watching it as I do it.
Thanks for the kind words. I am glad this video will be of some help to you. Just take it slow and don't rush and should be fine. All the best of luck to you when you start your capacitor replacement.
what’s the white marker thing that he uses, and what’s the use for it
The white market is a flux pen. It's used to help the solder flow
Great video, very well explained, my game gear had a black screen for a minute or 2 and then it used to work, but now its a black screen, it has sound, i assume it has bad caps, I'll try to replace them and see if it gets back to life.
It could be bad caps and it's the cheapest fix to try first. Good luck and just take your time when replacing them.
This is probably a stupid question but I'm totally new to this, so please excuse my ignorance.
I ordered a kit from Console5 for the VA1 repair, and you as well as every guide I can find have the 820 uF 6.3V, but I don't see that in this kit. The closest thing I'm seeing is a 820 uF 10V, but from what I understand that shouldn't work for that. Can anyone give me some insight on this?
Found an answer.... They will work!
@@Austin_Brady and.... Which is the answer?
@@pietrogoduti4824 the capacitors from console5 have a higher voltage than the original caps used, but should work all the same
Which capacitors control the start button?
Not sure to be honest. I have had a quick look at the schematics but I can't say with 100% certainty.
I heard that the game gear screens have been too dim from the beginning and that age and use isn't necessarily the cause. What is your opinion about that?
The screens are dim as they use a fluorescent tube to light the screen. Also the screen itself isn't great (but it was for is time). I plan to replace the screen on one of mine for a modern LCD.
Hi there, great vid…. Complete novice at this but I’ve done a few capacitors but one I’m finding tricking, so much so the pad which you solder the capacitor onto have come off, do you have any advise to repair this?
If the pad has come off generally it's broken. You might be able to carefully peel away the screening behind the pad to expose the trace and solder a wire to it. However this is beyond my skill level. I would suggests searching for "how to repair a broken solder pad". As always you do this at your own risk. Hope you manage to get this repaired.
I have two of these that have been in a bag for years. I tried to turn these on but nothing happened at all with one. The other looked like it was starting up but switched itself off after a few seconds. Is there something more obvious wrong with the one that is trying to start. Will this need the power board caps replaced only?
I can try a full cap replacement on the completely dead one. But I hate soldering surface mount stuff! Far too fiddley for me, just annoying.
You could check each capacitor visually for any signs of leakage. If any have leaked this would be probably be the cause of the problem and replacing them might bring it back to life. However this is not a guarantee.
@@Abernus69 Thanks for the reply.
So it's probably worth buying a replacement caps kit anyway, at least I will have the correct cap if I do find a leaky one. I know it's not a guaranteed fix, but it's a good first culprit.
Suppose I could try changing the power boards around as well, just to see if it makes a difference.
@@GarryGri yes I had 2 Sega Game Gears. One wouldn't power up at all so I swapped the power boards over and it worked. However after recapping the broken power board it still failed. I used a multimeter and found another component was shorting. But the original caps are not great.
Thank you for this video. I just recent completed a recap on a game gear and this was HUGE help. I only replaced broken caps (not all) and was wondering if there were any tips for the cap that hugs next to the large pin connector? Did you have to remove it in order to replace the cap?
I didn't have to remove any extra components to do this work, only the capacitors I needed to replace were removed.
Brilliant job and excellent advice
I think my soldering skill level is just a touch below where it needs to be to do this. But I also have non functional game gears to attempt this on. I think I'll give it a shot.
My soldering skills are not that good either, just take it slow.
Wonderful video man, the Gamegear sure is a different beast compared to Nintendo Handhelds.
Back in my neighborhood you had to have both. They each had signature titles but gamegear was terrible in bright light or sunlight whereas gameboy was made for it. Also the gamegear required a briefcase to carry it and the games 😂. And I was pretty much limited to being near an outlet with mine as 6 AA batteries were hard to come by for a kid lol.
Very good... I'm impressed thank you for the video share.
Great job, I learned so much.
Love your videos
How much would u charge me to fix mine? I don’t have the patience for this. 2 afraid to think I’ll burn it lol
Sorry I don't fix for others.
C54 and c55 is 0.47uf or 47uf pls
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing that was a very good video!
Thank you very much good sir, saved my childhood game gear 😀
Outstanding work!
A ticking time bomb in that? Not great at all. I really hope that we don't see this problem ever again in any other product...
Me and my nephew were doing some serious cleaning at his place and we came across his original game gear he got as a present back in the 90's. He had played it off and on with a very few long hours of serious gaming. Lasted about 3 years until the capacitors died. He had buried it away and forgotten about it until now. I did a look up and it's got the same problem as most people. Turns on and green screen. Shame on Sega for putting such crappy capacitors on an expensive hand held gaming device at the time. Capacitors are suppose to last at least 15-20 years especially when only exposed to a very light load put on them. Sega should have at least put in quality Japanese solid capacitors. Example, I'm still using a motherboard I bought back in 2010 and I made sure I bought one with all Japanese solid capacitors. I haven't had a single capacitor issue (or any other issue) with my motherboard even to this day and each day it's used under heavy loads.
I changed the capacitors out and it didn’t change anything unfortunately...I still have a blank white screen, any ideas would be appreciated
Sorry it could be a number of other things. I am by no means an expert on this, but if you really want it fixed it might be an idea to send it off for repairs.
Holy Faded-out Display, Batman! Nice job but next time, turn off studio light when showing the screen contents.
Link to capacitors is dead. Can you re-up please?
you shouldnt be trimming the legs until after you solder them, just stick them through the holes and solder from under the board, THEN trim the legs. otherwise good going. same goes for SMD caps, just bend them the way you need and then solder, THEN trim the legs.
This seems to work fine for him.
I only saw him cut the legs on the surface mount caps. The ones with holes in the board he did pass through the board and then cut them.
does anyone sell a capacitor kit that are the same size so you don't have to worry about bending or putting shrink wrap on the leads to bend them?
You could use SMD capacitors but they will be harder to solder.
@@Abernus69 retro six has a kit that looks to be pretty easy to solder and fit. I'm going to give that a shot although it was 30 dollars for an 8 dollar part to ship but I guess that's what it costs to ship over seas. I went ahead and used it for an excuse to get the lipo batteries and a few other things lol.... although I have a feeling I'll get it working and it'll just sit just like my steam deck.
@@97JoMiller to be honest some of mine just sit on the shelf now. Good luck and it will be amazing once done.
@@Abernus69 my big drive to do it is because it was a childhood that my dad picked out for me and he's no longer here so regardless I just want it running because of that
You broke my Game gear using my hands!!! 🤪🤪🤪
😭😭 nnoooooooo. Sorry to hear, hope it hasn't put you off trying again at some point, the rewards when it goes right are worth it.
I've never soldered anything in my entire life. I'm ready to fry my game gear! I hope it's still under warranty!
I hope you managed it O.K and your GameGear survived the work.
Someone give this man some tweezers! 18:50
Give him some new wire cutters as well!
That's impossible for me to do I never worked on a sega game gear
awesome
Why don't you invest in a hot air desoldering tool. Instead of switching between contact points and trying to yank em out quickly you can heat up both areas at once and just pull. Lol
Simple answer is cost. Also I don't do enough work to warrant one. However I am looking to do a screen mod on a Sega game gear and I might invest in one for that project.
If you are willing to donate one or buy me one I will accept that, LOL
OMG!!! please replace smd capacitors by smd capacitors !