We've missed you. You inspired me to start repairing consoles, and over the years I've gotten just about every console I want in my collection from "broken" listings on eBay. It's crazy how straightforward it can be when you have videos like this to reference for ideas as to what might be going wrong. Thanks to you I'm starting my own small business selling the consoles I repair (though it's mostly for fun)
On a special Edition one like this, I'd leave it original. I put an IPS display in one where I replaced the ratty old discolored shell with a new one, and it actually made the screen usable, after using iPhones for 10 years I forgot how bad these old Gameboy displays were. The Funnyplaying shells look and feel just like the originals.
I have this exact edition one from my childhood. I am going to try and keep it all original except for new LCD screen. I bought an afermarket shell replacemernt but only to replace the battery cover becauase mine got lost.
Really appreciate that you gone the long way and not just replaced the main board but ran a root cause analysis and solved the AC distributor issue. Big fan of you! As for the screen replacement for an IPS one I would leave it as it is. This piece is a collectors item and since its Pokemon, it will only go up in value. Keep up the good work!
A tip for the makeshift battery pack: take a neodymium magnet and connect the batteries in series (+ -> Magnet -> -). Then take two more magnets at the ends and put your crocodile clamps on them. Works great.
Thank you so much for the regular uploads recently, Adam. Absolutely love you and your channel, everytime I see a new video, it puts a smile on my face.
I've been repairing and selling Game Boy colors for the past two years. Some observations regarding special editions: the majority you see for sale are fakes. There are small differences that become obvious IF you have a real case vs the reproductions. The texture is usually off, the graphics, particularly the color of the screen bezel are usually off, and the raised area around the bottom front of the case on reproductions tends to be smooth where as the original cases will have a crisp line. I've seen reproductions that range from poor to very good, but again, when you put even the best reproduction case out there next to an original, you'll see some differences. Top Tip (as the Brits say): There is a very easy way to check to see if a case is a reproduction: look for a color coded sticker on the back of the case under the battery compartment. Skip to 2:27 and you'll see exactly what I am talking about. There is a blue sticker located at the bottom of the battery compartment in-between two of the case screws. I have yet to see these stickers reproduced, and every reproduction case I have bought is missing this sticker. The sticker will be color coded to the case, and if its two tone, then it will typically be coded to whatever color the back half of the case is. The presence of a sticker is not a 100% guarantee that it is original (you may have an original back, but the front has been replaced), but it is an important clue that should not be overlooked. I would treat any unit missing this sticker as having a reproduction case, regardless of the story the seller may tell you. Having bought and sold numerous units made in China, Japan, and in Japan for the U.S. market I can attest that the sticker is very durable and wont just fall off.
Great tips. I've definitely seen some reproduction lenses and shells. While they're getting better, usually you can still tell the difference. The stamped Nintendo logo is usually off, and the game boy color logo on the lens is typically darker on replicas. The purple "o" is often a giveaway, as it blends into the dark background more
That was part of a coil, used for what I'd imagine is a SMPS. The top being broken probably affected the magnetic field...It's a ferrite material, but you might be able to glue back together. It took a pretty good drop to break that.
If the original screen was bad, I’d replace. Otherwise, leave as is. If you don’t care about collecting value by replacing the screen, then go for it. The IPS screens are such a great upgrade.
41:20 I was thinking the same thing and was cautiously worried about your finger lol. I agree with the original screen at least on this one. Not because it's nicer, it's not even comparable, but because the novelty of this is that it *is* the original special-edition console.
I'd say keep the original screen/preserve the "authenticness" Plenty of other broken GBCs out there that aren't special editions to put an IPS screen into.
Traded in my gray xbox one s 500gb and a pretty bad shaped GBA for a pokemon gameboy color and a zelda 3ds xl. Gameboy in great condition and 3ds in excellent. Thanks for your video!
Great vid! For a special edition, I'd keep it original. You could get a standard edition gameboy color, do the screen mod and put on an after market pokemon shell.
This week I was quarantined and really enjoyed allot of your video's. Thanks for the great content, awesome stuff. I would personally leave this Pokémon edition original, you've got a nice system there. Very nice repair, and thank you so much for taking us on these repair adventures 😃 It made my week.
Nice job getting this one working again Adam! I'm going to go with what the majority of people are saying on this one and leave it stock, if the shell or screen were toast then it would be a candidate for the IPS upgrade.
I agree with other comments. IPS screen will require new lens. Since the current screen lens makes it special I would leave as is. Put the IPS in your daily driver where it’ll get used.
An hour special! Since you decided to stay with the original, I guess maybe its not worth it, as - like you mentioned - it is a collectors item by now. Plus you'd have to pay for the screen, and I imagine, that it doesnt cost lunch money. However another great repair! By the way, what do you think about me donating you a bootleg console I mentioned last time? As a form of having something new on the workbench
Hey, send me an email at retrorepairsca@gmail.com and we can chat about it. I may have forgotten what you were talking about or just missed the comment.
Personally id recomend against IPS modding it partly because its a collectors piece but secondly most the screen mods requires you to cut the shell to fit them in, and some evern require a whole new lens because of bigger screen.
I still have two Game Boy Colors, one of them the Pokemon edition. Both power on, but no sound. I used headphones and I got audio on the left side. I thought replacing the speakers would work, but same thing. Someone told me that it might be the headphone jack which I did replace, but still no luck. Any idea if replacing certain capacitors would restore the sound to the speaker or something else would be needed?
I'd leave the original display. As as you said, its a special collectors edition, and while it is true that a new screen may be better, you'd have to ask yourself "how many times am I going to play this specific gameboy?"
I know I am late to the party, but cleaning the aux and bridging the two right pins of the aux port you can see if the aux port itself is the issue at the gameboy with sound issues
Hi boss! I have a question. I have a gameboy color that I messed up. It was perfectly working, then I decided to clean the motherboard and power switch with alcohol, so I did. I think that I didn’t wait enough time to let it dry out. I powered it on and it didn’t work anymore. It’s not powering on anymore. I did some continuity tests and it seems that everything is fine. I was thinking that you could made another of your awesome videos if I send it over to you. Maybe you can detect the problem. I will pay for the shipping cost and the return shipping costs. What do you think?
Adam, I think you should check sound mod for Game Boy called GBAmp3.5. Cannot put a link here, because youtube delete it. And how large your collection of consoles that you have repaired? Did you sell fixed consoles from time to time?
I'll check it out. To answer your question, my collection of consoles is getting quite big. I typically will sell the ones I've got duplicates of, and try to keep one of everything else.
Two weeks ago i fixed my gameboy color that had a faulty dc-dc converter too, i fixed it with two aliexpress boards, one to convert to 5v and other for the +-15 volts that with some diodes I fixed the voltajes to what the original board gives. The dificult part was to fit everything into the case but I got it in the end.
Do you think that using flux for a job like this is essential? Considering they're decent sized pads and through hole I'm certain it will have made little difference and I presume your solder already has a Rosin core aswell. I mean from my own experience It's generally not necessary to use flux for through hole soldering and I've done plenty.
Not essential. Like you said, the solder has a rosin core already. But it certainly doesn't hurt. I just get into the habit using it everywhere. It just makes for better solder joints
I really don't understand people who don't you to improve the screen just because it's a collector's item. Like people who buy figures and leave them in the box because it will "ruin the value".
Okay, this to most collectors, isn’t collector quality. Not a biggie. You yourself paid quite a bit with it not working. If you’re selling it, which I assume you are(if you’re not, definitely go backlit) then it’s 50/50 backlit or no. Most people who are going to buy this would probably rather have it if they’re going to use it. Most who would rather have it original would rather have a better condition and more wholly original system. Those in between are few and far between. Think about it, the average person sees your listing, sees it’s been backlit modded, that’s a plus, not a negative. The flip side is that most people searching are looking because they want to add this specific model to their collection. Meaning they’re a “collector”(they still wouldn’t see that as a bad thing, besides who backlit mods a “fake” system) Do what you choose, but I personally as a collector type person(though not in the conventional sense) would, if I had any game boys, would backlit mod all of them, for the same reason I would mod any system for a better quality experience. P.S. you forgot to push the clips down on the ribbon cable for the screen. Good to have you back.
We've missed you. You inspired me to start repairing consoles, and over the years I've gotten just about every console I want in my collection from "broken" listings on eBay. It's crazy how straightforward it can be when you have videos like this to reference for ideas as to what might be going wrong. Thanks to you I'm starting my own small business selling the consoles I repair (though it's mostly for fun)
I bet you spent a lot of money last year
Awesome to hear!
On a special Edition one like this, I'd leave it original. I put an IPS display in one where I replaced the ratty old discolored shell with a new one, and it actually made the screen usable, after using iPhones for 10 years I forgot how bad these old Gameboy displays were. The Funnyplaying shells look and feel just like the originals.
I have this exact edition one from my childhood. I am going to try and keep it all original except for new LCD screen. I bought an afermarket shell replacemernt but only to replace the battery cover becauase mine got lost.
Really appreciate that you gone the long way and not just replaced the main board but ran a root cause analysis and solved the AC distributor issue. Big fan of you!
As for the screen replacement for an IPS one I would leave it as it is. This piece is a collectors item and since its Pokemon, it will only go up in value.
Keep up the good work!
A tip for the makeshift battery pack: take a neodymium magnet and connect the batteries in series (+ -> Magnet -> -). Then take two more magnets at the ends and put your crocodile clamps on them. Works great.
Thank you so much for the regular uploads recently, Adam. Absolutely love you and your channel, everytime I see a new video, it puts a smile on my face.
PR Dox was actually Paradox, the triangles are A
I've been repairing and selling Game Boy colors for the past two years. Some observations regarding special editions: the majority you see for sale are fakes. There are small differences that become obvious IF you have a real case vs the reproductions. The texture is usually off, the graphics, particularly the color of the screen bezel are usually off, and the raised area around the bottom front of the case on reproductions tends to be smooth where as the original cases will have a crisp line. I've seen reproductions that range from poor to very good, but again, when you put even the best reproduction case out there next to an original, you'll see some differences.
Top Tip (as the Brits say): There is a very easy way to check to see if a case is a reproduction: look for a color coded sticker on the back of the case under the battery compartment. Skip to 2:27 and you'll see exactly what I am talking about. There is a blue sticker located at the bottom of the battery compartment in-between two of the case screws. I have yet to see these stickers reproduced, and every reproduction case I have bought is missing this sticker. The sticker will be color coded to the case, and if its two tone, then it will typically be coded to whatever color the back half of the case is.
The presence of a sticker is not a 100% guarantee that it is original (you may have an original back, but the front has been replaced), but it is an important clue that should not be overlooked. I would treat any unit missing this sticker as having a reproduction case, regardless of the story the seller may tell you. Having bought and sold numerous units made in China, Japan, and in Japan for the U.S. market I can attest that the sticker is very durable and wont just fall off.
Great tips. I've definitely seen some reproduction lenses and shells. While they're getting better, usually you can still tell the difference. The stamped Nintendo logo is usually off, and the game boy color logo on the lens is typically darker on replicas. The purple "o" is often a giveaway, as it blends into the dark background more
That was part of a coil, used for what I'd imagine is a SMPS. The top being broken probably affected the magnetic field...It's a ferrite material, but you might be able to glue back together. It took a pretty good drop to break that.
If the original screen was bad, I’d replace. Otherwise, leave as is. If you don’t care about collecting value by replacing the screen, then go for it. The IPS screens are such a great upgrade.
41:20 I was thinking the same thing and was cautiously worried about your finger lol. I agree with the original screen at least on this one. Not because it's nicer, it's not even comparable, but because the novelty of this is that it *is* the original special-edition console.
I would leave it original for the collectors special edition imo.
Another great repair video, keep up the great work.
*finds part of voltage regulator bouncing around*
"I don't think this will affect power." 😁
Love your videos!
I'd say keep the original screen/preserve the "authenticness"
Plenty of other broken GBCs out there that aren't special editions to put an IPS screen into.
Traded in my gray xbox one s 500gb and a pretty bad shaped GBA for a pokemon gameboy color and a zelda 3ds xl. Gameboy in great condition and 3ds in excellent. Thanks for your video!
Great vid! For a special edition, I'd keep it original. You could get a standard edition gameboy color, do the screen mod and put on an after market pokemon shell.
It looks much better and it works. As it is a special edition I would keep it original. Good luck for the 100'000.
This week I was quarantined and really enjoyed allot of your video's. Thanks for the great content, awesome stuff.
I would personally leave this Pokémon edition original, you've got a nice system there.
Very nice repair, and thank you so much for taking us on these repair adventures 😃 It made my week.
4:21 sound of opening beer can
Need to have those extra supplies on hand.
Very important supplies. Maybe the most important. The best supplies. And believe me, I know supplies.
Nice job getting this one working again Adam! I'm going to go with what the majority of people are saying on this one and leave it stock, if the shell or screen were toast then it would be a candidate for the IPS upgrade.
LOL "...and whatever you need for supplies." *cracks open a beer"
Nice to see a long video from you buddy 😉 thank you 😊
I agree with other comments. IPS screen will require new lens. Since the current screen lens makes it special I would leave as is. Put the IPS in your daily driver where it’ll get used.
I would keep it original but maybe try lightly polishing the scratched up lens?
For playability I would install the backlight, I am getting ready to build a modded gameboy DMG-01 here soon.
i would leave original screen personally since it is a special version, if standard I would say replace.
Wish I could subscribe twice, love your videos
An hour special!
Since you decided to stay with the original, I guess maybe its not worth it, as - like you mentioned - it is a collectors item by now. Plus you'd have to pay for the screen, and I imagine, that it doesnt cost lunch money.
However another great repair!
By the way, what do you think about me donating you a bootleg console I mentioned last time? As a form of having something new on the workbench
Hey, send me an email at retrorepairsca@gmail.com and we can chat about it. I may have forgotten what you were talking about or just missed the comment.
@@RetroRepairs email sent
Been watching for a while, finally subscribed. sorry it took so long, I'm a dick lol
Better late than never! Thanks for watching
Really cool video. Great work 🙂
Personally id recomend against IPS modding it partly because its a collectors piece but secondly most the screen mods requires you to cut the shell to fit them in, and some evern require a whole new lens because of bigger screen.
No, there are drop in IPS displays that don’t require cutting at all. That said this is a special edition so leave it OG.
Your audio from the purple gameboy isnt working cause capacitir c32 is backwards
Love your channel. Doesn't make any sense to have kept the original board and changed the chip just to modify the display.. keep it original.
Reminder to refill on rosin flux :)
Definitely do the black light mod bro!
I still have two Game Boy Colors, one of them the Pokemon edition. Both power on, but no sound. I used headphones and I got audio on the left side. I thought replacing the speakers would work, but same thing. Someone told me that it might be the headphone jack which I did replace, but still no luck. Any idea if replacing certain capacitors would restore the sound to the speaker or something else would be needed?
It's possible. Ifailing that there may be an issue on the board somewhere in the audio circuit
maybe you can reflow the solders on the audioboard if possible and see if the right channel comes back
I'd leave the original display. As as you said, its a special collectors edition, and while it is true that a new screen may be better, you'd have to ask yourself "how many times am I going to play this specific gameboy?"
I know I am late to the party, but cleaning the aux and bridging the two right pins of the aux port you can see if the aux port itself is the issue at the gameboy with sound issues
Hi boss! I have a question. I have a gameboy color that I messed up. It was perfectly working, then I decided to clean the motherboard and power switch with alcohol, so I did. I think that I didn’t wait enough time to let it dry out. I powered it on and it didn’t work anymore. It’s not powering on anymore. I did some continuity tests and it seems that everything is fine. I was thinking that you could made another of your awesome videos if I send it over to you.
Maybe you can detect the problem. I will pay for the shipping cost and the return shipping costs.
What do you think?
Adam, I think you should check sound mod for Game Boy called GBAmp3.5. Cannot put a link here, because youtube delete it. And how large your collection of consoles that you have repaired? Did you sell fixed consoles from time to time?
I'll check it out.
To answer your question, my collection of consoles is getting quite big. I typically will sell the ones I've got duplicates of, and try to keep one of everything else.
Two weeks ago i fixed my gameboy color that had a faulty dc-dc converter too, i fixed it with two aliexpress boards, one to convert to 5v and other for the +-15 volts that with some diodes I fixed the voltajes to what the original board gives. The dificult part was to fit everything into the case but I got it in the end.
When are you gonna do the ps1-ps2-xbox repairs? I would like to see you working on the slightly newer stuff
Are you actually going to use it? Otherwise leave it stock.
i have no idea how that part would fall off, other than mechanically
Nicely done man!
Do you think that using flux for a job like this is essential? Considering they're decent sized pads and through hole I'm certain it will have made little difference and I presume your solder already has a Rosin core aswell. I mean from my own experience It's generally not necessary to use flux for through hole soldering and I've done plenty.
Not essential. Like you said, the solder has a rosin core already. But it certainly doesn't hurt. I just get into the habit using it everywhere. It just makes for better solder joints
@@RetroRepairs Fair enough. I don't know how much better but if you say so.
Are you still making videos?
i would go for a backlit screen but with special editions like this it’s a tough choice to make
SERIOUS QUESTION, how much do you charge to repair GBC i can give you details in the email if possible,
Why does his face looks like Joey from dk oldies
Don't replace the screen and keep it original. Maybe just polish the screen lents and find a new battery cover ;)
What type of desoldering gun do you use?
Hakko fr-301
@@RetroRepairs Thanks for letting me know.
I had the same issue. Dump isopropyl alcohol on the power regulator. Issue was solved
I really don't understand people who don't you to improve the screen just because it's a collector's item. Like people who buy figures and leave them in the box because it will "ruin the value".
Keep it oem you could fix other one up with new speaker etc and add new screen
I say go for the screen replacement, it makes the GBA so much more usable
I was leaning toward the IPS screen until I realized you might have to modify the shell. I say keep it original. That screen has years of use to go.
Great work👌
Leave the screen
If it’s not getting power it prob won’t play sound
The key is to rip the power regulator board off taking the traces with it
Leave it as is. This type of items should always stay as close to original.
I'd just keep it the way it is now since it works.
"i dont think this should affect power" thats literally the power regulator ....
As i determined... thought at first it was an audio board of some type.
@@RetroRepairs you can clearly see that the broken piece is a power coil tho.. all power regulators have them
if you want to play with it... IPS screen. If you want to keep it as a collector's piece keep it original that should increase the price IMHO
👍👍
Gamer cheese
Keep it original !!!!
Keep it orginal
Original.
A long video oh boy.
yes
If you plan to keep it, I'd go with the upgraded screen. If you plan to sell it, keep the original
Use a IPS Display :)
If it were my original piece I would leave it original
Don't mod it. Collectibles lose dramatically lose value after modding, especially unreversible mods
If you don't care about the value, then sell it to someone who will. These things are getting harder and harder to find
:D
A bit early.. 😅
P▲R▲DOX
Okay, this to most collectors, isn’t collector quality. Not a biggie. You yourself paid quite a bit with it not working. If you’re selling it, which I assume you are(if you’re not, definitely go backlit) then it’s 50/50 backlit or no. Most people who are going to buy this would probably rather have it if they’re going to use it. Most who would rather have it original would rather have a better condition and more wholly original system. Those in between are few and far between. Think about it, the average person sees your listing, sees it’s been backlit modded, that’s a plus, not a negative. The flip side is that most people searching are looking because they want to add this specific model to their collection. Meaning they’re a “collector”(they still wouldn’t see that as a bad thing, besides who backlit mods a “fake” system) Do what you choose, but I personally as a collector type person(though not in the conventional sense) would, if I had any game boys, would backlit mod all of them, for the same reason I would mod any system for a better quality experience. P.S. you forgot to push the clips down on the ribbon cable for the screen. Good to have you back.
hi
I cast my vote for an ips display
Yes put IPS display
gameyob
New screen for sure
change the screen lol