2-Bit Gaming – 022 – Sega Game Gear Repair (LCD Screen Fix)
A show that details many aspects of the video game industry. Episode 022 is a tutorial on how to fix a poor video quality on a Sega Game Gear caused by bad capacitors. It does take soldering skills so be warned. Here’s a PDF so you can print out the instructions: www.mediafire.com Watch all my 2-Bit episodes in Order: www.youtube.com Disclaimer: By performing this repair you risk accidentally damaging your Sega Game Gear. I am not responsible for any damage you may inadvertently cause to your system. I do not guarantee that this repair will fix your console as there may be many causes of video failure. Soldering electronics is always a risky enterprise; if you dont have much experience doing it have a friend do it for you. Soldering irons are very hot and should be handled with extreme care. By continuing to watch this tutorial, you agree to do this repair at your own risk. For this maintenance job, you will need: 1. Towl or Sheet so you dont scratch the Game Gears screen 1. Security Screwdriver 1.Philips Screwdriver 1. Bowl to collect loose screws 1. Pair of Pliers 1. Several (Microfarad) capacitors. I buy from www.mouser.com A soldering iron & lead free solder with flux Rubber gloves
See also: Best VGM 346 – www.youtube.com Best VGM 400 – www.youtube.com Best VGM 912 – www.youtube.com A collection of my favorite videogame music. Note that most of them are from games I played so I might miss some great ones from games I never played. Nintendo 64 Super Mario 64 Dire Dire Docks
my game gear will not saty on for more then like 20 seconds how do u think i should try and fix this?
@tookmyjob It could be the pin connector. Try cleaning it. You might have to get a cleaning kit or you can find directions on the internet.
I just bought a Game Gear and when I put a game in and turn it on, only a couple of lines of video show up and that’s it. I cleaned the games, so might it be the pin connector or something else?
@dogeymon83 Sorry, I don’t. But it’s not hard to do it yourself. You can always use an old piece of broken junk like a busted CD player to practice soldering before trying it on your Game Gear.
Hey kainkusanagi, do you offer repair services for game gear??
@kainkusanagi
Thank you – that is excellent advice.
@kakisky Fixing electronics is a great skill to teach your kids, but if I were you I’d use Lead Free solder only for their health. Lead solder is better and the amount you’d be exposed to is tiny, but you can’t be too safe with your kids.
@timerider4 As far as I know there isn’t anywhere you can buy new Game Gear parts. Replacing all the capacitors in your Game Gear will probably fix any issues you have with the screen, but do remember that even when the Game Gear was brand new the screen wasn’t great.
I got mine apart, but it’s a single ASIC chip model, marked Main USA VA5. I can’t find any information on a VA5 model. It seems like no one has even heard of it.
Thanks so much for posting this. Digging into an old Game Gear and replacing capacitors will be a great intro to electronics for my kids. This video is extremely helpful and I love your attitude about preserving these vintage games and the can-do attitude toward attempting a repair. (As you noted, it’s broken already anyway, what’s to lose?)
I just bought one today. It doesn’t have a problem that gets better with the viewing angle, but the screen does look washed out. Is there way to upgrade the display itself?
The rubber button contacts also feel worn out, and I can’t find a place that sells parts.
@CaptainPoovabladoo I can’t say for sure, but a good place to start would be replacing all the capacitors in it. At least open it up to look for signs of leaking capacitors.
My Game Gear screen is darker in the middle than on the outsides. How can I fix this?
“If you can’t fix it, that’s wussy talk. Fix it anyway.” Instant subscription.
This guy is Jesus
@Deathbydiease I don’t have any plans to. I don’t have a one that needs fixing and I don’t know of any common issues with easy fixes. Sometimes the pixels go bad on Gameboy, but other than replacement I don’t know any other work around. If it’s “vertical lines” then it’s possible a bad component like a capacitor is causing it, but I can’t say for sure.
Are you going to do a video on how to repair the screen on the game boy?
i had 2 game gears the first fall down and the screen got broken,and the second i had a plug cord that let you change voltage and i overvoltage it and the screen died as i wa splaying,i still have sound but screen is dead :’(
@0Kajuna0 I watched your video. Sorry, but I’ve never seen anything like that before. You might want to check all your solder points to make sure none of them cracked or came loose. That’s about all the advice I can give. Good luck.
Hi, Kainkusanagi, thanks for your explanations.
I’ve replaced all (sound and motherboard) capacitors of my Game Gear, it worked well for some hours, but then the screen started to do strange things: vertical and horizontal stripes, and flickering. Now it works this way most of the time. I’m almost sure I had seen this problem BEFORE the capacitor fix, but just a few times.
Here you can see the problem:
watch?v=DiakBCr-xvw
Thanks in advance for any help.
this is exactly the problem I have with my gamegear. I was so sad because I have had it since I was 10. I may fix it. But I am scared of screwing up the gamegear.
Thanks for the tutorial. Also amazing game watch. I have the same one and a super mario one that has a headphone jack built in. At the time I thought it was the coolest thing ever.
@DoctorJ1337 Glad to help. That’s one more Game Gear that won’t be getting sent to the land fill. We’ve got to keep these things around for future generations, so they can see gaming’s history for themselves.
@cavegoat13 capacitor problems can also cause ghost lines on the screen, rapid white moving lines, and sometimes cause it to turn itself off to me it sounds like u need to change the capacitors.
noing my luck i got a game gear and 2 freekin weeks later the capacitors pooped the bed. i thought about getting a new GG but i finally grabbed my balls and decided to follow this video. i went to mouser and got the exact ratings for each capacitor for $2. i put the caps in with no soldering experience and BOOM it works perfectly TY so much this review rly helped dude u are the bomb!!!!!
@betothreeg Sorry, but you really need to open your Game Gear and order the parts specifically. If it helps, you’re looking for electrolyte capacitors. If mouser doesn’t have what your looking for there are several other online electronics stores and you can even buy parts at your local radioshack or other electronics repair shops.
@Spudboy225 Eh, I already have it on DS, but I’m gonna save up money for Wii Shop Points so I can get it on the VC
@SilvaBullet360 Good to know I’m not the only kid enjoying these. I’m waiting for this game to come in the mail. Can’t wait to play it!
@Harkz0r i love you man.
HURR, HERP-A-DERP, CHILDHOOD MEMORIES, DERP-A-HERP!
@Harkz0r Your comment made me kinda of sad while listening to this music..but you’re so right.
@imraw17 HELLS YEAH IMMA DO THAT TOO
@Harkz0r That’s what I mean.
You just have to buy from indie game developers now. lol.
28dislikes are bowser
@MathewAlden It’s always reassuring to hear opinions like these from a younger audience. It helps to reassure me that I’m not just being hopelessly nostalgic or stuck in my ways. But I think part of the problem is the very nature of -what games are- is changing. Because they are such large-scale commercial projects now, they can be very refined and cinematic in presentation, but can also lack a lot of the spontaneous creativity and charm that comes from a bunch of programmers playing with ideas.
anybody who dislikes this is a serious piece of shit
That music sure brings you back to when you were a kid
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I agree with the current top rated comments – the kids these days will never experience the joy of the greatest games ever made back around the 90′s. Playing games like this and the old ps2 and 1 games was defo the best time in my life.
Loved this song, now that i’m listening to it, i do not feel nostalgia, but a depression
is it wrong that I’m almost in tears. God damn i miss childhood. I would never play a first person shooter ever again in exchange for n64.
damn you paul…i was gonna play pokemon but now i wanna play this again. ughhh
When I have kids I’m gonna force them to play old-school games like this if they want ANY new game that comes out then…maybe they’ll learn to appreciate them.
@Harkz0r Not to mention game developers have just lost their touch. I was born too late to play this but I still feel the same way you do.
I don’t know why, but this song always reminds me of how screwed up everything is with the world.
@Harkz0r That might have been one of the most beautiful, depressing comments I’ve read.
@SuperAwesomeTiago Well then, I’m glad I’m not alone
@SilvaBullet360 I was born in ’98 too.I hate this generation.Graphics will never replace fun and gameplay for me.I loved this game and I still do.I had more fun with it than I would ever have with Halo!
@JazztwoII Shouldn’t have got out of the kitchen to begin with.
@MsSuperlyrics As I’ve said to another person, there were originally three messages, and this one was the most melancholy, and also apparently the only one to have been thumbed up as many times. I was originally using this passage to segue into a more motivational outlook. It all boils down to perspective, and you needn’t lose touch with your creativity and joie de vivre, but at the same time, the above sadly does ring true for me.
@Harkz0r you make me feel a lil bit down
with that txt saying i will never experience the world through the eyes of a 5-year-old again
same here…N64, gameboy, PS1, Snes and so on….games used to be a bit more…magical. personally, Goldeneye 64 WAS my childhood
By far one of the most amazing songs I’ve ever heard for a Mario game. I’m 17 now, I remember playing this when I was 4-5. I didn’t even know how to read the dialogue so well in the game, but I still enjoyed the hell out of it. Every time I hear this song i just pick up SM64 again and play it. This song just gives me the most nostalgic feeling ever. This was one of my childhood games and the memories that come back between me and my dad from time to time are worth it.