Lynx I screen fading on startup

[shadow460]

Well, I thought the Lynx I I got recently was working...and it probably is. However, when I start the system, sometimes the screen will get really dark and I have to adjust the brightness a couple of times to correct it. The games that this happened to me with are Zarlor Mercenary and RoadBlasters.

 

At first, I thought it was due to dead batteries. The batteries I have are brand new, however, and it faded again after they'd just come off the charger. I wonder if the batteries are getting stuck where they are just barely in contact with the springs deep inside the battery compartments?

 

Is there any other hardware issue that could cause this? Perhaps is it time to design an LED backlight for the unit, since the fluorescent one may be failing? Is it worth putting that kind of effort into a rough looking unit that otherwise plays fine?

[+karri]

Well, I thought the Lynx I I got recently was working...and it probably is. However, when I start the system, sometimes the screen will get really dark and I have to adjust the brightness a couple of times to correct it. The games that this happened to me with are Zarlor Mercenary and RoadBlasters.

 

At first, I thought it was due to dead batteries. The batteries I have are brand new, however, and it faded again after they'd just come off the charger. I wonder if the batteries are getting stuck where they are just barely in contact with the springs deep inside the battery compartments?

 

Is there any other hardware issue that could cause this? Perhaps is it time to design an LED backlight for the unit, since the fluorescent one may be failing? Is it worth putting that kind of effort into a rough looking unit that otherwise plays fine?

 

The easiest way is to get a broken Lynx and transfer the working backlight from there. I also recommend cutting away the plastic in front of the LCD and putting a set of filters behind the LCD. The difference is noticable. See the thread Building a Better Lynx LCD

 

--

Karri

Edited June 23, 2009 by karri

[Tom-Lynx]

The easiest way is to get a broken Lynx and transfer the working backlight from there. I also recommend cutting away the plastic in front of the LCD and putting a set of filters behind the LCD. The difference is noticable. See the thread Building a Better Lynx LCD

 

--

Karri

WOW...that is uber cool. There is NO WAY, however, I would be able to make that type of LCD modification without destroying my Lynx. Karri.... please go into business doing this mod so I can pay you to fix up my Lynxes!

[shadow460]

It's a battery problem. I think I need to re clean the terminals deep inside the compartments. If that's not the case, then I have a single cell that was DOA. When I plugged in the power brick, the skateboard behaved itself.

 

Won't have time to work on it tonight, though. My Lynx II will satisfy my gaming needs for a few days.

[+karri]

The easiest way is to get a broken Lynx and transfer the working backlight from there. I also recommend cutting away the plastic in front of the LCD and putting a set of filters behind the LCD. The difference is noticable. See the thread Building a Better Lynx LCD

 

--

Karri

WOW...that is uber cool. There is NO WAY, however, I would be able to make that type of LCD modification without destroying my Lynx. Karri.... please go into business doing this mod so I can pay you to fix up my Lynxes!

 

Actually a pimp-up your Lynx is a very fun project. By combining the LCD modification with painting the Lynx. See topic: How rare is the white Lynx? and superglueing a flash cart into it you get a very nice cat.

 

--

Karri

Edited June 24, 2009 by karri

[shadow460]

Yeah, my skateboard needs a new paint job--it's pretty well used. I might actually paint it like a real skateboard, though, save for putting any wheels on it. I've seen banana boards that are about that size--I think a similar paint job might be cool. More than likely, though, if I do paint it, I'll probably restore the original color.

[Tom-Lynx]

The easiest way is to get a broken Lynx and transfer the working backlight from there. I also recommend cutting away the plastic in front of the LCD and putting a set of filters behind the LCD. The difference is noticable. See the thread Building a Better Lynx LCD

 

--

Karri

WOW...that is uber cool. There is NO WAY, however, I would be able to make that type of LCD modification without destroying my Lynx. Karri.... please go into business doing this mod so I can pay you to fix up my Lynxes!

 

Actually a pimp-up your Lynx is a very fun project. By combining the LCD modification with painting the Lynx. See topic: How rare is the white Lynx? and superglueing a flash cart into it you get a very nice cat.

 

--

Karri

 

I'm all thumbs. If I tried that, here is what the results would look like.

[shadow460]

I got in there and found one of the wires to and from the battery compartment is badly corroded. I cut out some of the corrosion and resoldered it to the terminal.

 

There is corrosion everywhere though. It's much worse than I first thought. I don't know how this thing still even works.

[shadow460]

Bump. More trouble. It's killing the batteries even when the unit is turned off. I pick it up and play it maybe an hour, then pick it up again a couple days later and it's dead. Also if I twist it just right, the screen winks out. The backlight stays on, but the pixels all go dark. I know something is either loose or shorting out in there, but I just can see the unit being twisted into that position while it's in the case not being touched. I think it's something loose, because with it open, you can twist the lower right part of the board and it'll cause the screen to turn on and off.

 

I also know the charger is good. All of my other portables from that period (Game Gear, Game Boy Color/Classic/Pocket, Lynx II, etc) use that same battery charger and they work great. They're all running NiMH batteries except one of the Game Gear units which runs NiCd.

 

The Lynx I draws 3.6 watts of power. My AA cells for it are 2650 mAh. That means six of them crank out 19 watts of power, so the unit should run for about five hours on a single charge. It runs for only one, and all the cells show between 0.9 and 1.1 volts after that.

 

It has to be drawing current from the batteries even when it's turned off, but I just don't know how. I usually leave whatever game I'm playing in it. Maybe the cards are drawing power or maybe it's getting turned on by accident while in the case.

 

While I'm on it, is there a way to add stereo sound into the Lynx I?

Edited July 14, 2009 by shadow460

[+karri]

Bump. More trouble. It's killing the batteries even when the unit is turned off. ttery

 

My guess is that a battery has leaked its acid on the plastic. This makes the plastic itself a conductor. You may be able to use alcohol for cleaning it. I suggest to replace the entire battery compartment with a new one.

 

This should be easy to test with an ohm-meter. Plastic should not lead electricity...

--

Karri

[shadow460]

I'll clean it out more when I get time to open it up. Right now it's been sitting and the batteries are sitting around the charger with a full charge.

[kevincal]

Are you using rechargeable batteries shadow? I read somewhere they only last 1 hour on a full charge for some reason...

[shadow460]

Yes, they are rechargeable. I got in the skateboard again today after work and I reflowed about a third of the motherboard. I reflowed the connections to the cart port as well, and I reflowed the entire power board for the backlight. I also checked the resistance across the battery compartment--it's infinite across the plastic part, but from + to - it's about 5 megs.

 

The screen no longer winks out. I haven't loaded the batteries yet to see if they drain. I did test it with the batteries from my small cat, though, and it ran from those. It also runs from wall power.

[+karri]

I got in the skateboard again today after work and I reflowed about a third of the motherboard. I reflowed the connections to the cart port as well, and I reflowed the entire power board for the backlight. I also checked the resistance across the battery compartment--it's infinite across the plastic part, but from + to - it's about 5 megs.

 

The screen no longer winks out. I haven't loaded the batteries yet to see if they drain. I did test it with the batteries from my small cat, though, and it ran from those. It also runs from wall power.

 

Good job. Sometimes I have found that old computers can be fixed be heating the entire board in an owen for a few seconds. The temperature must be around 300 degrees C. This is pretty dangerous but does wonders. I have managed to fix several old switches and a few motherboards by this technique.

 

Unfortunately The Lynx failures are usually not due to bad solder. Instead the chips break because of poor power design.

 

--

Karri

[shadow460]

Bad news. It still mysteriously drains the batteries. I am starting to wonder if I didn't get six bad cells straight from the package. I left it with fully charged batteries and no game in it. I tried to turn it on a couple days later and the screen lit up once, then went out. I believe if I plug it into the wall, it will work normally.

 

I guess I could charge the batteries and try them in a Game Gear, or just leave them sit for a while and see if they still have a charge after a few days. The same charger I use for that is the one I use for my Game Boys, Game Gears, and anything else I have that takes common sizes of rechargeable batteries. Barring bad cells, I have little trouble with any of the other devices.