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Gamegear works fine with PSU but not with batteries


dougal22

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I've got a Sega Gamegear which works perfectly with a wall power supply but absolutely dead if I try and use batteries.

 

I opened it up and all the connections look fine. The battery terminals look perfect too with no damage or corrosion.

 

Other than that I was surprised to see that it still has all the original caps, given that sound works fine and the display is absolutely perfect, just like a brand new Gamegear.

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It has to be a connection problem. Could you post a picture?

As far as I can remember, the power of the batteries jumps right in on the circuit that the adapter uses. So if the adapter works then batteries should work too (not the other way around).

The gamegear is very picky on it's voltage. So if something is wrong with the power circuit then it can become very unstable.

Have you checked the caps on the power board?

Are all traces clean?

And are you sure that the battery contacts are well connected to the board?

 

If you don't find the problem then I'll open one of my gamegears.

Edited by DrWho198
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It has to be a connection problem. Could you post a picture?

As far as I can remember, the power of the batteries jumps right in on the circuit that the adapter uses. So if the adapter works then batteries should work too (not the other way around).

The gamegear is very picky on it's voltage. So if something is wrong with the power circuit then it can become very unstable.

Have you checked the caps on the power board?

Are all traces clean?

And are you sure that the battery contacts are well connected to the board?

 

If you don't find the problem then I'll open one of my gamegears.

I'll open it up tomorrow and check again and post some highres pictures of it. The caps look ok, no leaking etc..

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Since all looks well with the wires connecting the batteries and the battery contacts, I'd look at the jack.

 

Not speaking of the GameGear specifically, but many of those jacks have a set of contacts in them that interrupts the connection to the batteries. That contact could be failing to close (failing to reconnect the batteries) when the external PSU is unplugged from the jack.

Edited by BigO
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Do you have a multimeter?

If so, then take out the Power board and check the connection between these two points:

 

Temp_Img.jpg

 

You should measure a connection. When you plug in a adapter in the jack (but don't plug the adapter into the power outlet!) then the connection should be broken.

If you don't measure a connection without anything plugged in the jack then it is bad like BigO suggested.

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I couldn't test the power board as mine was different to the one on your pic. What I did do was replace the whole board with one from a broken Game Gear and now it works with batteries and AC adapter but the adapter plug needs to be in a certain angle or else the power cuts off.

I cant solder to save my life, so i'll try and get a friend to fix it.

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I couldn't test the power board as mine was different to the one on your pic. What I did do was replace the whole board with one from a broken Game Gear and now it works with batteries and AC adapter but the adapter plug needs to be in a certain angle or else the power cuts off.

I cant solder to save my life, so i'll try and get a friend to fix it.

Spare powerboard can be found on ebay, so if you can't fix it it can be replaced easily.
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You say the power board is a different model, and although there are different models for the power board they are very similar.

Besides, even if it is different, those 2 pins are always there beneath the socket since they are part of the socket.

 

If you are really unable to check or replace the socket then just order a new one like Seob says.

Although to me it sounds like a bit of a waste.

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/SEGA-GAME-GEAR-POWER-BOARD-ADAPTER-OVERHAUL-/140502828850?pt=UK_VideoGames_VideoGameAccessories_VideoGameAccessories_JN&hash=item20b69f0732

 

I found this on eBay. If you can solder, this will likely fix your problem with the batteries not working.

 

And by the way, replace the capacitors as well. Your Game Gear probably won't last long without new capacitors.

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  • 4 years later...
On 9/12/2014 at 10:21 AM, DrWho198 said:

Do you have a multimeter?

If so, then take out the Power board and check the connection between these two points:

 

Temp_Img.jpg

 

You should measure a connection. When you plug in a adapter in the jack (but don't plug the adapter into the power outlet!) then the connection should be broken.

If you don't measure a connection without anything plugged in the jack then it is bad like BigO suggested.

I just wanted to pop in here and give a big THANK YOU for this.  My Game Gear also did not work with batteries, but did via the DC jack.  Even though the picture doesn't seem to be available, I did pull the service manual and checked, no connection.  I jumpered the two leads and it works on batteries now!  So, I'm in the process of finding a replacement DC jack.

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1 hour ago, oryan_dunn said:

I just wanted to pop in here and give a big THANK YOU for this.  My Game Gear also did not work with batteries, but did via the DC jack.  Even though the picture doesn't seem to be available, I did pull the service manual and checked, no connection.  I jumpered the two leads and it works on batteries now!  So, I'm in the process of finding a replacement DC jack.

I removed the DC jack and disassembled it to clean the contacts.  It now looks and works like new.

https://imgur.com/a/Iqv1rlc

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On 9/11/2014 at 11:54 AM, dougal22 said:

I've got a Sega Gamegear which works perfectly with a wall power supply but absolutely dead if I try and use batteries.

I had this same problem when the system was new!.

 

Lol! What a battery hug.

Edited by skaredmask
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