RockyRaccoon Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 What dumb little repair or tech thing have you done recently- that while simple and small- makes you feel accomplished and awesome? For me it was putting the guts of a well loved Gameboy Color into a new case with new pads and buttons to fix it- since many of the buttons didn't work well (or work in well.) and the case was not in great condition. Easy thing to do- but made me feel pretty good when it was all done and everything worked a hecka a lot better. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I'll bite. When I picked up the 6" My Arcade Galaga and PAcman at Walmart last summer, I tried to open it up and expose the wires so that I could solder in a 4-pole dip switch to mod it and unlock the other games. Additionally, I was going to wire the unused Select button to the fourth DIP switch so that I could unlock the multiplayer modes (despite not having any way to actually control the second player. I used the solder iron to knock off the 0 ohm smt resistor, then soldered my wires to the tiny pads and attempted to hot glue over them so the wires would not tug. Before the glue set, I pressed down on the 24-ga wire so it would clear the back of the screen after reassembly, and "pop", the pad lifted right off of the pcb. I then traced the wire down and attempted to scrape away the enamel so I could reattach the lead to no avail. My toggle switch to flip between Games didn't work. I took the soldering iron and detached all of the wires. Luckily the solder tab that enables Galaga was still intact, so I placed tiny bridge across it and closed up the case. Galaga booted when I turned it on. So while I botched the mod attempt, I was able to restore it to working condition... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Not sure if this counts... But a girl hit my car 2 nights ago from behind...The rear diffuser of the body kit took the brunt of it with just a few scratches and paint scrapes on the actual bumper. Considering her insurance should cover it all, I felt pretty good about tearing off the rear diffuser and also great when I reattached my license plate, which got sheered off during the collision. For now, I can drive the car and the damage is minimal, except for the rear diffuser missing...Which most people probably won't notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Your post has also reminded me I need to put a Game Boy Color into a new case too! Mine will also need a new screen (lens) and a new speaker, (which I hope I have one lying around)... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChildOfCv Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I got an aftermarket radio for my car, with a kit that was supposed to keep the backup camera. After installing it, no backup camera. I called up the company that made the kit and they revealed that it doesn't work with standard transmissions. They didn't seem to show any interest in fixing it either. So I downloaded the firmware, found where it activated the backup camera, probed my car to find out how it signals that the car is in reverse, and then patched the code to fix their issue. Well, that was a half-year effort, but the result was just a simple fix. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltigro Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Got a dishrag caught in the disposal last night. Got out the allen wrenches and turned it counter clockwise until it came out. I've officially dealt with disposals more than I would like to, but the knowledge gained in those experiences has been useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I learned how to do the swap trick on a model two Sega Saturn, and flashed the Pseudo Saturn Kai firmware on my Action Replay! It saved me a few bucks on a pre-flashed Action Replay, to say nothing of the money I would have had to spend on a mod chip. By the way, the latest swap trick is surprisingly easy, even on the second model of the system. I wouldn't want to do it all the time due to wear and tear on an already aging CD drive, but for the few times you'll need to do it for practice and ultimately for flashing the cartridge, no sweat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Fixed an issue with my Apple II by reseating a few chips! It's always nice to have a problem so readily solvable. Might have to tackle an MP1000 controller problem next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 A couple months ago I had to tear down a 20 year old playmates toy Star Trek TOS communicator and repair it. It basically came down to total disassembly of the device, cleaning everything about it. I discovered what kept these 2 metallic bubble clicking contacts in place had rotten and fouled, so that needed to be popped off gently and cleaned and stripped too, then reattached nicely in a similar fashion. As it stood there 4 button contacts to it (2 on the side, 2 inside under the flip top front) and one on each area were near dead/dead. Took probably 45min worth of work but I was able to clean up any issues and messes, re-attached what had failed, and buttoned it back up and it works perfectly now. I know you were hoping for something gaming related, but it is electronics at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepfb Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) What dumb little repair or tech thing have you done recently- that while simple and small- makes you feel accomplished and awesome? For me it was putting the guts of a well loved Gameboy Color into a new case with new pads and buttons to fix it- since many of the buttons didn't work well (or work in well.) and the case was not in great condition. Easy thing to do- but made me feel pretty good when it was all done and everything worked a hecka a lot better. Precisely last week I had a day off at work, and managed to quickly fix some failures I thought were going to take me a lot more time to repair: I plugged my PAL 2600, and had distorted video. The console was modded by me to output composite video years ago. I replaced the video hack with Longhorn's one, and got the same result! I found that it was a problem with the colour pot, R213. Cleaning it with isopropyl alcohol wasn't enough, I had to replace it with a 470K variable resistor. It took just a few minutes and was a perfect solution. I bought a year ago a Coleco Telstar Combat that I hadn't tested yet. It didn't turn on. Dismantled it, and the battery plates were sulfated. I powered the console with an external power supply and it was working . I took the battery terminals in an ultrasonic cleaner, and while it was working, I moved to the next task... ...I was very excited with the previous successes, so I decided to tackle on a difficult one. I managed to buy a not working C64GS console, and found the cause of the failure: the on/off switch. But it was half working -it was turning on the +5V rail, but not the 9V- and it is a *big* problem. RAM, SID and the power led (!) were blown :-( At this point, it is more difficult for me to address a failure than to replace any component. I soldered new RAM ICs, a SID and a switch from a broken C64C, and installed a new led, and it worked! I couldn't believe it was going to be that easy, but it was Last sunday I took all the things to our monthly Amstrad CPC meeting, along with the MB Flight Commander controller, and both items worked flawlessly all the day Edited January 15, 2019 by deepfb 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gamemoose Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Well, not much to mention: -Took the thumb stick cap off a non-working Gamecube controller and replaced the busted cap on my Wavebird. -Replaced battery in my Vita to hopefully fix the power drain issue when it's turned off (dies in a day). That didn't fix it but it was good experience. -Got a DS/3DS/GBA cleaning kit and cleaned a few problem DS systems in the house. They started working like new. I do want to fix a busted wire on a speaker that's attached to the stereo system. It's a direct wire job so I'm thinking of putting wire terminals on each speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derFunkenstein Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 (edited) I've done three: - Added expansion audio to two different NES consoles. Used a 47k resistor to connect two specific pins. Akumajou Densetsu sounds amazing. Pic: https://twitter.com/TVsBen/status/1082817194742960130 - Removed a resistor at R31 on a VA2.3 Genesis model 2 and created a solder bridge. That raised the volume level of the square wave PSG channels so that the audio is almost perfectly balanced. At the very least, Streets of Rage 2's bar fight scene has a melody again, and that's good enough for me. Pic: https://twitter.com/TVsBen/status/1084865528718680065 - Removed the 12v rail from my Dreamcast that has a GDEMU clone in it. Stuck it in a baggie and stashed it in the system for safe keeping, in case I ever want to put the GDROM back. No picture, got too excited to try it out. Really does seem to help heat levels. I've also done full-body scrubs on a couple of Genesis consoles I picked up recently, used 91% isopropyl on a couple of cartridges, and swapped the shells around on a functional but nasty Dual Shock 2 and a fairly nice but dead Dual Shock 2, so now I have one that looks nice and works well, and another that needs LOTS of love. Edited January 15, 2019 by derFunkenstein 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 The last thing was a couple of weeks ago where I replaced a keyboard connector on a 486 motherboard and then cleaned the contacts on a Genesis pad that wasn't working properly. I got some parts from Console5 recently so have a Vader and an NES toaster that need caps replaced so hope to tackle that this weekend. The other non-techie repair I did was recarpet the legs of our cats house/scratching post. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Black_Tiger Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I finally got around to opening up the Atari 5200 system that was sold to me as being refurbished... and adjusted the analog pot so it's as evenly balanced as possible. Now all games play fine without major issues using the refurbed stock controller and more or less perfectly using an adapter with a Genesis pad. When I first received it I found that it favored the left direction and in Berserk the player would run left on its own. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F34R Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Started offering "free" battery changes on Dreamcast systems. Pay for battery and shipping, the work is free. I might just have them pay for shipping only. Will be doing mod board installs for free at some point. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masschamber Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Fixed an issue with my Apple II by reseating a few chips! It's always nice to have a problem so readily solvable. Might have to tackle an MP1000 controller problem next. what's wrong with your mp1000? I've fixed a half dozen of them and can probably help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 what's wrong with your mp1000? I've fixed a half dozen of them and can probably help If I remember a few keypad buttons - and the fire button on the left controller at least - weren't working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masschamber Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 If I remember a few keypad buttons - and the fire button on the left controller at least - weren't working. I think we've talked about the repair before, you just need to replace the tape holding the domes on the keypad in place. The fire button has probably come un-soldered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassGuitari Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I put a new Caps Lock keycap on my Atari 800 keyboard last week... *shrugs* 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubersaurus Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I think we've talked about the repair before, you just need to replace the tape holding the domes on the keypad in place. The fire button has probably come un-soldered Yeah I think so. I've just been a bit lazy/having some of the other issues in the console itself fixed up (bad caps, damaged video cord). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Cade Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 (edited) I hate owning things that are broken, so in the last month I fixed my Atari 520ST (corroded traces on board in floppy drive) and PET 8032 (bad ROM and some bad "fuse" resistors in the monitor board). Next, I just got an Amiga 3000T (tower) that has battery damage. It powers up, but black screen with occasionally blips of grey. I suspect the acid has taken out some of the traces under the battery that seem to go from the ROMs to some vias near the FPU, so I will start tracing there... Edited January 16, 2019 by R.Cade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonGrafx-16 Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 My biggest repair attempt was getting the Dallas RTC in my old Gateway 2000 replaced. I had the IC socketed as it wasn't and then installed a replacement and the whole computer died. So then bought another system (not a Gateway 2000 but an AT tower) and swapped the HDD and other hardware and DOS booted again. I did not even need to edit my autoexec.bat or config.sys files. DOS gives no crap about hardware changes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Hm, reseating the chips on an Apple II... there's an idea. I've got a Franklin back home that could use a little TLC. I didn't really know how to fix it, but watching the 8-Bit Guy suggests that it could be done with a little effort and the right knowledge. Then again, I'm not sure if the floppy I've been holding onto for all these years could be read, or even restored... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 1) Installed a new PSU on my Apple IIe. 2) Replaced the coin battery in my RAM cartridge on my TI-99 3) Hacked together a modem cable on my TI-99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eltigro Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I don't really have anything video game related recently. That's why I put the thing about the disposal up there. I've done little things like removing the clock capacitor from an OG Xbox and correctly diagnosing a non-working Master System as having a bad voltage regulator (someone else actually replaced it for me, though)... but those were both about a year ago. Only video game related stuff I've opened up or anything lately was a bootleg SNES game I got for Christmas, and I didn't really do anything to it... just took pics and put it back together. I did use a thumbtack to clean lint out of the lightning port on my iPhone so it would charge, if that counts... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.