Sega Game Gear Crapacitors

Myrddin · 16-10-2010 3:31pm #1

Another photo journey into the depths of a console :rolleyes: This one details the issues that plague the Sega GameGear. An 8-bit handheld device, competing directly with the likes of the Atari Lynx etc. It's an ok device for it's time, but the capcitors used were of a really poor quality and as such have caused problems in recent times.

The issues are loss of sound/crackely sound, and an ever increasing screen fade. You eventually need to tilt the unit so far to see the screen that it becomes effectively useless. Below are the snaps of o1s1n's trusty GameGear on the operating table.

The Sega GameGear. It's actually turned on here running Sonic believe it or not, no sound & no image looking straight at it.

The angle needed to see the game.

Lets get cracking

A group of caps, these ones arn't too bad though.

The sound board. This suffered badly with electrolytic fluid leakage.

This cap practically fell off, taking the solder pad with it. Took a bit of work to sort this out.

With a bit of patience, it doesn't take all that long to get through the kit & restore all functions.

Look, it's 1990 again

Retrobits sell the repair kit if anyone is interested, & don't forget the boardsie 10% discount code :cool:

o1s1n · 16-10-2010 6:42pm

I wonder why the sound board is especially bad when it comes to the electrolytic fluid leaking from those caps? Did they use different caps for it?

I really cant wait to try out the TV tuner and some of my other consoles. Be hilarious if I can get the 360 going on it

Myrddin · 16-10-2010 6:50pm

I think they are different caps alright. I wouldn't be surprised if the sound boards were manufactured in a different location & Sega just bought/shipped them in.

8-bit games look bad enough on it, I shudder at the thoughts of twhat a 360 would look like through a GameGear :pac:

CiDeRmAn · 17-10-2010 8:31am

Imagine trying to read the extra tiny text in Dead Rising on a Gamegear!
It's a pity that a functioning Megadrive emu on a chip couldn't be built into some free space and wired into the tuner thingy, that would be sweet, MD games, on the go, on a GG!

Lurching · 17-10-2010 9:12am

I have one of these sitting at home. Havent turned it on in probably 16 years.

Blast from the past!

Optimus Prime · 26-01-2011 2:12pm

whats the website for retrobits? is it .com?

Myrddin · 26-01-2011 3:28pm

keithgeo wrote: »

whats the website for retrobits? is it .com?

Here they are, loads of other handy stuff too - Link

Oh & why did nobody comment on my intentional mispelling of the thread title

Optimus Prime · 26-01-2011 3:34pm

I noticed it earlier alright! Nice "wordage"

Picking up a gamegear later tonight!

Myrddin · 26-01-2011 3:37pm

keithgeo wrote: »

Picking up a gamegear later tonight!

You may want to drop the ! intended excitement

Great little machine, dreadful screen technology

Optimus Prime · 26-01-2011 3:44pm

haha ive read about the problems on here alright, still though looking forward to checking it out, if its not working right ill have a craic at fixing it.. whats the worst that can happen!

The one im getting has no power supply, will i be able to use a generic one on it? I have one at home you can switch the voltage on it.

Myrddin · 26-01-2011 3:49pm

keithgeo wrote: »

haha ive read about the problems on here alright, still though looking forward to checking it out, if its not working right ill have a craic at fixing it.. whats the worst that can happen!

The one im getting has no power supply, will i be able to use a generic one on it? I have one at home you can switch the voltage on it.

If you have a megadrive 2 psu it will work

Optimus Prime · 26-01-2011 3:50pm

Dont have a Megadrive2 have a original megadrive alright?

Myrddin · 26-01-2011 3:53pm

keithgeo wrote: »

Dont have a Megadrive2 have a original megadrive alright?

Connector is different on the MD1, too big afaik.

Optimus Prime · 26-01-2011 3:56pm

will the generic one not work with the right voltage? its got about 6 different size connectors on the end? if not looks like ill have to buy a megadriveII, sweet!

Myrddin · 26-01-2011 3:58pm

keithgeo wrote: »

will the generic one not work with the right voltage? its got about 6 different size connectors on the end? if not looks like ill have to buy a megadriveII, sweet!

It should work, but if your in a position to buy an MD2 then it's win both ways :cool:

Optimus Prime · 26-01-2011 11:01pm

Got the gamegear, put in batteries, the red light comes on, absolutly nothing on screen or sound though. Think it could be this or is it worse? Nothing even seen looking at an angle.

Myrddin · 27-01-2011 12:28am

keithgeo wrote: »

Got the gamegear, put in batteries, the red light comes on, absolutly nothing on screen or sound though. Think it could be this or is it worse? Nothing even seen looking at an angle.

It's likely the caps alright, o1s1n's one was nearly the same. Only a very sharp angle made the screen viewable. Your one could be just a bit more gone than his. Try the caps

Optimus Prime · 27-01-2011 1:07am

Cheers, ill give it a go! ill report back..

Optimus Prime · 08-02-2011 2:11am

Well i tried and i failed!

The red light still comes on but no sound or picture, doesnt help that the instructions tell you to replace the same cap twice on board 1 with two different ones, must be typo there or something. In al fairness though its the first time i ever soldered anything, i wish i had a do-over because i was much better at it by the end.

Anyways gamegear fix fail!

Myrddin · 08-02-2011 11:07am

keithgeo wrote: »

Well i tried and i failed!

The red light still comes on but no sound or picture, doesnt help that the instructions tell you to replace the same cap twice on board 1 with two different ones, must be typo there or something. In al fairness though its the first time i ever soldered anything, i wish i had a do-over because i was much better at it by the end.

Anyways gamegear fix fail!

There's two different model types listed in the instructions, are you sure you followed the correct one? I'll take a look at it at some stage if you want.

Optimus Prime · 08-02-2011 11:36am

Yeh there is Board 1 and Board 2 on the chart, i had Board 1. But on the list for board 1 if you look down it one of the capacitors is on it twice. eg C49 - 100 then down the list C49 - something else! now it may not be C49 but whatever the number is its on it twice.

Id say i pretty much killed it to be honest, i mean that was literally my first time soldering anything, by the end i was grand but i made a total balls of the first one, the one where the cable connects onto the board with the blue thing. i snipped the wires on the cap too short lol.

when you are putting the new caps on do they just have to touch the pads, or do you have to make little feet on them and solder them onto the pads?

Myrddin · 08-02-2011 11:39am

keithgeo wrote: »

Yeh there is Board 1 and Board 2 on the chart, i had Board 1. But on the list for board 1 if you look down it one of the capacitors is on it twice. eg C49 - 100 then down the list C49 - something else! now it may not be C49 but whatever the number is its on it twice.

Id say i pretty much killed it to be honest, i mean that was literally my first time soldering anything, by the end i was grand but i made a total balls of the first one, the one where the cable connects onto the board with the blue thing. i snipped the wires on the cap too short lol.

when you are putting the new caps on do they just have to touch the pads, or do you have to make little feet on them and solder them onto the pads?

Strange, I done two model 1's & didn't notice that on the manual. I've another one en route though so I'll check that for you.

Bit of a trial by fire if it's your first soldering job

I test fit the caps in order to judge how long the legs need to be, then snip them accordingly, & finally solder each leg onto the pad.

Optimus Prime · 08-02-2011 12:03pm

I enjoyed doing it dont get me wrong, i always wanted to give it a bash but never had anything to solder until now! It would have been nice if it had of worked but its a learning curve haha. I hope i was reading those instructions right, im sure i was though, i looked at it a load of times and im sure one of them was on there twice on board 1.

Sega Game Gear Crapacitors

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