– Retrodrömmar
The Gameboy Advance SP (“SP” stands for SPecial) was an upgraded version of the Gameboy Advance, with a different form factor, and most important of all: a backlit screen. The backlit screen make the GBA SP a great choice for playing Gameboy (GB), GBC and GBA games. In this post, I will briefly show how to replace the battery in the GBA SP, and focus…
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The NES controller with its characteristic D-pad, select, start and A and B button is liked by many, and is considered a standard for how a digital controller should function. As these controllers are 35+ years old at the time of writing, they need maintenance to function properly. In this post, I will write a few notes about how to perform such maintenance. The post…
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Previously I wrote a post about replacing the capacitors of a Game Gear (see, Game Gear re-cap). I recently bought another Game Gear that would not power on, so I made another re-cap, with a slightly revised routine for replacing the capacitors. For instructions on how to disassembly the Game Gear, and how to identify the capacitors, please see the post linked above. In this…
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The Wii classic controller was a welcome addition for Nintendo’s console since it resembles a more conventional gamepad unlike the Wii remote + nunchuck combination. I recently bought a classic controller with a broken cable on Swedish eBay, and in this post I write a few notes about the repair. To disassembly the connector, you need a special “triwing” screwdriver, also used to disassembly a…
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In another post about the Playstation Portable, I write about how to softmod the unit. In this post I will demonstrate how to replace the analog thumbstick, which becomes subject to wear and tear over time. A symtom of a failing analog stick is “drifting”, that is, in a game, the stick will pull in a direction without you touching it. Although there are guides…
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Like any other old controller, the SEGA Master System gamepad can be worn over time, which causes faults such as non-responsive buttons, or directions on the d-pad to stop working. One of my controllers would not react when I pressed up on the d-pad, and in this post I will describe how I repaired it. Disassembly the SEGA Master System controller To disassembly the controller,…
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The Amiga series of computes were created by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s as 16-bit successors to iconic machines such as Commodore 64 (and Commodore 128). In this post I will write some notes about how to keep the keyboard membrane of your Amiga 500 in good condition. I recently bought an A500 on Swedish eBay in relatively good condition, but the keys did…
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In this post I write some notes about fixing a Game Gear with a very dark screen. The dark screen is one of the symtoms of failing capacitors in the console. This is a common problem with the Game Gear, and the procedure to replace the capacitors is pretty straight forward, although challenging in my experience, as I will further describe below. Step 1: Disassemble…
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I recently bought a Commodore 128 (C128) on Swedish eBay for a good price. In this post I will write a few notes about the disassembly of this lovely machine (I wanted to inspect the insides, and give it a good clean). The C128 was introduced in 1985 as a sequel to the popular Commodore 64. By default, the C128 runs in “Commodore 128-mode”, but…
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When the cartridges for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) becomes dirty, you will experience problems getting the console to recognize them, which results in a flashing white screen, and similar issues. The simple solution is to clean them! In this post I will show you an excellent way to get your games clean again. You will need: A Gamebit screwdriver. A white eraser. Isopropanol alcohol….
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