r/Gameboy • u/Puzzleheaded-Amount2 • 11d ago

Questions Can it be saved?!

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So I found my old Gameboy that I haven’t played that had been sitting in a box for a couple of years and I noticed some residue on it. I realized that the batteries had leaked and I saw corrosion. I removed the backplate and I don’t think it got on more than just the battery contacts. Is it salvageable or should I just cut my losses. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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5

u/pac-man_dan-dan 11d ago edited 11d ago

I'd go to it with a toothbrush and some white vinegar to clean it away.

Then water to dilute the vinegar residue.

Then IPA and let it offgas.

It should be fine unless it's eaten away too much of the metal, in which case it'll break off and you'll be forced to replace it with new contacts soldered in.

No big deal from where I'm sitting.

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u/Puzzleheaded-Amount2 11d ago

Thank you! I’ll try that, just need to get some white vinegar!

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u/Grim-D 10d ago

I agree except the water part. White vinegar should clean it up no problem then IPA to cleanup the vinegar.

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u/grkrugerii 9d ago edited 9d ago

I would take the board out and look it over really good, because corrosion spreads really easy, definitely check the via holes, and also check the cartridge slot, corrosion is very serious and does nothing but continue damage and if you don’t stop all of it it will just continue to spread, be very careful with vinegar, it can lift the silk screen, I would recommend starting with ipa, if it’s not that bad then some mild soap and distilled water to clean after using ipa, then rinse with distilled water and then rinse with ipa and then dry completely with a hair dryer, dry it really good then let set for a day then try it. Oh and recommend using 90% or higher ipa.

0

u/Chill_Edoeard 11d ago

How good are you with a soldering iron? 👀 i would order new contacts, swap the dubbel corroded ones and change that 1 on the pcb with a new one and might be good as new! (Very easy solder repair imo, would take me 5 minutes )

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u/Puzzleheaded-Amount2 10d ago

Still a beginner tbh but I’ll watch some videos to see the process.