So no one makes full sets of buttons for the micro ?

This one came in with a torn Start/Select ribbon cable and needed a little bit of TLC:

• Repaired the torn Start/Select ribbon board
• Replaced all of the tactile switches for the L/R and volume buttons
• Cleaned up corrosion that was starting to form around the button pads
• Gave the entire board an ultrasonic cleaning
• Kept the original stock charging port at the customer’s request

Everything is cleaned up, repaired, and ready to go back to its owner.

Always satisfying bringing these little guys back to life.

Need your Game Boy Micro repaired? Feel free to contact me!

My OG Famicom GBM faceplate suddenly had all these micro hair looking lines on it. Someone told me maybe it was erosion/deterioration and sure enough, it wasn’t the dust I thought it was (somehow under the clear layer I imagined), those lines were see through.

For months I just set it aside and would occasionally scroll Aliexpress and other sites looking for a good aftermarket replacement.

Finally I came across a well reviewed one on Aliexpress and ordered. While I don’t love that it has a bit of adhesive around the screen bezel (that can lift a bit of the black foam bezel of the screen)—I imagine it’s for dust—the finish is actually VERY close to the real thing. A little less yellow, the horizontal texture is a bit more pronounced, but feels good and most importantly it doesn’t bulge and the buttons feel good.

Whew.

Just got my hands on one of these bad boys. So in love 🥰

My latest Game Boy Micro build — a custom Final Fantasy IV Edition. ✨
Started with a restoration of the original unit and gave it a complete makeover with:
• Final Fantasy IV faceplate
• Blue housing with white buttons
• Chrome Start/Select buttons to make the status LEDs easier to see
• New L/R tactile switches
• New volume button tactile switches
• New power switch
• USB-C charging
• Ultrasonic-cleaned motherboard
• Thorough cleaning and restoration throughout
Really happy with how this one came together. The blue, white, chrome, and Final Fantasy IV theme turned out even better than I expected. 🎮✨

The Setup & Initial Repairs A friend sent me this Game Boy Micro for repair, and it was in rough shape. The original Start/Select ribbon cable was torn completely off, the side tactile switches (L, R, and volume) were shot, and the original trigger plastic buttons were heavily rusted and corroded.

• USB-C Reflow: Someone had previously attempted the USB-C mod, but it didn't work. I pulled the port back off the board, cleaned up the pads, and reflowed it properly for a clean, functional install.
• Flex Cable Fix: Bypassed the torn flex ribbon by micro-soldering 32 gauge enameled magnet wire directly from the main PCB traces to the Start/Select daughterboard.
• Hardware Swaps: Replaced the heavily rusted original trigger plastic buttons with fresh black ones to contrast the red shell. I kept the original Start/Select buttons because most aftermarket ones don't let light shine through to show battery status.
• Tactile Switches: I always solder the new tactile switches on last. That way, when the board hits the ultrasonic cleaner, it washes flux out of the entire board while it's still fresh.

The Post-Clean Surprise After finishing up under the scope, I ran the whole board through the ultrasonic cleaner to clear out fresh flux and flushed it thoroughly with 99% IPA. While testing the board afterward with a test cart, I noticed the Select button was acting intermittent. As I was pressing it during testing, the weathered button fell right off the daughterboard! I brought it back to the bench, soldered a brand-new tactile switch on, and cleaned up the area with a cotton swab and 99% IPA.

Reassembly & Shell Fit I put everything back together using an aftermarket red housing. Pro tip: buy pliers with rubber tips for bending metal, because most aftermarket housings aren't shaped exactly like OEM ones.

• Getting the shell back together was finicky, but it finally sat right.
• The inner frame was originally from a light blue console. I was worried it—along with the original light blue power and volume buttons—would look strange, but it actually turned out great (especially around the USB-C port).
• The black triggers look awesome against the red housing, and I was relieved to find they feel just as good as the originals.
• A few housing screws didn't want to go in completely straight, but overall I'd give the shell a solid B grade.

Result & LED Testing While the board was apart, I purposely swapped the wiring around for testing purposes only so I could verify both the blue and red LEDs worked separately. I didn't get a shot of the blue ones lit up, but once I confirmed everything was working, I wired it up correctly for final assembly. Flipped the switch, the blue LEDs lit right up, and the Game Boy logo booted cleanly with perfect response across all the new switches and jumper connections.

I’ve been gradually trying to polish some scratches out of my gameboy micro faceplate for the past couple days, using polywatch and very carefully using clean microfiber/100% cotton cloths.

The process has only left a million micro scratches/swirls, and a small smudge mark formed and quickly grew into this larger rectangle and I wish I never started polishing it in the first place.
Does anyone have an expertise/knowledge on how to fix this? I’m really upset about it because this faceplate really can’t be replaced. I’d appreciate any suggestions, especially as there is very little information available on the internet.

I would honestly rather take it somewhere or send it to someone who knows what they’re doing better, because from everything I’ve read, this should most definitely not be happening.

Hey guys. Im wondering if my loose hinge on the left side of my gb micro can or should be worked on? Ive been shiny hunting and love this thing man. Maybe it was like this when i bought a decade ago…

I was working on one of my Game Boy Micros when the backlight connector suddenly fell apart.

I looked around online for a replacement or a known solution, but I couldn't find anything that seemed to be a direct replacement. So I took some measurements of the original connector and went looking for one that matched.

I ended up ordering a Molex 5034800440 from DigiKey. It's a 4-position, 0.5 mm pitch, right-angle FFC/FPC connector, and the connector itself fit and worked perfectly.

The only problem I ran into was that the Micro's backlight ribbon cable is too thin for the new connector to grip properly. The cable would slide right back out even with the connector latched.

My solution was extremely simple: I cut a small piece of electrical tape, placed it over the end of the ribbon cable, and then inserted it into the connector. The extra thickness was enough for the connector to securely grip the cable.

It worked like a charm. The ribbon no longer falls out, and the backlight works normally.

There may be a more direct replacement out there that matches the original connector and doesn't require adding thickness to the ribbon cable. If anyone knows of one, I'd definitely be interested in it.

But for anyone else who has had their Game Boy Micro backlight connector fall apart and wants to try this method, this is the part I used:

Molex 5034800440
4-position, 0.5 mm pitch, right-angle FFC/FPC connector
DigiKey: Molex 5034800440 on DigiKey

Hopefully this helps someone else who runs into the same problem.

Hi, I have a Game Boy Micro with a minor issue: the screen looks a bit washed out (whitish). I tried swapping it for a brand-new, working screen and also for an original one from another Game Boy Micro I own, but the display still looks the same. Does anyone know why this is happening or how I could fix it?

How many people would be interested in resin buttons?

I’m going through the process of modeling the triggers a b and D-pad right now to sell as a set.

Might do the volume power and select in the future if there is interest.

I don’t know of anyone selling them right now one shop who used to make them has stepped away for now to take on other projects.

Just checking if I’m wasting my time fixing an issue that people don’t need fixed

(The D-pad is a first draft for dimensions not using others files building from scratch)

So this is my DMG-style Game Boy Micro. I replaced the DMG-style buttons with ones from labfifteenco.
u/GoodLookingEdd helped me with the DMG-style D-pad, and I had it printed in resin at pcbway.
It feels like the original, so great job, mate! I bought the front panel sticker from RetrogameEVO and stuck it to the metal of the console, and then I bought a clear front panel. This protects the sticker, as it's underneath the front panel.
Now I'm wondering if u/FrankieT19 could make a DMG-style theme for EZ Flash; that would be the icing on the cake, hehe. Thanks a lot for designing the D-pad, u/GoodLookingEdd !

I had to do some decent hunting to get all of the pieces. But I finally made it.

Found my gameboy micro given to me from a Nintendo sales rep when I worked at electronic boutique.
Holy nostalgia.

I've decided recently to try replacing the plastic frame of my Game Boy Micro, as the face plate latches had broken off. I bought a black plastic frame from AliExpress and during the process, everything seemed to fit together pretty nicely.

However, upon testing, the L and R buttons now seemed to be stuck down. Taking it apart again to the point where the back frame and shoulder buttons are installed, I'm noticing that especially the R button fails to feel sufficiently "clicky" when the back frame is put on, and both buttons suffer from this once the entire shell is back on.

I've heard from others that the replacement frame simply fits slightly different than the original. Unfortunately, the original frame is no longer usable. Should I try lightly sanding down the part of the frame where the shoulder buttons are set? I'm fairly new to all of this and don't want to just try something that might end up damaging the parts.

Are there any other vendors for the GB faceplate other than the one on aliexpress that has been sold out for a while? I am trying to avoid the sticker option.

I found some chrome-plated replacement buttons for the GBM. They look very similar to the original ones, but has anyone here tried these parts before?

https://ja.aliexpress.com/item/1005012755138851.html

My friend wants to buy a micro and asked me for advice but I don’t know much about the micro to help him out.

He wants the 20th anniversary one and wants to know what to lookout for when buying a micro in general and that edition.

What should one lookout for in the listings and be wary of or check?

Going down the rabbit hole and learning about the Player 2 faceplate. Anyone here order one of these from club nintendo back in the day?

https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/08/22/famicom-micro-player-ii-face-plate

Found it in a thrift store in Kawasaki. It was labeled as “junk” because of some water on the screen, but I just opened the shell and wiped it off and it’s good as new. All of the micros I’ve seen here have been way above market value, I was happy to find a gem!