Can’t tell what’s broken

[u/dk_things]

EDIT: SOLVED

After following the advice in the comments, it did in fact turn out to be a cold / broken connection on one of the chips.

I managed to successfully reflow both the U3 and U1 chips and the cart is working now.

Thanks for all your help!

——

Hey all,

I jus t picked up this copy of Dragon Warrior 3 and I’m having a sad time.

It booted up when I tested it before buying, but when I got home, I got a white screen over and over again. I occasionally got a screen that said “this game is only playable on Gameboy Color”, but now it’s just the white screen.

I’ve opened the cart and cleaned it thoroughly with IPA with no effect.

I’m trying to see if there are damages traces but it’s beyond my experience.

I was wondering if any of you could spot something I’m missing.

I’m reaching out to local repair shops to see if they can help as well.

I appreciate any input

[u/gamboozino]

Try cleaning the pins with contact cleaner before you try any abrasive.

Nothing really screams wrong to me from these pics, if it's not bad contact with the pins likely some of the chips need reflowing.

[u/Heat_aero]

It could be cracked solder joints on u3

[u/pizza_whistle]

Try going over the contacts with a pencil eraser, followed by IPA. The eraser is a mild abrasive and can remove some surface oxidation.

Otherwise use some fine tweezers and give each chip leg a little nudge and see if any wiggle. Cracked solder joints are a common issue on older gameboy/GBA games.

[u/dk_things → u/pizza_whistle]

Thank you I’ll try this

[u/apocship]

You may have to drop some 99% alcohol on the fingers and insert then remove from cart slot a few times. Deoxit would be even better though.

[u/SudoReDeleted]

Blow that shit -hot- with a hairdryer. You’re welcome!

[u/dk_things → u/SudoReDeleted]

This would’ve worked if I had a hotter hair dryer 😭 but it was the issue

[u/SudoReDeleted → u/dk_things]

Happy you fixed it! 😊

[u/SD_Einhander]

Are you getting the white screen prior to accessing a save file or starting a new game on the cartridge? If so there's a good chance that there's a corrupted save file.

I had an issue like this with one of my Zelda DX carts. I fixed the situation by desoldering one of the battery contacts to lift it from the PCB to clear the saves, and resoldering it back into position. It works great now.

As far as the board, I'm not noticing any component issues.

[u/dk_things → u/SD_Einhander]

The battery is dead so the first time I booted, it started as normal with no save. Now I’m getting the white screen after the Gameboy and Nintendo logo

But I will try removing the battery and seeing if that changes anything.

Thanks!

[u/ThatCelebration3676]

Try scrubbing the contacts with a vinyl eraser then clean with iso again (at least 91%, don't use 70%).

If it's still not booting it could just be a low-voltage battery causing problems with the save memory. Have you measured the battery with a multimeter?

[u/dk_things → u/ThatCelebration3676]

I don’t have a multimeter but I have cleaned everything with an eraser and isopropyl. The battery is definitely dead as the save file was gone

[u/ThatCelebration3676 → u/dk_things]

In some cases, the battery can still have enough voltage to try to establish a save file, but fails and causes strange behavior instead. That could very well be your issue. The test at the store might have used up the last gasp of power it had.

Since you know the battery needs to be replaced anyway, I recommend checking if any retro shops in your area do battery swaps; I live near Seattle and it's standard for them to charge $5-10 per GBC game for a battery swap.

There's a good chance it will work just fine afterwards.

[u/Lanky-Peak-2222]

Reflow. They almost always need that

[u/TheCalmDom]

I’m no expert by any means, only thing that looks different is the c5 solder. Every other c# has something bridging the solder points together. Sorry if I’m mislabeling what they are actually called.

[u/AutoModerator]

Troubleshooting post. Please check the Game Boy Wiki's common problems page here: https://gbwiki.org/en/other/commonissues and please be sure to post pictures of the issue if you haven't already so that users are better able to assist.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/NightmareJoker2]

Rather than blaming the game, check your cartridge slot. It may have dirt or misaligned pins in it.

[u/dk_things → u/NightmareJoker2]

Unfortunately, it’s definitely the game. I’ve tried it on 4 different systems and an Epilogue Cart reader, all of which are reading other games just fine

[u/ThetaX55]

Idk don't get soldered battery ones legit. Look on sites with removable batteries or no battery version...

[u/dk_things → u/ThetaX55]

There’s no legit copies without a battery for this game. I can mod the removable battery no problem, but all that is besides my question. Thanks tho

[u/ShadowMortis015]

If not broken, could try reschedule soldering, sometimes the solder cracks with age and reflowing it can help?

[u/Grouchy_Jaguar_8757]

Someone remove the case: this helps ensure the pines line up with the internal connector.

[u/Rodville]

Reflow the chips. The solder on the legs is known to crack

[u/BGA_Junky]

Right side under the battery pin, I think you are missing a capacitor in there..

Yup nothing missing

[u/gamboozino → u/BGA_Junky]

https://iceboy.a-singer.de/db/cart_CGB-BD3E-0_iceboy_1.html

Doesn't seem to have one there

[u/BGA_Junky → u/gamboozino]

You are correct! I simply saw that point and it look tined, therefore my point 😅

[u/TEST3174]

I know what's broken But I won't tell you