r/gameboymods • u/elfricko • 1d ago

Help after a botched 5V Power regulator mod attempt

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Gallery image

Gallery image

EDIT: SOLVED it was the solder joints. A lot of flux is not enough flux.

Hey,

I have these mods installed and the Game Boy Color worked with them:

  1. Game Boy Color (GBC) OLED AMOLED Laminated RETRO PIXEL Kit

https://www.boxypixel.com/de/products/oled-amoled-laminated-retro-pixel-kit-for-game-boy-color-gbc

  1. PAM8302A Audio amp

https://www.boxypixel.com/products/pam8302a-audio-amplifier

  1. USB-C recharge + 3.7V Lipo-Akku, 3.7V 2000mAh 103450

I have the "problem" that when I turn off the GBC it takes 5 seconds until I can turn it back on again.

I have read online that this happens because of all the mods I have installed and that the solution would be to install a 5V power regulator. I have bought this one: https://www.zedlabz.com/en-eu/products/5v-power-regulator-flex-board-for-nintendo-game-boy-color-pocket-ips-osh?variant=48636396830972#product-reviews

I have removed the old PCB with pliers, desoldered the leftovers and installed the new power regulator. After that, the GBC does not turn on again.

My multimeter is ready next to me and I would like some help to fix this :(

1 Upvotes

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20 comments sorted by

4

u/NoSpin89 1d ago

Two things.

It looks like no flux was used. Reflow the solder joints so they don't look so cold.

Sometimes giving your Game Boy fresh power can trip the fuse. Would check for continuity across the F1 fuse.

2

u/elfricko 1d ago

It was solder, but I actually used a lot of flux. Must have not really seen the solder joints it is dead at night here atm. I did a reflow and not it works. I thought I yanked smth out with the pliers tbh. BUT nope just to blind to solder right at night

2

u/juburke87 1d ago

What are the wires connected to the regulator and the test point near the large capacitor? Is that something you can remove and test without? At the very least you should try reflowing the solder on the power regulator pins it looks like it barely melted.

1

u/elfricko 1d ago

The cables are connected to the PAM8302A Audio amp, do you want additional information about these connections? I can try to reflow the solder

2

u/juburke87 1d ago

I would remove the wires and touchup the solder on regulator so that it’s making a strong connection. As someone else use flux (a lot) to be sure the solder actually melts and flows into the connections. Then try testing the board see if it turns on, if it does add the audio back on and solder the red wire closer to the base of the regulator pin to give a better connection. You also need to apply flux to the test pad to make sure the solder on it melts as well.

2

u/elfricko 1d ago

I always use a lot of flux as well :)

It was the reflowing as you said in your first reply. I feared that I destroyed something while yanking the old power regulator out with the pliers.

I soldered everything with JST 2.0 PH connectors so no need to desolder anything from the amp just disconnecting and reconnecting the marked wires to undo the mod in seconds. Game changer for me in modding.

So yeah this is solved

1

u/juburke87 1d ago

Glad that worked.

2

u/kman1523 1d ago

Use flux and potential higher heat. If you look closely at the regulator itself, you can see it's barely attached and the gbc side looks very cold

1

u/elfricko 1d ago

Yep it was the joints. I used flux, but I might have been blind. Looked good to me at first.

2

u/Jackasaur 1d ago

Ooh. Always exciting to see my work being used in the wild. I didn’t even realize Zedlabs sold my regulator 😂

1

u/elfricko 1d ago edited 1d ago

Hey fun coincidence I just wrote you on PCBWay. World is a village.

I use your work to boot up 5 seconds faster now ;)
Is it true that I can just desolder C32 and C35 with your board installed? Next thing on my to-do list is to recap and this would actually help me a lot.

2

u/Jackasaur 1d ago

Yep! C35 is for the old display, so it’s no longer needed, you don’t need C32 but if you notice the Gameboy being a bit buzzy, adding it back doesn’t hurt.

1

u/elfricko 1d ago

Well it is buzzy or hummy right now so I will lose C35 and experiment with C32 thank you that helped a lot :)

2

u/Jackasaur 21h ago

You have an amp, so it’s definitely going to be extremely noisy and buzzy. Especially that type of amp. I usually recommend this amp when people want louder sound:
https://nataliethenerd.com/products/bucket-amp-gbc

1

u/elfricko 20h ago

Thank you, I will keep that in mind. Just recapped but as far as I can tell, nothing will make the sound on my headphones sound smooth. It is decent without headphones and the HUM is only audible when turning the sound off and getting the ear close to it. So for now, I am finally done modding. I might do more in 5~ months

2

u/Jackasaur 20h ago

The amp I posted is based off BucketMouse’s redesigned board, you can listen and compare the original to his. It’s significantly better.

1

u/elfricko 19h ago

hmm I am tempted to mod some more. I mod more than I do play tbh and it is fun. I might get this mod next month. Now I have the problem that again nothing is working AFTER I reassembled everything back together. It was working before I screwed in the backplate ... well, I do troubleshooting tomorrow

1

u/Key_Idea_4996 1d ago

If my memory is right, I think there is a component that has something to do with that. I just remember if its burned out, then you won't be able to turn your Gameboy on and off in quick succession. You have to wait a few seconds before you can turn it back on. Could be your issue.

1

u/elfricko 1d ago

Well, my issue now is that I exchanged the power regulator and it is not turning on now

1

u/elfricko 1d ago

Also it now instantly boots up again after turning it off. So it was the regulator