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Topvint

@topvint.co.uk

380 followers 280 following 1.3K posts

Restoring, fixing and otherwise tinkering with game consoles and electronics. #retrogaming I now have an online shop! I sell pre-modded consoles, small mods and send-in services. Find out more at topvint.co.uk

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

All these services you can order in my website if you are interested. Take a look!
topvint.co.uk/product-cate...

Game Gear - Topvint

topvint.co.uk

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

And this is the result. Awesome screen on the go charged by USB C and for hours of fun 😁

Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

Next up, customer wanted a new USB battery mod. The power board itself just fits in place of the old one, but to fit the batteries, you need to remove the battery metal springs as well as make some small modifications to the inside of the battery holder.

Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

The customer also asked to replace the glass lens, which to be fair is very cheap and gives great results

Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

Before placing back the motherboard into the shell, a couple of modifications are required i.e. remove a plastic post and some metal fingers from the shield

Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

Next install the new ribbon. Shoutout to ZedLabz for stocking BennVenn IPS screens in the UK

Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

But the customer wanted their youth console in as good condition as possible. So they asked for an IPS screen install. For that first I had to remove the old screen (and backlight). I have done this a few times, and I find that around 320°C the ribbon just tears off by itself with no pad damage.

Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

Still no sound, so next I recapped the sound board and power board. That fixed the sound. This is as far as you can go by keeping all the stock parts...

Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

I did. Pretty poor picture though, although it is also typical from Game Gears of this age

Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

Console came didn't display any picture or had any sound, but it did turn on. Typical symptom from bad capacitors. Console displayed signs of corrosion but wasn't too bad. I first recapped the main board an checked if the video was back... did it work?

Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 1h

Order #4774

I recapped, installed an IPS screen and a USB battery mod into this #Sega Game Gear that came with no video or audio.

This console doesn't say it but I know you can hear it nevertheless... Segaaaaaaa 😁

Check what I did below 👇

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 16d

Original Xboxes are by far the most popular of my services, with more than twice the sales of the next categories, Mega Drive and PS2.

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 16d

PrometheOS let's us enable RTC use and adjust the time and date. The project page says that it should last 6-10 years 😎 Customer didn't want a new HDD so I installed UIX-Lite in his existent partitioned HDD. Maybe it can hold 2 or 3 games? 🤔😂

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 16d

Now about that battery. It is a Real Time Clock, in the form of an X-RTC mod from Team Resurgent. It also doubles down as a LPC port rebuild. It doesn't come with a way of holding a battery, so I just used a normal battery holder and routed it to the top for easy access

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 16d

Had to deal with the home of some guests that had vacated long time ago (or they are hiding very well!) 🕷️

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 16d

That's right, leaky capacitors. In this case it was causing no power. Sometimes they still work, other times it can create video artifacts or other effects. I see more and more of these now. It is no longer just the clock capacitor folks...

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 16d

But first, can you spot what (other) problem this console has?

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 16d

Order #4677

What? A battery with an modchipped #OGxbox?

Check below 👇 to find out what this is about 😁

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 18d

I heard the Sega CD model 1 is more messy and difficult to service. Hopefully I get to work on one sometime soon! In the meantime, check out my other Sega CD 2 services
topvint.co.uk/product-cate...

Mega-CD 2 - Topvint

topvint.co.uk

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 18d

Memory is now formatted and ready to go. Sonic CD is one of the games with a memory management menu

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 18d

The new memory needs to be formatted. Interestingly to access this menu you need to start the console without a CD, wait for the CD player menu, and then insert a CD so that the options button appears 🤷

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Topvint @topvint.co.uk · 18d

Once we make some space, I remove the chip with hot air and replace with new one. A wire is required to make sure the console doesn't get confused with the bigger-size chip (256KB vs 64). Is possible to bank-switch but we are not doing this here. I also remove the battery

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