If you had to give one life-changing tip, what would it be?
Be nice. Don’t be an Arse.
Have a great day 👍
Atari Lynx 2 handheld games console
Meet Mikey, and Suzy! Well it’s actually an Atari Lynx II from 1991. Mikey and Suzy were the names given to components within the console. Anyway it doesn’t work, so let’s try to breathe some life into it.
What the listing stated:
The product is an Atari Lynx 2 handheld console, originating from Japan. It is a spare or repair item, as it is not in working condition. The package does not include a charger. This vintage gaming device, released by Atari, offers portability and gaming capabilities. Ideal for collectors or enthusiasts looking to fix or restore a piece of gaming history.
EBay
It’s a faulty item, one of many I have been chasing over the last few months, however their resale prices even when faulty, can command some quite hefty prices. I’ve managed to purchase this one at £65:00GBP and that is a price I am content with, as some of the recent ones I have seen went for a higher price even with parts missing or body damage. Cosmetically this one appears to be in a good condition with everything intact. However, the actual fault has not been declared, just that it is faulty and not working. I will have to do a little fault finding to pinpoint the issue, though I suspect initially that a full capacitor change will be the order of the day.
I want this to be part of my personal collection, alongside the Lynx 1 that I also have.
Here’s a little bit of information regarding this unit:
The Atari Lynx II, released in 1991, is the sleeker, redesigned version of Atari’s pioneering 16-bit handheld color console. It addressed original flaws by offering improved battery life, a backlit LCD, and stereo sound, while retaining impressive hardware features like hardware sprite scaling and a unique “lefty” flip mode.
Key Features and Design
The Lynx II packed advanced technology for its time, including several highly unique design choices:
The Display: It features a vibrant 3.5-inch color LCD. Unlike the original, the Lynx II included an option to toggle the backlight off to save battery.
Left-Handed Mode: Because of its symmetrical control layout, the entire system can be flipped 180 degrees. The internal software features a “flip” button to invert the screen, converting it into a truly left-handed console.
Vertical Gameplay: Some games, such as Qix, are designed to be played holding the system vertically like a book, taking advantage of its unique design architecture.
Comlink Play: It supports up to eight players for local multiplayer over “ComLynx” cables.
Hardware & Power Specs
Processor: 16-bit custom CMOS chip (nicknamed “Mikey”) running at 16 MHz.
Graphics: Custom graphics chip (nicknamed “Suzy”) featuring hardware sprite scaling, zooming, and distortion.
Battery Life: Runs on 6 AA batteries, which deliver about 4-5 hours of gameplay with the backlight on. Due to this high power consumption, an AC adapter was a common necessity.
Courtesy t’internet
So, without any further suppositions as to what’s wrong with it, let’s just await its arrival to carry out a full assessment.
Assessment:
I believe that to do a proper test on these units you have to have a game cartridge installed, this is my first issue, I don’t have any cartridges so I have had to purchase the cheapest one I could find for testing purposes. I’ve managed to pick one up for £11:00GBP and to be honest that isn’t too bad. It may well be the worst game they ever produced, who knows? But it will be fine for testing purposes.
Well, we still wait. Two weeks down the line and only the game cartridge has arrived. Not much I can say about that apart from it looks ok.
If the game doesn’t function there is not a great deal I can do here. As you can see it’s just a wafer thin plastic plug with no user access available. About the only thing you can do is clean the contacts.
We just need the console to arrive now……
And it’s arrived and to be quite honest it is in a good condition cosmetically, and for an item that’s now 35 years old it has been well looked after. No need to put any batteries in as there are already a fresh set in there, I have checked their voltages and they are fine. 6 x AA batteries turning out around 9 volts, the units requirement.
As I have previously stated, without a game cartridge installed the unit does not turn on. When a game is installed and the unit is turned on, I get an audible short “click” and the back light of the screen comes on, I get nothing else and am unable to get any sound or adjustment on either the volume or screen contrast dials.
It’s looking very much like either a screen issue, or an issue related to the failed capacitors on the main board. There is one particular capacitor “C41” that controls the main power board that is notorious for failing. I will check this initially to see how it is fairing, if it is ok I will make my way through the board checking other components as well as looking for other points of known failure such as weak solder joints.
Repair:
Firstly, let’s get into the unit, and this requires the removal of five screws in total.
The back should then lift off. Carefully remove the two screen ribbon cables, the power jack and the speaker jack and the whole of the main should just lift out.
A word of warning here. The power side of the board has a number of points that if touched will give you a nasty jolt of many hundreds of volts, a very quick and potent shock and you will certainly know what’s happened. Be very careful handling anything in this area, especially around the capacitors, and always make sure you bleed the power once the power source has been removed. If you are working live in this area, please be very careful. It’s amazing that just 9 volts of injected power can create such high voltages. You have been warned!
I’m going to order a full replacement capacitor kit, for an item of this age it’s probably a wise investment if you want the unit to be around for a good few years yet, even if the caps are not at issue they would probably need doing in the end anyway. The capacitor kit in its entirety (number of caps*) costs £9:80GBP and that’s a really reasonable price to pay to ensure the units usage can continue for many years to come.
The capacitor kit has arrived and there are 24 included. I think there are only 20 to replace (I could be wrong) so I may have a few left over.
I’ve started by removing the most prominent known capacitor that falls and that is C41. It’s a 10v 470uF value and has a tolerance of +\- 20%. So in Theory this capacitor has a value that can fluctuate between 376 and 564 micro farad, and the one on this board is registering 514uF. In theory it is still working, however it’s gradually creeping closer to to the limits of its tolerance.
And to be honest, that was pretty much the same result with the other 19 I replaced. All were within their tolerance but at the higher end. The problem here is not capacitor related, however it’s always a wise move to replace them, before they finally go bad and cause other issues.
The recap has been successful, however I know it’s not going to make a difference, and putting it back on power confirms this. There is no difference to what I was experiencing when I first tested the unit.
Annoying though this is, it is a job that needed doing and I’m now going to have to focus my attention elsewhere. I’ve checked the polarity of all the capacitors and I’m confident they are installed correctly and in the right positions. There are a few tests and checks to yet carry out, I’ll just have to do a bit of investigating to take this repair further.
These boards and their components such as the main chips and ram were developed to work with a power of 5 volts. However the problem here is that the supply via batteries or via an external power supply is 9 volts. Here lies the issue. On these units the power suppression part of the circuit, those components that filter and lower the voltage from 9v to 5v were known to fail, and when they did they failed quite spectacularly. With no protection built in to stop a surge of power, if some did fail, the full 9v would be supplied to most sensitive components rendering them beyond useless, and non repairable unless you have another donor board. Worst case scenario here is that the main CPUs of which there are two, could both be dead. In which case I may have purchased an expensive paperweight! But hey, let’s not go there just yet as there are a number of things we can do to check.
Next thing I have been doing is testing voltages around the board, and they are a little erratic to say the least. It is pointing towards the power board having its usual known issues. I’ve bypassed the power circuit to run a pure 5v through capacitor C14, same outcome here, this disappointed me as I was hopeful the game would kick in, it’s looking more like one of the chips have blown, the further I investigate.
I have done a bit more testing around the power components and I have definitely found an issue with a diode D13, it’s letting power through in both directions and this is not right. I suspect there are more affected components in this area so I’m just going to go ahead and purchase a complete pack of replacement components for those known and prone to fail, on the power circuit. This will cost me £6:79GBP, another cost to add to this project.
I’m not hopeful though. Current testing results are all pointing to something more terminal. We will persevere for the short term though.
The parts required for the power board refresh have arrived.
And they are minute in size. Installing these components is going to require a lot of patience and concentration.
The company that sell this power board refresh kit in the UK is ZedLabz.com and this is what their accompanying paperwork states:
Within this kit you will find a replacement Mosfet, two transistors, a resistor and two zenner diodes of different mounting types.
Part locations:
Q11 – Mosfet
Q4 & Q13 – Transistors
ZD1 – Zenner diode (two mounting types included)
R56 – Resistor 30ohm
This parts kit can be used on an Atari Lynx 1 or 2 handheld. One surface mount SMD and one axial through hole zenner diode are included, making it suited to both Atari Lynx 1 & 2, you can choose which type of diode you want to fit.
The kit also includes a resistor which can help with some models to push up the voltage enough to get it stable.
The parts we supply in this kit are from Major distrbutors only ensuring they are genuine.
Console dissasembly and internal soldering required.
ZedLabz.com
No kidding there! It should really say some soldering of components slightly smaller than a grain of rice is required. Let’s stop the whining and just get on with it.
I have replaced all of the five components that needed to be replaced, I’m really quite pleased with the job I have done considering just how tiny these components are, my soldering skills appear to have improved somewhat as a year or so ago I wouldn’t have even attempted such a job. That’s the positive.
But now the negative.
It’s Dead, very dead.
There is still no improvement despite pretty much an entire rebuild of the circuit. I have checked all voltages and they are in the right place showing the correct values. It’s been recapped, the power board has been rebuilt, all solder joints have been checked and ribbon cable connections have all been reflowed.
Result:
My conclusion that the previous owner was well aware of the issues, they probably contributed to the problem and the unit has been sold on as “spares and repair only”. I have failed to pay attention to the old Latin saying “Caveat Emptor” or buyer beware.
The situation is this. A new LCD screen can be purchased to drag the unit into the 21st century, but there is no point when we have no sound and vision being produced. The problem here is that the 9v power supply has already been able to get to the delicate parts of the circuitry where only 5v should be in attendance. I am 99.9% certain that the ram chips as well as the two logic chips “Mikey & Suzy” have long departed. And there lies the problem. The two logic chips are as rare as hens teeth and are pretty much only available when transplanted from a donor unit. The unit is basically dead, it’s just a paperweight.
I will put the unit into storage until a later date, when I have done a lot more research and who knows I may even find a suitable donor board to transplant those two logic chips.
For now the project is on hold. I don’t like writing of failures as many hours of work over many weeks has been dedicated to this project. You can’t win them all though, and some you just have to step away from a project to get a fresh aspect on it. Having this log of activity is fantastic for me though as it will now become the reference for where I go next.
It’s a learning curve, that’s for sure.
When I come back to the project I will obviously link to this post.
Thanks for passing by. It’s always very much appreciated.
Dewalt DW087 Self-Levelling Cross Line Laser
Just picked up a badly damaged Dewalt laser levelling unit. Old and damaged, can I bring it back to being useful again? I can only try.
What the listing stated:
think the batteries melted in the chamber. does not work at all.
EBay
Straight to the point, the words “severely knackered” I think, would probably be a more appropriate quote, however I must be patient and await its arrival.
When working and from new, these little laser levelling units retailed for approximately £175:00GBP. However they are of the older red laser model and new units use a green laser, so the older red laser version is now out of production, but still well sought after on second hand markets where it can still command prices in the £50-60:00GBP range. I’ve paid the princely sum of £6:00GBP for this one, so I’m very happy with that. If I can get it working it will go into my own tool kit for use.
Here’s a little about this unit:
A new DeWalt DW087 (or the DW087K kit) generally retails for around £178 to £185. However, because this specific model is an older red-beam line laser, used or refurbished units are widely available across secondary markets, typically ranging from £50 to £80 depending on condition.
The DeWalt DW087 (often sold as the DW087K) is a self-leveling cross-line red laser. It projects bright horizontal and vertical lines with an accuracy of ±0.3 mm/m and features an indoor visibility range of up to 15 meters. Powered by 3 AA batteries, it includes a built-in magnetic pivot bracket for quick metal mounting.
So. Basically it used by tradesmen and women to set up a visual laser projection around an area. Just think about putting up kitchen cabinets or worktops, and you’ve probably witnessed one of these in action. The one I have purchased sounds as if it is in a pretty poor condition, the lack of pictures showing the battery area speaks volumes and is probably hiding a crime scene, however I’ll just have to wait and see.
Assessment:
It has arrived. It’s as expected, looks like it’s been around a few building sites and most definitely does not work. The good thing is that the description of the batteries melting in the chamber was not so, in all truth it appears they have corroded the contacts a little, and one point of contact required to complete the circuitry appears to be broken.
It’s dirty no doubt about that, but it can always be cleaned.
There is a missing contact as highlighted in red, in the picture above. This connects with the battery contacts in the battery lid. When a circuit is made the level will work. There is a small piece of metal strip at the base of this hole, the remnants of the contact that should be there. I have managed to get the unit working by temporarily putting a small spring in here to bridge the contact. This will have to be replaced or repaired though.
Repair:
The first thing to do is to get the unit disassembled, and that is surprisingly easier than I thought. Four screws later and the body can be pulled apart. Another two screws removes the battery flap. Easy.
There are a couple of rubber gaskets that fit in between the two parts to ensure an airtight seal and to stop the ingress of dirt. I have given the lenses a clean with a camera lens cloth, I have cleaned both inside and out of the window and given a good blow through with some compressed air. I have used a multimeter on the power led in diode mode just to check that it is operational, and it is. There is nothing else needing attention within the internals.
Turning my attention to the battery chamber and battery lid I give both a thorough clean, the negative terminals in the battery chamber are cleaned with an IPA solution to improve their appearance, the whole chamber is cleaned in the same manner and is looking good.
There was a collection of what appeared to be iron filings where the battery lid joins the body, and this is because on the opposite of this point, there is one of two strong magnets that keep the lasers level. Holding the unit over a bin and lifting the magnet out ensured a nice little rainfall of iron filings into the bin and not all over my workspace. With the magnet now replaced I gave this same area a further good clean with IPA.
The battery lid has been left to bathe in a dish of white vinegar to help remove the remainder of the tarnishing to the battery contacts attached to it. It’s worked ok, a final tidy with a grinding pen has brought this up well, looking a lot better than it previously looked.
I now need to look at that broken contact.
The wiring for the contact has been hot glued into place on the reverse of the battery chamber. I used some IPA to loosen the old glue and that allows me to remove the remainder of the broken contact. The top part missing from the inside of the chamber has long gone. I will have to fabricate a replacement myself. The wiring you see above was also hot glued to a plug on the main circuit board. Again, an application of IPA softened the glue and I was able to remove the plug from the circuit board to be able to work freely on the battery chamber. When the work is complete I will re glue both these items back into place prior to reassembly.
I’ve formed a small contact out of a piece of pliable metal to use in the device.
It fits nicely and is cut in such a way that it won’t push through into the chamber when a slight pressure is applied. I’ve hot glued both surfaces that I had removed glue from in the first place to gain access. Now the unit is being reassembled they’ve been glued just as they were previously.
Now the unit is back in one piece it’s now time to reattach the battery chamber lid, and in time honoured tradition, I’ve daubed my nick name on the lid, as this will now go into my toolbox in my garage.
Now all that is left to do is switch it on.
And it works just fine….
Let’s now just give it a practical clean, it’s a working item for rugged situations so it isn’t going to look “Shop” new. But it will be an awful lot cleaner.
Result:
A tool that originally retailed for £175:00GBP and available on the auction sites, in good working order of between £60-£90:00GBP was purchased, non operational for the grand total of £6:00GBP. If that isn’t a bargain then I don’t know what is.
For little more than a couple of hours work I now have a valuable practical item to add to my toolbox because someone else just couldn’t be bothered to spend the time on it to get it working. Lucky me.
Definitely another item saved from landfill, with a new lease of life that should go on for many more years yet.
I’m very happy with it, this was a pleasure to work on.
Many thanks for passing by, as always it is very much appreciated.
Burying our heads in the sand
History shouldn’t be cancelled. It should be used as a tool of learning, and ensuring atrocities are not repeated.
If you could erase one trend from history, what would it be?
Easy. That would be the modern trend of trying to erase history and pretending it never happened. I never thought that in my lifetime I’d ever witness people deliberately burying their heads as depicted by old time cartoons.
But hey brother, that day is already with us, and it is happening.
It’s true that there are horrific, disgusting dehumanising aspects of history that we would have all preferred not to hear of or witness, and humans are responsible for creating all of those words listed above, throughout the timeline of history. Life is about learning, learning of other’s mistakes and wrong doing and making things better, ensuring such atrocities never occur again.
Yes, we learn from history, we can correct what went wrong, ensure that others learn and do the same, pass the learnings on and ensure we are all aware of the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately there are a few who are a bit behind us at the moment and need to play catch up. There is always that underbelly of society who just don’t get it, their heads are already well and truly buried.
Don’t erase history. It happened, it can’t be hidden and we should all learn from it. Mankind has erred throughout history, we should learn from those mistakes, and ensure it never happens again.
It’s how a civilised society develops. Erasing what has happened in the past is pure ignorance, and is totally irresponsible.
But for some, it’s just easier to bury their heads. Out of sight, out of mind. That attitude will never work, but they will sure give it a go!
Be careful out there, stay safe 👍
Add a sprinkling of common sense
A prompt from Wordpress that pretty much answers its own question. If only common sense could be a lesson.
Do you think we’re shaped more by our experiences or by who we are?
Experience defines a person and their relative behaviours and beliefs, so the choices in the prompt above are both closely related.
Who you are, how you appear to others is a result of experiences that have shaped you throughout your life.
You live and learn. That’s how it has always been.
Now, if only common sense could be taught, wouldn’t that be nice?
Have a great weekend all.
Owl be back – hoot hoot
I’d want to be an Owl, what a “Hoot” it would be……I’ll get my coat
If you had to be an animal for a week, which one would you be and why?
I’d probably like to be an Owl, just like the big fellah “Elvis” in the picture above. A great grey owl I had the pleasure of meeting a few weeks ago on a falconry day that was purchased for me as a birthday gift.
Sleep all day (that would be nice 👌) awake all night (pretty much standard for me) and exceptionally good hearing (another sense that I am truly blessed with, just as well as everyone else in the family are as deaf as posts 😂)
Silent hunters, lone operators and super senses, they are just a wonderful creation to set your eyes upon.
Who wouldn’t want to be an Owl.
Have a “Hoot” of a day 👍
Oi! Nosey
Sometimes Wordpress drop some really banal prompts to answer. Most I don’t bother with, I think you can see I’m now a tad miffed by it all. Simple answers are all that’s needed. No explanation necessary.
What’s one habit that has improved your life the most?
Easy really and quite simple.
Minding my own business
Stay safe. Don’t be nosey 👍
MONOPOLY ELECTRONIC HANDHELD GAME
A dead Monopoly electronic handheld game from 1999. Can we resurrect rich Uncle Moneybags?
What the listing stated:
The Vintage Monopoly Electronic Handheld Game from Hasbro (1999) is a classic electronic game that allows players to enjoy the iconic Monopoly game on the go. With its handheld design, this game is suitable for players aged 4 years and above, making it a fun and engaging activity for children and adults alike. Although untested, this nostalgic piece of gaming history is sure to bring hours of entertainment to anyone who enjoys the challenge of a good game of Monopoly.
EBay.
The good old EBay get out of jail free card (How appropriate 😂) of untested. This item takes three AA type batteries, just what does it take to pop three battery in and turn on the unit. Why am I so sceptical about this item? I just have a feeling that it’s going to be riddled with issues and I bet one of them involves battery acid.
But, miracles do some times occur, so let’s just await its arrival so I can carry out a full assessment, in the meantime here is a little bit about this game.
The 1999 Hasbro Monopoly Handheld game is a classic electronic version of the board game designed for solo or multi-player action. It features computer-controlled opponents, a virtual LCD board, and an interactive narrator (Rich Uncle Pennybags) who guides you through buying, trading, and auctioning properties.
Gameplay Features
The 1999 handheld faithfully recreated the full experience of the classic board game in a portable format. Key highlights include:
- Computer Opponents: Play against up to 3 to 5 distinct, computer-controlled characters (like Diamond Jim or Greedy Granny), all of which operate at different skill levels.
- Full Board Mechanics: You can buy, sell, mortgage, trade, and even auction off properties.
- Audio & Visuals: Features a custom LCD display, physical buttons for menu inputs, and fun real-sound effects.
- Power Requirements: The unit typically requires 3 AA batteries to operate.
T’internet
Assessment:
Well, my suspicions in this case are correct. It has arrived and for a unit that is now 27 years old I must admit that cosmetically it is in a good looking condition, with all labels intact, minimal marking on the screen, and all buttons appear to be clicking. All body screws are present and do not appear to have been tampered with at anytime.
But hold on, what’s that I can see through the speaker grill on the front?
I open the battery company and as I previously thought there are signs of battery contamination.
Bugger. Ok I’ll put three batteries in but I’m pretty sure I know the outcome. Yep, it doesn’t power on. The unit is dead.
An untested unit. It’s taken me 30 seconds to test and confirm the issue. Wouldn’t have hurt to be honest and to have done the same would it?
I paid £7:90GBP for this unit, it was probably the least expensive of all those available at the time, I guess I can’t complain really, I just detest people’s deliberate dishonesty. Ok, whinge over let’s open up the unit to delve a little deeper.
I open the case and can breath a slight sigh of relief. Yes there are obvious signs of battery contamination, but not as bad as previously thought. As I had seen signs of contamination in the external speaker grill, I’d thought the insides were rotten. In fact the contamination in the speaker grill was only a few grains of contamination that had broken away from the battery compartment.
The wires near to the worst points of contamination in the battery compartment were pretty much rotted and covered in old battery acid. One jumper that would complete the continuity of the battery/power flow had rotted off and one of the very thin speaker cables was also broken.
Repair:
I’ve given the mainboard a good clean with IPA and set about removing all the battery connectors from the battery box.
I’ve reattached the jumper cable with some fresh wire, I’ve trimmed the rotted wires down to some good unaffected wire and reattached these to the new battery connectors. The speaker wires are freshly soldered back into place.
With everything now connected up I put three batteries in to place and can instantly hear the computers electronic voice welcoming me to Monopoly, Rich Uncle Moneybags lives again.
Time to reassemble the unit.
So the issue was here was the result of battery contamination. Four battery contacts, and one wire, were all that were additionally required along with a lot of cleaning and some re soldering to secure some weak connections. It’s now a complete working unit.
Result:
As usual, this would have been a prime target for the tip as it’s just one of those disposable units we have created as the wonderful guardians of this little planet we reside upon. It’s taken probably about 30 minutes of time to repair (and about the same to clean internally) to bring this unit back to life. A good polish externally and it’s now ready to be put back into use.
And my chief tester for these type of items is my wife who absolutely adores the game of Monopoly.
The only real issue with these units is that they never came with an on/off switch. You had to put the batteries in and then remove them when you were finished, this is very strange. However when you read up on line you can see that many people have made modifications to put volume controls (even though there is a three press button version built in) and on/off switches on the unit. I will probably put a switch in myself when I come across a suitable one to use.
In the meantime we now have a working unit, the wife gives it her nod of approval and that’s good for me.
A simple repair, very little outlay and only a little time was all that was required to save another item from landfill. Wouldn’t it be good if we could all take the time to repair rather than dispose.
Thanks for passing by, as always it’s always very much appreciated.
Sega Mega Drive AT Games Portable Arcade Gamer
From 2008 this is an AT Games, Sega Megadrive portable games unit. It’s an emulator console that has seen better days. It needs a lot of attention. Let’s see what we can do.
What the listing stated:
I can’t get the device to power on. This is possibly just due to corrosion (and one snapped spring) in the battery compartment. Someone more adept at fixing things may be able to bring it back to life but unfortunately I can’t so listing it as spare/repairs/faulty.
EBay
I sure as heck wasn’t going to pay the old price advertised when the previous owner obtained this from Cash converters.
Let’s just say I paid considerably less than the price tag on the rear of the unit.
These handhelds were sold as emulation devices usually preloaded with games, between 20-80 games were the norm, I believe this is a 30 game option, if the information that is left of the previous price tag is to be believed. They were originally sold within the UK by the national retailer – Argos, and it originally retailed at a price of £29:99GBP.
A little about these units:
The AtGames Arcade Gamer Portable is a licensed, handheld “console-on-a-chip” manufactured around 2008. Despite the common inclusion of “Mega Drive” in some regional retail listings, it explicitly emulates Sega Master System (8-bit) and Sega Game Gear games rather than 16-bit Mega Drive/Genesis titles.
Game Library: Features 30 pre-loaded games. Notable titles include Sonic Triple Trouble, Sonic Chaos, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Golden Axe, Ristar, and Tails Adventures.
Hardware Limitations: It relies entirely on emulation software and lacks a traditional cartridge slot. The d-pad and face buttons feature a modern 6-button layout, despite the underlying 8-bit games only requiring two active buttons.
Audio & Video: Uses a built-in mono speaker and a bright 2.4″ color LCD screen. It can plug into standard TVs via an AV output port, but it does not support modern HDMI connections directly.
So here we have an unhealthy unit from 2008 requiring quite a bit of work, if it can even be repaired at all. It may just be too badly damaged to have a successful outcome.
Why am I wasting time on what was a relatively inexpensive item in the first place? And there lies the crux of the issue, in our throw away society this is the attitude we’ve all come to expect and to live by. It’s not a good attitude, there are probably millions if not billions of similar items world wide that have suffered the same fate, “it’s knackered, just chuck it and we’ll get another”. It’s a bad attitude that we need to step aside from. If I can at least reverse the attitude of one person and get them to explore the possibility of a fix to preserve an item and to save it going to waste, then I’ve achieved my goal. That’s why I’m wasting time on it.
Let’s await its arrival though, so I can carry out a full assessment.
Assessment:
It’s arrived. It’s looking a tad tatty as expected, and those battery terminals are totally corroded. I’m not going to put any power into it at this point as I know there will be no response. I just hope the corrosion doesn’t go much deeper. This is all rust, not battery acid.
We’ve got to get the case separated so that we can review the surprises inside that I suspect are waiting for me.
Repair:
With the cases separated the extent of the damage can be seen. The rust has also completely damaged the two terminals on the main board.
My main concern here is that directly below the terminals is the screen. I’m hoping the source of the problem hasn’t gone any further.
And luckily the terminals are where the rust issue ends.
Ok, first thing I do is remove the rusted battery terminals from the battery compartment and then give the internal shell a thorough clean. I then install fresh terminals and add a couple of jumper wires as I don’t have and double type battery contacts. This is more than sufficient.
Next I need to get the two terminals off of the board, I use a soldering iron for this, and as I’m going to produce a little heat in the area I mask the area between the battery contacts and the screen with a little Kapton tape to give some protection, I could have removed the screen completely at this point, but as I was using the iron and not hot air I didn’t class it as necessary.
However, as I removed the two terminals, it became obvious that I would have to remove the screen as the old terminals took the connector pads with them and damaged some of the traces. I was going to have to carry out a more complex repair.
The contacts had to be fastened from the rear of the board, so for this reason it was good that the screen was removed. The screen is quite delicate and is secured to the board with a ribbon cable that had to be detached, and double sided pads that had to be manipulated to release the screen from the board.
I did some testing with the multimeter and there was a good contact on the earth side. However the positive side was dead, no response. Closer examination of the board under the microscope showed that the trace between the positive terminal and a nearby Via point, shows that the trace had also been removed severing continuity. Using a grinding pen on the appropriate Via, allowed me to expose some copper, I was then able to use some flux and apply the tiniest dab of solder. The next stage was to utilise some trace repair wire, only 0.10mm thick. This is like trying to solder a piece of hair, it really is that thin. I was able to connect the wire from the base of the positive terminal to the via and testing proved that the continuity had been restored.
I tidied this area up by adding a touch of UV curable solder mask, to protect that very thin wire from corrosion or being caught while re assembling. It cures in just over a minute under a small UV light and becomes quite solid. It’s good for this purpose.
So now that all continuity on both the negative and positive sides has been restored, I just connect the battery chamber for a quick test before reassembling it all.
And it works.
We have sound and we have vision. All that is needed now is to fully assemble the case to see if all the buttons and connectors are working as well.
Result:
And they are. A quick test shows that all buttons and connectors are in a perfectly good working order, a quick polish and this unit is looking good.
Really pleased with this repair, it was in a very sorry state of repair. However a little persistence and time and I have brought this little unit back to life.
I can understand the seller wanting to dispose of it and I suspect if it hadn’t of sold it would be on its way to landfill. I’ve prevented that and it’s a small win for me as this game will now go on to be used for a few more years to come.
A good result, a good repair and a happy me. Who could ask for more.
Many thanks for passing by. It’s always very much appreciated.
My First Meshtastic build
I recently wrote about a decentralised radio network called Meshtastic. Here I attempt to build my first Mesh node using a kit, and by also printing a 3d case.
I recently posted an article regarding a low power decentralised radio network that you can read about here: Meshtastic
That post was an introduction to the mode, this post is my first attempt to assemble and program the equipment, and to try to create a presence on the Meshtastic network.
I’ve dived in and purchased a basic starter kit, the Heltec V3, and a separate GPS module, it’s my intention to install the GPS module once i get this up and working. The whole kit you see in the picture below is available in the UK and cost me a total of £34:19GBP. Other kits are available for a lower cost if you are prepared to await the delivery from China, however with my impatience on overdrive at the moment I just had to go ahead and buy it. That said i don’t think it’s too bad a price to pay for its combined parts.
Preempting the kits arrival, I’ve downloaded a case from Makerworld by a designer called: @gux2K3 that I’ve uploaded to my 3D printer, it’s a basic case, but this purchased kit should fit it perfectly. It might not be sufficient for when I get the GPS module, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I have purchased the separate GPS module, and I will have to do some soldering to get this working. It will not fit in this case as I have already stated, so that upgrade will be saved for a later post.
I want a basic slightly different colour scheme for my case, and below you can see a combination of pictures showing the original print plans and what the final piece looked like. It’s a three piece case, and I had to print this case on three different runs to get the different colours.
The finished case has been assembled I now just need to await the arrival of the kit for its installation.
For those of you who haven’t referred back to my original post, here’s a very brief description of what Meshtastic is all about, there are also other choices and platforms to operate with using Meshcore and Reticulum as examples, so here goes….
Meshtastic is an open-source project that allows you to build decentralized, off-grid text messaging and GPS tracking networks using small, inexpensive LoRa radios. Operating on license-free frequencies, devices link together as a “mesh,” automatically passing messages from node to node without relying on cell towers or the internet. In the Uk Meshtastic operates on the 868Mhz band.
Because they are walkie-talkie style text networks, they don’t support voice or video, but they are fantastic for hiking, emergency preparedness, or team coordination.
Other Off-Grid Mesh Options:
If Meshtastic doesn’t quite fit your use case, there are several alternative protocols and ecosystems built on the same underlying LoRa radio technology:
- MeshCore: A rapidly growing alternative. While Meshtastic acts as an “ad-hoc” network where every device handles forwarding, MeshCore allows administrators to set specific device roles like stationary repeaters or personal companion radios. This reduces network congestion, making it highly reliable for structured urban networks and tactical operations.
- Reticulum: A highly advanced, open-source stack built for extreme conditions and censorship resistance. It is more modular than Meshtastic and supports multiple types of underlying hardware (not just LoRa), but it has a much steeper learning curve.
- GoTenna: A commercial, plug-and-play solution. Unlike the DIY nature of Meshtastic, GoTenna pairs pre-built, proprietary hardware directly with your smartphone app. It’s easier for beginners but lacks the massive community, range expandability, and customization of open-source projects.
- Amateur (Ham) Radio / APRS: If you are willing to get a license, Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS) operates on designated VHF/UHF frequencies. It allows you to send text messages and GPS beacons over vast distances using commercial handheld radios (like those from Kenwood or Yaesu) via established infrastructure rather than a localized mesh.
Assembly:
Ok. This isn’t that difficult and should be quite straightforward. The thing to remember is that the antenna MUST be attached to the board before power is applied. This is because the unit turns on and starts sending a signal as soon as power is applied, and without the antenna attached these units are renowned for burning out components for such a basically overlooked and simple step in the assembly process.
The whole thing is clicked together in about 5mins flat, the one task that takes the longest is the fastening of the aerial into the case. If you have sausage fingers like me, it can take a little time and a few attempts to ensure you get the screws set up correctly to ensure you don’t double thread the item. Here’s some pictures from unboxing to full assembly.
Once assembled the next thing to do is to flash the board with the correct operating software from the Meshtastic website. I’m not going to go into much detail with this as there are many good instructional videos out there that already have this covered, here’s one that I used to get me started:
I’ve been using this node for around two weeks now, just testing its capabilities and seeing what the life span of the battery is. Here where I am in my part of the East Midlands, take up and usage at the moment is quite poor and in fact there is only one other node near me in use, and that one is being used infrequently to say the least. So for me, it’s just a waiting game to see if any other nodes appear as word gets out about the system, and basically if any is interested.
I have only made one contact within that time, a node that is about a mile away, and that’s it. There are so few nodes in my area, I believe i am only the third within a two mile range, and one of those is an unmonitored unit. but at least its a contact and proves the unit is working. It’s early days around here and a better mesh needs to be implemented. I’m sure in time as word gets about, and if anyone is interested that things will improve.
The thing of interest about this method of communication is that it’s purely off grid. Should every other form of communication cease for whatever reason then this is looked upon as an alternative for local “Meshed” communication. It’s a bit of a tin foil hat system in my personal view, I’m sure if someone in a position of power or tyranny wanted to shut the system down I’m sure that they could without too much trouble. It’s a good experimental system in keeping with similar practices that the Amateur radio network adhere to, however this system does not require licensing and is free for anyone to experiment with. And that’s the interesting part.
With the battery charged, and the system active my first “listening” session shows the following:
Here is where things become weird, and it’s the point that you realise that others are already stepping away from the true local message usage that was intended to try and make the system a longer range one incorporating the internet as a form of transportation for messages. This makes me scratch my head as surely the internet would be one of the first modes of communication to go down if there was some catastrophic event that took out traditional modes of communication? However, there is this mode that can be accessed called MQTT:
MQTT is a lightweight, publish–subscribe, machine-to-machine network protocol for message queueing/message queuing services. It is designed for connections with remote locations that have devices with resource constraints or limited network bandwidth, such as in the Internet of things (IoT). It must run over a transport protocol that provides ordered, lossless, bi-directional connections—typically, TCP/IP.[1] It is an open OASIS standard and an ISO recommendation (ISO/IEC 20922).
Wikipedia
Anyway, I had this setup, and I’ve now disabled it to ensure two things, that the system is true to its original intentions, and also to get a true idea of battery life using the most basic of setups.
Some things I have noted within the last two weeks are that if you are not in possession of a system with a GPS module, you then have to setup your node with a fixed location. This is absolutely no issue if your node is going to remain in a fixed position. However if you wish to take a node with you and move around, and let’s say you are 200 miles away from home, unless you go into your computer and reset the fixed location then you will always be 200 miles away from home but still showing as being “At home” hence giving false location information and giving anyone local to your new position false hope on them suddenly picking up a very strong signal over a long distance. Pretty much unheard of and impossible considering the power limitations of this system.
So one thing I will now do is attach the GPS module I mentioned towards the top of this post, to get accurate location information whilst mobile. There is a caveat here in that the power drain will be excessive for this battery and the GPS will greatly reduce its capacity.
Currently, with this node sitting in an upstairs bedroom window I am easily getting 24-36hrs from a single charge. Add to that a battery power bank I have with a solar charging capability I’m pretty much getting an almost endless period of usage. Weather has not been what I’d call particularly sunny recently, so I’d suspect capability would be much improved during summer months. I’ll just have to see how well this setup can work with the GPS system installed.
The current case I am using does not have room in it to facilitate the GPS board and antenna. For this purpose I have had to print a new case to house the unit in, and this is the barebones case pictured alongside the original case.
The old case will not be wasted. I intend to use that as a permanent fixed home base that I can use for testing the mobile one, and for building my own personal mesh system at home. The good thing with this system is that as well having public broadcast channels, you can also setup personal private channels for family and friends.
So let’s get the GPS setup.
The GPS board comes as a two part package. One part is the actual main board whilst the other part is the antenna on its own small board with a wire to attach it to the main board.
Here is where the fun begins as we are going to have to do some soldering of this unit to the actual main “radio” board.
In a nutshell this little video explains exactly what you have to do.
I’ve had to solder 4 wires that connect the main board to the GPS unit. These are only temporary at this moment, as I need to be able to sit all components comfortably within the casing. I may have to add a switch, however I’m exploring other options at the moment. I’ll get to the reason why in a short while.
The four wires connect power, a ground, a receive pin and a transmit pin, there may yet be a fifth wire, I’m exploring that option as stated above.
So does this work? I’ve charged the battery up to 100%, I’ve made some changes to the settings within the operating system and have turned the unit on. These system fires up and then a separate blue light on the GPS board flashes indicating that there is power to the GPS board.
And then there is confirmation of 10 satellites being tracked, a height asl, and a longitude and latitude bearing, all seem to be working. But how accurate is the GPS reading? I put these readings into Google maps and the result is spot on. In the picture below the blue dot represents my phone location, and the red dot represents the GPS coordinates from the GPS module. Working perfectly👌. All smiley faces are just disguising the readings, much that I appreciate your reading of my shenanigans, I don’t have enough tea cups to welcome you all in 😂
Previously prior to the addition of the GPS module I did state that I was easily getting 24-36hrs of life out of this battery on a single charge. That is going to change quite significantly as the GPS module is a super power hungry beast. I’ve currently set the GPS module to transmit its position once every hour. To be honest I could probably transmit once every 8-12 hours as i am currently in a fixed position and not moving. If I were in a car, I might even look at transmitting the coordinates every two minutes as this appears to be the default setting for a mobile node, and that would certainly drain the battery in no time. It would probably be best practice in this situation to have the unit running on power as the car is moving.
But I’m sticking with the hourly setting at present, just to do a basic drain test. This battery was on a 100% charge setting at 21:30hrs this evening as you can see in the photo above, I want to see if it will still have power 12hrs from now. No doubt power will deplete a lot quicker with the GPS module in place.
Depending on the results, this will help me decide if an extra wire or component or even both is needed within the circuit, and the reason for this is to be able to disable the GPS signal when not required. This modification in its simplest form can be as simple as putting a switch in the 3v supply wire, or by including a MOSFET (an electronic signal switch) into the circuit to allow the main board to automatically turn the GPS on and off via settings built into the software. I’ll make my decision when i see the results after I rise in the morning, and also depending on having the required components somewhere within my spares boxes.
About 7am the following morning (Approx 10hrs after setup) the power level is sitting at a comfortable 50%. The last GPS broadcast was at 02:37 in the e morning, I don’t know why this was as it’s set at a one hour cycle, I’m not complaining, maybe it didn’t have a successful signal to lock on to? Who knows. I have to take my wife out on an errand at about 07:30 so I’m going to put the GPS signal to a two minute cycle, put the bare bones set up on the parcel shelf of the car and just see if it works.
And it has worked perfectly.
In the GPS log above you can see how it has performed. The received data at 02:37 in the morning was the last on the hourly cycle, and then at 07:08 was the first of the two minute cycle prior to me switching it back onto a one hour cycle again at 07:46. I’m now going to leave it alone until we reach the 12hr mark and I’ll see how this small trial has gone during this period.
We’ve reached the 12hr post, and the power level is 45%. So over the 12 hr monitoring period with the GPS on a one hour cycle we have used 55% of the battery capacity.
If you look at this log of the diagnostics over this period you will see a gradual decrease in battery capacity (Blue line) with the only noticeable disturbance being when I turned the GPS to a two minute cycle at 07:08 this morning when I had to take my wife out.
Overall it’s a pleasing result but I’d suspect even with a low usage of the GPS module I’d probably only be able to get 18hrs of usage maximum from a single charge using the GPS on a one hourly cycle. Using the 2 min cycle I’d probably struggle to get 12 hrs of use from a charge, maybe even less, compared to the normal battery life of 24-36hrs without the GPS module you can see that the difference in power consumption that is involved. As I have said previously the GPS is quite a power hungry addition.
But do you know what? The figures are pretty good to be honest. If I use the unit at home I will reduce the GPS signal to probably one cycle every 3-6hrs. If I’m out mobile I very much doubt I will be driving more than a few hrs maximum, so I can always switch cycle rates as required.
So. Do I need to add another cable or that MOSFET discussed earlier? Probably not, it’s not essential but sometimes it may be advisable or recommended to maintain anonymity so a switching system would benefit in those situations.
For the meantime I’ve just thrown the bare bones unit into its case with no proper spacing, as I’m going to take the unit out again today on a slightly longer journey for a family gathering. It will be good to see how it performs and to see if we can get any noticeable contacts in an area other than my home location. You never know that Meshtastic may have a greater following or uptake in that area.
And the journey out to the family gathering registered just fine. I’m confident and happy that the GPS addition has been successful.
And guess what. There are even fewer nodes in use to make contact with here. I am, or appear to be the only one, it’s a lonely pastime at the moment.
The journey back home was fine and again the GPS worked as it should. Now to get the GPS power management installed, I’ve decided to go with the “N” type MOSFET option, I’ll get this installed, tidy up the wiring and get the case placement sorted. I’ll then just reflash the software to remove any glitches and then I will rename this node as my mobile option – (MeltonFoxMob – MEFM). I’m then going to get myself a second node to build and install, probably a solar node, that will become my permanent home installation node.
I’ve just purchased a couple of N type AO3400a Mosfets as I don’t have any in my spares box. Putting this in circuit will allow me a greater control of the power consumption via the units firmware.
It’s been tested over approximately 6 weeks now and to be quite honest, I’m not that impressed. There has been one single contact over that period, however the vehicle tracking option is ok (ish) there are some questions about the system turning itself off about half way in to a longish journey, but that could be down to me not having the MOSFET in place.
I personally think it’s a fad thing until it really takes off. I will keep my mobile unit and possibly a home unit in place to see just what happens. There is only one node working in my immediate area and I’m not even sure if that is monitored in any way.
These kind of systems have to start somewhere and they just need a few more people to pop on board and spread the word. If I turn mine off then it’s another potential possibility for the advancement of the technology that will have disappeared. I’m going to be persistent with it for the foreseeable future and hope others come on board. But at the moment I’m not overly impressed. Things can only get better as they say.
Thanks for passing by. It’s always most appreciated.
Foxes Den 
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