Category: gaming

Peter Pan Playthings Master Challenge

What the listing stated:

Embark on a journey down memory lane with the vintage Master Challenge Computer Electronic Quiz Game by Peter Pan. This handheld electronic game offers a test of knowledge and skill, making it a splendid addition to any game’s collection. Ideal for enthusiasts of retro gaming, it provides hours of entertainment as you tackle a variety of questions and challenges.

As a sought-after piece amongst collectors, this game is a testament to the era of classic toys and games. Whether you’re looking to complete your set of electronic games or seeking a unique gift for a vintage game aficionado, the Master Challenge game promises to be a talking point at any gathering. 

This item is sold as spares and repairs as not working. Please send offers or ask any questions. 

EBay

The seller here has obviously used the wonderful AI assistant to write this post as it is so false. The unit is incomplete, it is probably not sought after, as it was not that well received back in the day, and in its current state is probably only fit to be disposed of, also an important part of it is missing. However I’m not for disposing of items such as this and will endeavour to get it back into a working state, it’s just going to take a little time and patience.

I’m missing a fair bit, and it doesn’t work
What my unit looks like
What the unit should look like

Some history:

Peter Pan Playthings Ltd was a British toy company founded in 1963. It bought Salter Science and other assets from the receivers of Thomas Salter Ltd. In 1972 the company reported a £80,000 profit. The following year it was acquired by Berwick Timpo.

The company was sold on to Bluebird Toys in 1987, which continued to use the Peter Pan Playthings brand for several years.

Produced around 1980, the Master Challenge system was licensed from Coleco (Coleco’s Quiz Wiz system), this was released in the U.K. by Peter Pan Playthings. There were 30 different cartridges for Coleco’s version. The unit comes with a question book and the system is used to answer those questions. It is currently unknown how many cartridges were made for the UK version.

T’internet

So for some unknown reason I have purchased this 45yr old piece of retro nonsense because I just can’t keep my bidding finger still. That’ll teach me a lesson. I’ve paid the grand total including postage of £5:69GBP, and I think it is missing the most important part, the book of questions that go with the cartridge, usually attached to the binder that encompasses the unit. It’s also broken, so it needs fixing anyway, and I believe extra cartridges can be purchased, so if I can get it working, and I can obtain further cartridges then no problem. If I can’t, then there is a problem. The battery cover is also missing. I’m a fool, honestly I am.

Whereas the Coleco Wiz system had 30 different cartridges available I believe the Uk version only had the 6 as listed below:

  • 1 – General knowledge
  • 2 – World of sport
  • 3 – Music
  • 4 – The bible
  • 5 – BBC quizzes
  • 6 – BBCs Top of the form

And back in the 1980 these additional cartridges and quiz books could be purchased for £6:99 GBP and 50 pence postage! Quite pricey for the time.

On this particular cartridge or what remains of it are the pre programmed answers to 1001 questions that I’m not in possession of. How novel. I have managed to find a photo on line that has some questions showing on it, these would have been in the original book that would normally be attached to the binder of this unit, so this should be sufficient to at least test the game in its current form.

Some questions to test the unit.

The game works in such a way that you choose a question from the book, you then use the unit to give your answers. If the answer is wrong you hear a corresponding low pitched sound and get a red light. If you are right you hear a high pitch sound and see a green light.

Score sheets in the back of the booklet

So basic in its operation, many thought it was totally pointless back in the day. However this was computerised technology in its earliest and most basic form and was at the dawn of a new era of personal entertainment. It deserves to be preserved.

To cover my apparent foolishness I have found another cartridge that I’m going to purchase to make this unit complete.

These plug in units come in a binder format with the brains of the game situated in an enclosed plastic block on the base of the binder, i suspect it is something along the lines of an integrated circuit. I can’t open this one as it is sealed, however when the old one arrives i will open it up as that one doesn’t have a quiz book with it. It will be good to see just what is inside. This little unit contains all the answers to the 1001 questions that are provided in the attached quiz book that slots into the top of the binder. The number inside the block indicates the quiz book reference.

Challenge quiz book and questions
The “Brains” and the quiz book reference number

The faulty computer unit I am awaiting, then slots into the binder and block by the pins you see in the photo above. The computer then simply has to decide whether your answer choices are right or wrong. And that’s the crux of the game in a nutshell.

Whilst awaiting this broken units arrival, I’ve purchased the additional set of plug in questions seen in the pictures above. This is an additional 1001 questions set, based on all the old BBC quizzes. It’s complete with answer book and the complete surrounding binder. It has arrived ahead of the faulty unit and is in an exceptionally good condition considering its age. None of the mustiness you’d expect from an item that is 45 years old. It must have been stored with great consideration. It’s cost me more than the broken unit, this cost a total of £8:15GBP, so that makes a running total of £13:84. I do have another game cartridge on order that I picked up for another £7:83GBP but I’m quite happy with this. It will be a nice addition to the games box that comes out when the family or guests come around, and everyone loves an old retro style game. It will certainly be a talking point, that’s for sure.

My additional plug in cartridge

Assessment:

I’ve not even received the unit yet and I’m getting a bit ahead of myself wondering just what could be wrong with it. Its operation is so basic, think it could only be one of five things possibly be at fault.

  • Pins that read the cartridge are dirty/damaged
  • Contamination in the battery area
  • Loose wires
  • Faulty switch
  • Cold solder joints

I guess we will just have to await its arrival when we can make an accurate assessment.

The unit has arrived and it’s a tatty looking piece. Dirty, and only the remains of the binder that used to accompany it.

What has arrived

I’ve put in some batteries and there is very dead. There is the occasional buzz when the switch is slowly moved but nothing else. It could be a faulty switch, it could be the contacts. I’m going to have to open it up and get down to board level.

Inside – all posts welded

The problem here is that inside there are no screws attached to the inside support posts. The whole unit has been welded, all plastic posts have had heat applied to moulding the post tops. I’m going to have to break these off and try to re-weld them when we’ve got it all working again….if we can.

In the meantime I’m going to open up the the plug in module that’s attached to what is left of the old binder, i might as well sacrifice that piece as it’s of no use to me and it’s in the name of research.

How the unopened board looks
Board removed front view
Board removed rear view

Now I thought they’d be some kind of integrated circuit in here but there is not. It appears to be just a board with two sets of comb like traces that would appear to just short together in the unit. Makes you wonder if the questions in the book follow some simple kind of algorithm that the unit just adheres to. Maybe every so many questions, they all have the same answer, there must be some simple and basic way that the unit knows the preprogrammed answers. Maybe I’ll find out more when I look inside the actual “Computer” unit.

Repair:

Inside the unit there is not a great deal of components apart from a single IC a capacitor and a number of diodes and resistors.

I’ve used a very fine emery board I borrowed off of my wife (don’t tell her) to try to get in and clean these contacts, as I believe this is what is causing the issue.

All buttons under a sheet of tape

All buttons are under a sheet of tape. I have removed this tape, cleaned all the contacts with IPA and repositioned them and re taped them using Kapton tape. They are a lot cleaner and are clicking nicely.

Button removal
All buttons removed
All cleaned and sealed down with Kapton tape

The contacts where the game cartridge is inserted are quite contaminated so these also have to be cleaned.

Contacts are contaminated

I’ve used an emery board to clean the contacts up on the unit, and when the cartridge is inserted we have a result. The first ten questions I have input have had correct answers only and no duplicates, so it really does really look as if the contacts were contaminated causing some kind of issue with the two parts of the game communicating.

Result:

It’s had a good clean both inside and out and a few of the old items inside replaced and given a new lease of life. The unit is now fully working and can be seen doing so in the little video below.

A little test example

I’ve since purchased a new binder for question set 1, so I now have that along with question set number 5. I’ll keep an eye on the auction sites to see if any of the other sets become available, and who knows I may try to get a full set. Now that would be quite rare I’d imagine.

A nice clean and working unit

I love digging around in these 80s units and just wonder at how basic the technology was back then, it’s just amazingly simple and so well put together. Anyway, this one is now working and good to go for a few more years yet. Saved from landfill we have another successful repair under the belt.

Thanks as usual for popping by. It’s most appreciated.

Systema/Krypton – Horizon computerised travel chess set

What the listing stated:

The item has previously been owned before and unfortunately the batteries were left inside to corrode. When tested the computer part does not work.The pieces are a complete set for playing without the computer. Please see photos.

EBay

Systema Horizon
Computerised
Battery corrosion

The unit looks clean cosmetically, and all the pieces are present. The computer side is not working probably as a result of the corrosion that is present in the battery compartment.

So I’ve paid a grand total of £11:49GBP for this unit which is probably slightly above its value. However it was from the St.Helena Hospice in Colchester, so I do not have an issue with this. In fact if I can get it working it will be donated straight back to a hospice I support here in Leicester – LOROS hospice. So all around, everyone benefits. I don’t play chess so it will not be used by me, I believe this unit was originally released circa 1996, so it is roughly 29 years old.

A really simple video, regarding how this unit works

Not much in the form of instructions online, however I have managed to get hold of some pictures of a quick start guide that should suffice for the moment. I’ll try and get full instructions from somewhere. In the meantime, the video above shows how easy it is to setup and use.

Let’s wait for its arrival to make an assessment.

Assessment:

The item has arrived and cosmetically it’s not too bad. There is some writing ink on the lid, and some staining on the base. but nothing that a good clean wouldn’t see to.

Outside good
Inside bad

Open the battery compartment and all contacts are in serious need of a good clean or replacement. Battery corrosion is bad. All playing pieces are included and that’s always a bonus. I do believe that the issue here is purely to do with the acid corrosion, as when tested with a multimeter there is no continuity through the contacts. If the corrosion hasn’t gone too deep this should not be too much of a problematic repair.

Repair:

Now inside of the unit we can see the extent of the corrosion and thankfully it hasn’t reached the circuit board as the battery compartment sits just to the side of it.

Circuit board has no visible issues
You can see the contamination on the rear of the battery compartment

I’ve disconnected the wires from the battery compartment so i can it take it away and concentrate on removing the contacts and cleaning them, or completely replacing them.

Removal of the contaminated battery contacts

The contacts are in such a poor state and so far beyond recovery that I have decided to replace them all. I need two single and three double AAA size contacts. Luckily I do have plenty of these in my current stock.

Prior to fitting the new contacts I will give the entire battery compartment a good clean with some IPA to remove the residual contamination. I will then dry the unit and just use some furniture polish to buff it all up and make sure it’s as clean as the day it left the factory. Once this is done the new battery contacts can be put in place. I can then re-solder the two internal battery wires back into place.

New contacts installed
Batteries fit ok
Contacts checked to see power is a available

New AAA battery contacts in place I just put in the batteries, to confirm continuity with the multimeter. A good 6.4v indicates this part of the repair is good and that the contacts are all working.

Next I’ve decided to replace the two wires from the battery compartment to the circuit board, as the wires, especially the negative one appears very brittle, probably a combination of age and the battery acid contamination.

Two new power wires

I’ve tidied the wire run up by using some Kapton tape to secure it to the shell so there is no chance of a wire pinch.

Before closing the shell up, I use some hot glue to put the speaker back into place.

A bit of hot glue to secure

Now we can get the last four screws in place to secure everything together.

Then switch on…does it work? You betcha, it does everything that it’s meant to, and even though I don’t really know how to play, I do manage to challenge the computer for a good ten minutes. It’s been a great test run and even though I’m not that clued up it is working how it should and is now back in a perfect working order. I’ve created this little video below.

It’s working

Now just a little spit and polish and we can bring this repair to a close.

Result:

It’s polished up well apart from a bit of age staining on the rear, this makes no difference as it’s only the hidden part of the case and every game related part of the unit looks fantastic and it works just fine.

Good working unit, looking superb

Really pleased with this especially as it’s going straight to our local hospice for them to sell on. It was brought from a hospice, and is going back to another, what better way to generate funds for them. I can’t play chess so this unit is wasted on me. Might as well pass it on to someone who’d appreciate it whilst giving some much needed financial support to a most worthy cause.

Another one saved from landfill. Win win all around.

Thanks for passing by and reading this post. It’s always very much appreciated.

Monty plays scrabble

What the listing stated:

UNTESTED

The product is a vintage Scrabble game titled “Monty Plays Scrabble,” released in 1984. It is a rare find and comes in its original boxed packaging. The game is a portable computer console version of the classic Scrabble game, making it unique and collectible. Please note that the functionality of the game is untested.

EBay

Why did i buy? I don’t know, maybe because its from 1984 and fits my modus operandi. To be truthful i looked at it, saw the wear and tear on it and thought to myself that i can make it look better. It also states it’s a rare find….its not. In good old EBay style its “Untested” which probably means they have put some batteries in, it doesn’t work, so let us use the get out clause of selling it as untested. I could however be very wrong, and just be using unnecessary sarcastic commentary, i suspect it’s very much the latter.

And it has a battery cover. Splendid

Here’s a little history:

Manufactured by Ritam Corp, under licence from J.W Spear and sons PLC 1984

A portable electronic device that plays a competent game of Scrabble. Up to three players may challenge the device. Each player enters one’s own name and subsequently the turn order in which they will play. The players can decide to draw their own tiles or let the device do the randomizing. If the device assigns the tiles, the players may ask the device to suggest a play by using the “Hint” option.

Players keep track of the gameboard using the paper pad provided or use their own gameboard. The device has a LCD readout that is only eight characters by four characters and cannot display the entire board. Players use the arrow keys of the membrane keyboard to scroll around.

All standard Scrabble rules apply. The device will challenge any word played that is not in its 12,000 word vocabulary. The human player is final arbiter however.

The device is powered by four “C” batteries or an AC adapter. Two Advanced Vocabulary Modules were available. Each module added 16,000 words to the machine’s vocabulary to bring the total to 44,000.

Boardgamesgeek.com

And I’m fortunate to have those two advanced vocabulary modules already installed, so this unit has the full vocabulary range of 44000 words. Lucky me. Apparently the unit is able to do 2 million calculations a second, but can take up to 3 minutes to make a move! With a vocabulary built in of 12,000 words that must mean it does a lot of questioning of itself prior to making a decision. I love a computer system that constantly doubts itself, it’s such a human trait.

Anyway, what’s arrived and how does it look. And is it working?

Assessment:

The parcel has arrived and been unpacked.

Fully boxed
All original packaging
The unit in its box
Front of unit
Rear of unit

On taking the unit from the box there is no damage cosmetically, the keyboard is a bit dirty and the silver lettering and edging has worn a little.

Silver lettering and edging worn away

Great news is that the battery contacts are in a perfectly clean condition with no sign of corrosion

Super clean and the two extra vocabulary modules
Batteries added

With no corrosion visible, I put some batteries in. I switch the unit on and it makes sound, great. Looking from directly above it looks as if there is some writing on the screen but this doesn’t become visible until you move to about 60 degrees away, a bit closer to the base of the unit.

When viewed from above
When views at about 60 degrees away

So the pleasing thing is that it works. In general it is in a very good condition, coming with instructions and playing sheets. As always with items such as this from this time period, there is the expected smell of age induced mustiness, and there isn’t a great deal I can do about this. But I do seem to have a working unit that just requires a little maintenance and cleaning.

Repair:

I’ve had a quick clean of the front keypad and it was quite dirty.

Bit dirty just after a very brief clean of the keyboard

I’m not sure but I might open up the unit and give it a proper wash, I’ve got to have a look at the screen inside as I suspect the screen quality might be improved by replacing some old electrolytic capacitors that I suspect may be around that area. I could however be wrong. Let’s get it opened up then.

The board looks really clean on both sides, all capacitors (and there were only three of note) look good.

Front
Rear

I have taken all three capacitors in the immediate screen area off, I’ve measured them out of circuit and they are all within the 10% tolerance of their indicated ratings so in my eyes there is no issues here. They are working fine.

All capacitors tested and within tolerance

On the rear of the board behind the display is a small variable capacitor. I turned this slightly to the left whilst under power and the screen quality has improved sufficiently be able to view the display from a more natural position. It can’t be adjusted any more though so it is now at its limits, probably a result of its age and limits of performance being reached for that particular component.

The variable capacitor
Improved display performance

To be honest I’m satisfied everything inside the unit is fine, and the slight improvement to the display is more than adequate, I’m now going to close the unit back up and will concentrate on the exterior.

I’ve given the exterior a good polish, and then in my art box I have a silver permanent marker that will be great for touching up the worn out lettering and surrounds, so I will use this just to make the unit look a little more aesthetically pleasing.

Silver pen
All lettering retouched
Manufacturers name now visible
Finished unit

And boy has that made it look better

Before
After

Looking good as new, and with that result we can say the repair is complete.

Result:

We now have a good looking fully restored and fully working unit. It looks as good as the day it was sold and still does what it was made to do. The screen is at its limits but should last a good while yet. A smart looking 41 year old unit that has been saved from the scrap heap and will be around for a good time yet.

All clean, look at the restored lettering

Here we have a small video of its basic operation

Easy to operate even without instructions

All in all another satisfying repair, and yet another item saved from landfill. If it’s damaged, 9 times out of ten it can be repaired and reused. We don’t need to be so wasteful.

Thanks for following the repair, it’s always very much appreciated.

Thank you 🙏

R36S (Clone) Handheld games console

What the listing stated:

Item is for spares repair only. Powers on but appears to be stuck on game.

Please view photos for details of listing 

Any questions please message me

EBay

R36S game console. Boxed. Good condition externally

Here’s the info:

Whether you missed out on the gaming golden age of the 2000s or want to introduce your kids to those unforgettable classics, the R36S Retro Handheld Video Game Console supports 15,000 iconic games, making it your gateway to reliving the magic. It’s the perfect way to take a nostalgic trip back and rediscover the joy of childhood favorites.

Revisit your childhood memories with the R36S. Whether you’re rediscovering the excitement of Super Mario, the thrill of Pokémon, or the challenge of Zelda, the R36S brings your favorite games back to life.

Perfect for those who want to experience the magic of the 80s and 90s games all over again.

Equipped with dual joysticks, L/R bumpers, and a vibrant 3.5″ HD IPS display at 640×480 resolution, the R36S Retro Handheld Video Game Console delivers precise control over gameplay mechanics and stunning visual clarity. Enjoy enhanced color accuracy and fine details for a gaming experience that perfectly blends nostalgia with modern innovation.

r36s.co.uk

I’ve managed to secure this item for an all in price of £16:25GBP and thats including the postage. The seller had a number of these selling, I suspect they are customer returns as they still have screen protection, they are in original boxes with stickers on them, and that makes me suspect they are returns.

I think I may have paid over the odds for this unit.

The fact that as soon as this batch were purchased, another set had taken their place on the selling platform confirms this. On the r36s.co.uk site, these consoles retail at around £65:00GBP, you can get similar items from other Chinese outlets that are considerably cheaper. This is an emulator unit that runs via the Linux operating system, and is supplied ready installed with around 15,000 games already on the unit utilising a number of gaming system platforms. As the operating system is open source, you can also add additional games should you wish to do so. The one I have purchased is stuck on just the one particular game i believe. I think I have some work to do.

I very much suspect the issues with this unit lays solely with the software and are not in anyway hardware related. I could however be very wrong. My knowledge on these systems is very limited so I’m going to be very reliant on information and tutorials that i can find on line.

And i may as well download some operating instructions prior to its arrival, just to be a step ahead and furnished with the most basic knowledge of its operation, maybe then i won’t come across as a totally clueless clown.

Assessment:

It’s arrived and cosmetically it’s fine. It just doesn’t work. It doesn’t even do what is stated in the listing. More EBay untruths.

Looks nice. Just doesn’t work

Powers on, charges ok and that’s about it. Box looks nice. Finding it hard to talk of anything else positive. Oh, and it’s not an original it’s a clone machine… cheapo copy. Any way, let’s have a look at getting it to work.

Repair:

So first thing was to download a new OS for the unit, unzip it, and download it to the removable sd card, easier said than done. I think I’ve probably lost all the games that were installed, but without a system to run it all, what’s the point. I can always download games later, I have however backed up a number of files as suggested so let’s just wait and see.

Trying to prepare the new volumes on the drive

The first operating system downloaded did not work, because now I’ve been informed that this machine is one of many clones out there, it’s not original. Lovely. Not a problem, we can still get another operating system, it’s just going to take a bit more of my time to do so, and god knows how long it will take to download the games. This is the biggest pain in the ass with these systems, the sourcing of the programs to ensure the system runs smoothly.

But it will be repaired. And I’m in no rush. I’m off out for a while.

I have had to download an alternative operating system ArKos_K36_v2.0 to my computer. It then has to be run through a disc imager programme to prepare the disc and install the correct partitions and system information, onto the micro SD card used by the unit.

That all done, time to plug the card into the unit and see if it turns on.

Hallelujah! It works.

The operating system successfully installed

Having to format the original card obviously erased all the games that were originally on the card. There were around 15000 games on this unit, but let’s be honest most of them would have been games that were either inferior, similar to others, or just used to bloat the card out. I’m now in a position where I can be choosy about the games I load on the system, and this will allow me to not have it so cluttered.

This is where it gets a little more tricky.

There are a number of people and sites I have spoken with or looked to, to find out the information required to carry out these tasks. And for someone who hasn’t messed about with computer and program files and structures for many a year it is quite daunting to say the least.

I have downloaded a file that is recommended and contains many of the 15000 games originally on the card but with a lot of the bloatware removed to make it a more structurally pleasing and easier to handle package. It’s called the Tiny best set go package and is downloaded from GitHub.

These games are broken down into Rom packages and have to be removed from the download and placed into the easyrom folder on your operating system, it’s a little more complex that that but that is the crux of the task. I won’t go into finite detail as it will bore your asses off and there is plenty of information on how to do it already out there.

I will recommend this one guy as having a superb little site regarding hand held consoles such as this and their issues: Handheld database

Anyway the task has been completed. I’m probably not going to get involved with such time consuming repairs as this again. It’s been a learning curve, but just too time consuming for me. I’ll leave these issues for the younger generation.

Result:

It works. It’s been saved from landfill and there is no better outcome than that. To be honest it’s unbelievable that so many games and so much information can be held on such a small memory card.

Space invaders….im now content

In general the game quality is really good, only let down sometimes by the way that the emulator software interprets the program in question. There is more than enough on here to keep anyone occupied during some downtime. There are many classic old school games on here that will also keep the old farts like me amused as well.

Overall it’s been a tough repair, I pretty much knew from the start what the issue would be and went into this repair totally blinkered. I have learned a lot from it, but will I be working on these again? I doubt it unless one of the younger members wants one then I might have another go. But until then it’s job done, another bit of throwaway hardware saved from the scrap heap.

Edit: I couldn’t keep away could i? I found a chap local to me who works on these units, and he has kindly offered to assist me if I should ever need anything clearing up. Well I couldn’t resist that offer and in two emails he has shown me just how to get these games downloaded, it’s simple when you know how.

19939 games now. Blimey.

So simple that rather than download a few games I’ve gone a tad over the top and now have 19939 of them. That should see me right beyond my natural existence and into the afterlife. What a lovely fellow. There are still lots of nice and helpful souls around.

Success.

Thanks for passing by, it’s always appreciated.

Nintendo Gameboy Printer

What the listing stated:

Listing for a FAULTY Nintendo Gameboy printer unit.

The printer is FAULTY, it has a lot of battery leakage in the battery compartment, so doesn’t currently power up. Some of the terminals look like they should clean up pretty well, but i cannot guarantee. 

As it doesn’t power up, i haven’t been able to test it. So can’t guarantee thats the only issue.

The casing has some discolouration, marks and other imperfections here and there.

I haven’t attempted any repairs and cannot guarantee it is fixable. 

SOLD AS FAULTY/spares/repairs.

EBay

Here are the supplied pictures:

Serious yellowing, good candidate for Retrobrighting
Some serious battery leakage contamination

I think I’ve got my work cut out with this one. It’s another piece of unloved technology from 1998 looking for a new life. I’ve paid a total of £19:89GBP including postage for this item, probably at the higher end of what I’m comfortable with for an item in this condition. It has some serious corrosion issues that could go a lot deeper than just the battery contacts. There is a definite issue with discolouration, however I’m happy with that as it will be my guinea pig for my first attempt at retrobrighting, this process i discussed in this post a few days back: Retr0bright – What’s that then?

My plan of attack for this unit is to completely dismantle it, give it a thorough clean, retrobright the casing and then attend to the electrical / component issues.

Here’s some history about the printer unit:

The Game Boy Printer, known as the Pocket Printer in Japan, is a thermal printer accessory released by Nintendo in 1998 which ceased production in early 2003. The Game Boy Printer is compatible with all the Game Boy systems except the Game Boy Micro and is designed to be used in conjunction with the Game Boy Camera. It also prints images from compatible late-generation Game Boy and Game Boy Color games. It runs on six AA batteries and uses a proprietary 38mm wide thermal paper with adhesive backing, originally sold in white, red, yellow and blue colors. In Japan, a bright yellow Pokémon version of the Game Boy Printer was released, featuring a feed button in the style of a Poké Ball.

Wikipedia

If I manage to get this into a working state it will be added to my GameBoy collection.

I just need a suitable lead to connect between the console and the printer, and a small roll of 38mm wide thermal paper. I’m currently sourcing these.

Assessment:

Well it certainly has the yellowing issues and I will cover that in a separate post where I will have my first attempt at Retrobrighting the unit. With batteries in place, the unit is very dead and no matter how many times the switch is operated, it remains dead. Battery terminals are a mess and there is a lot of evidence of battery leakage and corrosion.

Serious yellowing over the years visible at all angles
Serious corrosion across battery terminals

The board inside hasn’t been that badly affected by the corrosion, however one track from the battery terminal was showing signs of decay and will need attention. There are parts of the board that will need reflowing as there are some dodgy looking solder joints.

The main board
Motor removed
Signs of corrosion by the battery terminal

I’m happy that all the issues have been identified and I do actually have the items to carry out the repair. I will focus on the external issues such as the yellowing before dealing with the contacts and main board issues. Stay with me now, the repair begins.

Repair:

The Retrobrighting process for the shell assembly can be found in a separate post here: First attempt at Retrobrighting.

Wow

Needless to say the results are fantastic and I shall look at incorporating this method into more of my future projects. I have since given the case a second treatment and it is pretty much perfect with no sign of discolouration.

As you can see in the pictures above, the battery compartment suffered from some severe acid contamination. Using a grinding pen and a lot of cleaning solution, three of the five contacts were saved but two were beyond repair and I had to replace these with new contacts.

Replaced contacts
Grinded and cleaned.
Battery contacts were so poor only three of the five could be saved with the other two requiring new replacements

I then loaded the battery compartment with new batteries and then checked the two terminal ends to assure continuity, this was confirmed and continuity exists throughout. As a result the battery issues and power supply have now been resolved.

I mentioned that one of the tracks on the main board was showing signs of corrosion. I filed this down, cleaned it, and then brushed the board down with IPA and checked the continuity and this was fine. All suspect solder joints have also been reflowed, they are all looking good and new.

Track issue in the top left area by the battery contact. All corrosion ground off and cleaned with IPA
Area of concern highlighted on the left side picture. All attended to and cleaned and recoated with some solder mask to prevent any further decay

I had previously removed the motor from the board to assist with cleaning, as i didn’t wish to damage any of the ribbon cables. I then reconnected the cleaned and freshly repaired board, to the restored battery compartment to see if anything lit up. It sure did.

We have a light

This was pleasing as it now showed that we had continuity from the battery compartment to the board. I then added the motor back in and we also had some movement.

Movement restored

This again was very pleasing as everything we have done so far seems to be working. However it proves nothing yet until I can get the correct cable and some correct sized thermal paper to see that it actually does print, or even advance the paper. Those items are being sourced, and I don’t want to jump ahead of myself just yet as there could still be a number of yet to be addressed issues that may arise. It’s very much a fingers crossed period until we can test the unit properly.

Let’s clean all the other plastics whilst we await all the other items to be attended to.

All washed and drying out

Now we will commence reassembly.

Before
After with light visible
All restored, working and looking pristine

Now all assembled the motor moves into position when turned on, the feed button also works. The paper rolls for these units are at the moment extortionate and selling for about £10GBP for the tiniest of rolls, and I’m not paying that. I have a thermal printer at home and I have cut some of this paper to size to test the transport, and this works just fine. Just awaiting the cable to connect the GameBoy to the printer. Fingers still firmly crossed.

Result:

I’ve just found out that if you hold the feed button whilst turning on the unit you get a test message. I’ve done this and I’m pleased to say the unit is fully working.

It’s working perfectly

I’ve also connected it to my game boy and the game – Pokemon pinball, and was able to print off the high scores. It truly works.

High scores

I’m just so pleased how this project has gone. It has been a complete refurbishment, clean, and I have even managed to reuse the original stickers. The unit looks pristine and really is a nice piece of kit. This goes into my GameBoy collection and has many more years of good use left in it.

Clean and tidy
Total refurbishment

And to think this would have probably ended up in landfill. Scandalous. The cost of repair to me has been less than £2GBP and the majority of that was for the peroxide solution to do the Retrobrighting.

Great result. Very happy with this.

I can now uncross those fingers. All is fine.

Thanks for passing by, as always most appreciated.

First attempt at Retrobrighting

I’m currently deep into a repair project that I will be posting about on here shortly. However the shell of this project has aged so badly it has earned the right to be my Guinea pig for my first attempt at Retrobrighting, it deserves a separate post of its own, so it’s getting one. I have explained what Retrobrighting is in a previous post: Retr0bright – What’s that then?

The unit is a recently purchased and damaged Nintendo Gameboy printer from around 1998, it isn’t working and looks right ugly. It needs some attention to its fascia and battery base, so let’s get on to it.

Top
Side
Rear
Side
The unit has not aged well and looks awful with this discolouration

I have taken the entire unit apart, separated the parts that need to be treated, removed all labels, and given the offending items a thorough wash in detergent before drying them off.

All stickers and other items removed. Shell thoroughly washed.

Next I’m just putting a 40 Volume 12% Peroxide cream solution into a small bowl, and I will then place the shells on a piece of cling film where I will liberally coat the offending items, using a brush, with the solution. When I’m happy with how this has gone, the treated surfaces will then be wrapped in cling film and placed in a sunny position for around 12hrs to allow the sun to do its thing. (UV lamps are sufficient if you have one available). I must reiterate it is important to wear protective gloves and eye protection when using this solution.

I’ve given a good coating of peroxide formula to all surfaces, but is it enough? I won’t know for at least a further 10-12 hrs, time will tell.

All wrapped and ready for some Sun ☀️

With the peroxide now applied, the fascia’s are now all wrapped in cling film and ready for 10-12 hrs or so of intense sunbathing. (Sounds just like me on one of our visits to Cyprus!). So let’s wait a while.

Patience

I’ve checked in and looked at the pieces outside, and after just 4hrs the results so far look amazing. I’m going to give it the full time though, so I’ll be back in around 6-8 hrs to check results. Hopefully we will have sufficient sunlight until then.

I’ve terminated the process at 9hrs as I have to go out and I’m impatient. Boy am I impressed at how it has turned out, it looks like a new shell.

Wow I’m impressed

Well I can honestly say that this treatment does work. I’m so impressed at the outcome, I just wish I’d attempted it earlier on some of my other products.

Before & After – Impressive improvement

Anything I’d do differently? I’d probably slap on a little more solution or maybe even reapply about half way through the process, the only reason for this is that there is the most minute tiny tinge of a yellowing on the side that had the heaviest contamination, possibly if I hadn’t been so impatient and left it for 3 more hours it would have been sorted, but then again it might not have! I do think a further application at the halfway point, especially when an item is so heavily stained as this unit was, would have done the job and made it look even more perfect.

Am I coming across as disappointed? Well I can assure you I am not. It’s my first attempt and I am so impressed. The total outlay for this process was £1:85GBP and that was just for the 75ml bottle of peroxide from a local supermarket, and I have enough left for another 3 applications, an absolute bargain. We only learn and improve from being persistent, and I’ve already learnt from what I have attempted today. And i am already a better, and more knowledgeable person than I was only a few hours earlier. You certainly can teach an old dog new tricks.

Edit: some 12hrs later I have decided to give a second treatment to see if this can improve on that slight yellowing I mentioned earlier. The results have greatly improved the look and there is now no visible sign of yellowing. I’d certainly recommend a second treatment for heavily stained items. It works, extremely well.

Watch out for my next post regarding the repair of this printer and its reconstruction: Nintendo Gameboy printer

Thanks for passing by. Always appreciated

Nintendo Light boy

What the listing stated:

Doesn’t light up when batteries inserted

EBay

Straight to the point. I think it doesn’t work. 🤷‍♂️

The original Light Boy

My original Light boy, for the Nintendo Game boy

Ive got a Game boy, I love it. However the biggest issue has always been as soon as it goes dark you’re stuffed. As the screen was never back lit you either had to tape a torch to your head or sit under a bright light. The Nintendo Light Boy went a little way to eliminating the need for the torch by incorporating a light and a magnifier within a unit that connected to the console.

This one doesn’t work though, which is good for this blog. I paid a good price of £14:95GBP considering original ones like this are selling between £40-£90GBP. There are cheaper alternatives, but hey, why?

Shouldn’t be the hardest fix I’ve ever attempted, but it will be a great addition to my Game Boy collection.

Assessment:

The unit has arrived and is in a very good cosmetic condition with only a few slight scuffs and marks that should polish out. Two AA batteries have been put in and switched on and true to the description in the sale, it doesn’t illuminate. Glass lens is in good condition and the screen folds as it should.

Looks tidy, just light not working
Some small marks. Nothing too bad or permanent

Repair:

This is a really simple circuit to be honest. Two batteries, two lights and a switch. That’s about it. The screen pivots and on here there are two teeth that make a contact with two small plates on the main unit when the screen is at 90 degrees to the console. When the switch is on, the lights should illuminate at this angle, and when closed contact will be lost and the lights extinguish.

Teeth on the screen hinge
Teeth connection with plate turning on lights.

When I put batteries in there was a very dim intermittent flicker, aha I thought, dirty contacts and they sure were.

I cleaned the switch and the contacts using some IPA and removed a fair amount of old dirt from the contacts. The switch was operated 30 or 40 times to really get to anything that was deep in the switch, and this worked.

A good clean with IPA was all that was needed.

Batteries back in and unit at the correct angle, switch to the on position, and hey presto we have a constant uninterrupted supply of light.

We have light. It’s working.

The little marks and scuffs on the shell were all removed with a little cleaning solution. This item is now in a perfect state of repair and looking right handsome!

Result:

This is undoubtedly the easiest repair I have had yet but I’m not complaining. It always amazes me about the sellers on these platforms. I purchased this as spares and repairs damaged, when there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, well at least it only required a tiny bit of maintenance. They could have done this themselves and easily have charged a price at least three times what I paid for this unit. Fools 😂

All assembled
Working as intended
All assembled, cleaned and working

Anyway their loss is my gain as they say, I now have a perfectly good item in perfect working order and now looking as good as new. And all it needed was a clean and some TLC.

Sometimes it all goes so well. Today is one of those days.

Thanks for passing by. It is always most appreciated.

Retr0bright – What’s that then?

It’s a process used to restore old Yellowed plastic back to its original state. Or at least it’s a way to try to. Read on and I’ll explain.

(Here is my understanding of the ABS plastic Yellowing process. There may be slight inaccuracies for which i apologise. Please do your own research on the subject. Further enquiries may be needed to satisfy your curious minds!)

Anyone who has any dealings with items built in the 80s/90s such as me will have come across an issue, especially related to anything built with ABS Plastic, and that would be the common phenomena of “Yellowing”.

If you own a game console or toy with white ABS there is the good chance that all or at least some of it will have turned a shade of yellow,

ABS plastic – otherwise technically known by its scientific name of “Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene” is a thermoplastic polymer. This means that it becomes pliable at an elevated temperature and solidifies on cooling. ABS was a flame retardant material that was regularly used as a casing for computers, gaming consoles and similar items just in case they were to overheat and catch fire. It was also used in Lego bricks for some reason, god knows how these were meant to catch fire though!

The yellowing issue lay with a chemical used in the manufacturing process called Bromine. When exposed to UV light or excessive heat this caused the photo oxidation of polymers within the chemical to break polymer chains causing the plastic to yellow and become brittle.

Come on then, tell us what retrobrighting is..

Retrobright or retr0brite as it is stylised by the guys who discovered the process, is an approach to removing yellowing from these ABS plastics, a kind of bleaching process if you like. The original recipe for Rerobright was discovered purely by chance by the CBM Museum at Wuppertal in Germany in March of 2008. I’m not going to go into the finite detail in this post, however you can read all about it here at the original Retr0brite project site: The Retr0brite Project.

The process can be a little hit and miss, however there are a lot of documented cases of it working very well. There is a downside that the yellowing can overtime return, as this process only really whitens the surface problem whilst those old polymers are still breaking down deep inside the plastic where this treatment doesn’t reach.

Before and after effects of this process. Pictures copyright The Retr0bight project

The process

I’m only going to touch on the process here, there are many other detailed explanations available on line, that explain the process far better than i could, here is one for example from the “How to Geek” site. How to clean old yellowed plastic on retro computers and game systems.

I will explain the process briefly below, but in no way do i accept responsibility for the way you approach the process. That is down to you entirely and i suggest you read up deeply on the subject prior to attempting this process. You have been warned!

What you need

  • The offending piece of plastic
  • Clingfilm
  • Paint brush or suitable application brush
  • Protective gloves
  • Eye protection
  • 40 volume oxidising cream (Hydrogen peroxide, salon hairdresser strength.
  • Sunshine (Hard to find here in the UK) or a UV lamp

For starters make sure the item you want to brighten is clean. Make sure you have eye protection and gloves on as the peroxide can cause skin burns and the last place you want it is in your eyes, believe me.

Lay down some cling film. Place your subject matter on the clingfilm. Apply some cream onto the object you want to lighten and smear it around ensuring the whole item is covered in the peroxide solution, failure to do this can cause blushing and streaking. When you are happy that the subject matter is fully treated, cover the whole item in the clingfilm ensuring there are no holes where the solution can evaporate from.

Next place the item where the whitening can take place. Out in direct sunlight and leave it there for the entire day. Indoors a UV light lamp can also be used. The UV rays that originally caused the yellowing will now react with the Peroxide to reverse the process. This does take time though and in some cases where the yellowing is particularly bad a second or third treatment may be required.

Remove the clingfilm after a sufficient UV exposure and ensure the subject matter is washed thoroughly to remove all traces of the peroxide developer. Again, ensure you have gloves on until all traces of the chemical are removed.

Dry the subject matter or allow it to dry naturally. Hey presto! Job done. And thats basically it.

I’ve covered this subject, as it is something i will be attempting over the coming months. I will address the process in individual posts relative to the item i will be working on at the time.

Thanks for passing by, it’s always appreciated.

Tomy / Palitoy Missile strike

Here’s what the listing stated:

This is a nice example of a Tomy ‘Missile Strike’ electro/ mechanical handheld game. It was made circa 1979 and is battery operated. It appears clean for age and works, apart from the missile light not illuminating. Battery terminals very good. This is a nice genuine item that is shown as I found it. NOTE – NO BATTERIES ARE ENCLOSED.  Nice example for any collector. 

EBay

Missile strike

On first seeing the listing for this item, my thoughts are that it looks quite clean and tidy. The usual state of these units are quite tatty with scratched screens. This looks good, however pictures, especially from EBay can be greatly misleading so I’ll guess I will just have to be patient and wait.

This units only issue seems to be with the LED missile light, so hopefully it will be a quick fix. These units are currently selling between £52-£79GBP as per the picture below. I managed to secure my unit for a total including postage of £24GBP so I think I’ve done well in that aspect. I’m quite happy with this.

Current sale prices on EBay

A little history:

Tomy released Missile strike in 1979 in its international line of electro/mechanical handheld games. Known under different titles in other regions such as Terra-Hit (UK), Missile Strike (UK), and Space Attack (Japan).  One of TOMY’s electro-mechanical handheld games, Missile strike is a Space Invaders-like shooter game, the units small motor winds strips of aircraft across the screen, which the player attempts to hit in order to earn points. There is a mechanical wind up timer that controls the action, and the purpose is to score as many hits on aircraft as possible with in the time it takes the winder to stop. The game includes one small, flashing LED light as the exploding missile.

So it’s another game that has reached its 46th year, and for the only issue to be its one light source, I think that’s acceptable. Let’s wait to see what arrives.

Assessment:

On arrival the first thing that hits you is that this is yet another filthy item. I seem to attract these kind of sales, so it will require a deep clean. Cosmetically the game is in good shape with no deep scarring and only minimal fine scratches on the screen lens commensurate with its 46 year old age.

Tidy cosmetically but filthy

It was sold as the missile light not working, this is partially right as it is an intermittent fault, I suspect this is down to dirty contacts.

Filthy, and counter not working
Missile light is intermittent

This game has two bands of film that run across the top of the screen displaying aircraft, the top band is intermittent and needs attention. The score counter will also need attention as it is not turning smoothly, again I suspect this to be as a result of the build up of dirt.

Repair:

First thing to do is dismantle the unit and to get some cleaning done. The small video below shows the issue with the top band aircraft not moving.

Film transport fault

I’ve taken the counter out after removing the case and all exposed buttons and switches.

Dismantling

Off to the kitchen sink. let’s get these items washed.

To be cleaned
Getting washed
Drying down

Whilst I’m waiting for the washed items to dry I clean the counter mechanism of old dirt and fluff.

Counter mechanism cleaned, fluff removed. Silicon grease applied

I’ve slightly greased the counter with silicon grease and it’s behaving well and doing what it should. This will go back in place when we do the final reassembly.

The issue with the film movement was a strange one. There was no way to tension the two capstans that the film roll over and there were no teeth missing off the capstans. One capstan pulls whilst the other pushes, all I’ve done is swap these around and the issue has disappeared. About as simple a fix as you can get.

Just swapped the capstans around

I’ve put a little before and after video here that shows the effect of swapping the capstans around.

How swapping capstans worked

The issue with the intermittent light was easy as expected. This is the only electrical piece on this game and it was down to contaminated battery contacts that just needed a bit of a clean with my grinding pen and a wipe over with IPA.

Final little touch was just to accentuate some of the old lettering by the timer. This was just with a white paint pen.

Before and after

Now we can reassemble and test again.

Result:

The game has been reassembled and tested and is now working fine. All intermittent issues have gone and it has now been polished and now looks superb.

AllPolished
Dirt gone
Vibrant colours
Finishing touch

I’ve attached this small video that shows the game working as it should, with no film slipping and lights and counter now working.

Working perfectly

It’s really pleased me this repair, as it’s another one of those mainly mechanical games. Dirt featured big time, and age issues have been overcome and the game given a new lease of life. Another one for my personal collection, it will go on now for many more years to come.

The best outcome that was possible, we have another superb seventies product that has been saved from the scrap heap.

And that is the biggest win of all.

Thanks for passing by, it’s always appreciated.

Grandstand – Kevin Keegan’s Match of the Day game

Here’s what the listing stated:

***NOT WORKING***

Spares or repairs

Fair overall condition some cosmetic damage as expected for a 56 year old item

Very rare well worth restoration if you know how

EBay

This guy sells retro games on EBay at exceptionally inflated, ridiculous prices. I suspect he doesn’t get involved with repair or renovation as he had this one advertised at over £30GBP but when I put in a cheeky bid for £12GBP he bit my hand off… I wasn’t expecting that! The usual mistakes in the listing such as stating it’s 56 years old when its actually 46, and stating it’s Very rare – it’s not, there were a few hundred thousand churned out and to be honest and they come up quite often on the sale sites. But I do agree it’s worth restoring and will pair up nicely with another retro football game from 1979 that i repaired a few months ago Bambino kick the goal football game. And what makes this unit even more appealing is that it is complete with both of its battery covers – now that is rare!

The game I have purchased
Absolutely filthy

This game was made by Grandstand in 1979. Here’s the original advert that appeared on UK TV promoting the game back in the late 70’s.

European footballer of the year 1978/1979 Kevin Keegan – questionable late 70’s advert

This particular unit is listed as Not working, it looks filthy from what I can see, but having experience with these games in the past the biggest issue is age related problems such as old components, track decay and battery corrosion. No doubt the first thing I will do will be to dismantle it, give it a thorough inspection and then a good cleanup both inside and out. And then we can look at the issues around why it’s not operating.

Assessment:

The unit has arrived today and it sure is filthy cosmetically. Like someone who has grown up throughout those 46 years it has its scars. It looks as if it has been placed against something hot, and shows a burn mark up one side.

How it looks on arrival
Caked in filth
Battle scars and burns

I have put batteries in and the good news is that there is life of sorts. By that I mean there is a distorted noise from the speaker and a flash of life on the screen and then it dies. Wiggle the start button and there are more flashes of life but that’s it. No other buttons seem to be working. I’m not tempting fate but this could be a case of the unit being just as filthy inside as well as out. But knowing my luck this will not be the case. Let’s have a look inside.

Repair:

First of all we need to get the unit open, remove the circuit board and get the thing clean. So let’s do that.

Utter filth
Circuit board
Push buttons to be cleaned, the rest is off to be washed. Even a dead bug inside 😧

As you can see in the pictures above, the inside hid a lot of accumulated dirt and grime, there were even dead bugs inside. Everything that could be washed was taken to the kitchen given a good soak, brush and rinse.

Off to the basin
Good clean and scrub
Drying on the window cill

Whilst I’m waiting for everything to dry my attention turns to the board. A quick inspection reveals that all tracks are in a fair condition and we don’t need to rescue anything there. The buttons on either end have been taken apart and all cleaned with IPA, I’ve also used the same method to clean the switches and the board and after checking continuity all contacts are working as they should.

Board before cleaning
Checking tracks
Note found under upper portion of main board

Now everything is clean, I resolder the battery contacts, check the buttons and all appears well, I attach my bench power supply, give it 6v, turn on the switch and we have life. No intermittent issues and a very loud sounding speaker. I turn this off and look at getting it all reassembled.

Unit now fully assembled, it is looking a whole lot healthier and apart from its burn scar is looking pretty good.

Where’s the dirt?
Transformed
Looking good

And when turned on it’s working just as well as it did back in 1979.

Result:

Sometimes these units just need some care and attention, and as I stated at the beginning all this really needed was a deep clean and service. Not a thing wrong with the electrical circuits apart from contamination on the contacts and switches.

All working. Job done

I’m now in possession of a lovely example of 70’s technology with slight battle scars. It’s had a tough life but now it has had a new lease of life and is good to go for many more years yet. It will take a place in my “Retirement home” collection of old discarded retro game units.

As always, it’s a win as we have prevented another unit being heaved into landfill.

Job done.

Thanks for passing by, it’s always appreciated.