game.com repair?

[atari2600land]

My game.com doesn't work any more. I plugged it in and it did the start up screen and then went blank. I unplugged it and plugged it back in but was unresponsive. So I unplugged it and put in 4 AA batteries. Deader than a doornail. What could be wrong with it?
While we're on the subject, why is Wheel of Fortune 2 for the game.com listed as only $7? Someone should add a couple zeroes to that amount!

[wiggyx]

Why only $7? Because almost nobody gives a crap about the Game.com. Buy another unit. It'll be cheaper than just diagnosing the problem. Not worth even thinking about.

[Greg2600]

Wouldn't have a clue myself, but unfortunately replacing it is not cheap. The games are super cheap to find, but the systems are fairly expensive.

[fairyland]

Do you know how to check your capacitors and diodes? I would check those first. I bought a dead Game Boy this past week and it turned out that it was merely a bad C6 capacitor. A cheap and pretty easy fix, but you do need a multimeter and a little experience with a soldering gun.

[atari2600land]

I don't know what a capacitor is. That's why I posted here, to try and learn stuff. I do have a small update, though, I got it to work a little, so it apparently only goes dead on me sometimes.

[wiggyx]

Wouldn't have a clue myself, but unfortunately replacing it is not cheap. The games are super cheap to find, but the systems are fairly expensive.

Um, are we talking about the same thing? I'm seeing completed listings on ebay for 10-20 bucks shipped.

[davidbrit2]

This is a bit like asking, "Help, my hemorrhoids went away. How do I get them back?"

[tom]

Yes, Wheel of Fortune 2 is getting super rare nowadays, just like the modem.

Glad I completed my game.com collection straight after I purchased the game.com.

[FrankSerpico]

Does anyone have a link to some footage of someone actually using the internet on their game.com? I've looked on youtube but all I can find are generic review videos

[Greg2600]

I don't know what a capacitor is. That's why I posted here, to try and learn stuff. I do have a small update, though, I got it to work a little, so it apparently only goes dead on me sometimes.

If you don't know how to do that, you've got a long ways to go. I don't know if there are any schematics of the system on the web anywhere. That could be a place to start. Unfortunately it's not a well-collected system, so there aren't many people who've ever tried to tinker with them. Would be sort of like asking someone how to fix any Tiger hand-held.


Um, are we talking about the same thing? I'm seeing completed listings on ebay for 10-20 bucks shipped.

For the console? $50-75 usually just for the system, often still new. Used is less, but the screens fail too much to chance it.

[wiggyx]

For the console? $50-75 usually just for the system, often still new. Used is less, but the screens fail too much to chance it.

Where are you seeing these prices?

The absolute most expensive brand new example I can find ended on eBay for $70, with every other new example being cheaper and used examples often going for $10 or less.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NO-RESERVE-Tiger-Game-Com-Handheld-System-RARE-/310805199104?pt=Video_Games&hash=item485d6ef900

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tiger-Corporation-Game-com-Console-NTSC-Games-/181281606171?pt=Video_Games&hash=item2a3539ca1b

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tiger-Game-com-with-Lights-Out-and-Williams-Arcade-Classics-games-/300993053456?pt=Video_Games&hash=item4614958310

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1997-Tiger-Game-Com-Handheld-Game-Console-Silver-Black-as-is-Faulty-/181254357720?pt=Video_Games&hash=item2a339a02d8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tiger-Corporation-Game-com-Black-Console-NTSC-with-2-Games-Indy-500-Frogger-/291007112709?hash=item43c1602605

[fairyland]

I don't know what a capacitor is. That's why I posted here, to try and learn stuff. I do have a small update, though, I got it to work a little, so it apparently only goes dead on me sometimes.

If you don't know what you are looking at, then it'll be very tough for you to personally repair your system. I will explain a few things to see if you are interested in proceeding.

A capacitor is sort of like a little battery. It holds a small charge for a little while for whatever the machine needs to do with it. This is what they may look like inside of your system.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Photo-SMDcapacitors.jpg/250px-Photo-SMDcapacitors.jpg

When they malfunction, they could cause the trouble you are experiencing but a more typical symptom is a completely dead system. I'm not entirely certain if this is what's wrong with yours or not, but it is what I would be testing for next after the batteries and plugging it in.

A multimeter is an electic testing tool that does a number of things, but for this situation you can use it test a capacitor to see if it's functioning properly. You set the dial to omega and put the red stick to the + side of the capacitor and the black stick to the -. it will send a small current into the capacitor. A good capacitor will charge up and reach infinity on the multimeter. A bad one will stay at a number and won't rise. The bad one is what you will need to replace, usually off of ebay for under a dollar.

A schematic is usually necessary to know what the part actually is that you need to replace. You cannot put any old capacitor back in it's place. It's generally not a good idea to just guess even for a pro.

Solder is what keeps capacitors (and just about everything else) on the board (the green thing that everything is on). They are the melted bits of metal that you typically find under the board (the non chips side).

A soldering gun is what people use to heat up and remove the solder. Removing the old solder can be done a few ways, but I won't get into that. Then they will remove the defective part and put a new one there. Then they will melt fresh solder back on to keep the new part into place.

And that's about it really for a capacitor, pretty simple, but you do need some tools and a little experience. Sadly, no one is going to be able to tell you what's wrong with your system without actually having the machine in front of them and running a few tests on it in person. Checking the capacitors would be the second step to check after the batteries, but there are many steps involved to actually properly test a machine out.

If you do want to attempt this yourself, I can further assist you, but if you rather not bother, your best bet is to get a replacement system off ebay and sell the old one off as a needs repair machine. It can be pretty intimidating for a person who knows nothing about it, but honestly it's all rather simple. I feel it's something all retro gamers should have a basic knowledge of to bring life back into their old stuff.

[Buyatari]

I don't know what a capacitor is.

You would be better off buying a second unit than trying a repair. Cost you less money and hassle in the long run.