GBA SP battery problems....UPDATED, need help

[jerkov]

I have a GBA SP that I'm currently having trouble recharging. My brother bought the SP off a friend for $1 (that is not a typo, he really only paid $1) to give me for Christmas, but now the thing won't charge up normally. As far as I know, the SP was not used very much by its previous owner since he won this one through some kind of prize machine and he already had another SP. The orange light stays on for a minute or two, but then it turns off and nothing happens. Usually, when it is done charging, the orange light blinks until you unplug it, but that's not happening. I tried my SP on my friends charger with the same results, so my SP is most likely the problem.

Do these things have a battery that can cheaply be replaced, or am I better off trying to trade this thing in on another one? Those NES SP's are pretty cool looking, and since my SP was only $1, I wouldn't be getting ripped off or anything.

[Bratwurst]

You can snag a replacement battery from Nintendo's website for like 15 bucks or so, there are also third party replacements out there.. really, for a buck invested already, you could do no wrong.

[Lady Jaye]

You can get a third-party battery (by Nyko), with an included mini-screwdriver. http://www.nyko.com/nyko/products/?i=20

I've seen it before at Toys R Us...

The battery that Nintendo sells doesn't include the screwdriver, but you can get the screwdriver at any hardware store.

BTW, check this troubleshooting page from Nintendo as well: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/gameboyadvance_sp/trouble_power.jsp

[suppafly]

The problem could be something different also. It could be a faulty motherboard. Try the System first with another battery (borrow it), and if it works fine, then buy another battery.

By the way lik sang sells batteries that last much longer!

[tholly]

try giving someone elses battery a try in your system....if it is the battery, a new one would be a cheap replacement for a system you got for $1

[jerkov]

OK, I tried a friend's battery, same result........

Now it gets stranger. I tried my battery in his SP, and I got the same result. So I put his battery back in his and tried to charge it again, same result. So did I just fuck up his SP? What happens is the orange light stays on for a few minutes (sometimes only a few seconds if you just plug right back in) and then the light shuts off. I don't know if it's still charging, I don't know what's going on. Usually, when it's done charging, the orange light blinks until you unplug it. What is going on here???

[suppafly]

I`d take the unit to a professional repair shop. It doesnt seem like a common and easy-to-solve problem!

[Querjek]

My SP's orange light just turns off when it's done charging...

[jerkov]

Querjek, I'm hoping that's the problem.....it's going to take me awhile to run the battery down to empty to try a full charge, I'm really hoping that nothing is wrong with these two SP's.

Suppafly, Nintendo says on their website that repair service for an SP runs about $55. Since you can get $40-50 on trade for an SP, it wouldn't even be worth it to get serviced. I'd be better off finding a new one.