Broken Trace Repair Hacks Every Beginner Should Know - Sega Master System - Retro Restoration
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- Following the format of my previous "behind the scenes" video, this week I bring you guys along for a Sega Master System repair. Another jewel purchased "not working" from eBay, and put my soldering skills to the test.
In keeping true with the "behind the scenes" format, his video is unscripted and minimally edited. I hope to continue to set better expectations for folks thinking of taking on repairs like these, and share some tips and practices that I have found to be useful.
In this particular video, I repair a bunch of broken traces using nothing but individual strands from stranded wire. I also use regular nail polish as a poor-man's version of solder resist. Both these "hacks" do a fantastic job in replacing conventional materials for such a job such as kynar wire and solder mask.
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Awesome repair. You have the patience of a saint. Your soldering has gotten so much better since you started. I can really see the confidence you have now as you develop that muscle memory. Great job. It always feels good to fix something!
Thanks man. I can definitely see my skills have improved, especially when I revisit my earlier projects. It's pretty funny to see the difference. Thanks for the continued support!
You said it so well very impressed 👍
Ah yes, gotta love the sight of broken traces from mechanical fatigue! In all seriousness, I can see this problem being both time consuming and annoying to deal with. So well done!
You’re up watching UA-cam awfully early my West Coast friend :P Thanks for the comment bud, much appreciated.
@@BorderlineOCD had to go to work early, that's why ;P
I got a sega genesis that sadly will never be fixed it’s traces are gone, motherboard was cracked with jumper wires and left outside to rust sadly.
@@charlieretro the chipset might still be good, for units with dead ICs.
It seems like this was actually due to improper installation of the cartridge port.. they didn't fully seat it and the force of pushing in the cartridge was subjected to the PINs only, when it should have been fully mounted to the mainboard...
I sent you an email a while back thanking you for spreading knowledge like this. Its far more inspiring and far more helpful to have that dialog during the video and than videos where it’s just 3x speed with no guidance. It’s cool if that what someone likes but that’s just “repair porn” to me. You fucking rock man, and thanks again for the content.
Wow thanks for the kind words man, I appreciate it and it's viewers like you that make sharing this hobby worthwhile. I enjoy all sorts of repair and restoration content myself and there are many great creators out there, each with their own style. I think my repair journey resonates with some viewers more than others because I had no idea what I was doing when I started and slowly improved with each repair. Folks that are beginners or on the fence about taking up this hobby can relate to someone who started out a similar way (compared to someone that does this for a living). In any case, glad you enjoy the content this much and thank you again for the support.
I've never seen a repair job quite like this. Patience wins the day! Glad that system didn't end up in a garbage dump. Great work.
Glad you enjoyed it
Pretty sure the factory soldered the cartridge connector when it wasn’t fully inserted through the through holes. This meant there was a gap between the connector housing and the top of the PCB. Inserting a game would push the connector down, stressing the solder connections and traces until they finally gave. Suddenly the gap was gone, but the traces were ruined. :(
Horrifying.
Yes, this is definitely wear from the cart being pushed in and having a gap to the board.
I think this is the most credible theory given the otherwise mint condition of the rest of the board (and shell).
That was my thought immediately. The only question I had after this is - was the connector fully through after the repair? I'd be worried about the potential for a repeat of this issue in the future.
@@EvilAng3la My thought as well. At least he added thin wires, which can take some bending. Just soldering across cracked traces is really weak (based on my experience).
This is the most work extensive repair I have seen you do I am very impressed with your patience. And I'm shocked that this happened to this Master system they are very good consoles that last for a very long time I'm pretty sure somebody drop it a few times
I appreciate it bud. My soldering has come quite some way over the past couple of years and repairs like this feel more approachable. Most importantly I am enjoying it more than ever.
at least not the cheaper small version, all of mine are dead with a short somewhere.
This is what I was looking for. This is the best clean lined trace repairs I’ve seen, yet. Here on UA-cam.
Great job, great to see a lovely old Master System saved. This was my first console, it has a lot of great RPG's, arcade conversions, and Alex Kidd of course.
Yes indeed, happy to have got it working! I do enjoy the library of SMS games even as an adult on emulation. Part of that is nostalgia with the few games I owned but its fun to discover all the games I wasn't aware of too.
@@BorderlineOCD same this was my first system loved wonder boy 3!
"I know the Master System wasn't a very popular system", I think you need to caveat that with "in the US" as it was very popular in the EU and Brazil :) That said, excellent job on the repair. Great to see another classic console live on!
Wasn't the SG-1000 also sold in Brazil? I could imagine the difficulty of getting an import licence for such a thing, considering how much Brazil was against importing any durable goods back then.
Your British and European brethren have made that clear to me haha. Noted.
I'm one of the Americans that had a Sega Master System. Later on I also got the NES. This was when Game Rentals were really starting to take off. After the Genesis and the SNES came out the rental stores sold the older games at low prices. I picked up some good NES games that way.
That statement surprised me too. It did very well in the UK. Brilliant video btw, impressive work - I've subscribed. :)
The precision with which you soldered those jumper wires was like watching a surgeon. I am in awe! Fantastic work!
This was a terrific tutorial. A great learning experience having worked with repairing traces before. You are very thorough, logical and organized. Honestly I was cheering you on every step of the way and thrilled that it worked! Superb video and congrats!
Wow, that must have been tedious! I happen to have a Master System in my possession that has this same symptom. I never got around to diagnosing it, but I have a feeling that you may have just done it for me, hehe.
Looking at the tear down, this may also explain why Genesis consoles have a small plastic brace underneath the cart slot and held by the cartridge screws. I’m gonna guess that over time, the pressure of inserting cartridges flexed the board and damaged the traces over time. Looks like Sega may have been aware of this and learned from their mistake for the Genesis. Great video man!
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you repair your SMS as well :)
Aww man, I loved the sega master system. My aunt had one at her house when I was growing up. I would play it nonstop every time I was there. Me and my cousins use to play after burner, super hang-on, zaxxon, and Alex Kid. I would love to have one now
I had a master system plus when I was a kid and loved it dearly. I believe it's still in its box at my mother's house. I spent more hours than I can count playing games like moonwalker, ghost busters, galaxy force and safari hunt (to name a few of my favourites). Awesome to see a classic console resurrected and thanks for bringing back some very distant memories
this was the first system we ever owned and man this brought me back.
That intro the second you power on.. epic!
I love the Master System so much! Really enjoy your videos too, some of the most honest repair videos on UA-cam, and that's what makes them so fun to watch.
Great to see another master system fan and appreciate your comments about the channel. Cheers!
What I really like about these older consoles is they built them like tanks so kids could play with them and they'd last. The master system was quite popular here in Europe. Many of us kids had one. A couple of friends had a nintendo, we got one after the success/fun factor of the master system. Loved both the systems.
First time I slow down a video just to see how you work on that pins and mother board, this channel is going to be a great one to follow.
Welcome aboard!
I have no idea why I'm watching this, I have zero interest in any of this yet here I am mesmerized by it.
I envy your patience.
I’m not into all that computer/electrical engineering stuff but you not only captured my attention, you made me wanna cheer for you. I was fistbumping the air when the game worked.
Good job, subbed.
Haha glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the sub.
man , i always thought myself good with a soldering iron , but cripes your solder skills are out of this world , hats off to you
Thank God you addressed the fingerprints at the end. nice work!
Great job saving that system. I had an MS and MS2, they were great systems. I have fond memories of playing Alex Kidd in Miracle world on the MS2.
I had to watch it twice. Did this dude just manually print a section of circuit board? I think he did. My soldering kung-fu is weak. Good job man.
FYI you can buy reels of enamel wire in any gauge you need. I’ve used enamel wire in phone and computer board repairs. Nice thing about enamel wire is that the wires can be near other contacts and won’t short.
Great work 👏 The Sega Master System 2 was my first console. Hang On brings back memories.
Glad you enjoyed it and I'm enjoying chatting with folks whom share the nostalgia of owning the SMS.
Love the model 1 master system. Here in the UK the master system was very popular. A lot of my friends had them. I had the master system adapter for the game gear. Games were so much cheaper than megadrive and nes. Great time to be a gamer especially the 2nd hand market due to its popularity . Well done on your hard work. 🥂
Thanks for sharing. I didn't know there was an adapter for the Game Gear, thats ridiculous! But now that I think about it, the Game Gear was a miniaturized Master System after all. It was probably a simple size adapter rather than something more complicated. Very cool.
I had this console as a kid and everyone else got the nintendo lol, very cool to see one brought back to life and quite impressive skills to do it.
Thanks very much!
Feels like someone pushed a cartridge in too hard, what a amazing job you did, another system saved and it's amazing!
Thank you!
Sweet collection in the background, reminds me of my own method of organization. I like to have each shelf be like a little shrine to the whole system. But I imagine you have a ton more games stored away out of sight and these are just your prized examples.
I'm more of a fix-it nerd than a video game collector. I have a more impressive console collection than a game collection. The organization system has worked well for far. I might be re-doing it soon to create a more interesting backdrop for you guys.
This repair is ART. You dig that POWERBASE out of its grave!
That's high praise, thank you!
Late tot he party, but I make it a point to leave comments when I can. And your videos always earn a 'like' anyway.
One thing I don't miss (as I watch you plug in the controller) is how much 'work' goes in to plugging in those old controllers on older consoles. Rocking the plug back and forth as you plug in has always grated on my nerves.
Also, I made this kind of repair. Took a lot of work. Seems on the master system AND consoles with 'top loaders' that is a common problem eventually. This was definitely fun to watch. I don't miss doing those kind of repairs.
You got my subscription. Not sure what the hack was but definitely encouraged me that patience and approaching the repair logically can go a long way. I repaired a broken trace on an old tascam tape recorder that I was able to then sell for $300 profit. I recapped a small board on our toaster to get it working. Repair is so fun and rewarding
Ha the hack was meant to be using wire strands in lieu of magnet wire and nail polish instead of solder resist. Glad you enjoyed the video and I couldn't agree more about the satisfaction of fixing things.
@@BorderlineOCD and here I was thinking those were just professional solutions lol
I had the NES as a child and my sister had the Master System, it had Hang On built in..loved that game!
Enjoyed the video. You made the best of the "lovely repair" Excellent soldering skills. That kind of stuff is mind numbing. I use to touch up Ratheon boards for a government contract years ago and it was the pits.
You’re a magician ,Great job on a great system I really appreciate seeing one of my favorite systems being brought back to life.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the project. Great to meet all the SMS fans.
Great repair work! I like the way the video is interesting for people with the console, for people interested in learning soldering skills and for people who need to learn patience!
I've had a soldering iron for years, brand new in box. As a retro collector soldering and maintaining these old consoles is a must have skill..... but I'm terrified to start learning. Great content.
“I was born in it molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man and by then it was nothing to me but blinding.”
That was insane. Ive seen some wire repairs before, nothing quite as nice and precise as this. Props with the skill, time to practice. Thanks for the video, i know im a lil late lol.
I love that you show the clean up and reorganizing of your work area. Nice work on the repair too. Learned something today.
Thanks 👍 Indeed I can't stand clutter or mess. I like things nice and tidy.
I just can't believe the accuracy on the wiring work, bro that was just awesome!!
Glad you liked it.
@@BorderlineOCD you need better music tho haha
I saw the problem as soon as you turned it over. Nice to see you persevere and bring it back to working order.
Good catch. Took me a couple of minutes to focus my eyes on the right area.
@@BorderlineOCD Someone got a bit over-excited popping those carts in and out. Either that or they stored something on top of the unit with the cart pulgged in.
I can't imagine the level of satisfaction you get doing these kinds of repairs! mad respect! your setup is ... like the name of your channel... borderline OCD ! congrats!
Haha thank you. It's a very satisfying hobby thats for sure and I enjoy it very much.
Thank you for documenting this process so well. I'm waiting on parts for a battery bombed amiga. Fantastic job. Hats off to you.
Deff great video. I own many oldschool consoles and this is the right guy to get them fix. Thank u. Greetings from Texas
wow, that's actually in better shape than the "for parts" one I'm trying to fix - and paid a little more for :(
But "WHAT" you have to fix is incredible! GOOD JOB!! And it only took one Red Bull LOL
You deserve a medal or something bud!
Lol thanks
Congratulations on the job, man! This was beautiful.
Mate this video was sensational!! I appreciate your time showing us some skills!!!!
Subscribed, my friend. Gonna make sure I keep posted on these calm, dedicated vibes that you're broadcasting.
Thanks for the sub my man.
I use to love playing the hidden snail maze game built into the system, also used these controllers to play on my Atari 400,great video
These old consoles are always an enigma, i have found them on dumpsters standing on all kinds of weather and they still work and others all shiny in the box and are faulty.
Ps the Master System is super appreciated in countries like Brasil.
Great skills fixing this beauty
Glad you enjoyed it bud. This one is in peculiarly good cosmetic condition so it will always remain somewhat of a mystery as to how exactly that damage took place.
@@BorderlineOCD maybe happened because of forcing the game cartridges in or shaking them when inserted
I got a Master System for Xmas in 1988-89 along with a send in card for a copy of free Double Dragon. Got a bunch of games for it and in 1991 we moved and I left a box at my Grandparents place after the transition. The box has sat in their finished basement for almost 30 years and I got it out a few Thanksgivings ago when we went through all of Grandpas war stuff after he died, completely forgot about it.
The battery saves for Phantasy Star and Miracle Warriors still work, all in their boxes and maps, Spy vs Spy (card slot game, even tho it still came in the classic clam shell) Golvellius etc. I was pretty stoked.
Nice time capsule you left yourself. Glad you got it all to work and can enjoy it still.
Magnificent work on such a tedious task!
I was shocked that you paid $60 for a broken Master System but then I realized that they must have sold much less in your area. Great video!
NTSC SMS systems cost a bit more but honestly in this day and age any retro video game hardware is expensive.
That must have been the most satisfying game title screen ever.
It's up there as one of my favorite repairs.
What an amazing job,.its satisfying to watch a master going at it.
Always love watching your videos. That looks like it was a very delicate reoair as well with so many being broke and so close together. Watching your videos got me fully taking my consoles apart. Would have only went to disk drive/power supply. Now fully take them apart to clean. Have to start on the soldering soon.
I’m glad you’re taking your consoles apart to give them a thorough cleaning. That’s already a step further than the majority of people would go. Your systems are probably running quieter and cooler as a result specially the systems with heat sinks and fans. Never too late to start messing with a soldiering iron. Christmas is right around the corner, maybe a basic iron is your gift to yourself ;)
That is one lucky master system, how many people would had the patience and dedication to do this.
You can do this slowly at your pace. It's a hobby after all. Repairing is so much fun.
Just wo. You have amazing skills and patience. Unbelievable!
It's been my experience with SMS that those traces and vias are very delicate. I have lifted pads accidentally while trying to remove capacitors. It doesn't take much to damage those PCBs.
+1 sub for the work and for explaining what you were doing...which so many UA-camrs don't do in as much detail as you.
Thanks for the sub!
That repair earned you my subscription well done.
Thanks for the sub, much appreciated.
I have a master system with Hang on and Safari Hunt built in, plus the snail game. I had no idea there were versions where there was only the snail game built in? Mine has a fault with the pause button needing replaced but other than that its in good order. Cant believe how damaged this one was for you. No idea how those traces were damaged like that, other than someone pulling at the carts too hard? Well done on this repair.
I'd recommend a fiber pen for the scraping. They work great and give you excellent control removing the coating, but no copper.
im this kind of soldering dedicated :D i would of did this exact soldering repair, cause these old consoles don't belong in the landfill. new subscriber here thanks for keeping the retro console alive :D
Thanks for the sub!
Your work is definitely good. I do trace repairs for my job almost every day, and it's very similar work.
Thank you. What kind of work do you do? I'm always interested to hear from folks that do this professionally as its mostly a hobby on my end.
If you open it up again, I would suggest flowing fresh solder on all the power button joints. I found that about half the ones I’ve come across over the years were cold/cracked. Easy peasy fix.
Thanks for the tip. Cheers.
My first console, the one that started it all. Brings back so many memories. Great video and good job on the repare! 👍
The nostalgia is what makes this such a fun hobby. I understand completely.
Man that is dedication! Amazing work!
Ahh the good old days when a tear-down was just 4 screws! 😁😁👍
I am so happy you got a haircut looks a lot better by the way I really like your videos you’re a good guy you’re very slow and calm and that actually helps my anxiety level thank you for all the great work
Lol this is an older video. The mullet is in full force.
You always chug a can of RB when you do these don't you? I appreciate the channel a lot, very enjoyable and thank you for repairing these and giving them a new life instead of in a landfill.
Totally loved this I wanna see more repairs only retro consoles
Mighty fine work
I would have taken a different route to jumper the points and it wouldn't have looked nearly as good as yours.
I'm glad I watched this video
I used to run wires across the board in earlier repairs. I've gotten better with trace patching and I really enjoy it.
Wow. I'm not sure I would have had the patience for all of that. Nice one!
Thanks for the comment, glad you enjoyed it!
I was one out of three kids to own one at my school (NY) and I found out after graduation! So three out of 1200. You were quite lucky your buds each had one.
I got mine for my birthday. It was used and I got it in a plastic bag with Bart vs. the Space Mutants and The Incredible Crash Dummies. It even had the initials of the previous owner scratched into the bottom case. A friend/neighbor next door had one with dozens of games. I recall at least a couple of other kids I swapped games with (wish I remembered the names of some of those games --- haven't been able to find one in particular that I played a ton, even exploring the full ROM set recently in emulation). I always thought the NES was cooler but didn't own one till many years later (long after the SNES was released). It's cool that you owned one as well especially given it was seemingly unpopular in the US.
@@BorderlineOCD I didn't like the NES' watered down color and I thought the robot was silly. It also didn't have aggressive vibe. At the time, the NES only had arcade conversions of games I had an ambivalent feeling for (save for Popeye). I also knew if I wanted Space Harrier (fav arcade game), Hang-On, and maybe Zaxxon, Nintendo wouldn't port it (not immediately anyway in the case for Space Harrier). Soon after (1987) I relented and got an NES for 1/4 of the price from a video shop that was closing. All I can say is this: when I got After Burner ALL my friends wanted to hang out and play it. Then they saw the other games.
i like the way you do this jobs and your stoic type of human beings. Looks for me pretty desirable and how i will do my repairs in future. thanks man!
Haha thanks. Cheers.
@@BorderlineOCD cheers, Buddy :-) Wish you the best for the future and go on like u did. Great Job!
That was some fine repair work sir! Reminds me of me! Minus the redbull. That garbage is poison, quit it!
Glad you enjoyed it. I drink Redbull for the flavor. There's just nothing like it.
The problem is when you don't know what is causing the problem. Great soldering skills!
Wiser words have never been spoken :P Thanks for watching bud, much appreciated.
WOW! You own a very rare unit, especially in Europe (model 3000 with Snail Maze in memory), a kind of holy grial of Master System. Anyway, wesome job and great welding skills.
Thank you! I'm not familiar with the variations out there although I think most NTSC units have Snail Maze. I could be wrong.
What a job! Nicely done!
I've made a similar repair in the past. To ensure it was a lasting repair, I put a small piece of thin wood under the cartridge port. that way when inserting a game it "wooden" damage the repair!
Ha, clever. Will keep that in mind should I come across on of these with the same issue again.
You did an incredible repair sir, by far one of your hardest repair. Keep more of these coming! Good job!
Thanks very much. It turned out to be a rewarding project for sure and quite motivating that I managed to pull it off. Hope to continue finding these neglected systems easily and keep the content coming!
I fixed a trace on a PC back in my teens by drawing it in with pencil. It worked just fine for another year when I replced the computer.
Incredible repair! First time I bumped (or YT algorythm pushed me trough) your channel and instant sub. I'm sure that I'll find some great content here.
The first words out of my mouth after watching this was "that was a legit ass repair bro" hahaha so anyways that was awesome! I have now subscribed and I look forward to more in the future!
Ha glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the sub.
Pro tip: when applying nail polish to cover traces, tape around the area so you get nice clean lines.
Love this format and now a Master Systems turn to be repaired.
Glad to hear you're liking the new format as I experiment more with the storytelling side of things.
WOW you are crazy skilled !
Great work. Another Master System saved and ready for use.
Always a good feeling when the system comes back to life. Thanks for watching.
I loved the music later one
Indeed it's a great track.
Awesome job! Greetings from Italy!
Kynar wire is great for retrace work. Its also quite cheap comes in many colours and is on rolls.
Hell yeah that was an epic repair! Loving the channel, still have a handful of videos left to watch!
Awesome, thank you.
I get a lot of these sort of repairs. I contract to our Bus Service in Perth Australia.
I have had an increase in corrosion faults since the Covid cleaning. What ever they use for cleaning eats copper
Moisture would do that. Any cleaner with a high water content isn't a good idea to clean circuit boards.
i like programming but this makes me want to have a workshop in the basement someday to do projects, it looks like more fun than actually playing the games
Haha sometimes I feel the same way. I still play retro games quite a bit, my wife enjoys playing with me as well. But the repairs are my favorite for sure.
This is why you save component clippings make great small bridges .
I do that as well and have a little "baggie" myself. They can be a bit on the thicker side compared to wire strands but if the traces are large enough it will also work.
Nice fix well done I wouldn’t have had the skill or time and would have binned it
I seen this in my recommendations for a week and every time I kept thinking "so many broken tacos"