When I was a kid, I had quite a collection of these. And because of my collection, I was asking for "C" batteries all the time. The majority of my collection required 4 each. One Christmas, my Grandma was my saving grace. At the time, Ni-Cad rechargeable batteries were just coming to retail, and she got me quite a few and a charger. At that time, Radio Shack was one of the most obvious places you could find things of that nature
YES! Do more videos like these. I found your channel a few years ago through the toy vids you did with Vince and been a follower since but really I’m always waiting for videos with stuff like this. Glad to see it and hoping for more.
In 1986ish, I saved up for this. Ar a military base in germany at a local-ish PX.. I was about eleven and this is the first chores saving Purchase I made and it felt worth it. I had it for a few years and lost it in the move back to the states. The sun lit Liquid crystal display was Wonderful and sold the unit. Great video and thanks for posting
You could have used a little bit of dish soap with warm water and the soft side of a microfiber cloth on the joystick. Additionally, each time you said "finger cheese," I was laughing, thinking of myself as a kid playing with these things and how dirty my hands must have been when touching them. Furthermore, when you took apart the LCD, I was literally holding my breath the entire time. Seeing it working again, instantaneously took me back to my 8-year-old self. God, I'm Old!
Ooh, interesting! For a while I used to source similar games and fix them myself, I’d separate all the electronics away from the plastics and basically just throw the plastic parts into soapy water and scrub lol. I’ve not seen this style of LCD game before, I favoured VFD games. Thanks for the look around inside, quite fascinating stuff.
My guess what was wrong with this game: The silicone rubber pad button for the on/off switch had accumulated oily residue over the years, thus preventing it from making proper electrical contact with the circuit board to turn the game on. This happens over time with many gadgets that use silicone rubber buttons (they "sweat" over time), such as garage or gate opener fobs. The fix is to just take apart the controller and clean the bottom of the silicone rubber pad, as we see he does in this video. So if you come across electronic games like this for cheap, sold as-is or for parts only, and the owner says it won't turn on, and you know the on/off is a rubber button, chances are, this is the fix.
You almost losing the buttons is so relatable as I've fixed my own retro consoles. Had lost a GBA SP light button a while back. Just bumped something wrong and it went skittering across the floor into the void. RIP my own efforts.
These particular types of games did NOT have a power switch, as they have a built-in alarm clocks. They are known as the "Game & Watch" series. No need for a power switch. Nintendo having designed and developed ALL of them, but contracted COLECO to manufacture a couple of these of this design. Having the translucent plastic on top so it can get light (eg. a lamp) and have the light reflect off the mirror to illuminate the the LCD. Pretty ingenious for its time. Look when he points out Nintendo's name on the CHIP. I had one, “Popeye.” The design of Popeye was identical to that of this DK Jr. unit. But Nintendo themselves manufactured not only this one but a few others. If my memory serves me, another one is called Mario's Cement Factory.
When you import to the US if it has more than 17 jewels you have to pay a higher rate of tax. Protection from the Swiss watch industry. I guess this thing has a 555 or something creating a timing clock? Overabundance of making sure they dont get slugged with import taxes? Or re-using leftover pcb from another device like a digital analog watch?
Retrobright is very good at removing yellow staining from plastic. It also leaves bugs and viruses deceased. Mr. Carlson does not like it because he said that the effect isn't permanent. He would consider using it under certain specific circumstances.
There HAS to be a viewer or a friend that has a 3D printer that can print TPU? I forget the different filaments but the rubbery kind. They can make a close enough bullet shape in minutes! For the 4th foot. Fun video thank you!
Use tilex rust and lime cleaner on the joystick it's powerful but will make it nice and white in seconds. It's a white and black bottle around 3 bucks. I use it to clean my bathtub and toilets. Works great.
I had all of these as a kid, and I would play it laying on my belly on the floor, so mine was always full of carpet fuzz. It didn't slide around on the carpet, so it was easier tog et high scores that way. On the tables, the things weighed nothing so you'd have it sliding about on the table all the time.
My best guess is gunk in the battery contacts. This kind of tabletop uses the White lid at the top to get light pasess throug the screen, and you see the image in the mirror allways. Never seen a cool mod with modern low consum leds for light... I don't think if it is even possible or the comunity will like that kind of profanation...
Yes, in the 80s people were more sane about using the same screw sizes in their designs .. not LCD, VFD .. LCD was still kind of expensive at that time.
@@johnathanstevens8436 Colour is achieved with sheets of film, those and a polarizer are the inserts Steve was fiddling with there. This device is just a Nintendo 'Game and watch' in a table top format. VFD or Vacuum Fluorescent Displays are a different technology and most often seen in the eighties on the front of video recorders and microwaves ! mostly green and lit the room up at night. The white plastic on the top of the game is where light can get in to 'backlight' the LCD.
As a kid of the 80’s I would have love something like this but I was allowed to have anything unless it was for Christmas. And anything to do with a video game was out. To this day, I’m 51, they shame me for buying anything. And wonder why I don’t answer the phone.
Hopefully youre not still using a qtip to clean any/everything still :) a wash rag with soap or isopropyl would have cleaned that mirror in one swipe. It would have cleaned those buttons, pads and joystick in no time (especially with mini picks/dental tools). Lol save the qtips for something delicate or recessed.
We're using this channel for longer uploads of the main videos, for those who want to see more of the process (these TFL videos include clips that were cut out of the main videos)
i remember the tabletop arcade games as a kid back in the 80's if i remember they cost $50 for one of them. i remember one of my brothers' friends gave us one he wasn't using think it was donkey kong. I'm not sure
Hey i had one of those as a kid! Too bad it was stolen... Pretty much like all my console i had as a kid. :/ But hey i found a way to prevent it from getting stolen at ps2 era. Remove all the cd from the box and put them in a cd booklet. Harder to sneak around and steal the game without the casing. Too bad now they are worth almost nothing and every thing is digital. :/
you were talking about how often you dont wanna buy thilngs missing the battery cover ... maybe a 3d printer would be a positive to your bag of tools i know it would mean its not the original but so many people would consider an item moreso with a 3d printed cover vs not one at all its just an inconvenience
As a 53-year-old who grew up playing these, you did a good job. There were also Frogger, Pac-Man and Donkey Kong versions also.
When I was a kid, I had quite a collection of these. And because of my collection, I was asking for "C" batteries all the time. The majority of my collection required 4 each. One Christmas, my Grandma was my saving grace. At the time, Ni-Cad rechargeable batteries were just coming to retail, and she got me quite a few and a charger. At that time, Radio Shack was one of the most obvious places you could find things of that nature
YES! Do more videos like these. I found your channel a few years ago through the toy vids you did with Vince and been a follower since but really I’m always waiting for videos with stuff like this. Glad to see it and hoping for more.
In 1986ish, I saved up for this.
Ar a military base in germany at a local-ish PX.. I was about eleven and this is the first chores saving Purchase I made and it felt worth it. I had it for a few years and lost it in the move back to the states. The sun lit Liquid crystal display was Wonderful and sold the unit. Great video and thanks for posting
I've been a fan for awhile now. I love watching you fix things.
I love these kind of videos, keep them coming
Happy to hear that you enjoy them!
You could have used a little bit of dish soap with warm water and the soft side of a microfiber cloth on the joystick. Additionally, each time you said "finger cheese," I was laughing, thinking of myself as a kid playing with these things and how dirty my hands must have been when touching them. Furthermore, when you took apart the LCD, I was literally holding my breath the entire time. Seeing it working again, instantaneously took me back to my 8-year-old self. God, I'm Old!
A little kid playing this while also eating cheezies came to mind when he said "finger cheese" LOL
Great Video :) My heart did stop for a min tho when you dropped that screw :)
Yes! I’d love to more of this 👏👏👏
Ooh, interesting! For a while I used to source similar games and fix them myself, I’d separate all the electronics away from the plastics and basically just throw the plastic parts into soapy water and scrub lol. I’ve not seen this style of LCD game before, I favoured VFD games. Thanks for the look around inside, quite fascinating stuff.
I really enjoy seeing whats inside of older tech and how they work. Great video
good video Steve. Nice to see vintage stuff being repaired by you. More PLEASE!
My guess what was wrong with this game: The silicone rubber pad button for the on/off switch had accumulated oily residue over the years, thus preventing it from making proper electrical contact with the circuit board to turn the game on. This happens over time with many gadgets that use silicone rubber buttons (they "sweat" over time), such as garage or gate opener fobs. The fix is to just take apart the controller and clean the bottom of the silicone rubber pad, as we see he does in this video.
So if you come across electronic games like this for cheap, sold as-is or for parts only, and the owner says it won't turn on, and you know the on/off is a rubber button, chances are, this is the fix.
I love videos like this. I had a Mario Cement Factory Tabletop when I was younger. Wish I had kept it.
You almost losing the buttons is so relatable as I've fixed my own retro consoles. Had lost a GBA SP light button a while back. Just bumped something wrong and it went skittering across the floor into the void. RIP my own efforts.
Old table top fixes are my favorite.
Couldn’t figure out how to turn it on, but you never read the instruction manual LOL jp, love, the content buddy
These particular types of games did NOT have a power switch, as they have a built-in alarm clocks. They are known as the "Game & Watch" series. No need for a power switch. Nintendo having designed and developed ALL of them, but contracted COLECO to manufacture a couple of these of this design. Having the translucent plastic on top so it can get light (eg. a lamp) and have the light reflect off the mirror to illuminate the the LCD. Pretty ingenious for its time. Look when he points out Nintendo's name on the CHIP. I had one, “Popeye.” The design of Popeye was identical to that of this DK Jr. unit. But Nintendo themselves manufactured not only this one but a few others. If my memory serves me, another one is called Mario's Cement Factory.
Youre lookin better!
had this game as a kid ,, got lost in a move ,, loved it!
I used to have loads of these in my younger days. I miss them so bad
A bench power supply set to 3 volts would of been handy to fault test this awesome handheld :) But really not needed this time:) Its like you knew. :)
The first thing to check is that the board's getting power.
Those were the stuff back in the day. I had every one of those, and the game and watch handhelds
Great Repair and Video! Thank You.
Battery covers and such small parts can be 3d printed for replacements. Not authentic but works
Good point!
07:46 No (0) Jewels means there are no jewels in this watch or clock. Unadjusted - means there is no way to adjust this clock to be faster or slower.
When you import to the US if it has more than 17 jewels you have to pay a higher rate of tax. Protection from the Swiss watch industry. I guess this thing has a 555 or something creating a timing clock? Overabundance of making sure they dont get slugged with import taxes? Or re-using leftover pcb from another device like a digital analog watch?
Retrobright is very good at removing yellow staining from plastic. It also leaves bugs and viruses deceased.
Mr. Carlson does not like it because he said that the effect isn't permanent.
He would consider using it under certain specific circumstances.
There HAS to be a viewer or a friend that has a 3D printer that can print TPU? I forget the different filaments but the rubbery kind. They can make a close enough bullet shape in minutes! For the 4th foot.
Fun video thank you!
That's so cool fixing retro gaming🎉🎉🎉🎉
Too bad you didn't have the manual to tell you how to power it on :)
The title should have been: Can I fix this NOT broken Donkey Kong Jr. table top 😂
Omg no way, I had this and the Popeye one. It was in excellent condition and played well. Got them for 5 a piece
Use tilex rust and lime cleaner on the joystick it's powerful but will make it nice and white in seconds. It's a white and black bottle around 3 bucks. I use it to clean my bathtub and toilets. Works great.
This was originally 5 months ago. How much did it sell for?
I guess it was the battery contacts after all? It did need a good cleaning throughout though. Nice video Steve!
I had all of these as a kid, and I would play it laying on my belly on the floor, so mine was always full of carpet fuzz. It didn't slide around on the carpet, so it was easier tog et high scores that way. On the tables, the things weighed nothing so you'd have it sliding about on the table all the time.
Brilliant video I had one of them tried to fix it messed-up
Excellent work.
YES - I have the TRON table-top in good condition - no box. Amazing
I use a cheap electric toothbrush to get in the little parts it works good with alcohol.
May we see a Tiger 2XL Robot video? Would love to see it as its technology was pretty advanced for the time (well, actually was sold as it were)
I'll watch whatever you fix.
My best guess is gunk in the battery contacts. This kind of tabletop uses the White lid at the top to get light pasess throug the screen, and you see the image in the mirror allways. Never seen a cool mod with modern low consum leds for light... I don't think if it is even possible or the comunity will like that kind of profanation...
Well the blue one is the original donkey Kong the orange is donkey Kong jr. that’s why the difference in pricing 2 totally different Units.
I've been teaching myself through your videos. Can you make a video on your tools you use for most repairs?
TronicsFix we come especially for the cleaning parts of the video too haha love all your videos.
I like the old and obscure, they remind me of ME!
The memories just looking at this
Hope you're holding up OK Steve
Hes doing OK, update on his page, still not got this hair in current videos yet
Yes, in the 80s people were more sane about using the same screw sizes in their designs .. not LCD, VFD .. LCD was still kind of expensive at that time.
It's LCD.
That's pretty impressive. In the early 80s most LCD were black and white
@@johnathanstevens8436 Colour is achieved with sheets of film, those and a polarizer are the inserts Steve was fiddling with there. This device is just a Nintendo 'Game and watch' in a table top format. VFD or Vacuum Fluorescent Displays are a different technology and most often seen in the eighties on the front of video recorders and microwaves ! mostly green and lit the room up at night. The white plastic on the top of the game is where light can get in to 'backlight' the LCD.
you could probably print a foot in TPU that would look and act correctly
As a kid of the 80’s I would have love something like this but I was allowed to have anything unless it was for Christmas. And anything to do with a video game was out. To this day, I’m 51, they shame me for buying anything. And wonder why I don’t answer the phone.
Hopefully youre not still using a qtip to clean any/everything still :) a wash rag with soap or isopropyl would have cleaned that mirror in one swipe. It would have cleaned those buttons, pads and joystick in no time (especially with mini picks/dental tools). Lol save the qtips for something delicate or recessed.
Without seeing it, I’m sure you can! Good luck
I had Q-Bert and Galaxian back the day. Oh how I wished I had kept them!
Is it just me or have I already seen this one? I may just a serious case of déjà vu.
Was it a short video?
It was on the main channel 5 months ago.
We're using this channel for longer uploads of the main videos, for those who want to see more of the process (these TFL videos include clips that were cut out of the main videos)
StezStix Fix? repaired one of these not to long ago.. maybe it was that one that your remembering?
Yep. Repost.
Like to see you fix a Turbo Express handheld . Turbo Graphic 16 made it. They do go for at least a grand fixed . Maybe you done one already ?
Okay good cleaning looked like that was what it needed. But how do you turn in ON and OFF?
I had the Frogger model and my brother had Pac Man. Probably worth a few bucks today too
Do you list these on eBay? trying to find it for where you are selling your items.
Love ya steve get well brah
Rubbing alcohol goes a long way... Lol
28:40 IPA is not good for removing grease. You should have used regular dish soap. It works so much better ...
i remember the tabletop arcade games as a kid back in the 80's if i remember they cost $50 for one of them. i remember one of my brothers' friends gave us one he wasn't using think it was donkey kong. I'm not sure
Well maybe if you're lucky you'll find that one person out there that's missing everything but the one missing foot!!!
My cousin had Frogger. He always had alot of good toys but wouldn't let ayone touch em. So....I broke it!
What a great band name - Finger Cheese...
You need a bench power supply so you don't have to put things back together to test.
like the old school fixing
Very Cool
I thought the 80's version was florescent display not LCD
I think this is the Nintendo game and Watch version, that was the Coleco version
The "no jewels" is because of the clock in the unit.
i believe that those are polarizing films
Not a electronics video, a cleaning video..
Why don’t you use a bench top power supply? Is this to make the videos more accessible to others?
Hey i had one of those as a kid! Too bad it was stolen... Pretty much like all my console i had as a kid. :/ But hey i found a way to prevent it from getting stolen at ps2 era. Remove all the cd from the box and put them in a cd booklet. Harder to sneak around and steal the game without the casing. Too bad now they are worth almost nothing and every thing is digital. :/
all you have to do is put the perfect amount of thermal paste and it will fix itself. you're welcome.
I wish you a good health
I remember those
Start 3d printing battery covers. Lol
I had the pac man one in 80s
Maybe still under warranty 😅
This is an old vid or Dejavous
Finger Cheese is my new least favorite word.
use a bench power suply ,i do
Get yourself a 3D printer learn to design battery covers. Opens more opportunity for fixes and profit. Plus 3D print videos are cool
Brill
Hmm i would have read the manual to see how to turn on firdt.. lol
i had a pacman that was simular
Did you use same Batteries? 😂
you were talking about how often you dont wanna buy thilngs missing the battery cover ... maybe a 3d printer would be a positive to your bag of tools i know it would mean its not the original but so many people would consider an item moreso with a 3d printed cover vs not one at all its just an inconvenience
This a re-upload? Definitely seen this before
i have seen this video video
do you fix a broken heart?
Repost guys
Bro, just put all of it in hot water, why torturing yourself with the ear buds..
Finger cheese 🤢🤢🤢
But I can 3d print you that exact battery cover
Why is it that most people never read the instructions?🤷 It's the first thing I do. I must know everything before I get started.
Seen this video before
This is a repeat.