The Gameboy Curse - Vertical Lines & Dead Pixels -

While most DMG Gameboys (Dot Matrix Gameboy) are still functioning a growing number of them have vertical lines in the display. Or glitched games displayed on the screen. 

Luckily both fixes are relatively easy.

Let's get started

1.  The Gameboy shell is held together by 6 TriWing Screws. You'll need a special tri-wing tool to remove these. Some early production gameboys have standard phillips screws.

2. After removing all 6 screws SLOWLY pry apart the two halves. Pay close attention to the photo below. A short data ribbon holds the two sections together. Gently pull the ribbon out of the connector before moving to step 3.

3. Next we need to remove the ten screws (illustrated as red dots) and slowly lift the front board from the case. 

Work carefully when removing this board

4. Locate the black foam strip under the LCD screen. Carefully peel this off and try to remove any remaining adhesive.  Now would be a good time to clean the buttons and silicon pads. A soak in Dawn dish soap and water is safe and mild. Wipe down with a lint-free cloth and reassemble.

5.  This next step requires a soldering gun. Hopefully you are familiar with this tool before moving forward.  Our goal is to "reflow" the original solder on the ribbon. A standard 30watt soldering iron works perfectly for this step. In order to have the gameboy powered on during repair, simply plugin the data ribbon from Step 2 and insert the batteries.

Once the iron is preheated gently rub it black and forth on the connector. Do not stay in one spot longer than 3-4 seconds. Concentrate on the area directly under the vertical lines.  Continue working the area until the lines disappear.

More lines can appear while heating the data ribbon.  It may take a few tries in order to reflow the solder and set all the connections.

To reassemble the gameboy simply follow the steps in reverse order.