The Game & Watch corner

[Juan F. Ramirez]

I think the G&W fans (like me) should have a thread here and share stuff and help with some non working units, like the case I'll tell you now.

I have some models. One of them is Donkey Kong G&W mini version:



The problem is, as you can see, the game works, I can listen to the sounds, but the upper screen doesn't show anything.

Is there a way to solve the problem?

[RMartins]

Is there a way to solve the problem?

Most probably yes.

The LCD, if in good shape (not cracked) usually is not the cause of the failure.
On these devices, with swivel cases, there are a bunch of wires, that pass across the swivel which are prone to break.

So, if you can open it very carefully, and take some snapshots, I might be able to help.

when you open it, be very careful with any item that is used to fix the LCD to the case, since there is usually a conductive ribbon, used to pass electricity to the LCD elements, that you should avoid messing with due to possible alignment issues when putting it back, although it's easy to fix or realign.

But essentially, it should just be a matter of replacing a few wires (or a ribbon cable) with good multicore flexible wires.

If you don't know how to solder, find someone who does, to avoid doing more harm than good.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Thanks for the reply.

Let's see if I can do that, I'm a bit clumsy as to opening and handling electronic gadgets.

Anyway, that's not the only model with problems. I have a genuine G&W Parachute with similar problems (and I'll post it soon).

[5MinuteRetro]

I think the G&W fans (like me) should have a thread here and share stuff and help with some non working units, like the case I'll tell you now.

Ooh... can I plug my little YouTube channel then?! Snoopy G&W: https://youtu.be/mGSjsyFEsRI

Also, I have a faulty Grandstand Mini-Munchman (https://youtu.be/GJDPF6yt-Ws) that I intend to take apart in an attempt to fix. I imagine the tips here will apply equally as well, but if anyone has specific advice on what might be wrong I'm all ears.

[RMartins]

Those conductive rubber ribbons can eventually decay (rubber falls apart), depending on the original rubber quality.

You can find similar conductive ribbon from other trashed devices, or you can buy it new online.
It can be easily cut, with x-acto knife. It's just a bunch of parallel lines, that connect top to bottom.

That last video, is most probably a problem in that conductive ribbon.
You can just take it out, and put it back again.

But you know what you risk, you can fix it, or you can get more faults.

Better have a replace at hand, in case the conductive rubber ribbon disintegrates.

NOTE: Some of them only contact on 2 opposite sides (from the 4 sides of that long ribbon), so orientation might be important.

UPDATE: These are apparently known commercially as "Conductive Zebra Strips".
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/lammesss/m.html

There are several measures and sizes, you need to get the same size has the ones you have/need.
Warning: Be sure to confirm the pitch too (distance between consecutive conductive connections).

Remember: length wise, you can cut it to whatever length you need.

[5MinuteRetro]

That last video, is most probably a problem in that conductive ribbon.
You can just take it out, and put it back again.

Yep... and thanks. That was my guess but it's nice to have a second opinion that concurs. If i get a quiet moment later today I'm going to bit the bullet and rip it open -- I'll report back!

[5MinuteRetro]

Well, I got brave and opened it up...



No ribbon cables/zebra strips here. So, I got a bit braver and prised out the circuit board. Still no ribbon cables. In fact, it seems the display is hard-wired to the board:



That's a bummer. Moreover, looking closely, I fear that might be a break in the trace/solder (circled in red)? Hard to say for sure, as it might be by design, but it looks to me like it might've flaked away over the past 38 years:



So, given that my eyesight is now terrible and my hands not nearly steady enough to attempt soldering I think that might be game over for me. But any suggestions welcome!

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Now time to show my G&W Parachute, got it in 1982.

It had been working ok but some time ago I switched it on and sounds ran ok but the images didn't:

[RMartins]

Well, I got brave and opened it up...

No ribbon cables/zebra strips here. So, I got a bit braver and prised out the circuit board. Still no ribbon cables. In fact, it seems the display is hard-wired to the board:

I see a dark grey ribbon on each side of the screen.
The thing is, you ALWAYS have to have some conductive way to pass electricity to the glass substrate, to excite/align the crystals.
So you always have some rubberized conductor to pass signals from the board to the screen.

That's a bummer. Moreover, looking closely, I fear that might be a break in the trace/solder (circled in red)? Hard to say for sure, as it might be by design, but it looks to me like it might've flaked away over the past 38 years:



So, given that my eyesight is now terrible and my hands not nearly steady enough to attempt soldering I think that might be game over for me. But any suggestions welcome!

I would suggest you try the device out of the case, with batteries on, over a NON conductive surface (plastic covered table), and gently press the screen, while it's on, to see if the fault disappears.

This will allow you to check if the problem is in the ribbon or not.

The photos clearly show that the only thing making pressure on the screen is the case itself.
So it might be the case, that due to aging plastic, the case is not stiff enough or has distorted slightly, and hence might not be providing enough even pressure to make all screen contacts work.

If this is the case, a simple paper frame, can be cut, so that extra pressure can be created between the case and the circuit.

But it can be as simple, as that solder joint being faulty.
You could try find someone to help you fix it.

[RMartins]

Now time to show my G&W Parachute, got it in 1982.

It had been working ok but some time ago I switched it on and sounds ran ok but the images didn't:

That means the crystal oscilator is operating fine, as well as the micro controller, at least to some degree.

You probably just have a faulty ground or similar, not reaching the screen.
Or the rubber ribbon has completely degraded.

Or you could have a case of not enough pressure on the screen, due to aging.
Try it outside of the case, as explained before.

Remember, that both rubber ribbons need to be in the correct place, which is not easy, when the thing is not on the case (provides alignment).

Another trick is to just put it back, and just leave out the back of the case, and then gently squeeze the circuit against the front bezel, to see if you get any output from it, when power is on.

If you touched the screen with your fingers, specially near the edges, where the contacts are, you most probably left microscopic oil spots from your fingers that can prevent electrical contact.

If this is the case (I hope not) you need to clean it with isopropyl alcohol, and use a lint free cloth so that no dirt is left in the contacts.

[5MinuteRetro]

I see a dark grey ribbon on each side of the screen.
The thing is, you ALWAYS have to have some conductive way to pass electricity to the glass substrate, to excite/align the crystals.
So you always have some rubberized conductor to pass signals from the board to the screen.

You do? I don't see that. Could you highlight the areas you mean?

(I'll try your other suggestions, btw - thanks)

[RMartins]

I see a dark grey ribbon on each side of the screen.
The thing is, you ALWAYS have to have some conductive way to pass electricity to the glass substrate, to excite/align the crystals.
So you always have some rubberized conductor to pass signals from the board to the screen.

You do? I don't see that. Could you highlight the areas you mean?

I'm not on my usual machine, so no way to share an image.


On this image (near the top and bottom of the screen glass), there are 2 horizontal stripes that are Dark Gray and have a darker Black center line, which is the conducting part.

Zoom the image and you will see.

Notice that these contacts are always near the edge of the screen.
When the screen is removed, it usually has an indentation where the ribbon fits, since the screen is in fact a kind of a sandwhich of ( glass + Liquid crystal + glass ), where one of the glasses (usually the back of the screen) is shorter/smaller, so that contact can be established with the conductive substrate (Liquid Crystal contact lines).

[Juan F. Ramirez]

My new acquisition:



Sealed, for only 20 euros. Comparing to the current prices on ebay, etc I think I've been lucky.

[Joefish]

Those mini Game & Watch are lovely little devices, but they chew through the button cell batteries at a hell of a rate.
I think I've got Mario's Cement Factory, Donkey Kong Jr and Super Mario Bros somewhere. That last one has an impressive variety of levels for an LCD game.

[Morkin]

It looks absolutely tiny.

Someone needs to post a pic of it with a banana or pen for scale.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

Someone needs to post a pic of it with a banana or pen for scale.

I'd rather use the usual Antonio-Martin-Basket-Master-Dinamic's-regular-tape standard scale:



Here's also me playing DK Junior:



All these Mini-Classics are at a very reasonable prices (well, except for models like Fire or Octopus at aprox. 90 euros!!!), because the original G&W machines are at a very prohibitive prices...

[merman]

I got the Zelda Anniversary Game & Watch for Christmas. It's really cool.



Did an unboxing for my YouTube channel here:

https://youtu.be/DL5Mjf323AY

[Morkin]

Someone needs to post a pic of it with a banana or pen for scale.

I'd rather use the usual Antonio-Martin-Basket-Master-Dinamic's-regular-tape standard scale:

Thank you. I always find there's confusion about whether to pick cm or inches, so it's good to have a gold standard unit of measurement that is universally accepted...

[Joefish]

I got the Zelda Anniversary Game & Watch for Christmas. It's really cool.

It's a neat gadget and a great tribute, but the first few NES Zelda games are barely playable even with the nostalgia goggles turned up to full. And while Link's Awakening carries one of the best plotlines in that whole series, it's a blatant insult to the player that they didn't use the colourised version. All-in-all, it's quite the price gouge for a retro system with so few games on it.

They'd be better off simply re-issuing the GameBoy Micro with legit NES and GBC emulation bundles, though heaven forbid Nintendo should ever be accused of giving customers what they want.

[XTM]

It's a neat gadget and a great tribute, but the first few NES Zelda games are barely playable even with the nostalgia goggles turned up to full.

I'm sure you could express the same sentiment to a lot of Speccy games ...

For example, when Rare Replay was released in 2015, the Speccy games on that collection were widely derided in the German-speaking corner of the internet, a major factor certainly being the lack of nostalgia for the Speccy and its games (I think I've told you guys enough times already how the Speccy was an almost obscure machine over here). So granted, in this case the nostalgia goggles were not even put on ... but they also didn't get the best reception in other countries:

Among the least favorites were Perfect Dark Zero, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, and the early Spectrum games, which reviewers felt had aged the worst.

[Joefish]

Underwurlde was never playable!

[merman]

Underwurlde was never playable!

Agreed!

The Zelda G&W though, it's just a nice little piece of nostalgia. I know I'm the sort of nerd Nintendo aimed it at.

[Joefish]

The Zelda G&W though, it's just a nice little piece of nostalgia. I know I'm the sort of nerd Nintendo aimed it at.

At least the damn things are rechargeable!

I sometimes wonder about pushing myself to play through the original Zelda, as I really loved the later games (Awakening, Ocarina, Twilight), but then again I tried playing through even one of the Oracle games and got quite bored with it. And replaying Minish recently, as soon as I picked up the gust jar and remembered you have to go round hoovering up the dust in room after room looking for hidden trapdoors, I realised I wasn't going to pick it up again. I think I can name more games in that series with annoyances that I wouldn't want to play again, than ones I've revisited. Even Skyward Sword, for all its amazing visual moments, was frustrating in the motion-plus controls simply didn't work as promised (the sword slash actions were faked, and the bow aiming always drifted way off, compared to the pin-point camera/cursor accuracy of the previous game).

Still looking for a cheap Wii U or some way to play Breath of the Wild. Not sure I want to buy a Switch for one game.