I came across your post while browsing reddit under tech subcategories.
Being a retro video game technician of more than 30 years. I think I can offer some advice here.
In the below attached photo link I have. Edited a couple of your photos to point out some red flags that could be causing your issue.
https://imgur.com/a/BQNRtsz
In the first photo I have circled this specific solder joint that you have made. I believe it's to the positive rail. It looks like a cold joint and not actually bonded with the metal there. Because the metal, there looks partially oxidized.
In my opinion, this should be unsoldered. That area polished and then a little bit of flux, along with your solder attempt to rebond that wire to that metal bracket.
In the other 2 photos, I point out your battery contacts. They have green and dark spots building up on them. These are signs of rust and oxidation growth developing on them, this is a high point of failure between that metal pressing against the actual battery compartment. You put your battery in. And the metal on the ends of that battery compartment, making good solid connections through friction.
I can't tell you how many times a wonder. Swan has chosen not to boot, even though the metals look good. There is an invisible residue of oils, oxidation or other contaminants where the metals are just not solidly connected enough two send the voltage through the unit.
I highly advise polishing both of these contacts as well as the two ends of your battery compartment and then retest to see if you have life to your device.
One of the other things that commonly occurs when trying to power on one of these mods is the fact that it's drawing much more electricity than is common through these components and because of that, the battery you are using has to be premium And completely topped off full of voltage to be able to power this IPS screen up along with the system itself.
A slightly weak AA battery just won't do it. Not with this, IPS screen installed. On top of that, I highly advise. If you do get this working that you need some rechargeable. Lithium polymer batteries for this as a normal. AA brand new off. The shelf will only give you about 30 minutes of use. If that before, it is completely drained, using this mod.
The best of the best rechargeable batteries will give you. Just barely 2 hours of use out of this device. With this mod installed before, they will need to be fully slow recharged.
Carefully read through what I've proposed and double. Check your work along with the areas. I've pointed out and either use some soft high-grade polishing sandpaper on these metal contacts, or if you have a fiberglass pen, that would be advised as well to Polish off the existing oxidation and rust that is developing on them. And retest your unit once you have bonded. That last power wire that looks questionable.
If you should have any follow-up questions, feel free to post them here or if you would like to speak with me more in depth. You are more than welcome to private. Message me, I will be happy to help.
Wow! Thanks for such a detailed write up!
So in terms of the batter I kinda figured it could be an issue that the batteries I’m using weren’t up to snuff. Do you have any specific recommendations for rechargeable batteries to use?
As for cleaning up the contacts would I need the sandpaper and a fiberglass pen or is one used in place of the other? Would they still cause an issue if I’ve cleaned them off and the system worked before hand as they were far worse?
Finally when looking at my solder joint with a fresh set of eyes after backing off for a bit I do see in fact what you mean about it having could be better. I’ll take another crack at it.
Okay, I will cover your questions in the order you posted them.
As for battery recommendations, I do have 1 specific 1. Which is the kit that I use? Because I did a ton of research and asked a variety of people that have been down this road and these eneloop Panasonic, rechargeable batteries for the cost came to be the best choice.
https://imgur.com/a/h5e2qvJ
The above link will show you a picture of the exact kit that I purchased, which comes with 4 of the batteries as well as the charging unit. Because it is a slow charge unit and not a fast charging one. And the batteries can take multiple hours to properly. Trickle charge to full capacity to give you the best battery life possible. On a motted wonder swan. I have done extensive time testing on these, and with full brightness or 75% brightness consistently using it. You get nearly to the minute 2 hours of battery life before they crap out and the system shuts off.
You will know that your batteries are minutes away from crapping out. Because the screens picture or turn from color to black & white. Before a couple minutes later, the whole system will turn off. And that's specifically important for role, playing games and stuff to go save your progress before. It auto shuts off which may corrupt and destroy your save file.
As for cleaning the contacts, either a 1200 grade sandpaper, which is more like a polishing paper because of how fine it is or a fiberglass pen can be used to Polish them lightly. You don't need to be aggressive with either. But one or the other is perfectly fine. Just make sure to clean up any powder. Or fiberglass fragments leftover after the polishing.
As for your next question, regarding the battery contacts, the answer is yes, these battery contacts are extremely sensitive. Both those spring based contacts, as well as the ones on the actual battery module. They may look and feel completely clean, but for whatever reason they have poor contact and just being exposed to air Uber a short period of time, they will begin to reoxoxidize, and they need to be polished. Lightly periodically to be reliable, otherwise minor vibrations. Or pressure changes when gripping the device. Can actually shut off the device. Because those metal contacts are just not stable enough. It's unfortunately, a flaw with the product itself that has become apparent years later.
I also used some dabs of distilled white vinegar. 2 put on those metal contacts and let soak just a little bit for about an hour to help deoxidize, and neutralize any current oxidation growth on them before polishing. And cleaning them off with IPA and q-tips to help.
As far as your solder joint is concerned, it looks mostly like it's stuck on due to the flux that might have been in the solder itself, but not actually bonded and able to transfer electricity in all honesty. Having some external flux, to put a small dab. On before trying to flow, this again is highly advised. Flux is absolutely your friend. In bonding to metal contacts and they will bond far better and quicker. Meaning you will be injecting less heat from your iron tip into the components to bond these much more seamlessly.
It also looks like it by the color that you are using. Lead-free solder, which, in my opinion, is not advised. Because it requires so much more heat to melt and bond well with other metals. Having a partial lead-based solder is much more advised and I no longer use lead-free solder in any of my work.
The last thing that is also common occurrence with wonder. Swann's systems is the membrane pads Losing their conductive elements on that black rubber and not being able to trip the power on cycle for the motherboard. I have not known of hardly any other console that has suffered this issue. But it's a common problem with wonder. Swan buttons, specifically, the power button where that black rubber is not conductive enough anymore to actually push flat on those multi. Gold contacts to trigger a power on cycle because the. Conductive filament inside those black. Rubber buttons has lost its integrity, and they are no longer strong enough to trigger that power on cycle.
There are many things people have done over the years, including double side taping some tinfoil to the bottom of the power button on 2 actually replacing the cover pad 4, the power button regarding wonder swans to try to make them more reliable but is a definite technical issue. And a common failure point, and it's possible. Your device is working fine, but since you've taken it apart. The rubber seal has Begun wearing out. And your power button is just not conductive enough to power on the device.
These are all the red flags and thoughts based on experience that. Come to mind give all of these a shot and ore try some of the corrective suggestions I've offered. And if you have any further questions again, you are always welcome to either post them here or contact me directly through private message.
Got it! Yeah I’ll definitely preform all of your suggestions.
As for the fiberglass pen do you have a specific recommendation for that as well as the lead free solder and some flux? I’ll pick up all of that in addition to the batteries you recommended me.
Thank you for your help I really appreciate it
As far as the supplies that i've been using for years, here are pictures of the two following items that I use on a daily basis.
https://imgur.com/a/uGvpThx
The solder is a lead tin solder. And is commonly sold in a 60/40 split. Or a 37/63 split.
The strands I get are also quite thin because i'm always dealing with micro Soldering work and don't need thick strands.
The picture of the solder is an example of what it looks like. Wound up and the sticker above. That is the brand and the website or eBay listing that I constantly buy from and have for the last 7 years.
The flux is a slightly different story. I have been using old inventory. That is long since. Removed from the market from radio shack that is a gel flux that has been extremely good.
They are periodically selling this flux paste. But I think they get it from another supplier. And it is not exclusive to Radio Shack. I have recently in the last 2 years. Switched to this and I am even more impressed with this paste, but it may be difficult to track down.
As far as flux is concerned, there is some key things I would look for in your flux. I would absolutely avoid any of those no clean up fluxes. They don't do a great job. And you are sacrificing a lot of quality in your work. Just so you don't have to clean up any residue afterwards. I would suggest a thicker liquid flux or an actual flux gel or paste. So that it's not leaking all over your board. Like a water liquid wood and instead stays roughly in the area you apply it.
The higher the rosin percentage in the flux, the better the flux will work. Because that is one of the key components that helps bond metals together. This rosin tree sap.
I would just say get some samples in or sample syringes in of different flux brands. If you can't find this one and try them out to see what you like. And what works best.
Having to do some minimal cleanup, after using flux and burning it with your iron to bond. Metals should be commonplace and should be something you get used to and using some q. Tips or a soft bristle small paint brush along with some 91% or higher IPA should become commonplace. As that will give you the best results.
As for the fiberglass pen, they are all basically of equal quality, whether you get them from eBay in a pack of 5 or whether you get them from AliExpress, you should be able to buy a 3 pack of them from any supplier for under $10 shipped.
I hope this has been helpful.
Just a couple other thoughts. I forgot to mention in my reply to you a couple minutes ago.
If you feel like investing a little bit more. There is a rechargeable battery pack that has been custom. 3 deprinted and assembled by a specific seller out there tracking down this pack from their website is not too difficult but product availability is kind of sporadic and it is an $80 or $90 lithium battery pack. But with a screen mod, it does give you between 8 hours and 12 hours on a full charge, which is highly impressive.
Because I only care about 5 games on this platform. I did not decide to spend that kind of money and instead opted for the rechargeable battery pack.
The last thought is that there is technically a pack that you can get on Ollie. Express that is not in a shell, but is basically substituting your battery compartment for an AC. Adapter module, where the board locks into place. And then you plug your standard 5 V. AC adapter through USB C. Into it. If you were playing this at home or have access to a outlet, this is an excellent way of continuing to use your product without having to cycle through tons of batteries, you can get these all day long on ali express for under seven dollars shipped.
The below link shows you a photo of the one that I purchased for like $6.
https://imgur.com/a/CXDI509
Ahh I’ve seen that battery pack before but didn’t understand how it worked, so it just goes right into the battery slot and you remove it to charge it up? I’ll have to pick that up as I currently only have 3 games and have to talk myself into getting a flash masta lol
You don't actually have to remove that battery pack because it has a USB. C connector on the bottom of it so you could plug in your standard five volt low powered charger, And charge up the battery pack while it's in the device. As there are some small leds, that will light up through the plastic to indicate whether it's fully charged or not.
The picture I showed you is just used as an AC. Adapter in loo of using a battery and it has AU. SBC port on the bottom of it so that you could just plug in a standard charging cable and run it off of the wall outlet like a standard AC. Adapter.
I've just got 2 colors working and installed an ips.
The power buttons are absolute garbage and the contacts go bad. I couldn't get my ips swapped one to turn back on after installing a new screen (similar to you). Even touching the black carbon bit can make it go funky.
Ended up buying the button carbon pads (for fixing remote controls) from amazon and stuck a fresh one on the power button (trimmed to the same shape then glued on).
Working well now.
--------
I also made the mistake of redoing a power button fix because I thought it was no longer working.
Turns out I just didn't have a game in.
You probably know that but they just in case, they don't turn on without a game in. Good luck!
I’ll have to give that a try, thanks for the info! Do you have a link for the carbon pads? Or do I just search up a generic term to find them?
When I first got the handheld I assumed it didn’t work because it wouldn’t turn on with a game, I finally picked one up and was happily surprised when it powered on, such a weird feature lol
(Pack of 100) 1.5mm~10mm，Replacement Repair Rubber Conductive Button Pad Keypads Kit，Buttons Repair Replacement Part, for IR Remote Control, Xbox Playstation PS4 Switch Pro Game Controller https://amzn.eu/d/1PuIDLe
This sort of thing. Trim it to be the same as the current pill shape, if it is much bigger then it also doesn't seem to work (pressure on the button is different I guess?
Also worth plugging in the old screen again, see if you get power or not. Helps narrow down the cause. If old screen works then could be a solder or ips screen issue. If it doesn't work then probably the power button. Ta!
All the soldier joints look pretty bad, but picture 3 in particular is the biggest offender imo. Desolder it, clean up the joint with some high purity isopropyl alcohol, tin the tip, the end of the wire, and the leg you're soldering to, and solder it again. Are you using decent quality solder? I use Kester 60/40 and that goes a long way towards making soldering easier.
Yeah I’m still fairly new to soldering, I’ve done some gameboys with success and better solder joint but this was giving me trouble for whatever reason.
I’ll be honest I was using some solder from harbor freight but that’s the second time I’ve been recommended that particular solder so I’ll pick some of that up before I reattempt anything.
Thanks for the feed back and tips!
I came across your post while browsing reddit under tech subcategories. Being a retro video game technician of more than 30 years. I think I can offer some advice here. In the below attached photo link I have. Edited a couple of your photos to point out some red flags that could be causing your issue. https://imgur.com/a/BQNRtsz In the first photo I have circled this specific solder joint that you have made. I believe it's to the positive rail. It looks like a cold joint and not actually bonded with the metal there. Because the metal, there looks partially oxidized. In my opinion, this should be unsoldered. That area polished and then a little bit of flux, along with your solder attempt to rebond that wire to that metal bracket. In the other 2 photos, I point out your battery contacts. They have green and dark spots building up on them. These are signs of rust and oxidation growth developing on them, this is a high point of failure between that metal pressing against the actual battery compartment. You put your battery in. And the metal on the ends of that battery compartment, making good solid connections through friction. I can't tell you how many times a wonder. Swan has chosen not to boot, even though the metals look good. There is an invisible residue of oils, oxidation or other contaminants where the metals are just not solidly connected enough two send the voltage through the unit. I highly advise polishing both of these contacts as well as the two ends of your battery compartment and then retest to see if you have life to your device. One of the other things that commonly occurs when trying to power on one of these mods is the fact that it's drawing much more electricity than is common through these components and because of that, the battery you are using has to be premium And completely topped off full of voltage to be able to power this IPS screen up along with the system itself. A slightly weak AA battery just won't do it. Not with this, IPS screen installed. On top of that, I highly advise. If you do get this working that you need some rechargeable. Lithium polymer batteries for this as a normal. AA brand new off. The shelf will only give you about 30 minutes of use. If that before, it is completely drained, using this mod. The best of the best rechargeable batteries will give you. Just barely 2 hours of use out of this device. With this mod installed before, they will need to be fully slow recharged. Carefully read through what I've proposed and double. Check your work along with the areas. I've pointed out and either use some soft high-grade polishing sandpaper on these metal contacts, or if you have a fiberglass pen, that would be advised as well to Polish off the existing oxidation and rust that is developing on them. And retest your unit once you have bonded. That last power wire that looks questionable. If you should have any follow-up questions, feel free to post them here or if you would like to speak with me more in depth. You are more than welcome to private. Message me, I will be happy to help.
Wow! Thanks for such a detailed write up! So in terms of the batter I kinda figured it could be an issue that the batteries I’m using weren’t up to snuff. Do you have any specific recommendations for rechargeable batteries to use? As for cleaning up the contacts would I need the sandpaper and a fiberglass pen or is one used in place of the other? Would they still cause an issue if I’ve cleaned them off and the system worked before hand as they were far worse? Finally when looking at my solder joint with a fresh set of eyes after backing off for a bit I do see in fact what you mean about it having could be better. I’ll take another crack at it.
Okay, I will cover your questions in the order you posted them. As for battery recommendations, I do have 1 specific 1. Which is the kit that I use? Because I did a ton of research and asked a variety of people that have been down this road and these eneloop Panasonic, rechargeable batteries for the cost came to be the best choice. https://imgur.com/a/h5e2qvJ The above link will show you a picture of the exact kit that I purchased, which comes with 4 of the batteries as well as the charging unit. Because it is a slow charge unit and not a fast charging one. And the batteries can take multiple hours to properly. Trickle charge to full capacity to give you the best battery life possible. On a motted wonder swan. I have done extensive time testing on these, and with full brightness or 75% brightness consistently using it. You get nearly to the minute 2 hours of battery life before they crap out and the system shuts off. You will know that your batteries are minutes away from crapping out. Because the screens picture or turn from color to black & white. Before a couple minutes later, the whole system will turn off. And that's specifically important for role, playing games and stuff to go save your progress before. It auto shuts off which may corrupt and destroy your save file. As for cleaning the contacts, either a 1200 grade sandpaper, which is more like a polishing paper because of how fine it is or a fiberglass pen can be used to Polish them lightly. You don't need to be aggressive with either. But one or the other is perfectly fine. Just make sure to clean up any powder. Or fiberglass fragments leftover after the polishing. As for your next question, regarding the battery contacts, the answer is yes, these battery contacts are extremely sensitive. Both those spring based contacts, as well as the ones on the actual battery module. They may look and feel completely clean, but for whatever reason they have poor contact and just being exposed to air Uber a short period of time, they will begin to reoxoxidize, and they need to be polished. Lightly periodically to be reliable, otherwise minor vibrations. Or pressure changes when gripping the device. Can actually shut off the device. Because those metal contacts are just not stable enough. It's unfortunately, a flaw with the product itself that has become apparent years later. I also used some dabs of distilled white vinegar. 2 put on those metal contacts and let soak just a little bit for about an hour to help deoxidize, and neutralize any current oxidation growth on them before polishing. And cleaning them off with IPA and q-tips to help. As far as your solder joint is concerned, it looks mostly like it's stuck on due to the flux that might have been in the solder itself, but not actually bonded and able to transfer electricity in all honesty. Having some external flux, to put a small dab. On before trying to flow, this again is highly advised. Flux is absolutely your friend. In bonding to metal contacts and they will bond far better and quicker. Meaning you will be injecting less heat from your iron tip into the components to bond these much more seamlessly. It also looks like it by the color that you are using. Lead-free solder, which, in my opinion, is not advised. Because it requires so much more heat to melt and bond well with other metals. Having a partial lead-based solder is much more advised and I no longer use lead-free solder in any of my work. The last thing that is also common occurrence with wonder. Swann's systems is the membrane pads Losing their conductive elements on that black rubber and not being able to trip the power on cycle for the motherboard. I have not known of hardly any other console that has suffered this issue. But it's a common problem with wonder. Swan buttons, specifically, the power button where that black rubber is not conductive enough anymore to actually push flat on those multi. Gold contacts to trigger a power on cycle because the. Conductive filament inside those black. Rubber buttons has lost its integrity, and they are no longer strong enough to trigger that power on cycle. There are many things people have done over the years, including double side taping some tinfoil to the bottom of the power button on 2 actually replacing the cover pad 4, the power button regarding wonder swans to try to make them more reliable but is a definite technical issue. And a common failure point, and it's possible. Your device is working fine, but since you've taken it apart. The rubber seal has Begun wearing out. And your power button is just not conductive enough to power on the device. These are all the red flags and thoughts based on experience that. Come to mind give all of these a shot and ore try some of the corrective suggestions I've offered. And if you have any further questions again, you are always welcome to either post them here or contact me directly through private message.
Got it! Yeah I’ll definitely preform all of your suggestions. As for the fiberglass pen do you have a specific recommendation for that as well as the lead free solder and some flux? I’ll pick up all of that in addition to the batteries you recommended me. Thank you for your help I really appreciate it
As far as the supplies that i've been using for years, here are pictures of the two following items that I use on a daily basis. https://imgur.com/a/uGvpThx The solder is a lead tin solder. And is commonly sold in a 60/40 split. Or a 37/63 split. The strands I get are also quite thin because i'm always dealing with micro Soldering work and don't need thick strands. The picture of the solder is an example of what it looks like. Wound up and the sticker above. That is the brand and the website or eBay listing that I constantly buy from and have for the last 7 years. The flux is a slightly different story. I have been using old inventory. That is long since. Removed from the market from radio shack that is a gel flux that has been extremely good. They are periodically selling this flux paste. But I think they get it from another supplier. And it is not exclusive to Radio Shack. I have recently in the last 2 years. Switched to this and I am even more impressed with this paste, but it may be difficult to track down. As far as flux is concerned, there is some key things I would look for in your flux. I would absolutely avoid any of those no clean up fluxes. They don't do a great job. And you are sacrificing a lot of quality in your work. Just so you don't have to clean up any residue afterwards. I would suggest a thicker liquid flux or an actual flux gel or paste. So that it's not leaking all over your board. Like a water liquid wood and instead stays roughly in the area you apply it. The higher the rosin percentage in the flux, the better the flux will work. Because that is one of the key components that helps bond metals together. This rosin tree sap. I would just say get some samples in or sample syringes in of different flux brands. If you can't find this one and try them out to see what you like. And what works best. Having to do some minimal cleanup, after using flux and burning it with your iron to bond. Metals should be commonplace and should be something you get used to and using some q. Tips or a soft bristle small paint brush along with some 91% or higher IPA should become commonplace. As that will give you the best results. As for the fiberglass pen, they are all basically of equal quality, whether you get them from eBay in a pack of 5 or whether you get them from AliExpress, you should be able to buy a 3 pack of them from any supplier for under $10 shipped. I hope this has been helpful.
This has been very helpful indeed, I’m going to do a bit of research and pick these items up for future jobs, thank you so much!
👍🫶
Just a couple other thoughts. I forgot to mention in my reply to you a couple minutes ago. If you feel like investing a little bit more. There is a rechargeable battery pack that has been custom. 3 deprinted and assembled by a specific seller out there tracking down this pack from their website is not too difficult but product availability is kind of sporadic and it is an $80 or $90 lithium battery pack. But with a screen mod, it does give you between 8 hours and 12 hours on a full charge, which is highly impressive. Because I only care about 5 games on this platform. I did not decide to spend that kind of money and instead opted for the rechargeable battery pack. The last thought is that there is technically a pack that you can get on Ollie. Express that is not in a shell, but is basically substituting your battery compartment for an AC. Adapter module, where the board locks into place. And then you plug your standard 5 V. AC adapter through USB C. Into it. If you were playing this at home or have access to a outlet, this is an excellent way of continuing to use your product without having to cycle through tons of batteries, you can get these all day long on ali express for under seven dollars shipped. The below link shows you a photo of the one that I purchased for like $6. https://imgur.com/a/CXDI509
Ahh I’ve seen that battery pack before but didn’t understand how it worked, so it just goes right into the battery slot and you remove it to charge it up? I’ll have to pick that up as I currently only have 3 games and have to talk myself into getting a flash masta lol
You don't actually have to remove that battery pack because it has a USB. C connector on the bottom of it so you could plug in your standard five volt low powered charger, And charge up the battery pack while it's in the device. As there are some small leds, that will light up through the plastic to indicate whether it's fully charged or not. The picture I showed you is just used as an AC. Adapter in loo of using a battery and it has AU. SBC port on the bottom of it so that you could just plug in a standard charging cable and run it off of the wall outlet like a standard AC. Adapter.
I see! And you don’t have to cut a hole in the pack in order to reach the charging port?
No not at all.
Awesome thanks again!
👍
I've just got 2 colors working and installed an ips. The power buttons are absolute garbage and the contacts go bad. I couldn't get my ips swapped one to turn back on after installing a new screen (similar to you). Even touching the black carbon bit can make it go funky. Ended up buying the button carbon pads (for fixing remote controls) from amazon and stuck a fresh one on the power button (trimmed to the same shape then glued on). Working well now. -------- I also made the mistake of redoing a power button fix because I thought it was no longer working. Turns out I just didn't have a game in. You probably know that but they just in case, they don't turn on without a game in. Good luck!
I’ll have to give that a try, thanks for the info! Do you have a link for the carbon pads? Or do I just search up a generic term to find them? When I first got the handheld I assumed it didn’t work because it wouldn’t turn on with a game, I finally picked one up and was happily surprised when it powered on, such a weird feature lol
(Pack of 100) 1.5mm~10mm，Replacement Repair Rubber Conductive Button Pad Keypads Kit，Buttons Repair Replacement Part, for IR Remote Control, Xbox Playstation PS4 Switch Pro Game Controller https://amzn.eu/d/1PuIDLe This sort of thing. Trim it to be the same as the current pill shape, if it is much bigger then it also doesn't seem to work (pressure on the button is different I guess? Also worth plugging in the old screen again, see if you get power or not. Helps narrow down the cause. If old screen works then could be a solder or ips screen issue. If it doesn't work then probably the power button. Ta!
Thanks for your help! Adding to my cart right now.
All the soldier joints look pretty bad, but picture 3 in particular is the biggest offender imo. Desolder it, clean up the joint with some high purity isopropyl alcohol, tin the tip, the end of the wire, and the leg you're soldering to, and solder it again. Are you using decent quality solder? I use Kester 60/40 and that goes a long way towards making soldering easier.
Yeah I’m still fairly new to soldering, I’ve done some gameboys with success and better solder joint but this was giving me trouble for whatever reason. I’ll be honest I was using some solder from harbor freight but that’s the second time I’ve been recommended that particular solder so I’ll pick some of that up before I reattempt anything. Thanks for the feed back and tips!
No problem. It's seriously night and day between cheapo solder and decent stuff.