Do Boktai solar sensors become less sensitive over time?

[james.exe]

Recently found my old Boktai cartridge hidden away in my closet. I noticed the sensor doesn't really pick up on sunlight if it's through a window. Even with the window open I barely get 1 bar if at all. When I'm outside directly under a strong beam of light, the meter reads at just a bit over half. Is there some sort of maintenance I have to do to get the solar sensitivity up or is this what the game was always like?

 

[tech3475]

Have you tried cleaning it? Something like Isopropyl Alcohol?

 

[FAST6191]

I remember seeing it back when it was new and for the most part you got to stick it under a light bulb (and this was old school tungsten still) or right angle in the midday sun (granted this was the UK) to get max values. I am not going to rule out some dust or a bad joint somewhere but degrading is rare for most of these sorts of devices -- being this old and needing an analogue result I imagine this is going to be a LDR* (light dependent resistor, the resistor part potentially then being troubled by a dodgy joint if one acts as a series resistor) which are fairly resilient little things. Bonus is if it is somehow dead then LDRs are very cheap, and are simple analogue devices so you can solder in a variable resistor to get the range needed and purchase accordingly.

*rather than full solar panel or photodiode (which would possibly have been pricier back then, and are binary anyway).

 

[Titney]

The sensor is a UV sensor, not a visible light sensor, and this time of year in the Northern hemisphere the UV might be too low to completely fill the bar. Using artificial UV sources is not really recommended either because of health risks, but it does work.

Aside from waiting for summer, there are hacks to fill the bar without the sensor, but then you need a flashcart to play on real hardware.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/boktai-solar-sensor-patch-kit.245127/

Inside Gadgets also has a flashcart with a light sensor, rather than UV sensor, so it works indoors, but it's out of stock and ETA in April 2022 due to chip shortage.
https://shop.insidegadgets.com/product/gba-16mb-64k-eeprom-solar-rtc-flash-cart/

 

[Adrian-E-C]

It does not become less sensitive over time, because it is a very simply analogue device, and cannot "wear out" with more exposure to UV. There are a couple things that may be occurring though:

-Over time the carts become less transparent as micro abrasions and dust effect the cart itself, this could block some of the UV light getting to the sensor.

-The time of year can definitely change the amount of UV, as far less UV rays make it to you in the winter than in the summer, regardless of the amount of sunshine outside.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Glory to those who praise the sun!!!

Also yeah maybe open the cart clean the little sensor and clean everything as best you can.