Gaming Green power light always on

[Podunk]

I hope I'm posting this in the right sub forum. I couldn't find any FAQ for common hardware problems. I just nabbed a cheap GBA SP off eBay. It's a Flame GBA SP. The item said non-working, but the description lead me to think it was just a dead battery. I swapped it out with a new battery, but it still has some issues.

First, the green power light is always on, even if the power switch is off. I have to remove the battery to get the light to turn off. The second item is that nothing at all happens when you turn the power on. No screen, no sound, no backlight. Nothing at all. I guess I'm mostly curious about the first issue since I've never head of that before. Thanks for any potential help!

 

[RodrigoDavy]

I hope I'm posting this in the right sub forum. I couldn't find any FAQ for common hardware problems. I just nabbed a cheap GBA SP off eBay. It's a Flame GBA SP. The item said non-working, but the description lead me to think it was just a dead battery. I swapped it out with a new battery, but it still has some issues.

First, the green power light is always on, even if the power switch is off. I have to remove the battery to get the light to turn off. The second item is that nothing at all happens when you turn the power on. No screen, no sound, no backlight. Nothing at all. I guess I'm mostly curious about the first issue since I've never head of that before. Thanks for any potential help!

Could be a short circuit. Maybe if you open your gba and clean the dust with something dry (a paintbrush or a toothpaste, maybe?)

 

[xerces]

Sounds to me like either the on-off toggle switch has gone bad, or the board has possibly gotten wet causing corrosion and a short-circuit.

What I would do is unscrew the bottom, unclip the LCD screen connector and examine the board. if there is corrosion, first dust it off with a can of compressed air or just blow on it. Don't use a a brush because you don't want to create static.

Now for the next part, you're going to need some Isopropyl Alcohol. Don't use 70%, try to get the highest concentration you can... I recommend 92-99%. The less water, the better.

Get a cup of 99% Isopropyl Alcohol and soak the board in there for an hour or so. You'll probably notice some of the corrosion breaking loose and floating in the alcohol. Once this step is completed, take the board off and set it on a dry cloth and let it dry out thoroughly.

Now re-install it in the GBASP, insert the battery and try to turn it on. Good luck!!

 

[Podunk]

Thank you both for the advice. I just ordered a tri-wing screwdriver, so I'll be able to test out your theories once that shows up. Hopefully it will live again.

 

[wiggatron]

Pop the battery cover open. There should be a little white sticker with pink dots on it. If not, it's likely an all or almost all pink square. These stickers indicate exposure to fluids. If it's all pink, it's taken a bath. If it's still white with dots, then it may not have. That's a good way to at least have an idea of what you're up against.