Hardware Need help replacing charging port

[BastienD]

Hi,
I recently bought two GBA SP which work well except the fact that they don't charge at all, no LED turns on when i plug it in, even for 1 second, so i bought charging port for GBA SP and i was wondering if someone could give me some advice on how to do it because i don't want to damage my consoles, even if there is a diy video somewhere could you give me the link because i searched and i didn't find.
Thanks !

 

[migles]

is the port really damaged? if they dont charge at all and the port looks good, i would think about the charging circuity or the battery is the culprit...

btw they need a battery to operate, check if the battery is inside and still good, they won't get charge or get on with the DC power alone

btw @FAST6191 is usually the right person about this

 

[CMDreamer]

The process is somewhat generic. Search a video for replacing a charging port on a cellphone and you'll get all the info that's needed.

Also, trying it without a hot air gun will prove dificult.

I do electronics repair as a hobby and to earn some money, so I've done it many times; each time, patience and good care are a must to do it right.

 

[BastienD]

is the port really damaged? if they dont charge at all and the port looks good, i would think about the charging circuity or the battery is the culprit...

btw they need a battery to operate, check if the battery is inside and still good, they won't get charge or get on with the DC power alone

btw @FAST6191 is usually the right person about this

Thanks @migles ! I don't really know if it is damaged i checked with a multimeter if there were some current passing and yes there is some but only on 2 pins, the battery is ok because i can charge it in another GBA and it charges perfectly. Is there a way to DM @FAST6191 ?

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The process is somewhat generic. Search a video for replacing a charging port on a cellphone and you'll get all the info that's needed.

Also, trying it without a hot air gun will prove dificult.

I do electronics repair as a hobby and to earn some money, so I've done it many times; each time, patience and good care are a must to do it right.

Thanks @CMDreamer , do u think that only with a soldering iron it would be very difficult ?

 

[Ryccardo]

Thanks @CMDreamer , do u think that only with a soldering iron it would be very difficult ?

You would certainly want some desoldering tool, the better ones are those dedicated iron+vacuum tools which can (probably) get all of it out of the way, but those hand-cocked vacuum pumps (SoldaPullet) and copper fiber roll (Solder Wick) MAY be adequate depending on the size of the pins (in my experience they aren't that good, especially the former)

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i checked with a multimeter if there were some current passing and yes there is some but only on 2 pins

Well yes, the charger only uses 2 pins (this is actually stamped on the console), the rest are for audio output

 

[migles]

if there were some current passing and yes there is some but only on 2 pins,

only 2 pins are used for the charger (like every device), the 2 in the sides, as shown in the diagram in the charger sticker (if you have an official charger)
the middle 2 pins are for the headphone adapter\audio output

please make sure its the charging port that needs replacing, from reading your text it seems you are practically clueless and assuming its a bad port..
if there is no physical damage in the port i would say its fine..
check the battery contacts if they are oxidated, check the battery (the battery makes the circuit close, with no battery the thing will not accept current)

 

[Ryccardo]

Or charging fuse? (not sure about SP, but DS certainly has one)

 

[gamesquest1]

probably just the fuse
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-Replace...GBA-SP-F1-and-F2-Ships-from-USA-/292045250283

you can probably just jump the pads for testing although ideally you should replace with the appropriate fuse

 

[BastienD]

only 2 pins are used for the charger (like every device), the 2 in the sides, as shown in the diagram in the charger sticker (if you have an official charger)
the middle 2 pins are for the headphone adapter\audio output

please make sure its the charging port that needs replacing, from reading your text it seems you are practically clueless and assuming its a bad port..
if there is no physical damage in the port i would say its fine..
check the battery contacts if they are oxidated, check the battery (the battery makes the circuit close, with no battery the thing will not accept current)

Yeah i don't really know what is not working, that's why i am trying to change different pieces linked to the charging circuit, hoping that it will work, I will check the battery contact but if the GBA SP boot up fine and work perfectly when the battery is charged, doesn't it mean that the battery contacts are ok ?

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probably just the fuse


you can probably just jump the pads for testing although ideally you should replace with the appropriate fuse

I checked the continuity with a multimeter and they seems to be ok

 

[migles]

GBA SP boot up fine and work perfectly when the battery is charged, doesn't it mean that the battery contacts are ok ?

yeh it does
if your device works with the battery charged,
and the problem is it doesn't charge, it is something in the charging side might be the port, or the charging IC

 

[gamesquest1]

yeah you could also double check the ports continuity just use your multimeter to check if the 5v are making it through to the other side, the GBA ports tend to be pretty robust, I have yet to see a damaged for that wasn't due to obvious corrosion or being snapped completely

 

[BastienD]

yeh it does
if your device works with the battery charged,
and the problem is it doesn't charge, it is something in the charging side might be the port, or the charging IC

Ok but when i check the charging port i see the 5v passing through, what do you mean by the "charging IC" ?

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yeah you could also double check the ports continuity just use your multimeter to check if the 5v are making it through to the other side, the GBA ports tend to be pretty robust, I have yet to see a damaged for that wasn't due to obvious corrosion or being snapped completely

When you say the "other side", which composant are u talking about because i don't really understand the GBA SP motherboard circuit

 

[migles]

Ok but when i check the charging port i see the 5v passing through, what do you mean by the "charging IC" ?

usually devices have a chip that handles and controlls charging, every phone has it, laptops have it, i suspect the gba also has it..
btw there are 2 fuses did ya check both?
@FAST6191 probably is the person that knows better

 

[BastienD]

usually devices have a chip that handles and controlls charging, every phone has it, i suspect the gba also has it..
btw there are 2 fuses did ya check both?
@FAST6191 probably is the person that knows better

Yes i checked the two fuses, and can this chip be replaced ?

 

[FAST6191]

I have yet to properly go through the GBA SP charging circuit.

Generally though.
The SP uses a 3.8V Lithium Ion battery
The charger in is either 5.1V or 5V if you use a USB thing.
Equally one does not put a voltage there and wait if you want your battery to last and not blow up -- http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries
To that end the SP first has to drop the voltage and second has to manage that curve in the link above (there are simpler versions but not by a lot). This takes extra circuitry between the port and the battery, said circuitry almost by definition being fairly high power.

If there is a fault in the circuitry then it is not going to charge. Equally continuity might not be detected (5V to 3.8V implies a fair bit of resistance that might not play with some meters). We run into my limit of knowledge here -- I do intend to properly go through the charger side of things for the SP for https://gbatemp.net/threads/thinkin...gba-hardware-fixes-compilation-thread.485501/ but have not gone there yet. Equally while the DS has a fairly notorious for failing fuse the SP does not have such a well known failure. Hopefully the DS stuff is similar to the GBA stuff (2003 was the SP release, 2004 was the DS with the same port and same style of battery so I am hoping).

As others mentioned the charger ports are pretty good. Damage tends to be obvious, and either in the form of corrosion or obvious mechanical damage. I can't rule out a more subtle cold/cracked/fatigued/creep killed joint but it would be a first for me on the SP side of things. In the case of those last ones you need only reflow the solder as well (stick some flux on there , heat it so it melts, maybe add some more if necessary, let it cool down, make sure you have not bridged anything that was not bridged before).
Charge ports of the mini and micro USB variety fail all the time (so much so that I keep a bunch in stock) but the SP is pretty solid. Speaking of which if you are going to replace the port I would suggest you consider a microUSB as it is easier for you in the long run.


Option 2. Bypass the lot. We have seen things made for the original GBA https://gbatemp.net/threads/integrated-rechargable-gba-mod.465889/ and I recall some nice third party 360 battery packs that connected directly to the pack instead of messing with being official for the 360 controller. You could do something similar. If you are really good you might even be able to retrofit it with one of those wireless chargers they make for phones these days.

 

[BastienD]

I have yet to properly go through the GBA SP charging circuit.

Generally though.
The SP uses a 3.8V Lithium Ion battery
The charger in is either 5.1V or 5V if you use a USB thing.
Equally one does not put a voltage there and wait if you want your battery to last and not blow up -- http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries
To that end the SP first has to drop the voltage and second has to manage that curve in the link above (there are simpler versions but not by a lot). This takes extra circuitry between the port and the battery, said circuitry almost by definition being fairly high power.

If there is a fault in the circuitry then it is not going to charge. Equally continuity might not be detected (5V to 3.8V implies a fair bit of resistance that might not play with some meters). We run into my limit of knowledge here -- I do intend to properly go through the charger side of things for the SP for https://gbatemp.net/threads/thinkin...gba-hardware-fixes-compilation-thread.485501/ but have not gone there yet. Equally while the DS has a fairly notorious for failing fuse the SP does not have such a well known failure. Hopefully the DS stuff is similar to the GBA stuff (2003 was the SP release, 2004 was the DS with the same port and same style of battery so I am hoping).

As others mentioned the charger ports are pretty good. Damage tends to be obvious, and either in the form of corrosion or obvious mechanical damage. I can't rule out a more subtle cold/cracked/fatigued/creep killed joint but it would be a first for me on the SP side of things. In the case of those last ones you need only reflow the solder as well (stick some flux on there , heat it so it melts, maybe add some more if necessary, let it cool down, make sure you have not bridged anything that was not bridged before).
Charge ports of the mini and micro USB variety fail all the time (so much so that I keep a bunch in stock) but the SP is pretty solid. Speaking of which if you are going to replace the port I would suggest you consider a microUSB as it is easier for you in the long run.


Option 2. Bypass the lot. We have seen things made for the original GBA https://gbatemp.net/threads/integrated-rechargable-gba-mod.465889/ and I recall some nice third party 360 battery packs that connected directly to the pack instead of messing with being official for the 360 controller. You could do something similar. If you are really good you might even be able to retrofit it with one of those wireless chargers they make for phones these days.

I just checked the motherboard of one of the two and it seems like the EM8 is missing, there is a space with no components in it but some soldering points, is it possible that it is the issue ? And if i want to buy one, what is the name of this component in EM8 ?

 

[FAST6191]

In the past all the things with EM8 were https://imgur.com/a/FjS2Z and that is not a two pad device.

That said not every component location needs to be populated, and it can vary between runs if you are comparing two boards side by side (designing and making a new board is hard, leaving out a component is not, said component might only be a fraction of a cent but if you are making 10 million of the things...). It has been responsible for charging related issues in the past though so guess we get to look into it.

Does it look like one got ripped off or anything? Did you find it when you opened the case, or is it wedged somewhere else on the PCB?

 

[CMDreamer]

Thanks @migles ! I don't really know if it is damaged i checked with a multimeter if there were some current passing and yes there is some but only on 2 pins, the battery is ok because i can charge it in another GBA and it charges perfectly. Is there a way to DM @FAST6191 ?

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Thanks @CMDreamer , do u think that only with a soldering iron it would be very difficult ?

Yes, as you will need to remove most of the solder from both "anchoring" pins at once to avoid tearing the pads on the motherboard.

I just checked the motherboard of one of the two and it seems like the EM8 is missing, there is a space with no components in it but some soldering points, is it possible that it is the issue ? And if i want to buy one, what is the name of this component in EM8 ?

It depends on the motherboard revision/version. Some components get replaced/removed between revisions and only the solder pads remain. That happened on my PSP 2010 with a TA-085 motherboard, as many components aren't present on the board but they are listed and showed on the official schematics.

BTW, take a look at how the charging port looks like when it's not soldered to the motherboard:

As you can see there are more than just two "anchoring" pins, and the solder they all have needs to be removed to extract it.

 

[BastienD]

In the past all the things with EM8 were https://imgur.com/a/FjS2Z and that is not a two pad device.

That said not every component location needs to be populated, and it can vary between runs if you are comparing two boards side by side (designing and making a new board is hard, leaving out a component is not, said component might only be a fraction of a cent but if you are making 10 million of the things...). It has been responsible for charging related issues in the past though so guess we get to look into it.

Does it look like one got ripped off or anything? Did you find it when you opened the case, or is it wedged somewhere else on the PCB?

Yes it looks like it has been ripped off

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Yes it look like it has been ripped off

Yes, as you will need to remove most of the solder from both "anchoring" pins at once to avoid tearing the pads on the motherboard.



It depends on the motherboard revision/version. Some components get replaced/removed between revisions and only the solder pads remain. That happened on my PSP 2010 with a TA-085 motherboard, as many components aren't present on the board but they are listed and showed on the official schematics.

BTW, take a look at how the charging port looks like when it's not soldered to the motherboard:

As you can see there are more than just two "anchoring" pins, and the solder they all have needs to be removed to extract it.

Ok so it means that even if it seems that it have been ripped off, it doesn't necessarily need that it is causing the charging issue ?
Does anybody know what is the name of this component and where to buy one ?

 

[diegopalacio]

The EM8 is an "Electromagnetic Charger Filter Regulator". But it seems that only exist a replacement piece for the Nintendo DS, that has an EM10 with these specifications:

• Maximum DC Current: 1 Amp
• Maximum DC Resistance: 200 mOhms
• Operating Temperature Range: - 25'C to + 85'C
• Termination Style: SMD/SMT
• Test Frequency: 100 MHz
• Mounting Type: Soldering
• Part Number on Nintendo DS motherboard: EM10