Restore your old Sega Game Gear to its former glory!
With these consoles having been released in the early 90s, many are approaching 30 years old and even if they've been well cared for the majority of these consoles are suffering from leaking or otherwise failing capacitors. This causes most of the classic issues we see with these consoles, from dim and faded video to poor sound quality.
These kits contain high quality multi-layer ceramic capacitors to replace the original ones, and each kit has been optimized for the 5 variations of main board available. As the replacement capacitors are ceramic, they will not leak like electrolytic capacitors tend to do as they age. They also do not have a polarity, so whichever direction you choose to install them in is irrelevant, and and a surface mounted design further eases the installation process and helps keep the whole process and final result looking cleaner, and more aesthetically pleasing in general.
To determine the model of your Game Gear, look at the back side (non-screen side) of the circuit board at the left hand edge. The ASIC chips are located at the bottom right corner of the circuit board in this orientation. If you are still unsure of the kit you require, the universal kit has capacitors for any of the 6 variations.
Relevant serial numbers you should look for are:
VA0 (2ASIC): 837-7398, 837-7719, or 837-7996
VA1 (1ASIC): 837-8560 or 837-9024
VA4: VA4, 837-9537
VA4-1: VA4, 837-9537-01
VA5: VA5, 837-10766 or 1.71-7923A
Kits include:
5-10 100uF 6.3V ceramic SMD capacitors
0-6 10uF 50V ceramic SMD capacitors
0-6 22uF 50V ceramic SMD capacitor
- 0-2 1uF 50V ceramic SMD capacitor
- 0-1 820uF 6.3V aluminum electrolytic radial capacitor*
- 0-1 100uF 25V aluminum electrolytic radial capacitor*
- 0-1 22uF 25V aluminum electrolytic radial capacitor*
- 0-3 transistors
- 0-1 MB3775PF current regulator
Step by step instructions
Capacitor maps for the relevant circuit board(s)
*Electrolytic capacitors and transistors are not Samsung brand.
The Power PCB+ kits include replacements for the current regulator and transistors Q1 Q2 and Q3 in addition to 3 electrolytic capacitors. The extra components in this kit are often damaged if the power board has received improper voltage, often due to a short having occurred and replacing these may revive a dead power board.
Soldering is required for proper installation, however parts are relatively large and is suitable for relative neophytes, though a certain amount of dexterity is necessary.
Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) at 90% concentration or higher is recommended for cleaning the residue from old capacitors which have leaked onto the circuit board.
*ON SHIPPING*
These being small parts, economy shipping options are by letter mail and DO NOT include tracking. US/Canadian orders usually arrive within 3-4 weeks, but can take up to 30 business days. Standard and Expedited options include a tracking number and should arrive within Canada/US in 2 - 8 business days.