My left side display has full on horizontal scanlines now so i registered here to get advice.

Of course i started looking on ebay for a proper security bit, and of course the only ones long enough cost $40, while at the same time i can find a headpiece only VB for like $50. Granted, VB’s that cost that much prolly will have issues too.

So really I dunno what I should do with my VB at this point. I know it’s an easy fix but I just dunno if i have the skills or patience to invest more time and money into this machine I hardly ever play.

I’ve got like 5 games for it including a boxed and complete wario land. Plus a stand, visor shade, official ac adaptor and tap, plus the performance third party ac adaptor and tap. Should I just sell it off or is there some cheaper way to get a security bit that I don’t know about?

Or perhaps is there a user on here who offers repair service for this issue?

decayedmatter wrote:
Or perhaps is there a user on here who offers repair service for this issue?

If you are in Europe, I can recommend TheForce81. He’s from the Netherlands and will repair your VB for 30 EUR (plus shipping costs). I sent him mine in September, he repaired it very quickly and it has worked perfectly since. PM him for details.

I’m in the US.

I know from experience that these kinds of steel bits are able to reach and remove all original screws from a Virtual Boy head unit:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Virtual-Boy-N64-SNES-Extra-Long-Tempered-Steel-Bit-/280719703930?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item415c32bf7a

I can also make a good estimated guess that you won’t be able to remove and replace all screws from your Virtual Boy more than about 5 times before the bit gets so worn down that it won’t grab the screws any more, no matter how careful you are with using the bit.

If you don’t play the system that much, getting one of these steel bits and using the simple oven method to get your unit working well for several months or more is probably the best option to take while keeping all costs down.

Use a 4.6mm external Torx screwdriver. They’re not made for these screws, but they work.

I’ve made two useful screwdrivers by taking ordinary flat-heads and carving a notch into them with Dremmel cut-off wheels.

I went searching for the handled bit I bought a few months back, but found these instead.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Security-Screwdriver-Bit-Set-3-8-4-5-mm-Nintendo-NES-SNES-SEGA-N64-Cartridge-/160977879639?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item257b078257

This is the first time I’ve seen this particular set, but apparently 58 people and counting have purchased them. They look slim just like the one I have, so there shouldn’t be any issue opening it up, and at $6.99 a pair, the price is right.

Once you get it open, you can remove the LEDs and ship them off separately for soldering and save on postage vs. sending the entire unit….or like Mr. Stevens said, you can try the oven method. However, I’d only recommend the latter if you’re brave and willing to risk failure. I’ve used the oven method on several successfully, but I also scorched my first one (whoops!).

[decayedmatter]

Dor-Si wrote:
I went searching for the handled bit I bought a few months back, but found these instead.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Security-Screwdriver-Bit-Set-3-8-4-5-mm-Nintendo-NES-SNES-SEGA-N64-Cartridge-/160977879639?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item257b078257

This is the first time I’ve seen this particular set, but apparently 58 people and counting have purchased them. They look slim just like the one I have, so there shouldn’t be any issue opening it up, and at $6.99 a pair, the price is right.

Once you get it open, you can remove the LEDs and ship them off separately for soldering and save on postage vs. sending the entire unit….or like Mr. Stevens said, you can try the oven method. However, I’d only recommend the latter if you’re brave and willing to risk failure. I’ve used the oven method on several successfully, but I also scorched my first one (whoops!).

This seems like a method I’d like to do. Send them off to be soldering. But is there anyone in the US who does this service? I really don’t wanna do the baking method for 2 reasons.

1. I’m afraid i’ll screw it up
2. From what I hear it’s not a permanent solution. I’d rather get it soldered so it’s a permanent fix.

So is there anyone here who does soldering for this?

EDIT: Nevermind I just got a PM from RunnerPack, he’s got a good reputation here for repairs huh?

• This reply was modified 11 years, 8 months ago by decayedmatter.

Dor-Si wrote:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Security-Screwdriver-Bit-Set-3-8-4-5-mm-Nintendo-NES-SNES-SEGA-N64-Cartridge-/160977879639?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item257b078257

This is the first time I’ve seen this particular set, but apparently 58 people and counting have purchased them. They look slim just like the one I have, so there shouldn’t be any issue opening it up, and at $6.99 a pair, the price is right.

how deep are the deepest screws? those drivers are listed at “2.75 in shaft length”. i do believe the vb is just a tad thicker than that, but i’ve no idea how deep the screws are.

Well I hope they work cause I just ordered them.

please let me know how they work! i am interested in ordering a set. i have a nice set already but it can’t be used on the vb, not without major modification to the bit, which would make it useless with the driver.

Lester Knight wrote:
please let me know how they work! i am interested in ordering a set. i have a nice set already but it can’t be used on the vb, not without major modification to the bit, which would make it useless with the driver.

I am hoping they will work. If not they will still be useful for other reasons (gotta open up my game gear to clean the inside of the screen)

Welcome to the forums! Sorry to hear it’s under bummer circumstances. 🙁

I’m sure runnerpack’ll do ya good. The solder fix is definitely the way to go if you want to keep playing your VB games… but you’re right: It might be better off selling.

The Mario Tennis Box itself is worth a little bit — ~$100 by auctions I was looking up earlier, if it’s in nice condition.

The Performance AC adapter is supposed to be somewhat rare, too.

jrronimo wrote:
Welcome to the forums! Sorry to hear it’s under bummer circumstances. 🙁

I’m sure runnerpack’ll do ya good. The solder fix is definitely the way to go if you want to keep playing your VB games… but you’re right: It might be better off selling.

The Mario Tennis Box itself is worth a little bit — ~$100 by auctions I was looking up earlier, if it’s in nice condition.

The Performance AC adapter is supposed to be somewhat rare, too.

I don’t have a boxed Mario Tennis, only Wario Land. But yea, as long as this screwdriver set I ordered works in opening up the unit I am definitely getting it repaired and keeping it.

decayedmatter wrote:

… as long as this screwdriver set I ordered works in opening up the unit I am definitely getting it repaired and keeping it.

You should be able to rest easy, knowing that the security screwdriver bit set you ordered will be able to open up your Virtual Boy just fine. I just got done making some measurements, and I determined that the distance from the end of the handle to the end of the steel shaft must be longer than 6.9 centimeters (due to the thickness of the non-removable handle) to reach the whole way down to the deepest screw in the Virtual Boy head unit, and according to the description for the security screwdriver bit set that you ordered, this distance is 7 centimeters. Thus, you’ll have just under 0.1 cm distance to spare. 🙂

Benjamin Stevens wrote:

decayedmatter wrote:

… as long as this screwdriver set I ordered works in opening up the unit I am definitely getting it repaired and keeping it.

You should be able to rest easy, knowing that the security screwdriver bit set you ordered will be able to open up your Virtual Boy just fine. I just got done making some measurements, and I determined that the distance from the end of the handle to the end of the steel shaft must be longer than 6.9 centimeters (due to the thickness of the non-removable handle) to reach the whole way down to the deepest screw in the Virtual Boy head unit, and according to the description for the security screwdriver bit set that you ordered, this distance is 7 centimeters. Thus, you’ll have just under 0.1 cm distance to spare. 🙂

Sweet! That does ease my mind, I was a little worried that once I got it, it wouldn’t be long enough. Can’t wait to get my VB fixed now. Thanks for all the help so far everyone.

If you have Amazon Prime, you can get them shipped for free:

Took some real effort. But I got that sucker open! Some of those security screws were a real pain.

Luckily the left and right boards have little marker dots on them so I can remember which is which.

Had a lot of trouble with the left side’s bottom corner screw (cause it’s so close to the plastic outer shell) was the most nerve wracking thing i’ve ever done. But I managed to get it off without stripping it, WHEW!

So I can confirm that the security screwdriver I ordered did indeed work. Although the deepest screw was a close call (the hilt of the screwdriver was right up against the outer shell of the VB).

Can’t wait to get the boards repaired now.

Well I just got my boards back, here’s the end results.

And a video…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8489Fg4r1TE

Works great now! I’d say the video quality is even better than before the line glitch occurred.