Hi all

I’m a new convert, with 2 machines. One of them has a problem with the image in the left eye.

After being switched on there’s just noise – random patterns and the like. Then for a few seconds there’s lines, and then the image appears. But, the image has a mirror image of itself superimposed over the proper image. The right eye’s image is fine.

The first thing that I did after reading the forum here was to open the VB up and check the cables, and they looked fine. Then I swapped the LED arrays over (since the cables looked exactly the same and I reasoned that Nintendo wouldn’t go to the expense of making 2 version of the same array). After I swapped them over the left image was fine, and the right had the mirror image imposed over the proper image – so it’s definitely the array that’s duff and not anything on the plug/socket end of the cable.

Tentatively touching the mirror on the duff image side resulted in the proper image and mirrored image moving apart, so I guess that the 2 images are from separate sources. Presumably the array has 2 columns of LEDs in it, and if that’s the case then one column is firing in reverse order, or just missing it’s timing a bit so that the mirror isn’t in the right place?

Anybody encountered this before?

Cheers

Andy

This is what is becoming an extremely common problem with old units.

The cable leading to the left screen has come loose over ther years. It needs to be reinserted. To do this you will have to open the unit.

Please check a few posts down on how to make a screwdriver to do so.

…And KR155E: Does this forum have stickys? 😉

I’ve already opened the VB and reseated the cable – it made no difference. Swapping the arrays proved that the sockets for the cables are working fine, since the problem followed the LED array.

The LED array or the cable itself must be at fault, and it looks like there’s no servicable parts on it. I just wondered if anybody had corrected a similar fault by any means other than replacing the LED array?

This is the first time I’ve heard of it being anything other than the cables. Thus ends the limit of my experience.
(And I missed the part about already swapping the cables in your previous post)

It may be something loose and/or broken inside the array, but I haven’t looked at one in ages, so I can’t help you there.
The only thing I could suggest is finding a cheap, heavily ‘pre-loved’ VB on eBay and using it for parts. That way you have extras if anything else happens in future…

My main VB has the same problem (not the cables). If you were foolish enough to take apart your display elements you would see that there is a presure contact to connect the ribon connector to the actual LED array. This is where the problem is. Im guessing it would be easier to pick up a damaged VB off of the internet, etc, and canablize its displays than to fix it yourself.

David Tucker

Thanks for that David, that’s interesting.

As it happens, the person that I bought the machine from has sent me a replacement head and doesn’t want the faulty one back (I guess that they’re not a collector, I’d have got the faulty one back for spares). I think I’ll be taking it apart again and having a good look at where the cable connects to the array, I’ve nothing much to lose.

Andy