Greetings to all,

I may seem like a new user but I’ve been lurking this page since 2008.

Anyway, two weeks ago I wanted to play some VB games. Fired up my VB and discovered that the right lens wasn’t working. No sweat. This lens has always given me trouble and I’ve already repaired it once using the oven method (I lack the steady hand needed to solder anything smaller than a subcompact car).

I got my special bit to unscrew the Virtual Boy security screws and had no trouble (just like the last time)… with all but one screw. The one that sits next to the controller and the link ports won’t latch onto the bit. I know the bit reaches it since in 2010 I unscrewed that very same screw it with no trouble, and the other similar screws came easily this time.

I’ve tried everything I can imagine to unscrew it, but it won’t even move. I am seriously thinking in chiseling a notch on it so I can use a regular screwdriver, but I’m afraid I could wreck the allignment of the delicate opticals of the console.

Anyone has had a similar problem? Any suggestions on sorting this dilemma out?

Thanks in advace, and keep playing your Virtual Boys!

-Commanderraf

did you put them back on really tight? i notice that plastic swells a bit in hot weather, so i tend to put screws on snug, but not tight.

try shining a flash light down there and take a look at the head. is it stripped in any way? if you have at least 2 good sides, across from each other, you can notch out a flat head screw driver and use that to get it out. i got my screw driver at a cheap .99 chinese store. it is small enough to fit and cheap enough that i don’t mind cutting a notch in it. perhaps you have a similar store in Mexico.

drilling it or using a stripped screw recovery kit may be risky, i’m not sure how all that work would affect the vb. assuming you are able to get it out, run to the hardware store and pick up pan phil sheet metal screws #4 x 1/2″ plated. they are a perfect match. just make sure you get plated not stainless steel, as stainless is not magnetic.

if you want to make the install easier, consider picking up a screw driver magnetizer.

here are some links for the products i used to help me replace my security screws:

replacement screws: http://www.grattanfasteners.com/ItemForm.aspx?item=065003&Category=9442bbcb-92a2-4178-b89e-6e8e0efa0cd2

magnetizing tool: http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/100137914?productId=100137914&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=100137914&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-100137914&ci_gpa=pla#.UaVrQ9K-rZ4

Is the bit slipping on the screw, or is the bit gripping the screw fine, but just won’t turn? Sometimes when the screws are stuck, it helps to slightly tighten them before loosening them to sorta break them free a bit.

If it’s slipping, it could be that the bit is just barely long enough, and if the screw got slightly rounded, you may get more grip by grinding down the upper edges a bit so you can press it in just a little bit deeper (give it a more firm grip on the screw, so you don’t keep stripping the edge).

DogP

Thanks for your answers guys.

Lester: I shone a light on the hole and didn’t notice anything different from the stuck screws comparing them to the others. It doesn’t look worn out at all, or at least not more than the others.

DogP: The screw is slipping, both if I try to screw it or unscrew it. The bit is long enough to reach it -as well as the other one in a similar depth, the one near the earphone socket- and I’ve already tried pushing the screwdriver with one hand with all my force (or as much force a social scientist can have in his arms) while also turning the screwdriver. It still won’t do a thing.

Once again, thanks for your answers.

-Commanderraf

is your gamebit worn at all? i’m wondering if you got lucky with the other screws and the worn bit just stopped gripping on the last one.

Commanderraf wrote:

…I’ve tried everything I can imagine to unscrew it, but it won’t even move. I am seriously thinking in chiseling a notch on it so I can use a regular screwdriver, but I’m afraid I could wreck the allignment of the delicate opticals of the console.

Anyone has had a similar problem? Any suggestions on sorting this dilemma out?…

I don’t know if my advice is the best to follow, but I had a very similar problem with my first Virtual Boy system, so I will tell you what I ended up doing:

Since I also could not get one of the deep screws to budge at all, I had a friend of mine take a power drill and destroy the very small part of the Virtual Boy housing that surrounds the screw within the deep hole, so that the housing could be lifted off of the screw while the screw remains in its place. Obviously, this means that this part of the housing cannot be screwed down tightly ever again, unless you repair it by some means. Nevertheless, tightening the rest of the screws back on when you are done is enough to keep the housing tight and firm, so it is almost like that screw isn’t even needed anymore.

The internal components of the Virtual Boy are actually a safe enough distance away from the two deep screw holes that you don’t have to worry about hitting any of the internal components if you send a power drill down one of these holes to do its dirty work. In my case, this did not mess up the alignment of the inner mirrors at all. So long as you do not violently bump or shake the Virtual Boy during the drilling process, I think the mirrors should remain aligned just fine as they did for me, if you should decide to end up taking this route.

Lester Knight wrote:
is your gamebit worn at all? i’m wondering if you got lucky with the other screws and the worn bit just stopped gripping on the last one.

Nope. I could say it is as good as new, even I’ve used it two times to open my VB before.

Benjamin Stevens wrote:

…power drill…

That was the other option I had thought of; to use the thinnest drill I can find and use it to create a notch on the screwdriver head. But as I’ve said before, I am afraid that if I involve power tools on this, I could get catastrophic results that range from the misalignment of the components to complete and utter destruction of the device (… yeah, I’m THAT clumsy).

-Commanderraf

I don’t know why I never replied to this thread… I guess I just agreed with everyone else’s suggestions and didn’t feel I could contribute. Here’s some (really late) advice I came up with:

1. You could try to add some kind of friction-enhancing material to the end of the screwdriver, such as a small piece of emery cloth or sandpaper, or simply glue a bit of fine grit into the cavity of the driver (assuming you’re not using a notched flat-head).

2. You could try using a drop of super-glue to glue the head of the screwdriver to the screw, and let it fully cure before trying to turn it. The joint probably won’t last long, but maybe long enough to get the screw started. Just be sure not to glue the screw into the hole! 😉

3. You could try chilling the whole VB in the freezer for a while. The screw and case should shrink away from each other a bit.

4. A drop of acetone might soften the plastic enough to let it come loose (but don’t overdo it). Be sure to give the acetone plenty of time to evaporate away before you reinstall.

With any of the above, I second DogP’s suggestion of tightening the screw slightly before loosening it.