[KR155E]

A problem often encountered by Virtual Boy users are glitchy displays, leading to horizontal lines, reversed or generally distorted images, or even complete loss of display activity.

All those symptoms are usually caused by the ribbon cables connecting the LEDs to the motherboard becoming loose, or peeling away from the display PCB.

Fixing your Diplay: Oven method

DogP has come up with a way to fix the problem by opening the system up, removing the display, sticking it in the oven to re-melt the adhesive, and reassemble. It’s not a difficult procedure, except that the typical security bit can’t get to the deepest screws on the VB, so you either need a special screwdiver, a modified bit, or a modified screwdriver.

You can find a guide to fix your displays on DogP’s Project:VB.

Fixing your Diplay: Bypass method

Another way has been proposed by DanB. To permanently fix the problem, his idea was to replace the loosening ribbon cables with some better wires, which he soldered to the PCB. This solution requires much more skill, though, and should only be performed by solder experienced people with a steady hand and a huge portion of patience.

The complete guide can be found here.

Fixing your Diplay: New methods (RECOMMENDED)

Some more methods have recently been developed by DogP to permanently fix the cable problem (contrary to the probably non-permanent oven method): Thread.

• This topic was modified 16 years, 6 months ago by KR155E.

kkabalka, I recommend plugging your VB into the wall and leaving it on for 24-hours; this has had success with fixing all and all display issues as the system gets hot and fixes itself. 🙂

Thank you yeah i had heard this on a youtube video so i tried it out and it worked, but i do have one more problem my ac adapter isnt working the VB will run fine (except display glitches once a month or so) on batteries but the ac adapter wont work. it has been like this since i got it wih the system a couple of years ago but ive never found an article on it. i have tested it with a volt meter and it says the wall tap is only putting out 3V any suggestions?

Thanks again!
kkabalka

The tap should only be a pass thru, I think your AC Adapter is the issue.

yeah thats probably it ill just buy a new wall plug they are only about 12$.

Thanks!

OK new problem now my left display is sometimes much brighter than the right making words unreadable and the background blend in with the foreground and sometimes glitched up image like in the photo then it goes back to normal then sometimes after a level ends the last thing you saw in the level will linger on the left display but supe bright and pixalated here are some pictures of the problem

(you cant tell from the pic but the display is bright to)

Attachments:

1. 

   img_0330-scaled.jpg
   

I bought one off Ebay a while back with what looks to be the same issue. I got it to tinker with for a good price. I ended up having to perform the dreaded “oven trick,” but it has worked fine ever since. Check YouTube for videos on the fix…just be very careful. I actually found it more useful to preheat the oven and turn it completely off before setting the LEDs in there…otherwise, the oven may turn back on creating a hot “wind” or current that will fry it in a heart beat. (R.I.P. VB #2). :'(

Also, there is a UK Ebay seller with high quality screwdriver-like security bits that reach all the way down with no problem. Once you buy that one, youll never need another. It’s high grade and magnetized too.

That is unmistakably the glitchy display problem, good news is that it is repairable, bad news is that you have to have a way to open the VB up and need to fix it.

Well, it finally happened; my VB got the glitchy display in both screens, I left it powered on for over 24 hours and it fixed nothing. I am so disappointed and if I tried to fix it myself I would likely kill my VB.

I am considering getting rid of my VB collection as I am not gonna buy another because I babied this one and it still happened.

Good news, I am gonna have my Virtual Boy repaired with the permanent soldering repair. So I am quite happy that it will be functional to the max afterwards.

I thought I would fire up my second VB and see what could be done about the glitchy display it has, and to my surprise it now works fine, no glitch, no lines, no graphic break down, its fine, for now. This may sound odd but I was disappointed it worked, I wanted to try and work out another solution to fix, maybe using some type of clamp that holds the ribbon cable to the pcb, I haven’t worked out any details but wanted to get a start.
I can still try and figure out something and hope that the glitch returns in the future so I can try and fix it.

I don’t think there would be any need to wait for the problem to return before you try to fix it. If it had a glitchy display at all, it will only be a matter of a couple of weeks before you will see the problem again, and it will get worse and worse. Thus, you could apply the clamp right now, while it’s still working fine, and if no problem arises within a couple of months, you’ll know that the clamp is working.

@Ben, I agree, it just goes to show the temperamental nature of the glitchy display problem. That unit was sent to me with the glitch and every time I have fired it up I had the glitch, but not yesterday.
I need to open it up again and see what could be done, then like you say if it doesn’t come back, it could well have worked.

Hello everyone, I’m new to the site and I’m looking for someone who could help me repair my displays. I’ve done the oven method but that was only a temporary fix. If any anyone solders the displays could u please pm me since I have no experience in soldering. Any help would be greatly appreciated. It would be great to have my VB working great again.

Im not sure if mine is a display error, or a mark on the right lense. please see my post regarding my problem. But either way, I would like to get mine repaired. I’ve found a guy in GB who can do it, but anyone in the US would help me out as I can’t open this thing so shipping costs would be great if I could lower them.

I used my screwdriver and took apart my spare VB because it displays nothing. Then I got to thinking, and realized that hotglue guns dispense the glue around 200 degrees, so I squirted hot glue on each ribbon and now it displays a perfect image.

I didn’t ever need to take the displays out for the hotglue gun fix. But it’s now a viable fix to be added to the possible repairs list.

Dreammary wrote:
I used my screwdriver and took apart my spare VB because it displays nothing. Then I got to thinking, and realized that hotglue guns dispense the glue around 200 degrees, so I squirted hot glue on each ribbon and now it displays a perfect image.

I’m glad it worked for you, but you have to realize that it’s no more permanent a fix than the oven method, yet it’s next to impossible to re-do it when (not “if”) it fails again, since adding more glue on top of what’s there won’t heat the original adhesive at all. It may be possible (though probably very messy and possibly painful) to do the oven method, but the glue will almost certainly hinder the heat getting to the joint, making that method even less effective than it already is. On top of that, you’ve made it very difficult to apply the “actual” (solder) repair method. Your only hope is that the glue doesn’t actually stick to the cable (which it tends not to do on such smooth surfaces), and that peeling it off doesn’t permanently damage the cable or board.

All that being said, you may be on to something. If a similar substance can be found to evenly conduct the right amount of heat to the joint without sticking to it, you may have found a “less dangerous” alternative to the oven method.

tl;dr: I don’t recommend this method.

The hotglue peels right off the cable, as I discovered just now because the cable is slick.

Hi. I’m new to this forum, and I have a virtual boy with the horizontal line glitch in both sides of the eyepiece. I’ve tried opening up my virtual boy but when I do, there seems to be a part connected to the black plastic casing. I’ve taken out all the 6 required screws so that is not the issue. I was wondering if this happens to all virtual boys or if I just really messed mine up. If it’s messed up, then I was wondering if anyone knew how to fix it? Oh, and the part the seems to be connected to the black plastic is at about the same spot as the cartridge slot. I don’t know if that helps.

VirtualMan! wrote:
Hi. I’m new to this forum, and I have a virtual boy with the horizontal line glitch in both sides of the eyepiece. I’ve tried opening up my virtual boy but when I do, there seems to be a part connected to the black plastic casing. I’ve taken out all the 6 required screws so that is not the issue. I was wondering if this happens to all virtual boys or if I just really messed mine up. If it’s messed up, then I was wondering if anyone knew how to fix it? Oh, and the part the seems to be connected to the black plastic is at about the same spot as the cartridge slot. I don’t know if that helps.

There are actually 12 screws holding the VB together. The case is divided into three parts:

1. The top half (red plastic)
2. The bottom half (black plastic)
3. The stand clamp/cartridge slot cover (black plastic)

Part three is attached to part two with six screws, and part two is attached to part one with six more screws (two of which are in very deep wells). Part three also holds the serial number sticker.

If this doesn’t help you figure out how to disassemble your VB, and you’ve followed DogP’s Disassembly Tutorial, you’ll have to post photos to show us what you’re talking about.