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Repairing Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP 32-pin cartridge connector

Device	Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP
Difficulty	Moderate
Time	15 - 30 minutes
Steps	11

This guide is by denova on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>

DISCLAIMER: In this guide you're actually going to be popping the cart reader's pins out of their intended positions. It's a messy fix and it makes inserting and removing cartridges very difficult. I have also only tried this on one gameboy. So far it has been reading cartridges flawlessly, but I have only been testing it for one day. Only perform this fix on a gameboy if you're willing to risk destroying it.

UPDATE: After more than a year my gameboy is still reading cartridges, and removing the cartridges has become much easier over time. I still recommend the fix.

Tools: Phillips #00 Screwdriver; Tri-point Y1 Screwdriver

Step 1 :: Prepare your Game Boy for disassembly

• Slide the power switch to the OFF position and unplug any cables.
• If you have a game cartridge in, remove it.

Step 2 :: Remove the battery cover

• Use a JIS 00 screwdriver to loosen the captive screw securing the battery cover.
• NOTE: You can try to use a non-iFixit Phillips driver in a pinch, but you risk damaging or stripping the screw. Push down firmly on the driver and twist slowly.

Step 3

• Lift the edge of the cover near the screw and remove the cover.
• REMINDER: During reassembly, hook the tabs on the bottom edge of the cover into their slots and lay the cover into place.

Step 4 :: Remove the battery

• Use your finger to lift the battery by the tab on its left edge, then remove it.
• REMINDER: During reassembly:
    • CAUTION: Never reuse a deformed or damaged battery--it's a fire hazard. Replace it with a new battery.
    • NOTE: Your replacement battery may come with a plastic enclosure (https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/AjbNiXYo4IjHmjmi.full) that slides over the battery.
    • Insert the edge of the battery with contacts (https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/cJ4ZcVQRCO6Kk1Jg.full) at a slight downward angle--aligning the contacts with their prongs (https://guide-images.cdn.ifixit.com/igi/N2qYpL2LmeRFSh1F.full) in the recess--and press the battery into place.

Step 5 :: Remove the bottom shell

• Use a tri?point Y0 screwdriver to remove the six screws securing the bottom shell:
• Four 6.3 mm?long recessed screws
• Two 4.6 mm?long screws

Step 6

• Lift the bottom shell straight up and remove it.

Step 7

• Remove the back cover of your gameboy advance sp. When you have the internals exposed and the battery removed you'll need to grab some kind of narrow pointy tool like a bent safety pin or (thin) paper clip. Also make sure you have good light.

Step 8

• Look inside the cartridge connector at the metal pins. See how they're all contained within a plastic housing? Each pin has its own little square. You're going to take that safety pin and pop each pin out of its hole and towards where the game cartridge's metal contacts would sit if it were inserted.

Step 9

• Understand that doing this to the cartridge connector will make inserting and removing game cartridges quite difficult. It is doable, but it will hurt your thumbs. Alternatively, you could try bending the pins up or out without displacing them from their plastic housing. I was not able to make this work.

Step 10

• When you've completed breaking--I mean--repairing the cartridge connector, examine the pins and make sure they are all up against the outside edge of their respective plastic squares. If they're bent too far towards where the cartridge's contacts insert, the pins will get mashed when you jam the first game cart in.

Step 11

• Now put your gameboy back together and push a game cartridge in--hard. When it goes in, flip the switch on and hope for the best. Be prepared for sore thumbs when it comes time to switch cartridges. Removing them is harder than inserting.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

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