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13 December 2016

Fixing a Nintendo Game and Watch: Faded LCD or stained screen

I'm writing about this because I didn't find one place online that explained all this stuff at once.

I bought my wife a few Game and Watch games for Christmas this year, and one of them was sight unseen--the seller didn't have the batteries or urge to test it, but it seemed in good shape.

When I put batteries in it, though, I couldn't see the screen. At first, I thought it was completely dead, but it made sound. When I looked closer, I could make out really faint figures moving on the screens.

This meant the polarized film over the screen was toast. Super easy fix. If you have a Game and Watch with a fading LCD, here's what to do: get something polarized (like sunglasses) and place it over the screen. You might have to rotate it a little, and you should see the screen go black on one of the angles. Rotate another 90 degrees and you should have a normal looking screen with DK Jr. bopping around on it.

Here's the lower screen with the old and new polarized film.

I bought a pack of 10 sheets of polarized film on Amazon. They're a bit thicker than the originals, and as you can see by the photo above, I had to use them diamond-shaped to get the angle right. I figured I had to trim them anyway, so I was fine with that.

The Game and Watch screens have a few elements to them. From the very front layer to the back, you'll have the polarized film, one or two scenery panels (make sure you keep track of which end is up), the actual glass LCD panel, and behind that, a silver plate. More on that plate later.

Open up the game. Be careful, these things are old and the plastic might be brittle. You don't want to snap off a screw post. There are other walkthroughs online for how to disassemble these, but they are super simple, so you can probably figure it out. Do one side at a time. I did the upper screen first, since I didn't want to deal with the buttons. Behind the upper screen is a hefty metal plate to keep everything in place. You have to unscrew that and (gently) lift it off to get at the screen proper.

Here's the new, untrimmed film next to the old, yellowed film.

Use the old film as a template and cut out the shape. It's okay to cut a little big, you can always trim it to fit. Notice the pattern of notches at the corners of the film--it'll help you orient it properly when you reassemble (I think the one in the photo is upside-down).

Button pads like to fall out. Watch out for the metal bits--they disappear quickly.

In the photo above, you can see how everything's laid out. I opened it with the button console down (in 'closed' position). The LCD still has the silver backing behind it, and there's a second scenery panel between the silver backing and the glass LCD. Then, still in the button console, the foreground scene panel is on top of the polarized film.

That polarized film also serves as a sort of screen protector. It's the cheapest, most replaceable part of the screen, so if it gets faded or scratched, it's not a big deal to repair.

Pop out the scenery panel and the old polarized film, and throw your new polarized film in place. Be careful--the polarized film will have a thin layer of protective plastic over one or both sides. Peel off that protective plastic before you install the film in the game.

Then carefully sandwich the game together (I had a devil of a time with this--the layers of plastic kept sliding around, so sometimes a scenery panel stuck out too far, or the polarized film popped out and got in the way. Just be patient, keep everything lined up, and fit the screen and button console together.

Once they're together, hold them that way and take a look at the screen. In mine, the front scenery panel kept sliding up, exposing way too much of the black border. If the panels look pretty centered, screw the game back together.

And now you can see Junior.

Remember the silver plate behind the screens? Not the hefty one keeping the top screen in place, but the little one behind the LCD that makes the screen look silvery. That's also replaceable. If you have a Game and Watch with a circular stain behind the screen that almost looks burnt, that's a good indication that moisture got into the game at one point and now the silver plate is tarnished.

You can buy replacement silver plates for about $4 plus shipping from a guy in Spain who sells Game and Watch repair parts on eBay. I got a few to fix an Oil Panic game.

Here's what the lower screen looked like on the Oil Panic game:


Here's the upper screen--not as bad, but almost as faded as the Donkey King II game:


I swapped out the silver plate on the lower screen, as well as both polarized films. Now it looks like this:


Not too bad! Of course, with the silver plate replaced in the lower screen, the upper screen looks dingy by comparison. I'll have to open it up again and replace that one.

Look closer at the lower screen.


I'm a little peeved at these blotches (nobody's fault, just annoying). This is one of the things you just can't fix: screen bleed. This game isn't bleeding too badly, and if I keep it relatively climate-controlled, it shouldn't get much worse. But knowing I can't fix it is a little galling.

Thankfully, this is a wicked little game, so I never really have time to notice these blotches while I'm actually playing. I'm too busy yelling at the little guy for never being where I need him to be when I have to empty my bucket.

Well, that's that. I hope this writeup was helpful and/or enlightening. These Game and Watch games are really well made, easy to maintain, and a lot of fun to play. If you have a broken one sitting in a drawer, take a closer look. You might be able fix it up with a few bucks and around 30 minutes.

34 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks. Any other insights on repairing these games?

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    2. They're pretty straightforward. Be careful of the ribbon connectors. There are 3D printer files available online for replacement battery covers. 😁

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  2. Were donyou buy reflector??? Please send me where ales2003@gmail.com

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    1. Hi Alex, I get them from eBay. There are a few sellers like this one: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F222621739774

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  3. Hi Jackie I have oil panic with several black stains on the lower screen. Before I open it to see I guess that without a replacement LCD screen there is little I can do correct? The reflector will not fix the issue I'm I right? Thanks

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    1. I have an extra LCD panel for oil panic. Just message me on Ebay. alam-98

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    2. Anyone can email for parts. I have polarizer, silver reflectors and lcd panels for select games. Andrewyslam@hotmail.com or on ebay as alam-98

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    3. Hi Daniel, yeah, if the stains look like the "blotches" I circled in red in my last photo, you'll need to replace the LCD panel. It's leaking. Check eBay for a parts machine if you can find one.
      I haven't ordered from Andrew, but he's got good feedback on eBay.

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  4. I have extra lcd panels for oil panic. Which one is bleeding? Top or bottom? Bottom tends to be more common cause people over tighten screws and put too much pressure on the panels

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  5. A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals.we provide us high quality LCD Display and reasonable price. click here

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  6. Thanks, I have the Donkey Kong 2 also and it was driving me mad, Thanks for writing this.

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  7. I need the right interior metalic little panel (where the select game buttons and the trigger button are) for GREEN HOUSE.
    Have anybody seen something like that browsing the internet?

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  8. I have a Donkey Kong and Mickey G&W that have the circular rings. I just tried the link for the ebay retailer in Spain but he doesn’t have any of the silver films listed in his store. Do you have another source? Thank you for this article!

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. I have replacement ones on ebay. Check my profile alam-98 to get parts. However I am from Canada.

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  10. My G&W Toss-Up (Ball) has a busted LCD (the glass element). Any chance I’ll ever find one for a decent price?
    Thanks.

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  11. Hi there, just watched a video on how to remove screen bleeding from LCD screens, well it was from a watch; low an behold that bogger worked...I have countless amounts of G&W's some with bleeding, I'm gunna give the YouTube vid a go, see if I can shift some bleeding screens...if I'm successful I'll give you's an update

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  12. Hi
    I have a BLACK JACK game and the sheets with scenes are scolored.
    Someone has theese spare parts?
    Thanks

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  16. Thanks for this. I have replaced the polarising film but the ribbon cable came loose and i can't tell if it is simply held in place by the orange rubber or if there is a way of attaching it. I am a bit perplexed because there is no visible connection on the lcd.

    Now I have started I want to fix it as it is clean and all parts are undamaged.

    It is the Green House game and there is a good video of taking it apart on youtube.

    Thanks

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  17. where to find a replacement lcd for oil panic?
    What is the reference of the game & watch lcd screen? Thank you

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    Replies
    1. Ebay is your best bet for spare parts

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    2. Yeah, I hate to say it but at this point cannibalising parts from other G&W games is your best bet.

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  18. You can’t fix screen bleed on Game&Watches. The LCD glass is a wafer of two glass sheets laminated together with Liquid Crystal inside. The inside of the glass is etched with the display characters, clock etc. when the sealed area in between the characters peels apart the liquid flows across into the next character/area. The only way to fix would be to replace the glass with another one or fire up the manufacturing plant in Japan and print some more!

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  19. You can buy most parts and some LCD panels at https://www.ebay.ca/str/collectorsclubhousecanada Just message me there

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