Neo Geo Pocket Color Issue

Hansuke

n00b
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May 8, 2019
Posts
27
Greetings. So I just recently fired up my NGPC and was looking to enjoy some games. I replaced the CR2032 battery and put in fresh AAs. I set the time, language, etc. Then after the NGPC boot screen, the system just randomly shuts off by itself.

I have no idea why this is happening. I noticed that if I turn off the NGPC manually during the boot screen intro and turn it on right after, the game does load, but for only about 3 seconds then powers off again.

I've tried different batteries but it always gives the same result: the NGPC turns off by itself after the boot screen when a game is inserted.

I tried just not putting a cartridge in and it boot to the system menu fine and stayed there for 10 minutes before manually turning it off without any mishaps.

Is there a solution to this or is my NGPC possibly dying and won't load game carts anymore?

Thanks in advance for any help!
 

ggallegos1

Cholecystectomy Required.,
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5,153
Check to see if there was any battery corrosion with either the AAs or CR2032. Then clean the hell out of the cart slot and your games,maybe those will work a bit.
 

titchgamer

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May 31, 2018
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Yeah I would start by cleaning the cart slot and carts.

Blow the dust etc out with a air duster then use electrical contact cleaner on the contacts.
 

Vectorman0

SouthTown StreetSweeper
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Dec 17, 2004
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Does the system shut off with no interaction, or does it shut off when you move/jostle it? Although this doesn't sound like your issue, I have seen systems that randomly shut off in the past, and it was usually because the battery springs were loose and not holding a tight connection. I would also check them for corrosion.
 

Hansuke

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May 8, 2019
Posts
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Yeah I would start by cleaning the cart slot and carts.

Blow the dust etc out with a air duster then use electrical contact cleaner on the contacts.

Check to see if there was any battery corrosion with either the AAs or CR2032. Then clean the hell out of the cart slot and your games,maybe those will work a bit.

Does the system shut off with no interaction, or does it shut off when you move/jostle it? Although this doesn't sound like your issue, I have seen systems that randomly shut off in the past, and it was usually because the battery springs were loose and not holding a tight connection. I would also check them for corrosion.
I've tried cleaning out the slot and games with contact cleaner and alcohol and nothing's changed. There doesn't seem to be any battery corrosion on either the AAs or CR2032 contacts. It still keeps the settings and time after being off for a while. It then shuts off by itself with no interaction whatsoever after the bootscreen if a cartridge is inserted.

Just to clarify, the CR2032 battery is inserted into the console with the text side facing outwards correct? i.e. you see "Energizer" on the + side facing you after putting in the battery. I want to make sure it's not a weird instruction printed on the plastic where you're supposed to do the opposite of what it tells you to do.
 
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Neo Alec

Ned's Ninja Academy Dropout
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Yep, that's how you insert the CR2032. Auto switching off like that is the same behavior for when the main AA batteries are low. The power light will also blink. You might want to try other batteries just to rule it out. You may want to get an AC adapter to try that.
 
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Hansuke

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May 8, 2019
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Yep, that's how you insert the CR2032. Auto switching off like that is the same behavior for when the main AA batteries are low. The power light will also blink. You might want to try other batteries just to rule it out. You may want to get an AC adapter to try that.
Yea, I've already tried different batteries and there hasn't been any change. I don't have an AC adapter to try that option, but that wouldn't explain why it stays on when a game isn't inserted.
 

WoodyXP

Setsuna's Owl Keeper,
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It sounds like a power issue. The system has enough juice to boot up, but not enough to play games. Crack it open and inspect the capacitors.
 

Hansuke

n00b
Joined
May 8, 2019
Posts
27
So I finally decided to take another shot at this and managed to fix it.

I opened it up and didn't see any immediate problems except for some possible corrosion in the upper left corner. Causes unknown.

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So I decided to try inserting a cartridge again and it exhibited the same behavior as before; it kept on shutting off automatically as a game was booting up.

However, I noticed that the game starts up and plays fine if I were to push and hold in the cartridge in place when inserted. Since I already have the back off, I went ahead and hard cleaned the cartridge slot contacts using an ESD brush and IPA. This worked and now the games work fine and the system works as it should!

I already tried cleaning the slot contacts when the system wasn't opened before using IPA/Contact Cleaner and inserting/pulling out a cartridge rapidly but it didn't help. I guess actually getting a brush in there and cleaning did the trick!

I wonder what the corrosion in the top left corner is from though.....
 
Last edited:

titchgamer

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Glad you sorted it.

99% of the time you just need to clean the contacts heh
 

Neo Alec

Ned's Ninja Academy Dropout
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Dec 7, 2000
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11,927
I would guess liquid getting in around the start button or link port.
 
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