How do you clean your handhelds?

handheldin · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 3:08 am Post subject: How do you clean your handhelds?

So how do you clean your handhelds? When I buy handhelds they are usually full of dust and I'd like to know how you clean yours.

blanka · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:53 am Post subject:

The magic is a soft toothbrush, and water where possible (if it is real dirty, I look if I can take appart the game to a state with the platic items all seperate without stickers or electronics). They do not scratch the plastic, and allow you to get the dirt out of every little corner.

For polishing translucent plastic with print on it, I use a bathrobe, the real Hotel-grade very soft terry ones. Just get into one in the evening on the couch, and gently polish an hour.

Rik · Posted: Sat Oct 06, 2012 11:30 am Post subject:

I completely dis-assemble every game I get and clean every part of it. Cool

I primarily use Windex and soft paper towels. But be careful over any kind of printing/paint, in some cases Windex can remove that (check my website, I sometimes put warnings about that. Cool

)

Q-Tips are uses for any crevice that's hard to get into, and an air-can is wonderful for blasting out dirt from even tinier places.

It can take some work, but they look great when you are done! Mr. Green

(And it also guarantees no living creatures inside the game... You'd be surprised at some of the things I find in them... Although they are usually dead...)

Rik

handheldin · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 9:06 am Post subject:

Thank you very much for the tips! Yessss!

(I just had to post this cute smiley!)

I don't dare to dis-assamble the games yet, so I'll with everything else you suggested Smile

Rik: Living/dead creatures? Ugh >_< I don't want to learn to dis-assamble the games now, haha.

blanka · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 10:57 am Post subject:

If you have a game that really looks dirty and you can't clean it well, please post the name and I'll let you know how hard it is to open. Usually the VFD ones are easy, and the LCD ones are horrible.

Rik · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 12:23 pm Post subject:

blanka · Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2012 11:42 pm Post subject:

MrBland · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 1:48 am Post subject:

Jethro · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 12:20 pm Post subject:

Rik · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 6:42 pm Post subject:

I would suspect screws either under the metallic top plate (but you said there aren't any there, right?), other wise, the orange sticker around the controls is probably covering some... I seem to remember having a game with that sticker missing and seeing screws there.

But you might wait until someone that's actually opened it chimes in.. It might just snap together... I wouldn't want you peeling off stickers for no reason.

Rik

Jethro · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:58 pm Post subject:

Rik · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 9:06 pm Post subject:

Could just be that the white part snaps into the orange part... If that's the case, I wouldn't try opening it unless you have to, might be easy to break the clips off...

Someone here has probably tried to open on of these though, any thoughts? I have a trashed Donkey Kong I think, if I can find it I'll see how it comes apart... Cool

Jethro · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 12:49 am Post subject:

blanka · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:44 am Post subject:

Here you can see how these games open:

http://zone.bomberoza.net/Nint.....repair.htm
The hidden clips and the metal shaft are the key solutions.

Rik · Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:52 am Post subject:

Yeah, that looks familiar now that I see it... You just have to be careful releasing the clips as it's easy to break them off, or scratch up the outer case when trying to release them... Still not something I'd recommend doing unless you really have to.