Can you fix screen rot?

[physics223]

I was just wondering if it was possible to fix the screen rot of the earlier handhelds. It's a phenomenon I am still unfamiliar with.

Thanks.

[Rinku]

In short, no.

[physics223]

So do you just replace the LCD altogether or just leave it be until it becomes unplayable? What can you do with it?

[Rik]

I suspect there's no 'easy' way to do it... I'm not even sure what happens to the LCD from a technical point of view. I suspect the liquid crystal chemical itself has gone 'bad' somehow. I would think you could, technically, open it up and replace the liquid and re-seal it, but that require special equipment...

So far, the only option is to just get a game with a better LCD, and swap out if necessary to have the nicest looking game... Hard to do for some games that are really rare though...

Rik

[physics223]

Just to be informed, so when someone sells a game with screen rot it would necessitate making the game cheaper, right?

Why are VFDs unaffected by this? Was the technology better back then?

[Rik]

In theory, yes, since it usually renders the game unplayable. If it's a really rare game though, it may not affect it's value much. I still see Mattel Long Bomb Footballs sell for $150-200 when it's in new, boxed condition, but the LCDs are always rotted on that game. So, while it doesn't make the game really cheap, if someone ever found a working one it would probably sell for more...

LCD rot is usually caused by a game being stored in hot, humid conditions (think, being stuffed in your attic for years). But, it can 'just happen' no matter what I think. I believe the condition is either caused by poorly made liquid crystal that just 'goes bad', or a poorly made LCD display that allows moisture (or maybe it's just air) to seep into it and pollute the liquid crystal. The damage almost always occurs from the outer edges working inwards, so that leads me to suspect the 'leaking' theory...

VFD displays are completely different, but they are affected by another problem: They can burn out. Think of them like really complex light bulbs, as you use them more and more, they start to get dimmer and dimmer. If you had a Coleco Pac-Man game, and you left it on all day since the 1980's, you wouldn't be able to see the display at all anymore, even though there's no apparent damage to it. Fortunately, I believe they are rated for thousands of hours, so we should be good... But it is definitely a good idea to always turn the game off when you aren't using it rather than just leaving it on (not sure why you would do that anyway, but just saying... )

VFDs would also be prone to leakage. If air was able to leak into the sealed display, it will stop working. I don't think I've ever seen this though, unless the display was physically damaged. And if this was to happen to a game made in the 80s, it would have already happened by now I suspect... Obviously, any crack/chip in the glass that exposes the vacuum inside will destroy the display.

[nicknicknickandnick]

I imagine some hobbiest of the future perhaps could keep the game housing and stick in a tiny chip with simulation software connected to a new screen of whatever will be standard technology. I speculate little screens might be all over the place if we wanted -- toasters, whatever.

[eltiopool]

This is a silly question.
Since my English is sometimes limited, I need to be clear.

What are the symptoms of screen rot?

No more images at all?
Image works but there are some missing segments?
Is it that there is image but very dim, like a very low battery, forcing you to see from a very close angle to distinguish anything from below?

If it is the last, I know that happened to a friend of mine (many years ago, I was a kid) and he managed to get it fixed. He took it to a store where they use to sell digital watches, lcd games, and other electronics and they also made technical service to these products.
I'm sure they didn't replace the lcd cristal, it still had some distinctive marks after repair. The fix was not expensive. I couldn't remember much more about it.

[Rik]

Usually, 'LCD rot' shows itself by the display looking like it's completely 'on' even when there no power. It just turns completely black (but in the shape of all the graphic sprites, and sometimes even the 'non used' areas of the LCD). (Actually, it seems like the 'non used' areas turning black is more common...)

A dim LCD is usually a power problem of some kind.

Milton Bradley Microvision is the most infamous for this problem. I have at least a dozen of them, and half of them have some level of screen rot... Combination of a bad LCD, and a lot of game systems made make it easy to find examples. But, since the LCD is just squares, doesn't look very 'impressive'.

Here's some better examples: (All of these have the batteries removed, so the screen should be completely blank).
Tiger Star Castle, first one is almost completely rotted (note that it's slightly lighter at the bottom). Second one is how it should look.


Mattel Long Bomb Football. Still never found a perfect example of this game. The pic here shows one with 100% complete LCD rot. The 'unused space' of the LCD is completely blacked out. I have another that is only about 20% damaged, so it might actually be playable...


It should look like this (Photoshopped... )

[blanka]

[kisember]

[blanka]

I'll check if it looks better with my Polaroid glasses, guess that is a good check to see if a new filter will help.