Pushing My Buttons

Last spring I got hooked on watching YouTube videos like "Let's Repair eBay Junk." These guys were buying and unboxing faulty electronics in the hopes of finding an easy fix and flipping the items. They also explained how they performed the repair.

I was envious, and I wanted to try that myself. I visited the same Japan4You Store on eBay that many had mentioned, and I decided to buy one thing. I chose a Bandi Wonder Swan Color console. I already have a few GameBoys in my collection, but I hadn't played a Wonder Swan before.

The listing stated that the unit would work. The problem was that the power button wasn't functioning properly. My guess was that the contacts were just dirty.

The shipping from Japan was cheap, but the package took three weeks to arrive. When the Wonder Swan did get here, I popped in a fresh battery to test it. The unit turned on after pressing the power button ten times, but it wouldn't turn off. I had to pull out the battery to cut the power. I put it on a shelf in the basement, and I forgot about it. After three weeks, I had lost my stride with this project.

Well, forgot isn't the right word. Every so often I'd catch the Wonder Swan looking at me in the eye, and I quickly look away in guilt.

"Stop looking at me, Swan!" - name that movie.

Last month I decided to give this fix a shot. I opened the Swan with a tri-tip screwdriver, and removed the rubber strip of buttons on the bottom.

I cleaned the contacts with isopropyl alcohol, and reassembled it. Nope. That was worse. It would not turn on no matter how many times I pressed the power button.

I did some research and found out that the lower buttons on these units often lose their conductive layers with age. When I cleaned it with alcohol, I probably wiped off what was left of the original layer. No wonder the Wonder didn't work.

A kid on YouTube fixed his button by gluing a strip of tin foil to the bottom, but that hack seemed too sketchy. I bought this stuff from Amazon instead.

This fix cost 45 cents more that the Wonder Swan itself, but there is enough Keypad-Fix to repair 197 more buttons. I bet this will come in handy for a guy who likes vintage electronics. 

You really have to stir this goop first. 

I cleaned the other two buttons with isopropyl alcohol first, then I applied a thin layer to each one. I used a clothespin to keep the buttons level. 

Many of the reviewers on Amazon said that they cured the "paint" by placing the button under a light bulb for an hour or so. 

After waiting for an hour, I impatiently installed buttons, but they didn't work. I only smeared the "paint." Then it was time to try again, and this time I'd have to follow the instructions and wait until morning for reassembly.

In the morning it worked! The Wonder Swan now successfully turns on and off with one light press of a finger. 

Since I was in a good mood, I used Novus 2 and 1 to buff out some of the scratches and to polish the screen. I didn't take a before photo, but I can tell you that it was scuffed up.

That looks better.

This is the only game I have for the system. Luckily, the Klonoa games are pretty fun.

Now when the Wonder Swan looks at me, I grin and say, "I am the smartest man alive!"

(I still can't read Japanese, though.)