The first dive in the thrifty series got into the goods and bads of some eBay finds, this time though, we have a find from a proper thrift store. I found this bit of gaming archeotechnology for only a few dollars but just the console alone – no cables. Being only a few bucks, and the shell looking to be in very decent condition, I picked it up.
First order of business, I ordered a set of generic power and AV cables for it and then set about testing the console. To be completely honest, I was not surprised to see that it powered up and was working almost without an issue the first time. Key word .. almost… The connector for the power adapter wiggled a bit more than it should have, meaning the board most likely had a few broken solder joints. So popping open the case and pulling the main board out …
Yep, broken solder joints … but easy to fix. The fix for broken solder joints would be just a quick reflow (that is heat up and make liquid) of the solder and the console would be good to go, but since the connector looked a little rough, I figured I would go ahead and just replace it. Only about 20 minutes worth of work to replace the power connector and only a few bucks for the console and parts, and another piece of old tech saved from the landfill.
This was a rather short story, and admittedly not very interesting, it is exciting to see old tech saved from the landfill with only a few dollars in parts and a little bit of work. Cannot wait to tell more stories like this.