2x Broken ATARI LYNX from the USA - Trying to FIX 

Great video mate, a revelation that you didn't jump in and replace the caps like everyone else seems to be doing all the time , it's the caps it's the caps.

I really like the variety of your channel. Just watching game console repairs would get boring (to me at least) quite quickly. I'm glad you made the patreon page to ensure you're not getting bored and to give us some interesting item repairs :)

Really good video, yet again! I work as a medical engineer and fix machines worth more than my house.. but nothing give me more of a buzz than fixing some old games machines or even watching you do it…. Love the vids! Keep up the good work!!

Triple 360! 😍 Really looking forward to the McWill install. I bet these things look incredible with that modification. I love my McWill'd Game Gear, it's a real thing of beauty! Great work mate 👍

Wow. I've loved to see how you've stripped those cables to show how dark they were inside, and of course that damage isn't visible. I just didn't have an idea that that happens. Very interesting.

is this the Steam Deck that everyone is talking about 😆

Didn't even realize it, as my RU-vid backlog got quite long - thanks for the mentioning at the end. I really enjoy your videos, and I love to support your work as long as I can. Thank you!

I never owned a Lynx, but wanted to get one back in the day. Interesting fix video, thanks.

CDT = Craft, design and technology 😊 Also have a special place in my heart for the Lynx, but only because my cousin had one and I was pretty jealous. His brother had a Game Gear as well😊 loved visiting them😂

What great video, and thank you for your content! I've enjoyed it quite a long time! Where to start. Any time your working on a Lynx unit, the only safe way to start is to inject 5V 1A directly into the legs of either C39 (Lynx 1) or C41 (Lynx 2) and then on the cartridge slot you can jump pins 31 and 33. To bypass the on / off circuit, you can jumper the negative battery pad on the board to headphone jack ground pin. The reasons for this are simple. The lynx takes 9V (either from the batteries or the AC Adapter) and regulates it down to 5V. The circuitry parts that do this often fail in the Lynx and cause 9V to go into parts meant for only 5V, namely the ram chips, and the two custom CPU chips. Often when this happens, you wind up killing parts which are very hard to source. Injecting 5V directly into C39, or C41 (depending on which Lynx you have) means you won't risk killing a system that is failing to correctly regulate 9V down to 5V. Jumping pins 31 and 33 on the cartridge slot bypass the need for a game cartridge to be inserted (screen will say INSERT GAME). The screens, as you've learned, often fail in the way you saw on your second lynx. Noticeable differences in brightness between the three "zones". Game carts are often dirty, and need a good clean. Cartridge slot pins can get bent, and can be dirty. In terms of recapping the boards, often all that is necessary are the two big power caps (C38 and C39 on Lynx, C39 and C41 on Lynx 2) In terms of new upgraded LCD's, check out the BenVenn screens for the lynx. The Lynx 2 screen is completely plug and play! Lynx 1 still needs soldered, but it's cheaper than the McWill and easier to install. McWill makes a fine kit, but BenVenn offers a very reasonable alternative!

Keep up the good work fella and stay safe. The retro community appreciates you trying to save these classic systems from landfill!

I had one of these back in the 90's, way ahead of there time 😁

Oh my goodness! This is a blast from the bloomin’ past! When I was a kid, my mum had secretly entered me in to a competition from the back of a Kellogg’s Rice Krispies to win one of three Atari Lynx. I was so confused when I opened the box, but when my mum explained it I was so overwhelmed I ran around the house for about 15 minutes screaming. Lol. Thanks for bringing back that long forgotten memory. 👍🏼

Great to see more Lynxes on your channel! Good job getting them both work - 2 new screens and they should be perfect! Thanks for the shoutout - very much appreciated! There's another "new screen" coming from another company. I will let you know more when that becomes available! I suspect that lump in the middle of the bad screen is also causing problems on that screen - as the connections in the centre will be shorting or open circuit probably.

When you are trying to revive a screen like that you should use a wider soldering iron tip. It's not a guaranteed fix, but I've had more luck.

Oh yes, i had also two. Atari LYNX II.. i was so stupit to sell them. Thank you for that Great Video.

Vince, your videos really are great and they have saved my sanity so much over lockdown. Please keep up the great content. An interesting tip I learned only a week ago you may find useful; for items with black wire corrosion that you want to keep as original as possible, if you put the wire end into a small amount of white vinegar plus a bit of dissolved table salt, in about 5-10 minutes the copper will go back to shiny so you can solder it. You then need to rinse the end with water. I watched this done and was quite amazed as I always thought the black corrosion was irreversible. Hope this is of use. Cheers.

Fixing a pallet load of customer returns atm, I'm in my element, tonight I did a light saber, it had a burnt out 3.3v voltage regulator, I found one that did the job on an old laptop motherboard

You're right, seeing old tech brought back to life is always neat. I nearly picked up an 8mm projector but thought "I have zero films to play on it.".

This is a lovely RU-vid channel, and all of your videos are interesting.

Ahh so close to perfect condition. Also new screen replacement could be worth hassle if nostalgia is involved.

I had one of these as a kid and my friends really made fun of me for it. It was not a popular console and yet for the time it was really quite amazing how much it could do. I must have bought nearly every game for it that were just going for peanuts at the time in bargain bins. I can attest that the set of batteries I added new lasted about ten minutes then it was dead. So it was a plug in to wall thing I played in bed and got massive enjoyment out of it. The screen even at its best was terrible and not very usable in normal light. But at night it came alive and I loved it. So I would absolutely urge getting a new screen and bringing it back to life.

Back in the day I bought a lynx off a friend who'd upgraded to a lynx 2,it also came with a carry case and fold up sun visor that clipped into the four holes around the screen.loved playing Todd's adventure,rampage & cali games.ended up selling it and putting the money towards Japanese import mega drive that came with streets of rage purchased at a computer event in london.fun times back in the 90s.

It was very interesting. Thank you. I'm looking forward to the mod and of course to new videos.

I've been watching your channel and in the U S Army we used to use a pencil eraser to clean off radio connections for corrosion

Your choice of content on these videos is outstanding The variation in items is much appreciated Vince.on a persona level I prefer the older stuff anyway,such as old audio ie radios,reel to reel cassette and tape recorders and of course the vintage consoles and gaming.I’m finding this Atari lynx video brilliant as it’s the one that got away from me as a kid ( I was a game gear owner ) and nowadays they are so expensive I couldn’t afford a lynx so keep the videos coming as they are superb and your Rolls Royce epic restoration series is brilliant

I so remember the TV adverts for the Lynx, they certainly sold it well in the ads.

Great video, the console videos are your best and most interesting, retro stuff is just awesome

Pretty sure we all love your videos and if they are people that say mean things I'm sure glad you are able to ignore them and keep posting your videos. I know we all smile a bit when you post a new video. I've got a Lynx 2 and have tried replacing the caps to bring it back alive but it's still completely dead. I've owned it since new and while cleaning out my attic I found all my old gaming systems. Now 40 years old and having 2 kids one 9 years old I was hoping she could see what top of the line was when I was growing up and let her enjoy it. Also found a nintendo virtual boy in box and looking like it was never used ( I kept my toys in great shape) and was able to get it up and going and she's had a blast with it. We'll keep your head up and you are doing great keeping your fans happy and entertained. Thanks

Really enjoy your music selections at the end of the clips.

Ah another morning, another coffee and another My Mate Vince video. Thanks Vince!

As some people already said, your variety is amazing.

I really like your videos. Please, never stop.

Here, here, good work mate. I'm entertained. Don't bother with the toxic comments, you're great.

Hi Vince. Since I found you two weeks ago I cannot stop watching you. I’m really enjoying your repairs, and learning through them. So thank u very much for all of them. Can I please know the size of enamelled wire that u use? I’m not quite sure which one to buy.

C.D.T was an acronym for Craft Design and Technology, which like Vince said was making stuff out of wood and perspex, and learning basic electronic principles! all in one lesson ;-)

for corrosion like this you might want to look into getting a scratch pen or scratch brush for electronics. They come in steel, brass (what I use) fiberglass or nylon. Basically it's like a pen with a bunch of small strands bunched up together that come out the end of the pen you use it to scratch off stuff (like corrosion) and as they wear you can turn it and have a little more stick out. Been using them for 30+ years now. I've only used the brass ones (all they had originally) so I can't say how well the others work. Also removes solder mask without damaging traces.

Great video Vince. I was looking at getting one of these a while back to do a screen upgrade but even the faulty units are expensive. I look forward to seeing the Mcwill upgrade, perhaps you could think about doing a Benn Venn upgrade or even an Ali clone on the other unit to compare.

ELLO great to see a video by yah again keep em rolling.

Vince definitely worth doing the screen price of the lynx are going up & selling for around £160 to £190 so definitely worth trying to fix them

Not all of us want to watch ps5 repairs Vince. That's why I watch your channel the most because of the variety 🙂

I love the Atari Lynx, I have the later smaller Lynx II and there were some fantastic games for it, I personally recommend STUN Runner, it's lots of fun to play, so is RoadBlasters.

Nice one Vince.... because of your video i am brave enough now to attempt my own repairs on other thing than computers

My msgs are not toxic, the last one was a joke. Keep it up

I wanted one of these when I was a kid too, I'm still a kid and packing an ipad 12.9" pro with a playstation 4 controller - portable video arcade (literally with 65Gb of mame roms loaded on it !!) :) These Lynx's must have chewed through batteries with that CCFL inverter running all the time it was on!

Very interested to see some po box unboxing vids to see the some pre loved treasures fixed to former glory.

A friend of mine had a Lynx and we would play California Games together. My favorite part was Surfing.

Enjoyed this one Vince. I had a similar experience with a non-working gamegear that I took apart. I didn't do a lot and then somehow it started working again. Guess we were both due to get lucky at least once, lol

Always nice to see a Lynx - still looking for one too! I did find some websites that sell these carbon ribbons !

Someone makes a kit to upgrade the hell out of the screen and bypass the light. It improves the battery life big time! I know there is appeal in keeping it 100% original but if you've seen the upgrade it's impressive! Edit: looking forward to the upgrade! Good video!

Glad i only watched those important sections of the video and nothing else.

its funny I got a boxed lynx with no power at the same time this video came out, helped lots lol

Vince Matey roll call 🏴‍☠️🦜

i am one of those people that preferes you working on that casio pda, or that 1960s plastic dog, those amazing mechanical toys from the 70s.... THERE ARE DOZENS OF US!

When either Lynx or Game Gear isn't working properly, it's almost always caps. :-)

Fantastic video Vince.great presentation cant wait to see mcwill screen modification.thanks!😀

I love your channel Vince. You do a great job. Keep it up!

The top lynx (the more beat up one) looks interesting. Grey D-pad and buttons. Both mine are black buttons and d-pad.

California Games is known to be one of the best games made for the Lynx. So, great choice on that one. Have never heard of the other game you bought. Would love to see someone redo one of these machines to have a GOOD TFT screen and better modern internal LiPo batteries.

Definitely want to see you do a Mcwill upgrade!!

All my mate Vince videos are relaxing😋

Can't wait to see the mc will screen, I think it would be cool

Amazing vid, keep up the good work :)

What a smart handheld device, that was interesting.

Hey Vince, keep the working LYNX as an original version and modify the broken one, love the vids : )

wow California games that takes me back. I used to absolutely LOVE that game lol

Sry mate i really really love this video but a stupid ide, that expensive low melting solder if you made solder balls on that chip and then try to melt it in place lined up, maybe super glu it in place after? I am looking forward to see the revisit, i gonna check our local modding shop in town tomorrow to see if they got a screen home then you have it on Thursday. Thank you soo mutch love this one!!!

Did you ever do a video on the McWill install?

Watford! From my neck of the woods 👍

I love these videos👍, coffee n biscuits with this 🙂.

❤️❤️❤️

Great job Vince, love the content. When will you do another pocket watch?

Hey Vince 17:20 When I strip wires I always have the RS style side-cutters facing the other way. This has always seemed to me to strip the plastic sheath away much better. Or maybe I'm OCD :)

this was very cool for its time.

Hi VINCE, I did watch a documentary that in the 80's all the capacitors were not good as I fixed an old SEGA GameGear I had so I don't know if that would help with this fix ?? Plus love your videos m8 great that you don't just fix one selection of broken stuff but a massive range of stuff.... Thanks for the videos :)

Sometimes Atari Lynx consoles are sold as not working but it’s just that the seller doesn’t have a game. Without a game inserted the Lynx does nothing. I got lucky and the broken one I bought off eBay for £30 ended up working fine, just needed a game inserting.

Cool to see the old screens going again but yeah there are no cheap replacements but at least there's something. ;) Been looking at old VR headsets from the 90s and much like old handhelds or laptops from that era new equivalent LCD screens can freshen up the retro experience a lot. :D

Ah Vince you can blame luck all you want but since first watching your channel prior to any My Mate Vince Massive, you have lept ahead in leaps and bounds in the repair business, so much so that luck plays a minor part now in your fixing capabilities. I for one would like to see you purchase a reballing machine and see how much further you can progress. So many times you have been blocked by lack of this piece of equipment, I honestly think you could make this a paying concern which would pay for the machine itself in about a year. This is how much faith I have in your abilities to repair stuff. I'm afraid it has really gone beyond luck to actual skill.

If you can find a connector that has the same number of pins, maybe you can solder onto the board and convert the flex cable from the screen from a direct solder to the board to be plugged in like a normal flex cable.

Great video. I have two Lynx with the McWills mod (a Mk 1 and Mk2) and another three without including a brand new old stock MK1. They are a nice handheld although I still prefer the Sega Nomad.

@My Mate VINCE get yourself a fiberglass pen, better than anything for scraping at corroded section on a pcb

Don't know what an Atari Lynx but they remind my of the days of GAME GEAR.

Yeah next video for the Atari links you can buy a LCD upgrade kit for it you will be amazed at the difference

It seemed to work when you were able to increase the screen brightness and cleaned the tracks on the game cartridge. Maybe it was borderline fail which locked it onto the starting screen

maybe you can put a translucid darker material between the backlight difusors and that 1/3 of the screen to even the brightness levels????

Hi bud l am so jealous you have a great set of great projects to fiddle with all l have is an electronic clock / phone charger good luck 😆

I've done the McWill mod on one of these, it's worth it I think. The BennVenn screens are nice too, the Lynx II version is plug & play pretty much.

Wow. CDT, not heard that in a long long time.

I am super looking forward to watching this now. I've got 3 Lynx's, two of them the model 1 (one with a McWill screen) and another the model 2. The Lynx was my first handheld as a kid, even before my Gameboy.

replace both screens and mod the one with the hole in the casing..sell one to recoup some of the cost for the screens

Really enjoyed this vince

You should make a video on the recent fix for drifting joycons and see if it fixes for you

That one with the jumper wires etc might be some sort of home brew mod

What a game California games was back in the day

I was 14 3-4 weeks after the Lynx was released, never tried my parents for one, even though one of the guys in the youth club had one, I was still more intersted in playing mario, and tetris on his gameboy, you said in this video that they were 16-bit, but all I can find while seaching google and wiki was that they were 8-bit. think it was more the fact that they were colour rather than black and white so to say, which was new for the handheld devices around that time.

I *need* to know the outro artist, such a beautiful song/voice. Someone please put me out of my misery.

it's always a dead giveaway that someones had a tinker with a lynx mk1 before when their's a perfect little hole in the front, someone got the screws the wrong way around xD

After heat the ic chip inmediately press the chip down with a tool until it get cool,I repared the Black horizontal lines on my game gear💪👍cheers👋

I'm only 12 mins in, i wonder if capacitor replacements will fix it like the game gears I did needed

I had one as a kid and loved it, but it wasn’t that design, maybe a later version