Saying goodbye to an old friend

[Yuko-san]

All of us here remember when the original GBA came out. Most of us here where teenages, I, however, was of the mere age of 7.

When the GBA came out I begged my mom to get me the violet one. But instead I got Pokemon Crystal. I was a little sad that Christmas, as I wanted the GBA more then Pokemon. But not all was lost. The next day my mom took me over to her parents, and for Christmas I got exactly what I wanted from them, a violet GBA. That turned out to be the best Christmas ever.

My best memories from childhood involve this old friend, from playing Megaman Zero and Battle Network to beating the E4 in the advanced generation pokemon games. Defeating Dr. Robutnik in Sonic and playing through KH:CoM.

As of yesterday, however, this old friend is no longer with me. I put some batteries in and it refused to power on. I tried with different batteries, but all to no avail. It will no longer work.

So I say goodbye to my old friend, and look for a replacement. 12 was a long run, but it had to end someday.

Here's to you, my GBA, one of the greatest friends of my childhood.

[Char Aznable]

have you tried getting an adapter for it? I don't even bother with batteries much for anything.

Take my Game Gear for example...

[Ace of Spades]

Give her a Viking Funeral good Yuko.

[Brooklyn Luckfield]

God Speed GBA, God Speed! :salute:

[The Final Negotiator]

Sorry, Yuko. That makes me sad as well...

DS Lite's still have GBA ports "It's what makes Guitar Hero Possible..." (Said in best Dr. Emmett Brown impersonation...)  I love the Simpsons Road Rage and Marvel Avengers GBA games that I borrowed from my sister (actually she game me the Simpsons game). I also have a GBA cartridge of Cartoon Network "Cartoon Cartoons". I would like to get more "Cartoon Cartoons" cartridges and maybe a Robotech GBA game

However, I can't see buying a DS Lite as an affordable solution... I suppose you could try the adapter, to see if it's a power issue? By the way, depending on the design of the battery contacts, you might have to occasionally bend them out to make good contact with the battery (they sometimes get crushed down on electronic devices that have seen lots of use). Get a small screwdriver and bend them out slightly, enough that the batteries push them in when installed (so you know the contacts are tight).

Also, make sure the battery contacts are clean. Clean them with a pencil eraser, wipe them with rubbing alcohol, clean them with contact cleaner (Radio Shack, Home Depot, other hardware stores), or all of the above. It sounds silly, but I once bought "*new* RAM modules" from eBay (i.e. *new* being an eBay term meaning "corroded" or "found under an IT desk") that produced boot errors on my brother-in-law's father's PC.  Desperate, I cleaned the gold contacts with some contact cleaner from "Home Depot", and suddenly no issues. 

If worst come to worst, there is always "Virtual Boy Advance" a GBA emulator (you can Google "Virtual Boy Advance"). Owning an emulator is not illegal. Also, you are legally allowed to download the ROMs of games you have (just as you can legally make MP3's from your CD's). Also, I suppose you could see if Gamestop, other game shops, or eBay has any inexpensive used ones.

[Yuko-san]

I tried the adapter, but it still refuses to power on. A store I frequent for older used games has one on hold for me. But still.
 
I already have a ds lite, but I loved that gba. I'll try opening it up. I've done it before, and after wards it was fine, but I think the screen may have come unpluged, or the battery port disconnected.

Both of these are fixable, just a pain to do.

[Char Aznable]

I can get a classic GBA for...$15 from a guy I know who owns a popular video game store in the area. Or was it $20? I don't remember, because I want the SP, which he has for $30.

Ah...VBA...I use it CONSTANTLY...more than any of my other Emulators...oh, anyone know where I can find a ROM for Link's Awakening?

[The Final Negotiator]

I know, your GBA has sentimental value. My wife got me an arcade collection for the DS (I think it's the Namco museum one) that includes Galaxian among it's games. While it's fun, I can't help thinking back to the 80's Galaxian LED-sprite game that my parents got me. It featured a two player mode, so you could fly Aliens ships into someone, or dive bomb someone. If I remember correctly, I think I even beat it (Several levels w/no save - Whew!).

Is there anyway to glue (temporarily or permanently) the battery port and/or screen connector plug(s)? That might save you the trouble of opening it again, at least for a while. I once did "field surgery" on my PC at a LAN party, because I inadvertently knocked off my floppy drive cable during an upgrade. Machines, machines...they're a pain sometimes...but so much fun...

-Final

P.S. Char, check your PM's. Merry Early Christmas.

[Char Aznable]

Holy Epic ROM Files, Batman! Thanks!

Scanned the file. It's clean.

[Yuko-san]

The battery port, cover and all that is fine. It's the screen that needs to be replaced. One of the microthin lines that makes the screen work has gone black. It should be orange.

If I can buy a replacement screen I would, but i may just be buying another used gba.

[R. Daniel 01]

The moment you replace a major part, it is no longer your old GBA. Or is it? I often wonder that about old cars or other devices that get many replacement parts. Where do you draw the line between your old possession and something unrecognizable? Must be subjective.

[Char Aznable]

When talking cars, it's always your old car, no matter what you do to it. If you had an original `68 Camaro, and added a lot of chrome to the engine, threw in a supercharger, Edelbrock headers, a tank of NOS with a full wet purge system, Mickey Thompson street drag tires, etc, etc...then gave it a really nice paint job...It's still your old '68 Camaro...just a finished version.

[The Final Negotiator]

When talking cars, it's always your old car, no matter what you do to it. If you had an original `68 Camaro, and added a lot of chrome to the engine, threw in a supercharger, Edelbrock headers, a tank of NOS with a full wet purge system, Mickey Thompson street drag tires, etc, etc...then gave it a really nice paint job...It's still your old '68 Camaro...just a finished version.

Gamer's rigs/LAN rigs can be thought of the same way, since they're modifiable like cars. Mine is 2001 keyboard/case with new mouse (I have the original though), and 2007-2008 guts...

[Char Aznable]

Then it's just an upgraded 2001. So yeah, it all shakes out.

[Mike]

Cars also have certain parts that are intended to be replaced. Filters, belts, tires, brakes all wear out over time and are meant to be removed and replaced. So I didn't get a new car every time I changed my oil. OR DID I?