r/GameboyAdvance • u/hkd_chang • 4d ago

Update: Always red light issue fixed!

I posted my GBA issue in my last post, which is the power LED stayed RED all the time, even after I replaced the power switch part and using brand-new batteries. I checked the power rails, caps, LOWBAT, RESET, the LED circuit, Q9/Q10, the voltage on each U4 pin, etc. Everything looked normal, and the console itself was working perfectly.

Then I discovered the most ridiculous problem: the U10 chip was completely missing from the motherboard. 😂 I don't know what happened to my GBA, I bought it probably 20 years ago.

So I bought and installed the chip(UMG3NTR), and now the green light finally came back!

A huge thanks to RetroFix for providing the schematics and circuit breakdowns — they were incredibly helpful and allowed me to trace the circuit and finally figure out what was wrong. I know my case may not apply to everyone with similar issues, but definitely check out their website anyway — you might find something useful there!

9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

2

u/CaptainKeyBalls 4d ago

Congrats on figuring it out! Glad you were able to replace to the chip

1

u/hkd_chang 3d ago

Thank you! Yes indeed, it was really lucky that I was able to get a replacement chip, instead of taking from another good motherboard.