this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2023
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Cleaning Game Boy cartridges? Best way to not cause damage while cleaning/restoring (lemmynsfw.com)
submitted 1 year ago by BigWigglyStyle@lemmynsfw.com to c/retrogaming@lemmy.world
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Hello everyone,

I have a few game boy games I’d like to revisit. I’ll admit they were not stored the best way being mostly kept in a small cardboard box.

Before I just put in a cartridge and turn it on, what step could I take to clean/restore the games? I’m sure all my Pokémon are long gone so battery swaps would probably be a thing.

Before I just go dabbing alcohol I wanted a check on what the best way to go about cleaning and getting a cartridge in playable condition.

I really don’t want to fuck up my copy of Pokémon Crystal. It was there more than my parents were.

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[–] gilokee@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I used to sell video games professionally, and I used distilled white vinegar and a q-tip. Just dip the q-tip in vinegar and wipe the pins, then dry it with the other end. A bunch of black crap will come off - keep doing this until it's clean! To open it, you need I think a 3.5 mm game bit - you can buy them on ebay for a few bucks. You can also buy the batteries with the metal bits already on to solder it back onto the board. Make sure the polarity is correct!! I believe most gameboy games take 2025 batteries but you'll wanna double check, I think a couple take 1212s or 1216s. Hope that helps :)