I Paid £40 For a FAULTY Anbernic RG350 | Can I FIX It?

This Anbernic RG350 Handheld Emulation, erm, thing, was purchased from eBay for £40. It was sold as faulty, with a prior repair attempt and not powering on...

Let's have a look and let's try and fix it!

Hope you enjoy!
Steve

PS. I'm not an expert in repairs at all. I do this for fun, and it may not be the best or safest way to go about repairing broken stuff. I'm pretty good at melting plastic though. Please don't copy me - I'm an idiot.

If you want to make a device donation to the channel, please use the following PO Box. PLEASE NOTE that this is not a repair service, and all items are non-returnable.
PO BOX ADDRESS: StezStix Fix?, PO Box 415, BOLTON, BL4 4AZ
Please only use this service if you are a UK resident and using Royal Mail.

Some of the magic things I use to break stuff;

Filming equipment;

Links are affiliated where possible to help support the channel. Nice.

[DamienCooley]

I just want to thank you for giving me the courage to attempt some 'harder' soldering fixes than I ever have done. I recently replaced all the capacitors on my arcade monitor to fix a horizontal width issue, and the only reason I attempted it was because I saw how patient and thorough you were with your fixes. It also showed me how easy you make it seem, and how I am going to need some magnification and better tools if I do more soldering in the future. You rock sir!

[Chezilla]

The soundtrack is always spot on 🤌 love the retro wave tracks.

[MrSlackrick]

To stop the legs from going bye bye when de/soldering those sockets, leave the mating plug in. It holds the pins in place whilst you're busy melting the plastic.

[patrickwrx]

So glad you had the properly sized knob covers, no one wants to touch uncovered knobs

[TrasherBiner]

The other usb c port is OTG (for things like external wifi dongle etc). I have opened the RG350 in and out and repaired it many times (it's also labeled on the case right on the port). Really psyched that you are fixing one. I think you overpaid for it though, as 40 quid is pretty much the price of it new.

[Dukefazon]

9:52 - Pro tip if you need to solder something small, like this connector that is encased in plastic that can melt, has multiple legs that needs to be straight:
Keep something plugged in, that can help with the legs' alignment and the whole structure is less likely to melt out of shape.

Have you checked polarity before putting back together the new battery+terminal thingy? I know you checked polarity on the board but I don't remember you checking the orientation of the plug and how it would correlate to the other side of the plug with the wires.

[edz]

Some sneaky editing there - especially the Gordon the gopher and Fu**. Stupid infinite lives! 😂

[megagarrym]

Hi Steve, You've inspired me to have a go! T'other week I successfully replaced a USB-B female thingy on a faulty audio interface(A Focusrite Scarlett Solo since you ask). I know you could probably do that in your sleep but I'm happy with it. Thanks for giving me the kahunas to to try it. The audio interface is now back in use!

[NinjaxWizardGoVroom]

Sitting in my car waiting for my daughter to get out of dance class and loving the videos. Watching from California

[infinty]

I love the way you flowed my UN into this weeks rap.

I don't care about anyone that complains, that is seriously one of the highlights of my week.

[philash]

7:47 can I just say what a handsome cow, as someone who spent a lot of their childhood in and around dairy and beef farms

[SilverSergeant]

Your videos have rapidly become one of my daily rituals!!! Keep them

[AG-cglk]

The moocow would have worked if you'd added some leaded solder first. I have the same desoldering station and it sometimes struggles with lead free solder.

[NowInAus]

I’m impressed with your bodging in this one!

[tezup]

Steve, when you said "..and it knows how to use them", I knew I could die happy.

[bufordmaddogtannen]

Just replace the connector with a pigtail one, and optionally add a dab of hot glue to keep the wires on the PCB. At least you won't risk ripping the pads the next time you need to unplug the battery.

I would have used two heatshrink tubes on the batter wires, but that's me not wanting to risk setting the house on fire... 🤣

[jeffrobertson]

@11:00 the most anticipated and most satisfying solid. ever.

[blarghblargh]

A technique I found works well for desoldering multiple leads at once is to solder a thicker copper wire to all the leads, then use a larger iron tip to dump heat into the copper wire, so all the solder melts at once. I learned this technique after ripping some pads straight off a keyboard PCB while trying to get a through-hole controller IC unsoldered.

From the video I saw that I learned the technique from, using some kapton tape to hold the copper wire down while you solder it in place can be a ton of help, to keep it perfectly flat against all the part leads. It was useful for me, while pulling the copper wire flat on the other end w/ tweezers/pliers.

[infinty]

All of the Ambernic devices are built in China and are surprisingly good quality for the most part. If you end up keeping the device, it makes a really great retro handheld. I've gone through several different models, and landed on using my Steam Deck at home, but the RG353V is my absolute favorite portable.

[bobapthorpe]

Gotta say, I really appreciate the commitment to the bits. The diagnostics and repairs are great and all but the absolute commitment to the bits - priceless!