The Game Boy Advance SP will not turn on
You cannot get the Game Boy Advance SP to turn on.
The battery is drained
If your Game Boy Advance SP wont turn on, but everything seems to be in working order, your battery might just be completely drained. This is normal if the device hasn't been used in over two months or if the device is mistakenly left powered on after use. Charge the device for three hours. Make sure the socket you plug the charger into has current flowing through it and also make sure the charger is in working order. The lower LED on the side of the Game Boy Advance SP should glow an amber color while charging.
The battery is dead
If, while charging the battery, the lower LED on the side of the Game Boy Advance SP does not glow; there is a chance that the battery is dead. This can happen from excessive over charging and normal usage years after purchase. (Nintendo would not specify how long they expect their batteries to last.) The solution to a dead battery is replacing it with a new battery.To replace a dead battery, please see the Installing a Battery Guide.
The power switch is broken
If the battery is in working order, but the Game Boy Advance SP does not turn on when you flip the power switch, then the power switch may be broken. The tabs that connect the switch to the device are delicate and can be broken easily if you drop the device. The power switch tabs cannot be repaired, but the entire power switch can be replaced and working with little effort. To replace a broken switch, please see the Installing a Power Switch Guide.
The buttons only work when they are pressed down hard
"The buttons only register in the game when they are pressed harder than what is normally necessary."
The buttons and the track pads have dust between them
If your Game Boy Advanced SP has recently been in a sandy or dusty area, there may be dust between the buttons and the track pad which would cause a loss of connection to the motherboard. To clean out the dust, you can try blowing air into the buttons. If blowing air into the buttons does not improve the button control, you may need to clean the pads by hand. For steps on how to safely remove the Game Boy Advance SP's tracks pads, please see the Installing Track Pads Guide.
The track pad is worn out
If you have been rough with your Game Boy Advanced SP, your system's track pads may be worn out. A worn out track pad needs more pressure from the button to reach the motherboard than a new track pad needs. Without a strong connection between the track pads and the motherboard, your Game Boy Advance SP will be sluggish and partially unresponsive to the buttons you press. To replace your beat up track pads, please see the Installing Track Pads Guide for steps on removal and installation.
The buttons are not working
"The buttons do not respond at all when they are pressed down."
The buttons are broken
If the tips above on fixing the track pad do not help, you may have broken buttons. Broken buttons can be the outcome of dropping the device, leaving the device out in the sun, or using too much force while playing games. This problem may require you to replace some or all of the buttons, depending on which are responsive. For steps on how to replace the buttons, please see the Installing Buttons Guide.
The speaker does not produce sound
"The speaker is silent and will not change when the volume switch is raised or lowered."
The game is broken
If you put a game cartridge into the Game Boy Advance SP and the sound does not work, put a different game cartridge in and listen for sound. If the second game cartridge has sound, your original game cartridge may be defective. Fortunately, your Game Boy Advance SP's speaker is in working order, however you will probably need to buy a new game cartridge to replace the broken one.
The speaker is broken
If the speaker will not produce sound no matter which game cartridge you place in the device, your speaker may be broken. Spilling liquid into the speaker holes or sticking something through the holes can cause the speaker to lose connection with the motherboard and thus lose sound. In both cases, a new speaker is required To replace a broken speaker, please see the Installing a Speaker Guide.
The brightness switch does not change the brightness on the screen
"The button that has a sun engraved into it (the brightness switch) has no control over the brightness of the screen."
The brightness switch is broken
If the brightness switch is being pressed, but the brightness of the screen does not increase or decrease, then the switch might be broken. Possible causes include dropping the device, leaving the device in the sun, pressing the brightness switch too hard, spilling liquid on the device, as well as normal wear and tear. This small, frail switch is not easily repaired, but it can be replaced simply. Please see the Installing a Brightness Switch Guide for instructions on replacing the brightness switch.
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Cal Poly, Team 17-22, Forte Winter 2013 Member of Cal Poly, Team 17-22, Forte Winter 2013
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20 Comments
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have a GBA SP model AGS 001 that powers on then suddenly shuts down after about 15 seconds. After verifying battery was good, and terminals were clean, I inspected the on/off switch, and verified it to be in good working order. I then used a cell phone camera to magnify and inspect the motherboard and found a problem not mentioned on any other site. I understand motherboards are cheep and readily available online, and in most cases it is easier to simply replace the board than to fix components. That being said, inspection of board location Q4 showed a hair line crack in the diode. The diode is marked 76 and cross reference identified the part as BAS70-06 which can be purchased on Amazon or E-bay etc. for less than $10 including shipping. I will let you know how it goes when the part arrives even if only in the interest of expanding the knowledge base.
Brian - Reply
Success! The replacement diodes were slightly longer by aprox. 1 mm (or less), but within reason. I will verify voltages against another AGS 001 and post the results next time.
Brian -
I just found my old gameboy this morning and charged it for a while. I was going to play a game that I found but after I turned it on, the only thing I could see was the “gameboy” logo. I’ve tried turning it off and on and even waiting but it still won’t work properly… any advise?
Jessi marcum - Reply
I'm having this problem too, does anyone know how to fix this?
Mitchell Freeman -
“I have a problem where the gameboy wont charge batteries, i have already tried looking for dead fuses but all off they are good and i have current coming from the port and also ive been trying to fix it for a while but no clue what is wrong, and yes i have already changed the charger and battery and tested them on other gba sp.”
Solution:
The track is interrupted from fuse F2 to diode D1 (see figure 1).
Test with the multimeter to confirm if the track is broken. After confirmation of interrupted track, the path can be done with a small piece of 30AWG wire (0.25mm) or include in the welded folder holes (then use the soldering iron to interconnect the parts).
https://youtu.be/WOXPCXNRF5A
Danilo César - Reply
I have a Gameboy advance SP AGS 001 which was given to me after not being used for a long time and I got a charger but it didn't charge, then I looked up the problem and it said the battery could need changing so I changed that for a new one and that still didn't work. My ports seem to be in vey good condition so I'm clueless about how to fix this
Plz help
Ishaan Modi - Reply
Hey I have a question so I have a game boy advance so ags 001 bad I pressed the light button after I turned the console off and now it just shows white
how do I fix?
TheOfficialElmo - Reply
I have a gba sp and i got a replacement battery and it charges and holds a charge my only issue is that it dies even when turned off after only a couple days. any ideas?
Braxton Lucas - Reply
What would the problem be if you can only use the gameboy sp when it's plugged in? Only seem to play while it's hook into wall
santiago vazquez - Reply
My Gba sp stopped working about 3 years ago, I recently found it again and tried to see if I could fix it, I went onto many websites and none had my answer. The gba sp charges but when the power switch is flicked nothing happens and the yellow light indicating that it’s charging flickers, once the power switch is moved on and off to much the yellow light will disappear entirely until it is unplugged and plugged in again
Prupl e - Reply
This is because of a particular fuse being blown F2 i believe. You can locate it and it is very tiny. I replaced it and was moderately tedious. If you have a very sharp soldering iron tip you shouldn’t have that much of an issue. If this is the case. But im pretty sure thats what it is
Braxton Lucas -
I am having an issue where my GBA sp is not loading original gameboy games. (The seller told me about this I am trying to learn soldering)
First time I tried tetris it tried to load but the nintendo logo was messed up. I took it apart and cleaned it thoroughly.
When I tried tetris again the nintendo logo was better, not perfect, but the game won't load still.
Is there a chip on the motherboard that is potentially responsible?
deeps - Reply
Make sure the connector pins are clean on the games and the console. Check the continuity on the cart loader pins in the gameboy, sounds like dirty or slightly misaligned pins.
Braxton Lucas -
I tried charging my old gameboy advance SP, it lights up orange but when I try to turn it on, it won't turn on, i charged it for 3 hours still won't. And then when I took out the charging cable the light still there even though it wasn't charging. I wonder what's the issue and how can I fix it?
Delta Roena - Reply
Sounds like an F2 fuse is blown. On the board. Which isnt hard to fix. Test the continuity with a multimeter to be sure if its not obviously blown. And get a replacement and solder it back on in place. Should work good as new.
Braxton Lucas -
Can't take the screw from the battery cover because the screw head is stripped, any solution to this problem??
cotton Dandy - Reply
Question what would cause my gba sp to work perfectly fine when I’m playing it but If I close the lid and walk away for more then a minute it’s like the whole device blanks out the screen shuts off and there is no more sound.
The Disguised Man - Reply
Is it timed? Because i would guess that there is something wrong with the ribbon cable. Perhaps simply an unlatched ribbon cable. Or a short idk but hard to really tell
Braxton Lucas -
I have an ags001,it works beautifuly,looks almost mint,the board looks to be in perfect shape,not even any dust.
but it will not charge,the battery is new,the charger is new,I bought a second charger just in case.it just will not charge,no light what so ever,not a flicker when plugged in.it plays games and the battery charges externaly.
jody gill - Reply
I have an interesting one since I don't see it discussed here. I just purchased a used AGS-001 that seems to work quite well, but it does require an awful lot of the ol' 'eject, blow, reinsert'. Additionally, the battery LED frequently goes to red, often temporarily, even after what should be a full charge, especially when the forward screen light is turned on. Although the red indicator occasionally goes through bouts of flickering on and off when the screen is not illuminated, I still get to enjoy a good stretch of game time in the green. Any ideas what's happening? Crusty old terminals just coming to life again?
Evan Scott - Reply