top of page

Game Gear Mainboard 315-5535

This is a brand-new manufactured replacement mainboard for your Sega Game Gear, using all new components. The board makes it possible to repair your VA1 model Game Gear which suffers from PCB damage caused by leaking capacitors or batteries.

​

 

Please watch the video from Macho Nacho, he goes over all details of this board:

The board has been reverse engineered from a Sega Game Gear VA1 model, better known as the single ASIC variant. Since I am not able to source new ASIC chips, cartridge connectors and expansion port connections, you need to supply these parts from one of your broken boards. Currently I do not have enough supply to provide you a fully assembled board!

​

Recommended tools are:

  • Soldering iron with 1-1.5mm chisel tip

  • Hot air rework station

  • Desoldering gun or pump

  • Flux

  • IPA

  • Multimeter and/or oscilloscope

​

Highlevel workplan:

  • Source broken Sega Game Gear single ASIC mainboard model 837-9024 - validate the chip is a 315-5535

  • Remove cartridge slot and expansion port using de-solder gun

  • Remove ASIC with hot-air and clean pins with solder wick

  • Align the ASIC on the new board – it should snug into position using the solder mask

  • Tack few pins on the edges

  •  Apply flux and drag solder all pins of the ASIC – remove solder bridges with solder wick

  • Solder XTAL, LED, cartridge connector power and sound cable

  • The region is default selected to rest-of-world, in case you want change it to Japanese, cut the trace between the middle pad and W-pad and bridge the middle pad with the J-pad.

  • Validate installation with starting a game – you should hear game sound

  • Install LCD kit

  • Assemble the shell

  • Enjoy another 30 years of playing on a Game Gear!

​

I have a also made a video how to do these steps. I am sorry for the poor video and audio quality, but I will improve this.

​

The following table can be used to connect a LCD kit to the mainboard:

​

In case you install a BennVenn kit – bridge the BV solder pad next to the brightness wheel.

 

The kit includes:

  • Brand new mainboard - all surface mount parts are assembled

  • 5-pin contrast wheel

  • 9-pin power board cable with JST PH2.0 connector

  • 6-pin sound board cable with JST PH2.0 connector

  • 6/9-pin JST PH2.0 connector to swap on your current power and sound board

  • 32.768MHz crystal

  • 3mm red LED - other colors available on request

​

BOM

bottom of page