sudomod

Hi All,

First time poster. I have two Gaboze Pocaio's that I've been slowly working on during my spare time. I consider myself a beginner and new to all of these (only successfully backlight and bivert Gameboys before so) so this project is a step up in complexity. I've successfully managed to assemble and successfully boot one but I'm really struggling to troubleshoot the other.

Long story short, when I first attempted to assemble my first Gaboze Pocaio weeks ago, I did so with an incorrect battery that had the positives and negatives switched on the connector. I didn't know any better and I remember a burning smell and a lot of heat. Since then, I got a new battery that has the right wiring and connectors. However, the battery doesn't start up the device. The LED does light up, but it's not as bright as the working Gaboze Pocaio.

Some things I've gathered so far:
1. I've tested both batteries and have confirmed that it's not the battery since they both successfully power the other Gaboze Pocaio.
2. The device works and successfully boots when I bypass the battery and power it via USB.

Do you know how I can resolve this issue and restore the Gaboze Pocaio so it can run on battery again? My blind uneducated hunch right now is to buy a new JST Connector and replace the one on the board. Do you think that will solve the issue or is there a bigger problem at hand?

Any help and guidance appreciated!

Edit: Purchased new Charging Module and replaced it and it did the trick! Boots on battery now!

Does the new battery power the known working gaboze? If it does then you might have a broken gaboze. Maybe try recharging the battery u til fully charged and see if the problem persists.

Might have burnt the tp4056 charger module? Did you try to connect a micro USB plug direct to the pi to bypass the charging circuit? (assuming it will fit with the pi soldered? I'd consider swapping the tp4056.

Ah. Just noticed you said it does power when on USB. So I'd think the tp4056.

Yeah sounds like a tp4056 issue, try replacing it, they can be had for pennies on eBay or AliExpress.

Thanks for the advice guys. Based on your feedback I ran a few more tests. I didn't consider plugging the USB into other inputs.
I was able to successfully power the device and boot via all USB inputs: Gaboze Board, Raspberry Pi, and the Charging Module.

Retested battery and still unable to power device.

Could the charging module still be the culprit even though I was able to power it via USB?

hmm. What I would try is to connect the battery directly to the TP4056, bypassing the JST connector and solder it directly to the TP4056, if it works, then there is an issue between the JST and the TP4056, if it does not work, then it is likely the TP4056, something not be working properly.

I reached out to 32teeth for some feedback and he asked that I send him a picture of the charging module and I noticed a small visual defect that differs from the other working Gaboze that I wanted to share with you all. I didn't notice it until I saw the photo zoomed in. You'll notice a dimple on the top left chip that isn't on the other one. Do you think it's related to the issue?

Non-Functional with Battery


Functional with Battery

You burned the protection chip on the board, replace the board or the chip itself. Try bypassing it too by using a jumper wire to connect the B+ to OUT+ and B- to OUT-

I ended replacing the charging board and it fixed it! Thanks everyone <3