Restoring Broken Formula Racing Game - Retro Game Restoration
I bought this retro Formula racing game for restoration. Its called Grand Prix and it was made by CGL. The LCD screen badly damaged and one of the levers has been broken.
I noticed the color of the console is a bit different from the usual yellowing in the items I restore. It looks almost like there is a green tint to it so I was expecting it to stay the same color in the hydrogen peroxide bath. The process is called retrobright and it removes the yellowing and when done correctly it wont change the original color. If the original color under the yellowing has faded it will stay faded. So it should not affect the pigment in the plastic but only bromide, the substance that causes the plastic to yellow.
I had to look for the spare screen for a long time because that type of damage is unrepairable and they dont make new screen anymore. Luckily I found somebody who had a broken device with functional screen and they were willing to sell it for me. Since he also had the switches I also bought those from him even though I think I could have fixed the broken parts as well.
After changing the screen and one of the switches I had to replace the battery contacts. The original ones were in very bad condition and some of them were broken. I took 0.2 mm thick sheet of brass and pressed the dimples to the metal with a special tool that I designed just for the purpose. The brass is so thin I could cut it with scissors. I was very similar to cut as as thick crafting paper, so I still could get the wanted shapes easily. The brass was nickel plated to protect if from oxidation in the future. The original contacts were plated as well but some acidic solution had leaked from the batteries, which had dissolved the nickel. My nickel plating tutorial: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3DCexCLoGQ