How to EASILY remove your GBC Crystal

[Paomanayo]

Hi all,

I found this site because I wanted to overclock my GBC. From what I read, the way to do this was to replace the original crystal with a faster one.

How do you remove the crystal?
First Attempt: SNAP IT OFF. This was dificult, time consuming and as I snapped it off my tool hit the CPU and bent some of the wires.. GBC destroyed.
Second Attempt: SLOWLY SNAP IT OFF. This time I had successfully removed the crystal however I had scratched the part of the track in the circuit.. GBC destroyed (later fixed)

By Now I was fed up with this.. After some thought I had found a very easy, safe & fast way to remove the crystal.

HOW TO REMOVE THE CRYSTAL:

• 1. Open your GBC
  2. Get some aluminium foil and cut it to be a little bigger than the GBC
  3. Cut a small rectangle out of the foil so the crystal can be seen through it.
  4. Push it down snug around the crystal (ensure all other components are covered)
  5. Hold your GBC up to a 40 Watt lamp for 40 seconds (with tweasers or needle nose pliers at the ready)
  6. Lower your GBC and try to remove crystal (it should pull away with ease)
  7. If crystal does not budge repeat the heating step.

Easy.. Hope this is helpful.

[eurddrue]

A vise-grip works! so does a needle nose pliers, what tool were you using?

[Tibia]

A desoldering iron also works. It leaves very clean holes.

[vskid]

A desoldering iron also works. It leaves very clean holes.

Its surface mount. Most people resort to just breaking it off.

[Paomanayo]

I was using need nose pliers but kept causing trouble..

One of my GBC had 4 solder pads however my other one had 6 so the heating method was very handy.

I'd recommend using the heating method over breaking or desoldering if your a beginner to electronics or if your not comfortable with snapping it off.

[themadhacker]

I was using need nose pliers but kept causing trouble..

One of my GBC had 4 solder pads however my other one had 6 so the heating method was very handy.

I'd recommend using the heating method over breaking or desoldering if your a beginner to electronics or if your not comfortable with snapping it off.

Your first attempts at the GBC are VERY similar to mine.

MY Attempts:
1 crystal crumbles. while trying to get the rest of the crystal off, slipped and tore cpu pins

2 crystal again crumbles. while trying to remove rest of crystal, slipped and destroyed other parts

My solution? before removing crystals, put duct tape over everything except crystal. This ensured no solder will drip and land on random places, and it will make it harder todestroy some parts if you slip. Then, get vice grips and remove the top part of the crystal. Once you do that, remove the crystal insides, but leave the ends to solder to.

[vskid]

I was using need nose pliers but kept causing trouble.

The pliers I used had a bigger tip (about a quarter inch at the tip) that was square, so it could transfer the force better.

[RunWithScissors]

Hi all,

I found this site because I wanted to overclock my GBC. From what I read, the way to do this was to replace the original crystal with a faster one.

How do you remove the crystal?
First Attempt: SNAP IT OFF. This was dificult, time consuming and as I snapped it off my tool hit the CPU and bent some of the wires.. GBC destroyed.
Second Attempt: SLOWLY SNAP IT OFF. This time I had successfully removed the crystal however I had scratched the part of the track in the circuit.. GBC destroyed (later fixed)

By Now I was fed up with this.. After some thought I had found a very easy, safe & fast way to remove the crystal.

HOW TO REMOVE THE CRYSTAL:

• 1. Open your GBC
  2. Get some aluminium foil and cut it to be a little bigger than the GBC
  3. Cut a small rectangle out of the foil so the crystal can be seen through it.
  4. Push it down snug around the crystal (ensure all other components are covered)
  5. Hold your GBC up to a 40 Watt lamp for 40 seconds (with tweasers or needle nose pliers at the ready)
  6. Lower your GBC and try to remove crystal (it should pull away with ease)
  7. If crystal does not budge repeat the heating step.

Easy.. Hope this is helpful.

Hrmmm, I spent the best part of an hour trying to remove my GBC crystal per your steps above, and no luck...

I'm reluctant to force the crystal off of the board, especially as I want to run it in tandem with a faster one. Does anyone want to chime in on this? I don't have access to a desoldering iron or SMT tweezers or anything fancy, and my attempts at desoldering with a braid didn't really do anything. Kinda stuck here kids, help a Brit out?

Cheers

Keir

EDIT: Additionally, I'd normal just add more solder to the pads to raise the temp and release the component, but there are at least 5 SMD resistors that sit right next to the clock crystal... I'm not sure I want to take that risk... Any thoughts on this approach?

[schmellyfart]

You dont have to remove the old crystal. just solder the new one on to two of the leads on one side of the exiisting crystal.

edit: here use this guide for connecting the new crystal. its for gba but im sure you can figure it out.
http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=25718

[RunWithScissors]

You dont have to remove the old crystal. just solder the new one on to two of the leads on one side of the exiisting crystal.

edit: here use this guide for connecting the new crystal. its for gba but im sure you can figure it out.
http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=25718

Sorry, I should been more clear, I meant run the chips in tandem with a switch...

[schmellyfart]

Well it seems that most of the guide in the first post has mysteriously disappeared. I will redraw that schematic a post it.

[RunWithScissors]

Well it seems that most of the guide in the first post has mysteriously disappeared. I will redraw that schematic a post it.

So I don't need to do anything with the third line out on the switch? I'm not sure I understand... If it's a SPDT switch to go from crystal A to crystal B shouldn't it run like this?


Sorry to question you, I'm just not sure I understand correctly...

Thanks again

Keir

[eurddrue]

that's the same thing that shmellyfart posted, just drawn out different.

[schmellyfart]

eurddrue is correct, they are the same.

With mine (actually mastery kirby's) you can leave the original crystal attached. When the switch in my picture is to the left, it uses the faster crystal. When its to the right, connected to only the original crystal. The gameboy will run at the regular speed. I have verified that this works with both a gbc and gba.

[RunWithScissors]

eurddrue is correct, they are the same.

With mine (actually mastery kirby's) you can leave the original crystal attached. When the switch in my picture is to the left, it uses the faster crystal. When its to the right, connected to only the original crystal. The gameboy will run at the regular speed. I have verified that this works with both a gbc and gba.

Perfect! Thank you, and once again, sorry to doubt, I'm just trying to learn all of this stuff.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Cheers

Keir