Handheld restorer
I’m Natsuki. I collect, repair and write about old handheld consoles, and I sell repair guides, label templates and two video courses.
Read first
Every machine here grew from an earlier one. Start at the grey brick, pick a line and follow it to the guide that fits.
1989 to 1996 · four AA cells
1996 to 1998 · smaller, two cells
Mono screens
Grey screens, then a light behind them
Branches from The pocket slim · Rejoins at The backlit fold-up
1998 to 2001 · light behind screen
PDF · brighter screen
Colour screens
The first colour model and the wide one after it
Branches from The pocket slim · Rejoins at Restore Your First Handheld
1998 to 2002 · first colour screen
2001 to 2005 · wider screen
PDF · pads and membranes
PDF · prepare, paint, seal
Fold-ups
Hinges, ribbons and the one that took from two lines
Branches from The pocket slim · Rejoins at Restore Your First Handheld
2003 to 2007 · hinge, one screen
2006 to 2010 · hinge and light
PDF · draw every screw
PDF · every machine here
8 lessons · video
Soldering for Handheld Repairs
7 lessons · video
Newsletter
One new letter every Saturday: one repair or one machine. Each says which earlier machine it follows.
A fold-up that lights up but loses its picture when the lid moves. The ribbon, the hinge and a slow afternoon. Follows “The fold-up, and a hinge that will not stay open”.
How I make a clean, plain label for a cartridge that has lost its own: cutting, printing and fitting.
A wide handheld with a big screen and buttons that feel like wet bread. What the membrane is and how to bring it back. Follows “The first colour model, from a market box”.
Old plastic turns yellow in the light. A gentle way to bring it back over a few days, with a before and after.
A clamshell handheld with one screen inside and a hinge that sags. Follows “The pocket slim, and the battery door that snaps”.
A grubby colour handheld from a box of odds and ends. What I checked first and what I left alone. Follows “The pocket slim, and the battery door that snaps”.
Downloads, a course and merch
Downloads arrive by email. Merch is printed to order and shipped by Printful.
Online course
Video course · 8 lessons
Eight lessons that take one old handheld from a dusty box to a clean machine that works.
About
I have loved small games machines since I was given a grey one with four batteries. When I found one in a market years later, dusty and silent, I took it home and opened it. That was the start of the bench.
Now I fix them in a small workshop, one at a time. Each week I write a letter about one repair or one machine. The machines belong to a family, so every letter says which earlier one it follows. You can start at the grey brick and walk the whole tree, or jump to the machine in your drawer.
What I sell are the things I use myself: repair guides, a label template pack, a tool list, a teardown notebook and two video courses. I do not repair machines for other people. I show you how to do it yourself, slowly and with a steady hand.
