Part 1: Disassembly and Bleaching

Disassembly

Tearing down the GAMEBOY is pretty simple, but requires one special tool, a Tri-Wing Security Driver. It's cheap, but next to impossible to remove the six screws in the back of the case without it. Out of shear impatience, I tried grinding a drill bit to fit the screw. It didn't particularly work well. Other than that, all the internal screws are phillips drive. Remove all the guts, save the buttons and pads. There are a couple of parts on the circuit board you can reuse - like the power switch and headphone jack, if you're so inclined.

Bleaching

As you can see from the image above, most older GAMEBOY cases have a yellow tint due to aging. To make the cases, a fire retardant (some sort of bromine) was included in the plastic mixture. Over time, this causes the case to yellow. It is relatively simple to reverse this process, and all you really need is some concentrated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). You can find this at most beauty supply stores as "developer" for bleaching hair. For this build, I used 40 volume which is about 13% H2O2. 

Warning: Wear gloves and eye protection

The eye pro is a good idea when scrubbing off the baked on crud. You really don't want this stuff getting your eyes. Even though this mixture is used for bleaching hair, it is still an irritant and you should avoid getting it on your skin.

Previously, I had seen this on www.retr0bright.com. Basically, you mix hydrogen peroxide with some Oxiclean, spread it on to the case, and let it sit in the sun. The gallon jug I bought happened to be the "creme" version which is a bit thicker than the normal stuff. I think this helped keep it on the case while it was baking in the sun.

If you can't find the creme mixture, adding a little cornstarch and microwaving it for 30 seconds will turn it into a nice gel. After I had completed this portion of the project, I saw video of somebody spreading on the H2O2 and wrapping it in clear saran wrap, then leaving it on in the sun. I kind of wish I had discovered it earlier as I ended applying 8-9 treatments and even purchased a UV pet light in an attempt to accelerate the process. After it stopped raining for several days in a row, I just left it in the sun for a few hours.

Basic Recipe

• 2 cups Developer Creme (H2O2)
• 1 tbspn Oxiclean
• 1 tbpsn Cornstarch (optional)

Spread it on the case, wrap in plastic, let sit in sun for 1-3 hours. Repeat until desired result.

Next: Part 2: Building Test Rigs