How I Restore & Test Every Item
This is exactly what I do, and what I do not do, when I restore and test the items I sell.
My restoration philosophy
As an experienced electronics hobbyist, I’m also an avid collector who frequently buys retro items — both working and untested — for my own projects and enjoyment. Being on the buying side has taught me how valuable complete transparency is.
So I’m meticulously honest about the condition of every item I sell. That means spelling out exactly what restoration work has been done and, just as importantly, what has and hasn’t been tested. My goal is to give you the same level of quality and confidence I look for in my own purchases.
How I handle rust and corrosion
Many vintage consoles suffer from internal corrosion or rust, often from past liquid exposure or battery leaks. Left untreated, rust spreads — eating away at metal shielding and even destroying irreplaceable components on the mainboard. For that reason, every console I work on gets a thorough internal inspection for any signs of corrosion.
If I find rust, I don’t just wipe it away. I follow a careful, multi-step process to permanently neutralize it:
Neutralization: I use a mild acidic solution, like white vinegar, to chemically neutralize the active rust (iron oxide).
Cleaning: Once the rust is gone, I thoroughly clean the area with 99% isopropyl alcohol to remove any acidic residue.
Protection: Finally, I seal the treated area on the circuit board with a professional-grade conformal coating — a durable, non-conductive barrier that keeps out future moisture and stops the rust from ever coming back.
My testing philosophy: real-world gameplay
A simple power-on test isn’t enough. My final testing phase for any console and its controllers is real-world gameplay across several different and demanding cartridges. I insist on this because I’ve personally seen consoles that play one game perfectly but fail on another. It happens when a game uses specific pins on the cartridge connector that others don’t, or when a tiny, defective section of the console’s RAM is only touched by certain titles. Playing actual games also confirms everything feels responsive in active use, revealing subtle but critical issues — like intermittent button presses or D-pad inaccuracies — that a menu test would miss.
A note on bundled accessories
When you buy one of my bundles, you’re not just getting a console and a box of parts. You’re getting a complete, curated system where every component is verified to work together. I source and test the accessories so you don’t have to take that risk yourself — I once had to return a brand-new HDMI adapter that was dead on arrival, exactly so the bundle you receive is 100% plug-and-play.
My background as an electrical engineer lets me validate at a higher level, too. The modern power adapters I include are inexpensive, but they aren’t just thrown in the box: I test each one on my oscilloscope to confirm it produces clean, stable DC without excessive ripple or noise. That protects the vintage electronics and keeps them reliable for the long haul.