A 3D Printed Battery Cover

[RickR]

Before I type anything else -- special thanks to @Atari Creep.

I wanted to share this little project that Chris helped me out with.  I had a Mattel Electronics "Battlestar Galactica" LED game that was in very poor shape.  I cleaned it up as best I could on the outside, and also got the game working with a little bit of battery acid cleanup and a new battery connector.  It's a fun game, but it wasn't very easy to play while trying to hold the battery in with my fingers!  Whoever owned this before me used tape to hold the battery in.  But that's not a good idea.  There's chemically encrusted tape residue all over the back, and it destroyed the instruction sticker!

Well, @Atari Creep made the mistake of posting that he got a 3D printer recently.  I asked him if he'd mind printing a battery cover for me.  He very graciously said yes, and mailed the final product to me.  (Chris, I sent you a little gift today in the mail in return).  The replacement cover fit pretty well.  Once it was warm enough to go back into my garage, I spent a tiny bit of time and elbow grease filing off the rough spots.  Perfect fit! 

I know it's not a match with the color and texture, and it's a tiny bit too thin.  But frankly, I don't care one bit.  It does the job of holding the battery in.  Furthermore, I think it's good that it's so obviously a reproduction part (in case I ever decide to sell this unit in the future). 

Here are some pictures of the cover, the simple files I used, and the final product. 

Again, thank you so much @Atari Creep. 

As for me, I really want to get myself a 3D printer now.  For a bunch of repair projects like this missing battery cover.  And also maybe for a little bit of art work.  But I have much to learn before getting one.  If anyone has experience and suggestions for a beginner, please share.

 

 

Edited February 20, 2021 by RickR

[RickR]

PS - the instruction sticker on the back is very obviously a repro too, and that's a whole other story.  Finding a copy of the sticker was a challenge.  Once I had one and cleaned it up, getting Windows to print the image to an exact size was an even bigger challenge.  I used just a tiny bit of glue stick so it's easy removable.  Again, I think it's important that it's clearly a repro part.  This ended up being readable/usable, and I'm very happy with the result. 

 

[DegasElite]

I think I remember that game. It looks familiar from when I was a boy. Gee, that's a long time ago. But, yeah, I think I have seen it before. Brings back memories.

[nosweargamer]

I can't tell you how may old handheld games I've seen that are missing covers, which makes them close to unplayable, especially for games with AA batteries. This could be a big lifesaver.

[- Ω -]

Nice!  I like seeing things restored, especially when finished. 

I had a friend, who has since passed away, who picked up an old used game at a thrift store a few years ago and man that thing looked like garbage to me.  But the first thing he did was disassemble the case and stick it in the dishwasher.  After that he spent a few days with a bottle of scratch remover and some rags, after that he had me make him up some labels.  When it was done it looked brand new... unless you got up real close and inspected it.  

[- Ω -]

23 hours ago, RickR said:

You know it's a "Classic" when it takes a 9v battery! 😜