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By Iamreadytobelieve
#4976961
I was wondering if the Hasbro haslab proton pack compatible with gbfans parts. The one part that I would like to know about is the ribbon cable clamp. Can I use this part to replace the plastic one. I would like to change the ribbon cable like adam savage has done! I have purchased the ghostbusters one ribbon cable!!!! I actually found one!!! Any help will be appreciated.
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By trekgod3
#4977031
The cable clamp on the pack acts as a "button" that activates an alarm when you unplug it while the pack is turned on. There's a nub that fits into socket on the pack that activates it
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By Iamreadytobelieve
#4977033
My proton pack is coming today so I going to have a look! I would still like to replace the ribbon cable. Maybe I can use the stock cable clamp with the new ribbon cable
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By jonogunn
#4977037
Iamreadytobelieve wrote: January 16th, 2023, 9:01 am My proton pack is coming today so I going to have a look! I would still like to replace the ribbon cable. Maybe I can use the stock cable clamp with the new ribbon cable
In Adam Savage’s video he wasn’t able to. It was too stiff and the plastic brackets not strong enough. He had to make real aluminum ones
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By UEF
#4977050
jonogunn wrote: January 16th, 2023, 9:29 am
Iamreadytobelieve wrote: January 16th, 2023, 9:01 am My proton pack is coming today so I going to have a look! I would still like to replace the ribbon cable. Maybe I can use the stock cable clamp with the new ribbon cable
In Adam Savage’s video he wasn’t able to. It was too stiff and the plastic brackets not strong enough. He had to make real aluminum ones

Looks like he only tried to glue it in from the edge though. By trimming down the cable and inserting the parts that fit into the clamp it may work
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User avatar
By Iamreadytobelieve
#4977056
I am sure I will be able to figure something out!!! I am good with tools. Where there is a will there is a way!!! In adam savages video he tried once and moved on
By TobinsGuide
#4977068
Someone on Facebook managed to separate the Hasbro clamp.

You can keep the Hasbro clamp and its functionality by doing that.

You'll need to make about six small holes at the bottom of the 84 ribbon cable to seat it on the Hasbro clamp.

To attach the top, you'll need to open the pack. The stock cable has two or so holes in it that are secured to the inside of the pack by screws. You'll need to replicate those holes.

If the 84 cable is too stiff, try heating it and bending it into place. Honestly, fake repro ribbon cable may be more forgiving (and cheaper, if you can catch it in stock).

Virtually everything on the Hasbro pack can be modded with screws and rubber plugs. If there's something that doesn't exist needed as an adapter, it can be 3D printed. I'm looking at making a replacement cable clamp for 84 cable so you don't need to disassemble the stock clamp although it's way down my list of priorities, honestly.

I wouldn't personally advice drilling or cutting on anything stock on this pack. It's not really necessary IMHO. As long as you're comfortable with a screwdriver and open to small 3D printed parts, basically anything can be unscrewed or popped out with friction and replaced. Just keep your stock parts in a box to put back on in an emergency.

Even the front of the ion arm, which is missing two screws, is screwed on from the back and can be easily replaced with a more accurate ion arm front.

Heck, on the inside, only one connection to the chip is soddered: the vibration motor. Everything else uses connectors and can be swapped without permanent mods. Folks are working on a replacement chip.
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By Iamreadytobelieve
#4977075
Thanks for all your help and insightful information. Two thumbs up!!!! I just got mine like 1/2 hour ago and yes you most certainly can take off the stock ribbon cable clamp for reuse!
By KyleR
#4977080
I’m struggling. Might be an order of operations issue.

I connected the wand to the proton pack. When I activate the wand (switches in down position) by flipping up the bottom right one and the top right one, then extend it. All of these actions turn on the proton pack. However, when I flip up the activate switch on the left, it is turning off the proton pack.

If I’m able to get it all running, nothing happens when I push the intensify button.

Thanks.
By TobinsGuide
#4977084
KyleR wrote: January 16th, 2023, 5:43 pm I’m struggling. Might be an order of operations issue.

I connected the wand to the proton pack. When I activate the wand (switches in down position) by flipping up the bottom right one and the top right one, then extend it. All of these actions turn on the proton pack. However, when I flip up the activate switch on the left, it is turning off the proton pack.

If I’m able to get it all running, nothing happens when I push the intensify button.

Thanks.
Hm. You might have trouble with your hose connection. Are you moving the hose when this happens?

I've heard of some people fixing hose issues by plugging some tinfoil inside the connector plug to extend the connection.

Or it could be a voltage issue. Are you using new batteries? If so, what kind? Not rechargeable, right?
By Whirlygig
#4977088
KyleR wrote: January 16th, 2023, 5:43 pm I’m struggling. Might be an order of operations issue.

I connected the wand to the proton pack. When I activate the wand (switches in down position) by flipping up the bottom right one and the top right one, then extend it. All of these actions turn on the proton pack. However, when I flip up the activate switch on the left, it is turning off the proton pack.

If I’m able to get it all running, nothing happens when I push the intensify button.

Thanks.
I am having this same issue. Once things are humming after I flip the first two switches, then taking certain actions such as flipping activate, extending the tip, firing, collapsing the tip, or even twisting the intensity knob will all randomly power everything down. Nothing I do causes a successful fire. Hose seems fine as the process of starting up always works no matter the position. It just won't fire.
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By Whirlygig
#4977091
Whirlygig wrote: January 16th, 2023, 7:37 pmI am having this same issue. Once things are humming after I flip the first two switches, then taking certain actions such as flipping activate, extending the tip, firing, collapsing the tip, or even twisting the intensity knob will all randomly power everything down. Nothing I do causes a successful fire. Hose seems fine as the process of starting up always works no matter the position. It just won't fire.
UPDATE: I was using "new" but old batteries. They tested in the "good" range but some expired in 2023, 2019, 2015. I went to the store just now and grabbed brand spanking new Energizer Max good thru 2031 and now it all works right.
User avatar
By Iamreadytobelieve
#4977093
Good to know as I am having similar issues. I know that these batteries are older too. I was going to fire off an email to hasbro. Now I will try new batteries!!!!
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By Whirlygig
#4977099
Unrelated note...did any of you guys receive the Class I stretch goal 1984 "decals", or the Class III Spengler Special items (notebook, stickers)? I received none of this, unless there is somewhere I didn't look. I can see a compartment built into the faux wooden insert on the right hand side that looks like maybe it was intended to hold some of that, but it's empty save for a white envelope with the blueprint 1-sheet instructions and some small white legalese papers inside.

I did get the Mallow goo, the mini pufts, the hose obviously, the Alice hardware, the display stand, the orange wand tip...that was all as far as extras though.
By Whirlygig
#4977103
Thanks. I just saw your post plus an unboxing video and sure enough mine were there inside the display stand box, I just completely overlooked them probably subconsciously assuming that was a display stand manual or something. Underwhelming as those items are, I'm still glad all is accounted for!
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By Macktacular
#4977175
Whirlygig wrote: January 16th, 2023, 7:37 pm
KyleR wrote: January 16th, 2023, 5:43 pm I’m struggling. Might be an order of operations issue.

I connected the wand to the proton pack. When I activate the wand (switches in down position) by flipping up the bottom right one and the top right one, then extend it. All of these actions turn on the proton pack. However, when I flip up the activate switch on the left, it is turning off the proton pack.

If I’m able to get it all running, nothing happens when I push the intensify button.

Thanks.
I am having this same issue. Once things are humming after I flip the first two switches, then taking certain actions such as flipping activate, extending the tip, firing, collapsing the tip, or even twisting the intensity knob will all randomly power everything down. Nothing I do causes a successful fire. Hose seems fine as the process of starting up always works no matter the position. It just won't fire.
I'm having similar problems, with the pack starting up and shutting down randomly even with all of the switches (pack and wand) in the off position. I just got the pack today and haven't had too much time to experiment with it, I'll try some fresher D-cells and see if that helps. Maybe I'm accidentally hitting a switch on the wand and not noticing it.

Does anyone know what the little cubby on the side of the pack is for? It's not large enough to store batteries when not in use.
User avatar
By ProtonPack83
#4977182
ImageJust got mine today and I'm extremely disappointed that Hasbro failed to go on their word that the Afterlife stuff would be removable. I can't stand the hideous sight of those mangled copper wires sprouting around the Clippard module. I promptly pulled them off, only to experience a ridiculous amount of resistance. Those suckers are not only glued, but molded into a recessed mold in the circle itself. This was beyond frustrating and took me the better part of an hour just to get out. I seriously used needle nose pliers for this and it was just ripping it in pieces. I had to resort to using an awl just to get under the rubber and try to extract it. It looks like crap, but less crap than with the actually wires on. Getting the nylon yellow loom off the rubber wire wasn't a problem, and the ribbon cable is close enough for now for me, though I wonder if there is any chemical "reversing" that could be done and kind of bleach it back to brighter white again? I'm no customizer, so aside from putting all the 84 decals on and removing the copper Afterlife wires, I don't have too much savvy for anything else. I even opened the motherboard up and looked inside to see if I could get at the rubber from the backside to no avail.

Image

Image

I bought this for the sole reason that it could convert to an 84 pack. It astounds me how vehemently Hasbro stuck to "Spengler Afterlife Pack" when they knew darn well half the people buying this just wanted an 84 replica. All they had to do was simply make the wires like an overlay - maybe with ONE plug that could easily be removed but wouldn't fall off when walking around. The wires themselves could have been molding around the circular area as to grip it when overlaid around the Clippard. If you don't want it, you simply unplug it in ONE area and take it off. That would have saved everyone the hassle. It makes ZERO sense to me that they go all the way to including the clean 84 decals AND the 84 lights cycle and sounds, yet you can't remove the Afterlife mods?

I'm going to have to fill all those holes with some sort of plastic filler or putty that hardens and do my best to paint it a matching color. Again - I'm not a customizer, so this sucks. I paid $400 to get the pack that was convertible, knowing full well that Hasbro could never release this pack again or lose the license to GB in the near future. I also hate the paintjob - why did they go so gray? It's a plain as day BLACK Proton Pack, even in Afterlife. I thought I was leaving the gray of the Spirit pack behind with this one being accurate. They could have easily painted the ends of a few wires brass too, but they cheaped out there. I saw Adam Savage do this in his Pack mod video, but outside of these qualms, it looks the part and I think the stickers at least bring it back to stock for the most part. I also wish the red wires were a brighter red, but again, I'll take what I got otherwise. The stand is phenomenal and a great inclusion - really thankful and grateful we hit that stretch goal.

Image
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By gamera1968
#4977187
ProtonPack83 wrote: January 17th, 2023, 8:27 pmImageJust got mine today and I'm extremely disappointed that Hasbro failed to go on their word that the Afterlife stuff would be removable. I can't stand the hideous sight of those mangled copper wires sprouting around the Clippard module. I promptly pulled them off, only to experience a ridiculous amount of resistance. Those suckers are not only glued, but molded into a recessed mold in the circle itself. This was beyond frustrating and took me the better part of an hour just to get out. I seriously used needle nose pliers for this and it was just ripping it in pieces. I had to resort to using an awl just to get under the rubber and try to extract it. It looks like crap, but less crap than with the actually wires on. Getting the nylon yellow loom off the rubber wire wasn't a problem, and the ribbon cable is close enough for now for me, though I wonder if there is any chemical "reversing" that could be done and kind of bleach it back to brighter white again? I'm no customizer, so aside from putting all the 84 decals on and removing the copper Afterlife wires, I don't have too much savvy for anything else. I even opened the motherboard up and looked inside to see if I could get at the rubber from the backside to no avail.

Image

Image

I bought this for the sole reason that it could convert to an 84 pack. It astounds me how vehemently Hasbro stuck to "Spengler Afterlife Pack" when they knew darn well half the people buying this just wanted an 84 replica. All they had to do was simply make the wires like an overlay - maybe with ONE plug that could easily be removed but wouldn't fall off when walking around. The wires themselves could have been molding around the circular area as to grip it when overlaid around the Clippard. If you don't want it, you simply unplug it in ONE area and take it off. That would have saved everyone the hassle. It makes ZERO sense to me that they go all the way to including the clean 84 decals AND the 84 lights cycle and sounds, yet you can't remove the Afterlife mods?

I'm going to have to fill all those holes with some sort of plastic filler or putty that hardens and do my best to paint it a matching color. Again - I'm not a customizer, so this sucks. I paid $400 to get the pack that was convertible, knowing full well that Hasbro could never release this pack again or lose the license to GB in the near future. I also hate the paintjob - why did they go so gray? It's a plain as day BLACK Proton Pack, even in Afterlife. I thought I was leaving the gray of the Spirit pack behind with this one being accurate. They could have easily painted the ends of a few wires brass too, but they cheaped out there. I saw Adam Savage do this in his Pack mod video, but outside of these qualms, it looks the part and I think the stickers at least bring it back to stock for the most part. I also wish the red wires were a brighter red, but again, I'll take what I got otherwise. The stand is phenomenal and a great inclusion - really thankful and grateful we hit that stretch goal.

Image
Thank you for confirming what I feared the most in regards to the "copper wires" around the Clippard valve.

I think a heat gun (or a hair dryer) set to low would take those out quicker without leaving such a mess behind. :sigh:
It seems like I'll have to look for some sort of plastic filler or putty for the holes and then give the entire pack a few coats of flat black Rustoleum 2X (which I am planning on doing, anyway)

I'm also removing that "ribbon cable" and replacing it with the real deal so I can convert the pack closer to an '84.
Sorry that you had to be the one to go through all of that for everyone else's sake who planned on doing the same.
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User avatar
By RonMan32
#4977199
ProtonPack83 wrote: January 17th, 2023, 8:27 pmImageJust got mine today and I'm extremely disappointed that Hasbro failed to go on their word that the Afterlife stuff would be removable. I can't stand the hideous sight of those mangled copper wires sprouting around the Clippard module. I promptly pulled them off, only to experience a ridiculous amount of resistance. Those suckers are not only glued, but molded into a recessed mold in the circle itself. This was beyond frustrating and took me the better part of an hour just to get out. I seriously used needle nose pliers for this and it was just ripping it in pieces. I had to resort to using an awl just to get under the rubber and try to extract it. It looks like crap, but less crap than with the actually wires on. Getting the nylon yellow loom off the rubber wire wasn't a problem, and the ribbon cable is close enough for now for me, though I wonder if there is any chemical "reversing" that could be done and kind of bleach it back to brighter white again? I'm no customizer, so aside from putting all the 84 decals on and removing the copper Afterlife wires, I don't have too much savvy for anything else. I even opened the motherboard up and looked inside to see if I could get at the rubber from the backside to no avail.

Image

Image

I bought this for the sole reason that it could convert to an 84 pack. It astounds me how vehemently Hasbro stuck to "Spengler Afterlife Pack" when they knew darn well half the people buying this just wanted an 84 replica. All they had to do was simply make the wires like an overlay - maybe with ONE plug that could easily be removed but wouldn't fall off when walking around. The wires themselves could have been molding around the circular area as to grip it when overlaid around the Clippard. If you don't want it, you simply unplug it in ONE area and take it off. That would have saved everyone the hassle. It makes ZERO sense to me that they go all the way to including the clean 84 decals AND the 84 lights cycle and sounds, yet you can't remove the Afterlife mods?

I'm going to have to fill all those holes with some sort of plastic filler or putty that hardens and do my best to paint it a matching color. Again - I'm not a customizer, so this sucks. I paid $400 to get the pack that was convertible, knowing full well that Hasbro could never release this pack again or lose the license to GB in the near future. I also hate the paintjob - why did they go so gray? It's a plain as day BLACK Proton Pack, even in Afterlife. I thought I was leaving the gray of the Spirit pack behind with this one being accurate. They could have easily painted the ends of a few wires brass too, but they cheaped out there. I saw Adam Savage do this in his Pack mod video, but outside of these qualms, it looks the part and I think the stickers at least bring it back to stock for the most part. I also wish the red wires were a brighter red, but again, I'll take what I got otherwise. The stand is phenomenal and a great inclusion - really thankful and grateful we hit that stretch goal.

Image
In fairness to hasbro I don't think they mislead anyone in regards to the difficulty that would be required converting the pack to 1984. While I agree it would have been nice if more of an effort was taken to make the clippard valve wires removable in a sort of accessory sort of way, as a person who was always going to keep his pack stock (because I love what the afterlife prop team did with the design) I really think they've gone above and beyond with encouraging modification by including alice frame mounting hardware, pristine stickers, easy to remove (fake) wires (save for the copper ones) and that hidden little extra switch. Frankly if you bought the thing with the full intention to completely convert it to a 1984 pack you should have been ready for the large task ahead of you instead of expecting Hasbro to go even FARTHER than they already did. It's not a "customize your own proton pack kit". It's a ghostbusters afterlife prop replica where they graciously took steps to make converting it to a 1984 pack as they expected people to do as painless as was reasonably possible without compromising the product out of the box.

Specifically to your claim that they were going to make all the afterlife stuff removable. I don't believe they said that. In fact none of the "afterlife stuff" is removeable without in some capacity breaking/disassembling the pack. But what they did say is what I would define as a level of modification that is effectively "breaking" disassembling and heavily modifying the pack is something they want to encourage and they designed it in such a way that fans have options. In regards to easy changes that are intended ways to use the product all they included were pristine stickers and a 1984 light and sounds mode. They always expected and made it clear that the rest of the changes for an '84 pack were going to be done by cosplayers with disassembly, heavy painting, glue, all of that garbage.

All of that said I'm sure filling in those cavities will be easy enough and I wish you luck with your conversion. As previously mentioned I'm very happy with the Afterlife design (in terms of cool factor I actually prefer it over the originals but the originals still have that classic charm to them that I adore) and will be keeping mine stock. But I cannot wait to see the super cool paint jobs and upgrades to get that original proton pack look.
User avatar
By One time
#4977257
I feel you but I have to disagree on some parts of your post.

Look at any Proton Pack made by a fan.

They are all a different type of black. Some are shiny some are matte. Some are smooth, some are not. It's all over the place.

Hasbro actually took hundreds of reflectivity images to get the finish perfect.

I love the finish on this pack. It is not black. It is satin anthracite with a slight metallic flake. Like all the screen used versions we saw. I think it is awesome.

But yeah, converting to pure 1984 is going to be tough. I'd wait it out until some stuff becoes available on Etsy.
User avatar
By ProtonPack83
#4977273
gamera1968 wrote: January 17th, 2023, 9:19 pm
Thank you for confirming what I feared the most in regards to the "copper wires" around the Clippard valve.

I think a heat gun (or a hair dryer) set to low would take those out quicker without leaving such a mess behind. :sigh:
It seems like I'll have to look for some sort of plastic filler or putty for the holes and then give the entire pack a few coats of flat black Rustoleum 2X (which I am planning on doing, anyway)

I'm also removing that "ribbon cable" and replacing it with the real deal so I can convert the pack closer to an '84.
Sorry that you had to be the one to go through all of that for everyone else's sake who planned on doing the same.
Ah it was inevitable I'd have to do some things, but realistically they made it so easy in other ways that it's just so frustrating the darn copper wire harness area couldn't just be lifted off and removed easily. I already tried the hairdryer method and it was even worse - it made the stuff so gummy that it wanted to rip off and stretch and make it even harder. I wouldn't recommend it - it was pain to get out though, I'll tell you that! I would love to try to treat this ribbon cable to some sort of brightener because the way they hooked it onto the end that goes to the cyclotron has a spring loaded mechanism. I wouldn't feel comfortable trying to break that plastic open and fitting a new big ribbon cable in there. Rustoleum is the trick eh? Is it like primer or black?

RonMan32 wrote: January 18th, 2023, 4:46 am
In fairness to hasbro I don't think they mislead anyone in regards to the difficulty that would be required converting the pack to 1984. While I agree it would have been nice if more of an effort was taken to make the clippard valve wires removable in a sort of accessory sort of way, as a person who was always going to keep his pack stock (because I love what the afterlife prop team did with the design) I really think they've gone above and beyond with encouraging modification by including alice frame mounting hardware, pristine stickers, easy to remove (fake) wires (save for the copper ones) and that hidden little extra switch. Frankly if you bought the thing with the full intention to completely convert it to a 1984 pack you should have been ready for the large task ahead of you instead of expecting Hasbro to go even FARTHER than they already did. It's not a "customize your own proton pack kit". It's a ghostbusters afterlife prop replica where they graciously took steps to make converting it to a 1984 pack as they expected people to do as painless as was reasonably possible without compromising the product out of the box.

Specifically to your claim that they were going to make all the afterlife stuff removable. I don't believe they said that. In fact none of the "afterlife stuff" is removeable without in some capacity breaking/disassembling the pack. But what they did say is what I would define as a level of modification that is effectively "breaking" disassembling and heavily modifying the pack is something they want to encourage and they designed it in such a way that fans have options. In regards to easy changes that are intended ways to use the product all they included were pristine stickers and a 1984 light and sounds mode. They always expected and made it clear that the rest of the changes for an '84 pack were going to be done by cosplayers with disassembly, heavy painting, glue, all of that garbage.

All of that said I'm sure filling in those cavities will be easy enough and I wish you luck with your conversion. As previously mentioned I'm very happy with the Afterlife design (in terms of cool factor I actually prefer it over the originals but the originals still have that classic charm to them that I adore) and will be keeping mine stock. But I cannot wait to see the super cool paint jobs and upgrades to get that original proton pack look.
I can respect where you are coming from, but I distinctly remember one of the designers openly confirming that all the Afterlife parts/mods would be removable. I had no expectation of the wear being anything different from the Afterlife prop - I fully comprehend this was advertised as such a pack and that Sony has some crazy aversion to everything 84' while promoting the new movie, but they DID go beyond to make it 84 compatible to a point. I mean, why go through all the trouble of actually designing an 84' light program, the fresh sticker sheet, ALICE hardware and pre-mounted screw cavities and the fact that all the cables OTHER than the copper cluster are totally and easily removable? THAT is my frustration - they actually made it HARDER on themselves and the sculptors by recessing those areas of the plastic to plug the copper into AKA more tooling for that small area when it could have been a simple single or double plug and done with it. Nothing else has to be even close to "broken" on this thing - it's all super easy to remove.

I can confirm for everyone keeping the pack stock as-is that those copper afterlife wires are pretty easy to tear off, so be careful not to catch them on anything. The other cables are designed to be popped off with a tug and wouldn't ever get ruined, but once the copper ones are severed, there's not much one can do outside of glue or melting/fusing them back together. It's ironically both the weakest piece and the strongest (at the base, which I can thoroughly attest haha). It is fully glued in.

One time wrote: January 18th, 2023, 2:41 pm I feel you but I have to disagree on some parts of your post.

Look at any Proton Pack made by a fan.

They are all a different type of black. Some are shiny some are matte. Some are smooth, some are not. It's all over the place.

Hasbro actually took hundreds of reflectivity images to get the finish perfect.

I love the finish on this pack. It is not black. It is satin anthracite with a slight metallic flake. Like all the screen used versions we saw. I think it is awesome.

But yeah, converting to pure 1984 is going to be tough. I'd wait it out until some stuff becoes available on Etsy.
See my eyes see it differently - even the Afterlife pack has a jet black underneath all the tarnish and this looks more gray than jet black. I was also curious why the volume control piece wasn't painted gray? It was gray in the 84' film and in the Spengler pack it looks like every other black part with silver wear one it. Wouldn't it still be gray after all these years? Maybe the prop guys missed that part initially on their version and Hasbro just followed suit. Not a huge deal. I just pray they keep the brand long enough to make an 84 Wand that will talk to this thing and send sounds through the pack.
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User avatar
By One time
#4977275
All Afterlife packs (Phoebe / Spengler and the other OGB's) were continuations of GB2. See theghostbustersreferencelibrary.com. Ribbons cables and the rest.

This is why the radeon crank knob is black.
User avatar
By ProtonPack83
#4977280
Right on that makes perfect sense - I still have that same question for the GBII packs, I wonder why they changed the gray knob? I'll have to check out GBII more closely to check some screen grabs - truthfully mine is more representative of that with the more wear from 5 years of busting.
User avatar
By DrMadKatz
#4977300
@ProtonPack83

Well..... I want to thank you for 'biting the bullet' and posting your results , about removing the copper Afterlife 'wiring' from your pack .

I also bought the Hasbro Pack , with the intent on converting it back to the GB1 1984 version .
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