My Gyaoppi Dinosaur isn't working. Any advice?

[Birbplant]

The seller said it was working when they sent it and it seems to be in decent condition for a vintage pet. But when I put batteries in it, it only works when the batteries are angled in a certain way. Once I put the battery cover on, the thing is totally dead. The battery contacts seem clean too.

Maybe it's the brand of LR44's I'm using? They're just cheap ones from Kmart (anko brand).

Anyone ever come across a similar problem with a vintage pet?

I posted this in r/Tamagotchi but I thought you guys might be able to help me too.

 

[HOPE_Dragon]

I also have the problem with fake Tamagotchis that they sometimes only want certain batteries from certain brands. Unfortunately, I don't know why this is so. You're not alone with the problem.

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

I also have the problem with fake Tamagotchis [...]

The Gyaoppi virtual pets are actually a genuine brand of vintage virtual pets and aren't trying to be fake tamas or cheap virtual pets. I do think there are some knockoff versions of them since apparently my Karugamo Land is a clone of the Guappi or Gyaoppi Duck and it hilariously continued to age even after it was dead. I don't know if that is also a "feature" on the Guappi.

The seller said it was working when they sent it and it seems to be in decent condition for a vintage pet. But when I put batteries in it, it only works when the batteries are angled in a certain way. Once I put the battery cover on, the thing is totally dead.

I have a Gyaoppi Dino and I think the sprites on it are only visible when it is titlted upwards or looking straight down on it. Some virtual pets weirdly have screens likes this. Does tilting your Gyaoppi Dino show any sprites when the battery cover is back on? I mention this because when I first got mine, I thought it wouldn't turn on till I tilted it and discovered it was still on.

 

[Birbplant]

I have a Gyaoppi Dino and I think the sprites on it are only visible when it is titlted upwards or looking straight down on it. Some virtual pets weirdly have screens likes this. Does tilting your Gyaoppi Dino show any sprites when the battery cover is back on? I mention this because when I first got mine, I thought it wouldn't turn on till I tilted it and discovered it was still on.

I found the problem was with the cheap LR44s I was using. I swapped them for some nice new Energizer 357s and now it works like new

 

[Donivan2009]

I found the problem was with the cheap LR44s I was using. I swapped them for some nice new Energizer 357s and now it works like new

I'm glad you got it sorted out.
I have a similar issue with a couple of my vintage Tama's. To fix them, I have to keep a very small piece of paper, folded several times just behind the battery door. The piece of paper just pushes a little on the batteries so they have a tighter connection. Otherwise, the Tama will just flicker on and off or not even turn on at all. The batteries are just a tad too loose to make a good connection.

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

To fix them, I have to keep a very small piece of paper, folded several times just behind the battery door. The piece of paper just pushes a little on the batteries so they have a tighter connection. Otherwise, the Tama will just flicker on and off or not even turn on at all. The batteries are just a tad too loose to make a good connection.

This makes me wonder if Birbplant's problem was indeed a weak connection from the Gyaoppi shell and not the actual batteries. I use cheap dollar store batteries in my virtual pets and I've never had a power problem.

Thanks for the weak connection solution, @Donivan2009 :^) I've heard of other people using cardboard for this also.
The literal batteries can also be padded out by cutting out a circle of masking tape to put on top of the battery before adding layers of duct tape on top of that till it get to the correct size. The masking tape makes the padding easily removable and reusable while the duct tape stays good and stable. The padding can also allow CR2016 button batteries to be used in place of CR2032 button batteries.

 

[Donivan2009]

This makes me wonder if Birbplant's problem was indeed a weak connection from the Gyaoppi shell and not the actual batteries. I use cheap dollar store batteries in my virtual pets and I've never had a power problem.

Thanks for the weak connection solution, @Donivan2009 :^) I've heard of other people using cardboard for this also.
The literal batteries can also be padded out by cutting out a circle of masking tape to put on top of the battery before adding layers of duct tape on top of that till it get to the correct size. The masking tape makes the padding easily removable and reusable while the duct tape stays good and stable. The padding can also allow CR2016 button batteries to be used in place of CR2032 button batteries.

I also use cheap batteries in mine all the time without any issues. But I have more than one Tama that requires the use of paper or cardboard to make the batteries fit snuggly.