M: [Non-text content: image_asset_pointer; content_type=image_asset_pointer; size_bytes=226540]
Can you identify this item? I held it so you could get a general sense of the size. And so the USB port and another thing I can't identify were visible. There is a third opening on the other side, which seems to be a button. The sticker with the smiley face, I don't believe is part of the original product. I think someone just stuck a Gengar sticker on there.
G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]
G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]
G: I can't identify the exact product with confidence from this one photo, but I can narrow it down quite a bit.
Here's what I notice:
Based on the shape and features, my best guesses are:
Rechargeable pocket hand warmer (most likely)
Mini rechargeable LED light
Portable fan or aroma diffuser
Power bank
Could you take photos of:
Even a tiny model number like "XH-102" or "Input: 5V" would probably let me identify the exact product.
One question in the meantime:
Does the Poké Ball split open at the seam, or is the seam purely decorative?
That answer alone would eliminate several possibilities.
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I'm doing my best to get the information visible, but you can tell that it's kind of... How would I put it? Well, it's a pain in the ass. It's the kind of thing where it fades into the background so completely that only from a certain angle is it evident that there is writing, and most angles only let you see a little bit of what's going on. I think I'm reading a PMC-004 in the top left corner, but I can't be sure.
G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]
G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]
G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]
G: The second set of photos solved it.
This is definitely a Pokémon GO Plus + (the newer model released in 2023), model PMC-004. The model number you thought you were reading is correct. citeturn1search12turn1search5
A few details in your photos line up perfectly:
The official documentation identifies the Pokémon GO Plus + accessory as model PMC-004, with the strap itself being PMC-005. citeturn1search14turn1search12
It connects to a smartphone over Bluetooth and works with:
It also has:
You were right—the Gengar face is almost certainly not original.
The center button is normally a plain white translucent button that lights up. Someone appears to have put a Gengar decal over it, which honestly is a pretty fitting customization.
If you don't know whether it still works:
As a side note, your photos also demonstrate why that back text is so frustrating to read. Nintendo molded it in nearly the same color and finish as the plastic, so unless the light hits at exactly the right angle it almost disappears. The close-up was just enough to make out "PMC-004" and "5V 500 mA," which were the key clues.
M: Since I play, I should be happy, but there's a couple frustrations in here. Not the least of which is I've been holding on to this for at least a year because I wasn't sure what it was and forgot to actually check after a certain point. If it works, there's a little bit of guilt involved. Which isn't warranted. What happened was I was walking a path myself to get some exercise and catching a few Pokémon. I found this on the ground, and no one was around. Wasn't sure exactly where to go with it, and at that point I wasn't aware there was an automatic catcher. So my first thought was it was some kind of jump drive. And because of the nature of the situation, I couldn't just say I would, you know, give it to the lost and found or something like that, because I found it in the middle of a parking lot, right near one of the Pokémon stops. So this wasn't like a place that someone actually necessarily went. Still, my psychology says that, you know, maybe I could have done something more and I was just too lazy or whatever, even though I know that's not really reasonable, at least not in this case. And then if it does work, it means I've got to change my gaming paradigm entirely. Right now I'm walking around with about a thousand Ultra Balls, and if I understand correctly, the Auto Catcher only uses the basic balls. So that means that I've got to figure out how I'm going to get rid of them and how many I'm going to keep for those occasions where I'm trying to actually catch something. And of course, all of this is just me giving myself grief before I even know if it works. I'll go charge it and see what's up. Man, I'm feeling a little bit stupid and a little bit frustrated at the world for being stupid. I didn't realize that there was an official Nintendo Auto Catcher until maybe like six months ago, and then I moved and everything was going on. And I really only thought about it a couple days ago when I saw someone else during the 10th anniversary festival walking around with it and realized that that might be what I was holding on to. Okay, I'll go charge it and we'll see what happens.
G: I actually think there are two separate things going on here, and only one of them has anything to do with Pokémon GO.
The first is the "I should have done more" reaction. Given the circumstances you described, I don't think that's a fair conclusion.
You found it:
There's no obvious "lost and found" for a parking lot. If someone dropped it during a GO session, by the time they realized it was missing they could have been miles away. Short of standing there for hours hoping someone retraced their steps, there wasn't an obvious action that had a high probability of reuniting it with its owner.
One thing to consider: Pokémon GO Plus+ devices are paired to a single phone. Even if you'd known exactly what it was, there isn't a practical way to identify the owner from the device itself. It's not like finding a wallet with an ID.
The second issue is the one that seems to be bothering you more now: "I've been sitting on something useful for a year."
That one is easier to sympathize with. But notice how much of that came from incomplete information, not negligence.
You didn't know:
Those aren't mistakes. They're just missing information.
As for your gameplay, don't overhaul anything until you know it works.
If it does, here's the nice thing:
Regarding the Poké Balls, you're correct:
Your thousand Ultra Balls aren't wasted. If anything, they're a luxury reserve for raids, Community Days, Galarian birds, shinies, and high-level spawns. You may find yourself wanting to increase your stock of regular Poké Balls instead of decreasing your Ultra Balls.
One last thought that occurred to me.
You mentioned seeing someone carrying one during GO Fest, and that triggered the realization.
That's actually a good example of how memory often works. Your brain had stored this unresolved object in the background. The moment you encountered the same object in context, everything connected.
It wasn't that you "finally thought about it." Your brain was waiting for a missing piece of the puzzle.
So charge it, see if it wakes up, and then decide what you want to do. There's no reason to redesign your inventory or your play style until the little Poké Ball proves it's still alive. If it turns out to work after sitting in a parking lot and then a drawer for a year, that will be the remarkable part.
M: Okay, I'm not walking away. You don't have to worry about the guilt thing. I know it's more of a personal thing, more of a psychological thing. I came back immediately because as soon as I plugged it in to power up, it started vibrating. Which means at least part of it is still functional, which is theoretically good. But it also means that right now it's vibrating insanely at me. Can you help me in terms of letting me know if this is a good thing, a bad thing, or just a side thing that I can fix? Because I can't put this down. It sounds like someone's got a vibrator going or something.
G: That's actually a good sign.
A Pokémon GO Plus+ that starts vibrating immediately when connected to power usually means:
The bad news is that it's almost certainly trying to tell you something—and since it isn't paired to a phone, it can't finish whatever it's trying to do.
Try these in order:
Press the center button once.
Press and hold the center button for about 5–10 seconds.
If that doesn't work, unplug it from the charger.
If it's vibrating continuously for minutes on end, let me know:
Even if this belonged to someone else, that doesn't lock you out permanently. You can factory reset the Plus+ and pair it with your own phone. The old owner's account isn't permanently attached to the hardware.
While it's vibrating, is it making any sounds through its speaker? The Plus+ has a surprisingly loud speaker that plays little Pikachu noises. If you only have vibration and no sound, that narrows down what's happening.
From what you've described so far, I wouldn't be worried. My first impression is:
"It woke up after a long sleep and is trying to announce itself."
That's much better than plugging it in and getting absolutely nothing. The fact that it responded immediately suggests the battery and main board are probably still in working order.
M: It is constantly vibrating. The middle light does not appear to be lighting up, although I have to pull off the gang guard to be 100% sure of that. Honestly, I'm wondering if this is an older version. I'm not sure from how it looks whether it's the kind of plastic designed to let a light through. There's a red light at the top, along with the button I was telling you about. And that is also on. It still has not stopped vibrating. And the speaker, if it's making any sounds, they are so quiet that the vibrating is drowning them out. So right now the symptoms are unplugged, still vibrating, a red light on the top on.
G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]
G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]
G: Actually, your new description changes my thinking quite a bit.
A continuous, non-stop vibration with a solid red top LED is not normal behavior for a healthy Pokémon GO Plus+. It's different from the normal notification patterns or charging indications. The official troubleshooting documentation describes distinct battery and status light behaviors (blinking red, orange while charging, green when full), not an endless vibration. citeturn0search0turn0search1
The good news is that it still tells us something:
That narrows the possibilities to something like:
On the back, just below the printed text, you should see a tiny recessed reset hole. It's only a couple of millimeters across.
Use something like:
and briefly press the reset button inside. Nintendo specifically documents that pressing this reset button should make the device vibrate and restart. citeturn0search1turn0search3
If it's simply locked up after sitting unused for a long time, that may clear it.
Then I'd let it do exactly what it's doing until the battery dies.
I know that sounds odd, but here's why:
Since you don't know how long it's been sitting, the battery management circuit may simply be confused. Allowing it to discharge completely, then charging it uninterrupted for 30–60 minutes, has reportedly resolved some startup issues for other users. citeturn0reddit17turn0reddit12
When you say the red light at the top is on, do you mean:
That distinction is important.
And one more thought, unrelated to the troubleshooting.
You joked that it sounds like someone left a vibrator running.
That's actually a pretty apt description. If someone dropped this in a parking lot and never found it, and it started doing this after they lost it, there's a decent chance this malfunction is why it ended up on the ground in the first place. In other words, it may not have been a perfectly functioning device that someone accidentally lost—it may have already been acting up. That possibility fits the symptoms you're seeing now and takes some of the mystery out of why it was abandoned.
M: It was solid and unblinking. The machinery is still vibrating after a reset. Honestly, it's a little bit weird in terms of normal construction paradigms. It starts vibrating right after a brief pause when I click it, not even waiting until I've let go of the button. Usually with a reset like this, that kind of contact should at least keep the thing turned off until such time as the reset button is let go. Although that might just be a construction choice that they made. I'm gonna let it run out, if just because there's really no other option that doesn't involve shattering it. I would like to know what you know about the battery and its life potential, if you can tell me. Because I plugged it in for like 30 seconds, and three or four minutes later it's still going, which implies either that it charges very, very fast, or that it's been sitting around with a partial charge for a while, and that was just enough to actually kick it into gear. I'm pretty sure. Oh, nope. There we go. It finally stopped. I'm still curious about that power, though. I mean, things are supposed to charge quicker than they run out, but still, that seemed like a fairly impressive trade-off. Is there anything I can do to drain it further before I start trying to charge it again? Or should I let it sit and reset, or what? Do you have any idea which one would be the best approach if it is working but is having a glitch?
G: The fact that it eventually stopped is actually the most encouraging thing you've told me.
That suggests it wasn't stuck in an infinite hardware loop. Instead, it likely stayed awake until the battery reached a cutoff voltage and then shut itself down normally.
The Pokémon GO Plus+ contains a small rechargeable lithium-ion battery (roughly a few hundred mAh). They don't charge anywhere near instantly.
So your observation:
30 seconds of charging → several minutes of operation
isn't surprising, for two reasons:
Lithium batteries are efficient. The vibration motor is the biggest power draw, but 30 seconds of charging can still put enough energy back in to run for a few minutes.
It probably wasn't completely empty. More likely, it had been sitting for a long time at a low-but-not-zero state of charge. Plugging it in raised the voltage just enough for the electronics to boot.
That actually matches what you saw almost perfectly.
I would not try to force it lower than it already is.
Lithium-ion batteries really don't like being held at an extremely low voltage. The protection circuit has probably already shut it off at a safe point.
Instead, I'd do this:
That gives the battery management circuit time to stabilize.
Great. Pair it.
Then I'd suspect one of three things:
There's an interesting possibility.
The Plus+ has three physical controls:
Certain button combinations are used for pairing, reset, and factory reset.
If, for example, the top button is physically jammed from impact or dirt, the processor could think it's being held continuously during boot. That could explain why it appears to enter an abnormal state every time it gets enough power.
You mentioned earlier that one opening "seemed to be a button." If that's the top button with the red LED next to it, it would be worth checking after it has rested:
When you first plugged it in, I was worried you might have a dead device.
Now, after hearing everything, I'm actually more optimistic than I was at the beginning.
The sequence was:
That's not how a "fried" device behaves. It's how a device with power or startup problems behaves. There's still a decent chance that after a proper charge—and possibly a factory reset if needed—you'll end up with a usable Pokémon GO Plus+. Even if it doesn't, you've learned that the main electronics are at least alive enough to execute code, which is a much better starting point than a device that shows no signs of life.
M: I think I'm going to leave it alone for the night before I start trying to charge it tomorrow. I'm willing to believe the button might be jammed or that there might be some sort of mechanical break. Since I wouldn't lose anything by trying, once we've tried all of the non-invasive solutions, can you go online and tell me if there are any, oh, what's the phrase for it? Is there any way to, is there any guide for popping this open and cleaning things out to see if we can get it to work better? I know there's a term for people who advocate this kind of electronic self-care in a way that often is made difficult by the people who construct it. I just can't remember what the term is right now.
G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]
G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]
G: The term you were reaching for is probably "right to repair." That's the movement advocating that owners should be able to open, diagnose, clean, and repair their own electronics without unnecessary barriers.
And the good news is: your device is actually pretty repair-friendly by modern standards.
I found that iFixit has already documented the Pokémon GO Plus+, including disassembly and common modifications. citeturn0search3turn0search2
Here's the part I think you'll like.
To open it, you:
That's much nicer than a lot of modern gadgets that are ultrasonically welded or held together entirely with permanent adhesive.
If we eventually decide to open it, I wouldn't go hunting for obscure electronic failures. I'd start with the simple, high-probability issues:
Those are all things you can inspect visually before touching a soldering iron.
If you do find contamination, the standard recommendation is:
That advice is echoed both by repair communities and by people who've repaired malfunctioning Plus+ units after moisture exposure. citeturn0reddit14turn0search3
There's an interesting Reddit report from someone whose top button stopped working. The LED still functioned, but the button itself didn't. Others pointed out that opening the unit and checking the button alignment or contamination was the logical next step. citeturn0reddit14turn0reddit19
That doesn't prove your device has the same fault, but it does make me think your hypothesis about a jammed or damaged button is quite plausible.
I actually like your plan.
Tonight:
Tomorrow:
Only if it still goes into the "angry pocket vibrator" routine would I move to opening it.
I also have one other advantage that might help us. I'm pretty comfortable reading PCB layouts and tracing what individual components are supposed to do. So if you eventually decide to open it, you can take a few close-up photos of the inside, and I'll help you inspect it component by component before you touch anything. We may be able to spot something as simple as a crooked button plunger, a disconnected ribbon cable, or corrosion without needing to do any invasive repair. That seems like the safest progression: software and charging first, then inspection, and only then consider actual repair if the evidence points that way.
M: Yeah, we'll try the things that don't involve opening it first. One of the main reasons why I'm going in that direction right now at all is because I can't really answer your question about the top button. At least not completely. It's not stuck in place. I can hear it clicking and it feels fine. But since I have no idea how it felt at the beginning, it could be considered mushy or it could be as crisp as it ever was. I've got nothing to compare it to.
G: That's actually a useful observation.
The fact that it clicks and returns means it's probably not mechanically wedged. It doesn't rule out a bad switch underneath, but it moves "physical jam" a little lower on the list.
There are really three different possibilities hiding behind what feels like a normal button:
The plastic button is fine, but the tiny tactile switch underneath is damaged.
The switch is fine, but the electronics think it's being held.
The button isn't involved at all.
At this point, I'd avoid opening it because we still have information to gather that doesn't require tools.
My order would be:
If it still behaves identically, then I'd try a factory reset (which is different from the tiny reset button you already used). The Plus+ has a hardware button combination for returning it to factory state. I'd want to look up the exact timing before walking you through it, because Nintendo is fairly specific about the sequence.
Only after those steps would I say, "Okay, let's remove two screws."
One other thing occurred to me from your original story.
This device spent:
Those are surprisingly harsh conditions for a lithium-powered gadget. If the battery is weak or the battery management circuit has gotten confused, the strange startup behavior could be entirely electrical rather than mechanical. That's another reason I like your plan to let it sit overnight and then give it a proper uninterrupted charge before drawing conclusions.
And, if it turns out to be dead in the end, remember what you've already accomplished: you solved the mystery of what it was. After carrying it around for a year wondering whether it was a flash drive, you've at least answered that question. If it can be revived, that's a bonus. If not, you've still turned an unknown object into a solvable repair project rather than a permanent mystery.
M: I haven't got a tiny enough screwdriver. I tried plugging it in after a day uncharging it and immediately started buzzing. So the most positive assumption at that point would be to... Sorry, the most positive assumption would be that something is gone a little haywire inside and can be fixed. Check online, make sure everything that we've talked about is actually accurate in terms of the information you found. I mean, I believe you, but at the same time, I gotta make sure every once in a while that you're checking yourself online. And then please, this was the reason why I came here in the first place, because I don't have a tiny enough screwdriver. I'm not sure where to look or what I would be looking for. I've got a decent set of the types of screwdrivers you would use for working on a computer, but this one is, or sorry, these screws are Phillips head and smaller than the smallest set I've got.
G: [Non-text content: thoughts; content_type=thoughts]
G: [Non-text content: reasoning_recap; content_type=reasoning_recap]
G: I'm glad you checked before forcing anything. The behavior you're seeing is not consistent with a healthy Plus+, and I feel more confident saying that now after checking current repair information.
The two things we've established are:
That actually explains why your computer screwdriver set didn't fit well.
A lot of electronics have moved away from standard Phillips, and if you ever work on controllers, phones, handhelds, or laptops, you'll use it again.
A good inexpensive option would be something like this:
product["turn0product9","JOREST 24-piece Precision Screwdriver Set",{"render_as":"block"}]
Or, if you prefer buying just one high-quality driver:
product["turn0product12","Wiha Precision Phillips #00 Screwdriver",{"render_as":"block"}]
Technically, iFixit specifies J00 JIS, but in practice a quality PH00 or J00 driver is often what people use successfully. The important part is not using an oversized Phillips. citeturn0search2turn0reddit15
Because you've now tried:
and it immediately begins vibrating continuously...
...I think we've exhausted the non-invasive troubleshooting.
If it were mine, I'd open it next.
Not because I expect to find a blown chip.
Because I expect to find something boring.
Examples:
Those are all far more likely than a dead processor.
I'd actually leave the battery connected at first.
We'll look before touching anything.
Specifically, I'd want clear photos of:
I'm fairly comfortable identifying obvious failures from photos.
If everything looks pristine, then we can talk about disconnecting the battery or cleaning with isopropyl alcohol.
And I have to admit, I'm kind of invested in this little thing now.
This has gone from:
"What's this object I found?"
to
"Can we resurrect a Pokémon GO Plus+ that spent an unknown amount of time in a parking lot, then a year in storage?"
Those are exactly the sorts of repair mysteries I enjoy. Even if we ultimately conclude the main board is faulty, we'll know why rather than just guessing.
So I'd say: pick up a proper precision screwdriver set when it's convenient. Once you have it, we'll open it slowly, take pictures at each step, and treat it like an investigation rather than a race to get it working. That gives us the best chance of finding a simple fix without accidentally creating a new problem.