I wouldn't call myself handy but I did install my own backlight and bivert in my DMG (it was the first time I had ever soldered).
Think I might be able to pull it off?
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Modded Game Boys are downright gorgeous
- Thread starter Deleted member 1378
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Think I might be able to pull it off?
The process is pretty straightforward once you know what actually needs to happen, I'd say the two hardest parts is desoldering the existing barrel connector and soldering two wires onto the same pad on the small PCB.
After I've made sure my GBC isn't going to explode, I'll be doing my fiancee's GBC as well, so I can make a video on that one.
After I've made sure my GBC isn't going to explode, I'll be doing my fiancee's GBC as well, so I can make a video on that one.
Some of the ones on /r/gameboymarketplace are really beautiful.
Others.. Not so much. The other day I saw someone selling a Gameboy Micro XL I think. And that was literally just a original NDS snapped in half with some paint on- haha.
Others.. Not so much. The other day I saw someone selling a Gameboy Micro XL I think. And that was literally just a original NDS snapped in half with some paint on- haha.
I've been wondering now that all these new GB(A) screens pop up, any chance we will get to see IPS screen replacements for the new 3DS, atleast for the top-screen? I know native IPS new 3DSs exist but they are pretty rare.
Each one has it's own "type" of difficulty.
McWill screen requires soldering a small handful of wires, and there's one wire that I might call difficult, but aligning the screen is very easy.
The Freckleshack requires zero soldering (though you can solder one wire to get brightness control), but I found it much more difficult to align in a satisfying way, but either way, neither of these two screens is what I would call difficult. The Freckleshack screen could be a good first mod for someone.
I can buy this on r/gameboymarketplace? Would pay good coin for that one, so beautiful
Okay. Sounds like I should probably stick to non nodding for now.
Adding my latest build to the collection here.
If I could like this post I would, it looks amazing! :D
Picked up a Gameboy Color today, lost mine ages ago, so it'll be fun to mod this up after my GBA.
Any recommended mods for the GBC?
Any recommended mods for the GBC?
Start with the Freckleshack screen and go from there. That's all I'm doing to mine, in fact.
I wish someone would come up with a good clicky switch dpad mod for the GBC. There's a few okay methods to get some really hit or miss, but someone just need to make a tiny PCB with tact switches on it and toss it on there.
I love seeing modded Game Boy Micros whenever I'm at public gaming shows / conventions. I have a half-dozen.
The colours are quite different, the IPS screens are more saturated and have a different gamma iirc but I *think* you can get around that somewhat if you patch the games (if you have a flash cart) but I'm not sure if you can universally patch all games?
Dang, knew it seemed too good to be true. Gives hope for the future though.
Was anyone else waiting for a batch 6 Freckle Shack from BennVenn? I keep seeing that they are about to go out this weekend, and now that some people have confirmation of shipping, but I haven't received anything myself. Don't wanna bother Ben about it quite yet because his Facebook posts paint a grim picture of how much of his time is wasted on emails.
I only got the shipping notification yesterday. He did say he had like 400 of them to ship.
Its from a seller? GorgeousGot this one off of eBay. :D
Has a McWill LCD v1.1 screen.
I'm waiting for mine from batch 6 too. I got an email saying my order was confirmed but that's it so far.
Please tell us which seller this was from? Someone poisted a pic of the GBC a while back, with a Kirby pic. It looks stunning.Got this one off of eBay. :D
Has a McWill LCD v1.1 screen.
I got mine last Friday with an already carved shell. Installed it that same day, and I've been playing games on it on and off through the weekend. The initial instalation was a bit of a pain, although that had more to do with me not having any kapton tape and improvising around that, and being clumsy with hardware in general.
Overall, I'm in love with it. GBA games look super crisp on it, and the colors pop out thanks to how bright the system is (by default, much more so than an AGS-101, to the point where I find it a bit uncomfortable to use it in total darkness). Games that were designed to compensate for the dark screen of the AGB-001, like Super Circuit or the SMW port, do not look that great, but most games look gorgeous. The 'extra' pixels are very noticeable: while the aspect ratio is correct, the display itself is slightly larger than that of a regular GBA, which also means you'll need a lens with a thinner bezel for your unit. All of this makes for a very clear and vibrant image at the cost of a lower PPI count. If I had to compare the screen to anything, it'd be to a phone running the games through a GBA emulator: much clearer than what the original hardware displays, but also more pixelated.
Now, I know many games had their sprites designed for screens with a grid, but its absence doesn't bother me too much. It's more noticeable while taking a look at isometric '3D' games like The Urbz or the Lord of the Rings games, but the more traditional pixel-art part of the catalog looks great. I didn't bother with the soldering needed to adjust the brightness of the display, since I didn't have the tools for it, but I can see how lowering the brightness a bit might help those who are bothered by this.
A big, big bonus for me is the lack of ghosting/higher refresh rate when compared to the AGS-101. When I play fast games like Metroid or F-Zero on my AGB-101, they definitely feel slower compared to how they play on other systems. I'm not sure if it's a refresh rate issue, but there is a noticeable difference. Those same games feel just right on this display, much closer to how they feel when playing them on a Micro or DS Lite.
One thing I haven't tested yet is the impact to battery the screen has when compared to other displays, but I'm not even that curious since it's good enough for me.
In short: as someone who loves the GBA and its games dearly but has always been bothered by the pros and cons of each model, I've finally found my preferred way of playing 99% of its games. I highly recommend it, especially for the price. I'd post pictures, but my phone's main camera is busted. Both of my modded GBAs look like this, for the curious:
That sounds great and looks gorgeous, could you post a few photos with games running maybe?
Thanks for the impressions. I was impatient and also ordered/received one before impressions but got the wrong color shell delivered so waiting on a replacement anyway. Wouldn't have even minded if the color I got wasn't one of the ugliest. Like a washed out lime green. >:C
I just remembered there's an iPad with a decent camera here. Big pictures incoming:
Crash is a good example of a game that benefits from a screen with a visible grid, but it doesn't look bad at all in this one either.
Direct comparisons with a AGS-101 (bottom):
You can really appreciate how much brighter it is on the M&L shot here.
It's hard to take a good picture of the screens due to the ambient light on my apartment right now, so I'd suggest watching this video as well (it's the V1 version, but they seem to be similar enough). The difference is more easily appreciated in motion anyway:
No problem, glad to help!
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Wow this truly looks gorgeous, thanks for that and enjoy! :) My only gripe with this creen is that I would like a bit more of a visible grid but otherwise this is like an alternate reality where a GBA Pro was made.
Looks gorgeous. Gonna wait to see what Bennvenn does with it (call it brand loyalty) but this is next on my list.
I doubt he will doing anything with this screen now that the screen tearing issue has been fixed. He is busy enough as it is. He will probably still do the converter for the NDS screen.
For those interested in the technical specs of the funny playing screen. The screen is a LG screen that was made for the Blackberry curve 9389.
Someone disassembled the screen and posted the technical specs on the gameboy discord.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TV0aJ76S8zi1RjxvOUng5tgJLa_nfNNA/view
http://m.panelook.com/LH320H04-SD01_LG Display_3.2_LCM_overview_31255.html
Someone disassembled the screen and posted the technical specs on the gameboy discord.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TV0aJ76S8zi1RjxvOUng5tgJLa_nfNNA/view
http://m.panelook.com/LH320H04-SD01_LG Display_3.2_LCM_overview_31255.html
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My Funnyplaying V2 IPS Screen just came in! Once I get the rest of my parts for the GBA I'll be able to try it out!
So excited!
So excited!
Adding my latest build to the collection here.
Got this one off of eBay. :D
Has a McWill LCD v1.1 screen.
Wow, some really great ones. The first has a really awesome 70s quality to it for me personally. I grew up when Micronauts were a thing, and the look of it kinda reminds me of how my figures used to look.
wheeeeew this is beautifulGot this one off of eBay. :D
Has a McWill LCD v1.1 screen.
Yes
Yes it should work on both.
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