Downing's GBA Completed

[Downing]

While I'm waiting on a few parts to come in, I thought I'd start up a small and quick project (hopefully) that I should have done by the end of the week. I acquired a GBA in a bulk buy from a friend of mine a few months ago and it came with a very scratched up screen and a few dings in it. Worked great though. So I ordered in a replacement screen covering (screen was fine, covering was scratched up pretty good) and was about to swap it when I got to thinking how much I hate how dark the GBA screen is. With no back light, it made for impossible viewing in dark or reflective areas.

So I decided to do an LED mod using 3MM white LEDs, 2 on the top, 2 on the bottom. Of course where to put them was a problem as well as what I was going to use to power them. So that led to the update of the systems batteries in which now there is a 7.4V 2000ma Li-Ion battery with a 7805 regulator in it's place. Yes I will be putting in a recharge jack, probably mini USB to recharge the batteries. This should also greatly increase play time even with 4 LEDs going.

So getting as far as I could today as I do not have the proper resistor to power the LEDs correctly, I got the LED's in place, the battery placed and the case halves painted. Again, a nice Red, White and Black.









Hopefully the resistors will be in this week and I can finish this off so I can start back up on my desk. Just waiting for some more parts for that one as well. But I'll keep you updated as I go! Enjoy!

[skyknight]

Definitely interested in following your progress; I say the original GBA was the most comfortable to hold, while the SP and Micro were not... but those two had back-lit screen along with lithium battery (2 AA batteries ain't bad, but you hate bringing spares with you!).

[Downing]

Yeah I hear ya. The only reason why I decided to skip the AA's was because of the LED's. I'm honestly not sure how much of a difference 4 3mm LED's are really going to make in terms of a screen visibility difference though. So if I find that these LED's don't work, can I use one of the SP screen's in place of the original? I think I could do it, I just don't know if they are compatible?

[Downing]

So after a few failed attempts at an extended battery and LED mod, I decided to just call this one quits with just a custom paint job.





Using the other GBA I had on hand, I replaced the back portion as the original could not hold AA batteries anymore and rather than waste time painting it Red, this one was a transparent Pink. I thought about putting a couple LED's in there for some lighting effects on the back, but like I said, I don't want to put any more time into this.

I now have three case commissions on hand that I need to do before I can start back up on my desk project so I've got some work to do!

[skyknight]

It's a shame that you had to quit, but customizing does take a lot of effort and FAILURE to get it done right. Do let us know whenever you want to take another shot at this.

[elmagicochrisg]

The type of screen the GBA uses does not allow for backlighting. The screen just goes transparent making it impossible to see anything. I know, I tried the same mod a long time ago...

Frontlighting on the other hand works, but the colors will look washed. Very washed...

As for replacing the current screen with a backlit screen. Don't get your hopes up...

[brandman]

The type of screen the GBA uses does not allow for backlighting. The screen just goes transparent making it impossible to see anything. I know, I tried the same mod a long time ago...

Frontlighting on the other hand works, but the colors will look washed. Very washed...

As for replacing the current screen with a backlit screen. Don't get your hopes up...

Would've been nice to have this info before he started the mod.

[elmagicochrisg]

The type of screen the GBA uses does not allow for backlighting. The screen just goes transparent making it impossible to see anything. I know, I tried the same mod a long time ago...

Frontlighting on the other hand works, but the colors will look washed. Very washed...

As for replacing the current screen with a backlit screen. Don't get your hopes up...

Would've been nice to have this info before he started the mod.

I know...

Saw the thread too late.

Better late than never I guess...

[brandman]

I know...

Saw the thread too late.

Better late than never I guess...

Lol, but it makes sense if you think about it. I mean, the SP shares the same screen as the OG GBA right? And the SP uses front lights, so that just backs up your claim.

PS: BTW, I love the GIF in your signature.