My new screen from Ebay (listing) finally arrived and I have been itching to install it. It seems like I've been watching videos forever and finally I can upgrade my original Glacier GBA.
Here's everything that came in the package
Installation is basically the same as the other kits with one small difference - no need for soldering! The color palette and brightness settings are done by waving your finger over a couple adhesive contact pads that you stick to the shell on the inside.
Where I installed my touch points
Now the kit does come with three small wire lengths if you do also want to solder the brightness controls to Select+L/R but since I'm not skilled at soldering I decided to leave it alone (but I really considered it and bought an iron in case I changed my mind).
So after some scary moments of making sure I'm not installing the screen in the wrong position I clammed it all up and lo and behold it's beautiful). I've seen other pictures of the upgraded screens before but in person it's just so impressive. Even makes the infamous Circle of the Moon brighten up.
Some notes:
*Really consider whether you want this mod with a clear shell. The touch points break the aesthetic a little bit. Honestly this mod would be awesome with an opaque shell.
*I should have done a better job putting the front glass on, it's too far skewed to the right which is in contrast to the internals where I skewed everything as far left as possible. The tolerances of the shell/glass aren't as tight as the original so there is a slight gap. There is some slight light bleed on the left edge as well.
*There was an extra piece of the insulating tape that I wasn't sure what it was for and didn't end up using it.
*I didn't double sided tape the little controller board to the back of the screen like I've seen on some videos. It didn't necessary.
*In regards to the shell itself it feels ok, but not like the original. There's just something not quite right with button presses and the feel it but that's to be expected. The back sticker isn't a perfect fit either and the battery holder springs are not great.
*The screws that came with the kit are feel like they're going to strip really easily. Quite a bit of force is needed to get the shell screwed together (probably because of the plastic) so I hope I don't strip the heads off the security screws.
*I wish it came with black silicone pads (I reused my originals as the kit just came with grey ones).
*The different color palettes are kinda neat. Playing Castlevania in black and white is interesting and some of the cool tones are helpful when playing in a dark room.
Here's all the palette options:
*Regular
*Black and White
*Blue?
*Green?
*Pinkish
*Another Blue?
*Another Green?
*Cool Blue?
All in all, I wish I had another original GBA to get another kit of. I love this thing.
Here's everything that came in the package
Installation is basically the same as the other kits with one small difference - no need for soldering! The color palette and brightness settings are done by waving your finger over a couple adhesive contact pads that you stick to the shell on the inside.
Where I installed my touch points
Now the kit does come with three small wire lengths if you do also want to solder the brightness controls to Select+L/R but since I'm not skilled at soldering I decided to leave it alone (but I really considered it and bought an iron in case I changed my mind).
So after some scary moments of making sure I'm not installing the screen in the wrong position I clammed it all up and lo and behold it's beautiful). I've seen other pictures of the upgraded screens before but in person it's just so impressive. Even makes the infamous Circle of the Moon brighten up.
Some notes:
*Really consider whether you want this mod with a clear shell. The touch points break the aesthetic a little bit. Honestly this mod would be awesome with an opaque shell.
*I should have done a better job putting the front glass on, it's too far skewed to the right which is in contrast to the internals where I skewed everything as far left as possible. The tolerances of the shell/glass aren't as tight as the original so there is a slight gap. There is some slight light bleed on the left edge as well.
*There was an extra piece of the insulating tape that I wasn't sure what it was for and didn't end up using it.
*I didn't double sided tape the little controller board to the back of the screen like I've seen on some videos. It didn't necessary.
*In regards to the shell itself it feels ok, but not like the original. There's just something not quite right with button presses and the feel it but that's to be expected. The back sticker isn't a perfect fit either and the battery holder springs are not great.
*The screws that came with the kit are feel like they're going to strip really easily. Quite a bit of force is needed to get the shell screwed together (probably because of the plastic) so I hope I don't strip the heads off the security screws.
*I wish it came with black silicone pads (I reused my originals as the kit just came with grey ones).
*The different color palettes are kinda neat. Playing Castlevania in black and white is interesting and some of the cool tones are helpful when playing in a dark room.
Here's all the palette options:
*Regular
*Black and White
*Blue?
*Green?
*Pinkish
*Another Blue?
*Another Green?
*Cool Blue?
All in all, I wish I had another original GBA to get another kit of. I love this thing.
