AGS-001 screen in AGB-001, a blast from the past!

[Aoba964]

I must be the only person in the world that can't stand the AGS-001 screen...

I think you're not alone on this, since there is so much people that mod AGS-001 GBA to IPS/DSi LCD, that stock AGS-001 LCD is left as leftovers or just thrown away, which is sad.

 

[Jayro]

I think you're not alone on this, since there is so much people that mod AGS-001 GBA to IPS/DSi LCD, that stock AGS-001 LCD is left as leftovers or just thrown away, which is sad.

I hang onto the good screens. Swap them into bad units for people that wanna keep it stock.

 

[Kuri3]

I live in Japan so we didn't get 101 here, to me is not the best but feels better than the AGB screen, if the frontlite kit have better material and be more afordeable i probably will not try to put a 001 on a AGB, but since people wo do ips mod's sometimes put the oem ones dirty cheap i want to put a 001 on an AGB

By the way going back to topic, i also got the ribbon for the a while ago, is the same and they sell at retro modding saying si possible to be used in 001 but i asked for a tutorial or instructions and didn't received any answer

 

[Aoba964]

I live in Japan so we didn't get 101 here, to me is not the best but feels better than the AGB screen, if the frontlite kit have better material and be more afordeable i probably will not try to put a 001 on a AGB, but since people wo do ips mod's sometimes put the oem ones dirty cheap i want to put a 001 on an AGB

By the way going back to topic, i also got the ribbon for the a while ago, is the same and they sell at retro modding saying si possible to be used in 001 but i asked for a tutorial or instructions and didn't received any answer

I heard (but didn't confirmed it) that frontlight kit will be slightly worse than AGS-001 LCD due to the fact that AGB-001 LCD wasn't designed with frontlight in mind, but if you want any internal light source, then maybe it is a decent solution.In my case AGS-001 LCD is actually the cheapest option, due to their ambudance and low demand.

 

[Sono]

I heard (but didn't confirmed it) that frontlight kit will be slightly worse than AGS-001 LCD due to the fact that AGB-001 LCD wasn't designed with frontlight in mind, but if you want any internal light source, then maybe it is a decent solution.In my case AGS-001 LCD is actually the cheapest option, due to their ambudance and low demand.

That is actually true to some extent.

As far as I'm aware, the AGS-001 display is the only one with AntiGlare coating, while the others (everything before the 3DS) are clear coating.

 

[Kuri3]

Sorry to be rude, but can we go back to the topic that we want to install the 001 screen using the adapter on 40 pin AGB?
by the way there is this video on youtube, the guy just connect the cable and the sceen lits and the colours are normal, and the only difference i can se in the video from the cable i and the other person asking about is different is that it appear to have the top lest pads bridged with solder, but he doesn't use any extra cable for power...
i tryied what i could with the screen and cables i had here and my conclusions are if i just connect the 001 screen with the 40 pin adapter, the frontlight work but the colours are inverted [and is adjust the potentiometer does not solve it], if you "prepare the screen" from what i see on the retro modding tutorial for 101 screens {separate the power in from the back of the screen desoldering part of the ribbon on the cack of the screen} the colors are normal but of course the light turns off, and the cable on the adapter appears to be for ground looking in the pins but i am not shure, so i can use it like a 32 ribbon by just desoldering the ribbon from the frontlight in the back of the 001 screen and connecting directly to a 3v and ground (but them half of the meaning for the adapter gets lost in the void), so i am still looking for info about how the 101 mod where made back when they are more affordeable because i saw a video showing just using the adapter but the retro modding tutorial call for the "preparation of the screen" and doesn't explain what to do from there...
but just to be honest i burn out 2 001 frontlight led to find it out but still far away from the price for a ips kit, i still can burn/destroy around 6 screens to make the price of an ips kit, and still kind mad about the fact of the price of a replacement screen for a dsi is 1/5 of a ita kit[i would be happy to get a ita kit if the price was cheappear than an ips kit]

by the way since i already have the 001 screen original led burn out i an looking for the possibility to just glue the frontlit panel on the 001 screen and use a different source of light to be a frontlight with the adapter...

 

[Aoba964]

Sorry to be rude, but can we go back to the topic that we want to install the 001 screen using the adapter on 40 pin AGB?
by the way there is this video on youtube, the guy just connect the cable and the sceen lits and the colours are normal, and the only difference i can se in the video from the cable i and the other person asking about is different is that it appear to have the top lest pads bridged with solder, but he doesn't use any extra cable for power...
i tryied what i could with the screen and cables i had here and my conclusions are if i just connect the 001 screen with the 40 pin adapter, the frontlight work but the colours are inverted [and is adjust the potentiometer does not solve it], if you "prepare the screen" from what i see on the retro modding tutorial for 101 screens {separate the power in from the back of the screen desoldering part of the ribbon on the cack of the screen} the colors are normal but of course the light turns off, and the cable on the adapter appears to be for ground looking in the pins but i am not shure, so i can use it like a 32 ribbon by just desoldering the ribbon from the frontlight in the back of the 001 screen and connecting directly to a 3v and ground (but them half of the meaning for the adapter gets lost in the void), so i am still looking for info about how the 101 mod where made back when they are more affordeable because i saw a video showing just using the adapter but the retro modding tutorial call for the "preparation of the screen" and doesn't explain what to do from there...
but just to be honest i burn out 2 001 frontlight led to find it out but still far away from the price for a ips kit, i still can burn/destroy around 6 screens to make the price of an ips kit, and still kind mad about the fact of the price of a replacement screen for a dsi is 1/5 of a ita kit[i would be happy to get a ita kit if the price was cheappear than an ips kit]

by the way since i already have the 001 screen original led burn out i an looking for the possibility to just glue the frontlit panel on the 001 screen and use a different source of light to be a frontlight with the adapter...

Well, from this video evident that not only top left pads bridged together, but there also "SoMeDing" added to the ribbon, on the right side, where additional power for AGS-101 is soldered, adding screenshot for clarity.
Also poked mine ribbon with multimeter, also adding those what I found, with AGB and AGS schematics.
Edit: also forgot to mention - on video he solders red wire to C56... (Timestamp - 3:55)

 

[Kuri3]

the wire soldered was optional, he just soldered in the end but the screen worked fine without it... but about the missing component now i am curious, doesn't anyone who bought the one for 001 from anyone of the places they say you can get it to tell us what it is? {i live in japan so the only places is viable to order this kind of stuff is from china}[i searched in alibaba/aliexpress and was selled just as "adapter" on aliexpress on alibaba has one for 001 only but the photos show the same adapter from 101 but minimal order was 50 pieces =/ ]

 

[Aoba964]

Guess what.
Two types of AGS-001 LCD exists.
Also, don't remove the back foam, learned the hard way that it's not only for support the LCD inside AGS-001.But hey, now I know that white tab LCDs is made by Sharp.And they see-through.
As for brown tab, could be that P2-VEE and REVC difference result in colours beign inverted.Or VMOD and MOD...Or both.
But yeah, also mines GBA have troubles with booting, but that might be the adapter ribbon itself, since I poked it too violently. Well as for now - I will cast magic "Buying two of them" and see if that the case. Will keep updated on this 40pin rabbithole if I stumble upon something. Not bad LCD btw

 

[Kuri3]

mine is white tab but it still showing as your brown... i don't have any proper working complete screen right now to test again, but at least the ones i have tried showed as the brown only...(not sure about the screen maker here in japanese models)

Post automatically merged: Dec 3, 2025

by the way i pretend get 6 new 001 screens soon i will test again when i got then

 

[Aoba964]

mine is white tab but it still showing as your brown... i don't have any proper working complete screen right now to test again, but at least the ones i have tried showed as the brown only...(not sure about the screen maker here in japanese models)

Post automatically merged: Dec 3, 2025

by the way i pretend get 6 new 001 screens soon i will test again when i got then

I still researching. I destroyed my ribbon in order to get schematics, so no test for me for time beign
Also, even that LCD that was appear to show proper colours is actually off a bit (few black shades is brown). So yeah.
I suspect REVC and P2-VEE atm.

 

[Kuri3]

on my tests, the screen without the frontlit soldered show normal colors using the agb aging rom, I am really tempted to order from alibaba the 001 model ribbon, the only problem is that i need to order a min quantity of 10 to make a order, and i really have not to do with soo many adapters... like one is dirty cheap multiply by 10 with the screens is almost the price of a ips kit...
btw i just closed a deal for 6 more 001 screens, should be receiveng them after tomorrow, hope i have brown and white tabs to see if makes a difference with screens of japanese 001's

By the way, just a little to do with the ribbons, there is a new batch of 101 fake screens comming out on alibaba/aliexpress, they kind started to come out in the search results, but they are the fake ones described by Makho and are the price of a ips kit, not sure how to react with a fake trying to pass as original but for the same price of a ips...

Post automatically merged: Dec 4, 2025

 

[Kuri3]

Just received the new 001 screens, sadly all white tabs but show inverted colors, just a thing I realized having soon many samples at the same time was there has different connectors for the frontlit, not sure if they represent where they have been produced or date, but just something I noticed

 

[Sono]

do you have instyructions for a 40pin ribbon install?

I'm sorry for the delay, I didn't get the "health lottery" in timely manner.

You will probably have to cut your ribbon, based on how yours is actually wired.
Also you will need REVC from GBA board, not getting around that without external components.

 

[Kuri3]

Hey thanks for that, and all the extra infos, only by reading makes me felling the problem will be with the info going to pin 30 going to 27 the REVC, i would try isolate (cut the trace) and try to get a cable direct from the AGB CPU pin 108(https://wiki.nataliethenerd.com/assets/files/agbcpu-dfe93ec13c5fc749f75d7749da48dd5d.png ) and see how the things go, but the AGB i have open now and not prepared for resale now has a bad coil inductor(caused by battery leakage), and makes the gba not work witht he 001 screen, the gba works fine with the OEM screen but the 001 aparently requires a different range of power that my unit right now can't afford, but i have new GBA's cooming, so i will wait and try again when i get the new units.

By the way i also decided to order the adapoters from alibaba, they are suposed to be for frontlit modding but the lack of info the seller gave me and what i believed he tryied to say with a translator is that the cable are suposed to be used mainly to use a ips mod for the AGS on the AGB but nothing maked much sence, and in the worse case scenario i send the item back because i take the precaustion to select a "alibaba guarantee" item, but will take a while to receive those so if someone can get one on ebay and check what is different would help...

 

[Sono]

Hey thanks for that, and all the extra infos, only by reading makes me felling the problem will be with the info going to pin 30 going to 27 the REVC, i would try isolate (cut the trace) and try to get a cable direct from the AGB CPU pin 108(https://wiki.nataliethenerd.com/assets/files/agbcpu-dfe93ec13c5fc749f75d7749da48dd5d.png ) and see how the things go, but the AGB i have open now and not prepared for resale now has a bad coil inductor(caused by battery leakage), and makes the gba not work witht he 001 screen, the gba works fine with the OEM screen but the 001 aparently requires a different range of power that my unit right now can't afford, but i have new GBA's cooming, so i will wait and try again when i get the new units.

Take it from pin3 of AGB-REG instead, less damage if the soldering goes wrong, easier to undo than on the CPU.
Also try avoid the Test Point for REVC, otherwise if you open the case fast enough, it will rip the Test Point instead of the solder joint.

 

[Kuri3]

pin3 of AGB-REG, by that do you mean one of the legs of the VR1?

 

[Aoba964]

pin3 of AGB-REG, by that do you mean one of the legs of the VR1?

This one
I recommend that too, since I tore REVC test pin, so yeah, I can tell you that it's really fragile
And soldering to CPU leg isn't fun as well.

 

[Sono]

pin3 of AGB-REG, by that do you mean one of the legs of the VR1?

No, pin3 is REVC.

VR1 is connected [AGND] ~~~ [COM] ~~~ [VSHA]


Edit: I got 'd

 

[Lingwendil]

Cool to see more old-school modding discussion here! Really interesting to eee the info on the 40 pin. I'm looking forward to seeing a working example.

I must be the only person in the world that can't stand the AGS-001 screen...

I really like it, it feels more like the classic GBC screen. It also works much better in direct sunlight or in brightly lit rooms, which are the majority of my use cases. I find If I'm playing indoors for GBA I tend to play on my GB Micro much of the time unless I'm playing a GBC game. My frontlit GBA is used almost exclusively for GBC games now.