Hacking DS Phat Backlight Mod

[ParryPerson]

Ok, how come this has never been a completed mod on a phat? To have a brighter backlight? I love mine other than that. If anyone with any information on the screens could post, that would be great.

Or is there something in the DS phat that disallows there to be a brighter screen/led's?

 

[tk_saturn]

Yes there's an easy mod which gives you a brighter screen, it's called the DSi.

Given that your DS Phat will likely be old. The backlight may just have dimmed over time, they do that.

 

[sethirion]

There are some NDS that can be set the backlight just like the DS lite, but they need to be the very latest on the market.

To get this you would need to put FlashMe (newer one and large file), or someone could atach to the battery another LED; the main problem would be that it might need extra hardware and will lower the play time.

I have seen the screens and they seem to be sealed, but might be able to open them. Too bad I do not have a spare NDS to try this. : /

 

[tk_saturn]

Even the replacement screens you get on DX etc are meant to be dimmer than the original, so you're better off just replacing the DS Phat. If Your screen has dimmed, then your battery is probably wearing out too.

 

[ParryPerson]

I most definitely will NOT be getting a DSi. Probably not ever. Thanks for no help at all

.

I'll be buying some NDS off ebay for parts and seeing what I can do.

 

[Tonitonichopchop]

Why not get a ds lite? It's small and has a bright screen. And once the 3ds is released, it'll be dirt cheap.

 

[ParryPerson]

You guys don't seem to grasp what I'm asking.

I didn't ask if I should upgrade, I asked about modding an original DS to have a brighter back light. My wife has a DSi that feels like cheap garbage in my man hands and very uncomfortable.

I like the case and the controls on the NDS. Just personal preference.

If anyone has any useful posts, I'd love to hear them. I thought I might be able to get some tech specs in here but I might have overshot the maturity level here.

 

[Another World]

if you like the larger feel but want a higher brightness, why not purchase a dsi XL? i found that all hand cramping with the ds lite is non-existent when using the XL. the larger screens make a HUGE difference. the XL's buttons, d-pad, and shoulder buttons are superior to those of the normal dsi, which were an improvement over previous versions. since purchasing my XL i haven't touched my lite except for reviews and debugging. most users of the XL who own a phat will tell you that it has about the same feel. users of the phat also tend to prefer it over any other nds version. most who refused to upgrade, just as you are doing, found that the dsi XL was the next logical step.

-another world

 

[ParryPerson]

*sigh*

I guess no one can read either.

Well, thanks.

 

[sk8mystery23]

Why don't you try what the person in the third post said? You might just be able to get a hold of one of the last batch of original DS phats and just have that brighter screen, or your DS might already be capable.

 

[ParryPerson]

Mines V3, and trying to find one that has that would be painstaking (hello ebay seller, put in a game and go to pictochat and enter a room then eject the card and tell me what you see).

I'm going to buy a few mobo's and see what I can do.

 

[Devin]

Hm....Well, I searched the web, and found no evidence of a DS mod that changed the brightness of the backlight. However, I was thinking about the moveable light that was for the GBA, or the GBC, that created a nice looking light so that people could play their handhelds in the dark.

Oh, here, I found a image of it.

Spoiler

I'm wondering if they created something like this for the Phat DS.

 

[DEagleson]

You want to do something similar to this?
Game Boy Pocket with backlit screen

Also i found this post:
http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=38382

It suggested that with a bit of tinkering it could be possible to mod a NDS Lite to fit inside a NDS Phat case.
But i have no idea how to do that, so my advice is either grab a cheap NDS Lite or the more expensive NDSi XL.

 

[ParryPerson]

Me and a couple of other tech guys are looking at replacing the screen in it's entirety, using brighter LED's while making an increase in contrast for less of a loss in color depth.

I don't think I asked the right forum, but thanks anyway guys.

 

[Master_Jorn]

Mines V3, and trying to find one that has that would be painstaking (hello ebay seller, put in a game and go to pictochat and enter a room then eject the card and tell me what you see).

I'm going to buy a few mobo's and see what I can do.

I see green! Wait, what does that mean?

 

[Ryccardo]

I see green! Wait, what does that mean?

Version 3

 

[Master_Jorn]

Version 3

Ahh, ok. What a strange way to see the firmware.

 

[DeadlyRevengexX]

Ok everyone! 7 YEARS later. . . I own a DS Phat and I would love to know if there is a way to raise the screen brightness currently? Perhaps with tossing in a homebrew app into the R4 card? Well, if any homebrew exists that is...

(Do not ask me to buy a DSi as I'm currently very low on funds.)

I HOPE something exists by now..

Thanks!!