Hardware GBA Backlight! (AGB-001)

BobWoggle · Jan 27, 2016

XC-3730C said:
Is it possible to fit an original GBA system with an SP style rechargeable battery?

pelago said:
Not that I've seen. I just use rechargable AAs.

There's rechargeable battery packs specifically for gba, where they basically take the place of both the batteries and the cover and have a socket for an included ac adapter in the bottom, that can be found with a little searching on the fleabay. Alternately, rechargeable packs designed for wii remotes or wavebirds will fit in the gba battery compartment as well, though you'd likely have to do some clever fiddling to charge them without putting them back in a wii remote or wavebird (or to put the battery cover on with them in, for that matter).

Ben Ten's Dad · Jan 29, 2016

Well, finally put together my first modded GBA backlight and it looks amazing. Far, far brighter than I was expecting and I didn't have to mess about with the pot either

HOWEVER, it's not all plain sailing - my d-pad doesn't work! I will be stripping it back down to see if there is anything amiss but just thought I would post this incase anyone could throw some light on this before I go ahead with it. I am using rubber backing and d-pad which came with the original shell. Should I use the original rubber and d-pad which were in the GBA?

Cheers

Edit: So, I have been sitting here since writing the above post as to how and where I have went wrong and have come up with a possible answer. Is there any way I could have put that rubber housing back to front? i.e. with the black contacts facing the d-pad as opposed to the motherboard? I hope that is it but I am gutted I am gonna have to open it up again - took a while to get the unit fitted flushly with no gaps.

BobWoggle · Jan 31, 2016

So I think I might have just figured out the difference between the brown and white tabbed screens: If you look at individual pixels under strong magnification, you can see on the white tabbed screen there's small black spots in the same place on every single colour segment in every pixel, whereas on the brown tabbed screen there's no such thing. I would, in my limited experience with lcd panels, assume the white tabbed screen is a TN panel, whereas the brown-tabbed one is something else. I've also noticed a lot more ghosting with the brown tabbed screen than the white tabbed one, so that sort of solidifies the idea in my mind that they're different types of lcd entirely.

This doesn't really add anything, but I think it's kind of interesting so I figured I may as well post it here.

BobWoggle · Jan 31, 2016

Ben Ten's Dad said:
Well, finally put together my first modded GBA backlight and it looks amazing. Far, far brighter than I was expecting and I didn't have to mess about with the pot either HOWEVER, it's not all plain sailing - my d-pad doesn't work! I will be stripping it back down to see if there is anything amiss but just thought I would post this incase anyone could throw some light on this before I go ahead with it. I am using rubber backing and d-pad which came with the original shell. Should I use the original rubber and d-pad which were in the GBA?

Cheers

Edit: So, I have been sitting here since writing the above post as to how and where I have went wrong and have come up with a possible answer. Is there any way I could have put that rubber housing back to front? i.e. with the black contacts facing the d-pad as opposed to the motherboard? I hope that is it but I am gutted I am gonna have to open it up again - took a while to get the unit fitted flushly with no gaps.

You might try cleaning the contacts on the board with rubbing alcohol, and the contacts on the rubber pad by gently rubbing them on a sheet of paper for a couple of seconds. That tends to fix non-functioning buttons.

Ben Ten's Dad · Jan 31, 2016

It's all good - I had put the rubber pad on the wrong way round! Doh! School boy error - too eager to get the unit together.

GBAResearcher · Feb 2, 2016

It's all good - I had put the rubber pad on the wrong way round! Doh! School boy error - too eager to get the unit together.

lol it happens even to the best of us.

I got around to buying that rainbow cable from taobao... it took forever to figure it out since not everything was translated. There were a few problems with some of the text because I wasn't able to highlight it but I figured it out eventually.

Opt2not where did you buy yours from?

opt2not · Feb 4, 2016

GBAResearcher said:
Opt2not where did you buy yours from?

Got mine from this guy:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/GameBoy-Adv...ith-5-level-Brightness-40-pin-B-/181797004647

I had great service, and excellent communication from him.

Ben Ten's Dad · Feb 9, 2016

Shameless plug but I have modded 3 GBA's now and am selling two of them on Ebay. PM me if interested.

kiksendk · Feb 17, 2016

BobWoggle said:
There are adapters for either screen to either mobo. Mine is a white tabbed screen on a 40 pin, no soldering and everything works. Just make sure to ask the person selling you the ribbon what screen and board it's compatible with.

Hi. my Gba is a 40pin. the 101 screen has a white tab. I have a problem with the contrast. is is very faded and and bad color. the light is very bright. tried with and without soldering the red power wire to the motherboard on a1.

Can you help me? am i doing anything wrong?

BobWoggle · Feb 19, 2016

kiksendk said:
Hi. my Gba is a 40pin. the 101 screen has a white tab. I have a problem with the contrast. is is very faded and and bad color. the light is very bright. tried with and without soldering the red power wire to the motherboard on a1.

Can you help me? am i doing anything wrong?

Unfortunately I'm not entirely sure. I got my adapter from a fleabay listing that specifically said it was for 40-pin mobos and white-tabbed screens, and haven't really fiddled with it beyond that.

At some point earlier in the thread, some guys talked about soldering wires between RECV and ground on the board to fix washed out and bright screens, I think around page 35.

kiksendk · Feb 19, 2016

BobWoggle said:
Unfortunately I'm not entirely sure. I got my adapter from a fleabay listing that specifically said it was for 40-pin mobos and white-tabbed screens, and haven't really fiddled with it beyond that.

At some point earlier in the thread, some guys talked about soldering wires between RECV and ground on the board to fix washed out and bright screens, I think around page 35.

Thank you very much. i thought that only work with 32-pin. i will try it later today

TwayneP · Feb 19, 2016

I'm literally going through the same problem you are. I have a white tabbed GBA SP 101 screen, and a 40 pin GBA with a 40 pin adaptor. The image is completely washed out and far too white. I ordered a 32 pin adaptor and I'm going to get a 32 pin GBA just in case...

Im going to try and solder the wires with the 40 pin GBA next week, since I'm waiting on new soldering tips.

please let us know your outcome!

kiksendk · Feb 19, 2016

TwayneP said:
I'm literally going through the same problem you are. I have a white tabbed GBA SP 101 screen, and a 40 pin GBA with a 40 pin adaptor. The image is completely washed out and far too white. I ordered a 32 pin adaptor and I'm going to get a 32 pin GBA just in case...

Im going to try and solder the wires with the 40 pin GBA next week, since I'm waiting on new soldering tips.

please let us know your outcome!

glad to hear that i am not alone

But sorry to hear that you are having problems

I will indeed report back with my results.. unfortunately i have 3x Gba 40-pin units, and 3x 101 screens with white tab .. So i am hoping to get aleast one working unit.

TwayneP · Feb 19, 2016

Haha, Yea I get ya. I actually have 2x 40pin GBA and 2x 101 White tabs, so I totally know the feeling. I tried doing them both, taking apart each, all for nothing. Once I get my soldering tips I'm going to try and do the jumper wires. but if all else fails, i'll just pick up a crappy 20 dollar 32 pin GBA system, so those dang white tab screens will work. I gotta get this to work! Put too much money into it already.

opt2not · Feb 19, 2016

So I decided to sell one of my backlit GBA's (glacier version). If anyone is interested in this version with the deluxe ribbon adapter (5-brightness settings, toggle-able through Select+L), send me a message.

UPDATE: Backlit GBA sold!

kiksendk · Feb 19, 2016

TwayneP said:
Haha, Yea I get ya. I actually have 2x 40pin GBA and 2x 101 White tabs, so I totally know the feeling. I tried doing them both, taking apart each, all for nothing. Once I get my soldering tips I'm going to try and do the jumper wires. but if all else fails, i'll just pick up a crappy 20 dollar 32 pin GBA system, so those dang white tab screens will work. I gotta get this to work! Put too much money into it already.

I have no experience with soldering, but gave it a shot.
I have connected the point from 103 to GND, as flacodan showed earlier. That help a lot. but now i have some interference running from top to bottom repeatly (can't be seen on the pictures), and a low electric hissing noise from the unit.

Monty kensicle, did the soldering differently, RECV to GND and V2 to 103 (Attached last in the post). i am considering trying this tomorrow. i need som sleep now.

c

TwayneP · Feb 22, 2016

Any more updates on fixing the hissing or interference Kik?

Going to try and adjust my mod tonight. My soldering tips finally came in so I'm ready to go with these wire combinations. I REALLY hope this works!

kiksendk · Feb 23, 2016

TwayneP said:
Any more updates on fixing the hissing or interference Kik?

Going to try and adjust my mod tonight. My soldering tips finally came in so I'm ready to go with these wire combinations. I REALLY hope this works!

i tried to adjusting the Internal trim pot. It is working much better now

TwayneP · Feb 24, 2016

Do you have any ghosting, or image retention on your screen kik?

I'm having trouble with image retention, no matter how I solder the wires or adjust the trimpot I still have retention. Like for example, leaving Mario Kart on the title screen for 10-15 seconds, then going into the menu and you will still see the mario kart title burnt in for a few seconds.

It's driving me crazy haha. I guess I'm going to have to start from scratch with a 32 pin GBA. The screen brightness and colors look great on my 40 pin, its just bad ghosting/image retention.

is it like this with all the white tab SP screens?

TwayneP · Mar 2, 2016

Finally finished my Mod. Just went and bought a 32 pin motherboard. Was sick of screwing around trying to get the 40 pin to work right without image retention.

Hardware GBA Backlight! (AGB-001)

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