Gba usb charge cable?

Benni3987

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I recently bought a Gba sp and it came with a usb cable. Can I use this cable or is it just a cable they delivered me randomly with the Gba? This Question maybe seems silly but my gba is a Ags 101 so i don't want to break something and when I try to charge my Gba it feels like the cable doesn't fit. (here should be a Picture or link but Gbatemp doesn't let me post it so i'll try to describe it: It's a usb end one end and the other looks like a fat micro usb)
 

slaphappygamer

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Ive got a similar cable to charge my gbasp. Try it. The worst that can happen (which is very doubtful) is your battery will get damaged and you’ll spend 7 is dollars to get a new one. I was using some generic usb to gbasp cable and it charged fine.
 
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Benni3987

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I think it’s just a random cable, it only fits on ext.1 port, the orange light doesn’t light up and the cable doesn’t even remotely look like a real gbasp cable but still, thanks for the help guys!
 

ChiefReginod

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The original GBA SP charger is DC 5.2V 320ma. USB outputs DC 5V standard but the amps vary from one adapter to the next. If it's 320ma or close to it it should be fine. In actual practice there's a degree of tolerance even if it's not exactly the same.

Long story short, USB can definitely be used to charge a GBA but you should probably check the amp rating before splicing your cables.

Sounds like you got some random unrelated cable though.
 
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FAST6191

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They used to sell USB chargers in game shops around here, ones they had bought in and branded themselves.

As mentioned the voltages are similar enough as to not bother it and the current able to be delivered by a standard* USB port is more than enough.

*technically not to standard but nobody really ever paid attention to the negotiation for higher current part.

If it is an ext 1 thing as opposed to the normal charge port it might be a multiboot cable, said cables are used to either flash certain flash carts, deliver code to the multiboot port or occasionally debug GBA code via a PC. They are not always USB but USB-serial chips are common enough that it is not surprising to see one. It will not charge your device though.
You can make them easily enough but they are somewhat desirable by homebrew inclined types.
 

DoItRight

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Ive got a similar cable to charge my gbasp. Try it. The worst that can happen (which is very doubtful) is your battery will get damaged and you’ll spend 7 is dollars to get a new one. I was using some generic usb to gbasp cable and it charged fine.

Feel like I need to point out that this statement is probably inaccurate. If there were a current or voltage issue, it is far more likely to damage the power supply on the main board, as opposed to the battery. So it's not just a $7 risk.

That said, I charge all of my handhelds from usb with no issue using one of these squids: https://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Charge...Nintendo-NDS-LL-XL-3DS-Wii-U-PSP/273614751419
 

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Spokenlastchance

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The original GBA SP charger is DC 5.2V 320ma. USB outputs DC 5V standard but the amps vary from one adapter to the next. If it's 320ma or close to it it should be fine. In actual practice there's a degree of tolerance even if it's not exactly the same.

Long story short, USB can definitely be used to charge a GBA but you should probably check the amp rating before splicing your cables.

Sounds like you got some random unrelated cable though.

There was a post where someone actually just put a usb micro in his SP. He said he didn't end up having issues. Side note what is it with nintendo and using non standard charging methods? Seriously why couldn't it have just been the standard usb 5v?
 

FAST6191

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Side note what is it with nintendo and using non standard charging methods? Seriously why couldn't it have just been the standard usb 5v?

The SP came along in 2003. It would have been (late) 2013 before the EU made serious moves towards mandating phones be USB charging ( https://qz.com/159953/the-eu-just-c...o-mandating-a-common-charger-for-cell-phones/ ), and I think they are still the main players really agitating for such a thing (which technically has still not happened https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/201...argers-because-theyre-still-not-standardized/ ).

Failing that
https://xkcd.com/927/
 

Alexander1970

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