Hardware Back light?

[IHEARTSEGA]

Hello, I was looking around and didn't see anyone chatting about the old afterburner or back light.

I was just curious if anyone knows how to mimic the afterburner back light in the original GBA?

Thank you.

 

[trans am]

From what I could tell the afterburner was frontlight. Either way they have been impossible to buy since around the SP came out.

 

[IHEARTSEGA]

Does anyone know how to imitate it? I've done some reading and it seems that there are 2 or 3 white LEDs shining through some kind of plastic. That plastic directs the light to point down directly at the screen and then reflects back to u illuminating the screen. With a few other components. I've got everything pretty much on paper accept what kind of plastic to use. I heard it has to be sliced at just the right angle to direct the light evenly over the screen. Any ideas or anyone have any info they would like to share.

Thank you

 

[IHEARTSEGA]

OK, I did some more reading.

The kit came with 2 white LEDs. The LEDs may be "SMT LEDs" or some kind of LE strip. The light guide/wedge may be made of polycarbonate or casted acrylic. I also heard that it may be possible to sub the light guide with the plastic from a broken LCD screen. The kit also came with a 40ohm resistor and a pot to adjust the brightness.

I think it would be extremely cheep and easy to mimic the afterburner if i could only find out what they used for the light guide. So i could then sub in an imitator or jimmy rig one up. Does anyone know where a copy of the afterburner instructions are or if anyone has installed one could tell me what they think it is.

Thank you

MORE INFO:
""""""""In the book, Game Console Hacking, they show how to hack a light & a dimmer into the original GBA.

Syngress published it, authors:
Joe Grand
Frank Thornton
Albert Yarusso

Just for the record, my GBA SP, has the light at the bottom of the screen, from how it looks from all angles. Sure, you can see the light at the top and sides, but it's much brighter at the bottom. Plus it's light control switch is only on and off, no dimming.
It's model AGS-001 made in 2002.""""""""""

The plastic is a "light guide" . It's a piece of plastic with angled grooves cut into it. Then the light shines into the side of it and the grooves refract the light down onto the Lcd.

The grooves have to be cut at the precise angle depending on the amount of light being used and the size of the plastic.

 

[o0ICE0o]

Is it posible to take one of the ones from an sp, and put it in the original?

 

[IHEARTSEGA]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPs_tOShFbg

this is one supposedly from a sp but i have read any where that this is possible or how to do so.

I am already looking into buying a cheap broken sp. Hopefully if i can't use the light i could at least use its "light director"

I did see some people asking about it but some one "said" that the screen on the sp is much deeper and that it would be hard to fit it in there.

 

[IHEARTSEGA]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i found somthing good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnaTBrq_EBE

tell me what you u think

 

[IHEARTSEGA]

has anyone tried or seen this done to gba

 

[Llama Riot]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Halo-Back-Li...#ht_1463wt_1170

They sell them on ebay.

 

[IHEARTSEGA]

lol that's exterior lmao

I FUCKING FOUND IT HERE!! LOOKS

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...%26tbs%3Disch:1

OH go to page one in the link

 

[Llama Riot]

http://gameboy.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r21400.htm

Best your gonna get and at only $14.99 they are a steal, i'm gonna pick one up for myself.

 

[IHEARTSEGA]

lol who wants to lug around a exterior light!!! and um just get a broken sp for like 10 bucks just make sure the light works u don't need anything else and bam!!! some one may even be willing to give me a broken sp. and uber plus its internal and i got props and can go around saying ooo loook at my front light gba! function baller status and cheep w00t w00t

 

[Llama Riot]

jesus christ you are a fucking retard. The halo is much better than the original afterburner, and way easier than what your proposing to do.

 

[cracker]

Messing with a working LCD is never a good idea if it is your only system. You can easily tear the ribbon cable and at the very least get dust trapped inside the LCD/lens. I am guessing you want the best of both worlds -- GBA original layout + GBA SP backlit display? A homebrewn workalike of that would probably cost more than it was worth since you would need to cut some very thin plexiglass/plastic to act as a light spreader and then get some surface mount diodes, wire, etc (not considering if you have a soldering iron or not). Basically it would not be cheap or easy for someone asking this question on this forum...

 

[Llama Riot]

Installation is a snap; simply pop off the cover screen with the handy removal tool (included), pop in the new Halo screen and plug the control node into your link port.

 

[IHEARTSEGA]

Naw I've been tinkering with my gba for the past few days and have been really careful about the dust. But everything else is a snap! I've done no damage to it.

Though i do remember when i first started making things do what they weren't meant to do i used to break everything.

Oh, and there is a light director in the sp. Everything is there. I didn't know that the older ones were front lit i thought they were all back lit! Knowing that would have saved me a lot of time!

And when i did find out some guy said it would fit because of its depth. Wow annoying people.

And Llame riot still no ew external lights ruin everything. Clunky ugly and just plane not as effective plus u loose bragging rights

 

[Llama Riot]

the light is every bit as internal what your going to do, the connector piece powers the light that is in the replacement lens.

 

[IHEARTSEGA]

yeah but it is all big and clunky and no longer looks like the original GBA u might as well get that Chinese knock off

 

[DanTheManMS]

Could have helped you sooner if I had seen this topic sooner. http://www.pocketheaven.com/ph/boards/viewtopic.php?t=6813 goes into detail on how to gut an original SP to get its frontlight and anti-glare film for transplantation onto the original GBA. I believe he also added it to the GBC with slightly less success.