Hello,

I saw an old (locked) thread about making a switch that would swap the screens on a DS Phat from top to bottom on a single screen, which is useful for a Macro build or a DMG shell build. I've been doing DMG shell builds but the Macros will work the same way.

Here's the schematic that I've drawn:

Using a three terminal switch, keeping the middle pin as the top screen input and the left and right pins as the signal 1 and signal 2 pins respectively, you'll be able to switch back and forth between the top and bottom screens without any signal loss or degradation. I've also marked a few spots to trim the board to fit in a DMG shell and marked some of the surface mound LEDs to be removed if you use external LEDs.

DCLK1 and DCLK2 are the test pads that correspond to the top and bottom screen signals, with Signal 1 being the bottom screen and Signal 2 being the top screen. You can use the touchscreen as well with this screen swap method because it doesn't alter touchscreen input at all. This schematic uses the top screen due to it's longer ribbon cable because I shoehorn these into DMG shells. Cutting the trace is the most difficult part of this entire operation. You'll want to use a fiberglass rubbing pen or similar to buff the silk screen around the through hole to solder your wire as well. I like to use legs cut from the resistor and solder those into the hole.

Happy to alter or accept advice on this method! It's been working very well for me; the method shown in the other thread always gave me certain amounts of screen degradation.

 

[DeoNaught]

Hey I know you! I follow you on Instagram

Do you have to do anything when removing the bottom screen? like when you remove the top screen, you have to add a resistor, anything like that for removing the bottom screen?

My friend did something like that, but the bottom screen (kept), and does the switching
https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/gameboy-macro-screen-swapping.1675/

 

[GooseWerks]

Hey I know you! I follow you on Instagram

Do you have to do anything when removing the bottom screen? like when you remove the top screen, you have to add a resistor, anything like that for removing the bottom screen?

My friend did something like that, but the bottom screen (kept), and does the switching
https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/gameboy-macro-screen-swapping.1675/

Awesome! Yes, there's a 330ohm resistor to be added, it's on the lower right half of the schematic I posted. That will bypass the bottom screen LED so the DS will power up.

 

[froggestspirit]

Well well well! I might be the one that posted the first public schematic for screen swap, though i think i posted it on bitbuilt. I'll have to try this out, since my original way gave me screen jitters from time to time. nice find!

 

[GooseWerks]

Well well well! I might be the one that posted the first public schematic for screen swap, though i think i posted it on bitbuilt. I'll have to try this out, since my original way gave me screen jitters from time to time. nice find!

It probably was! I was getting a lot of jitter but this one is jitter-free. I'm not sure what was causing it but I appreciate you giving the idea for this.

 

[RunFwrd]

this is awesome

 

[FAST6191]

Somehow missed this the other day. Didn't even think to look to see if the screen signals were one channel and thus amenable to such things (assumed because or ribbon...).

 

[DeoNaught]

Somehow missed this the other day. Didn't even think to look to see if the screen signals were one channel and thus amenable to such things (assumed because or ribbon...).

The Ds Phat is weird

 

[wyweb]

Hello,

I saw an old (locked) thread about making a switch that would swap the screens on a DS Phat from top to bottom on a single screen, which is useful for a Macro build or a DMG shell build. I've been doing DMG shell builds but the Macros will work the same way.

Here's the schematic that I've drawn:

Using a three terminal switch, keeping the middle pin as the top screen input and the left and right pins as the signal 1 and signal 2 pins respectively, you'll be able to switch back and forth between the top and bottom screens without any signal loss or degradation. I've also marked a few spots to trim the board to fit in a DMG shell and marked some of the surface mound LEDs to be removed if you use external LEDs.

DCLK1 and DCLK2 are the test pads that correspond to the top and bottom screen signals, with Signal 1 being the bottom screen and Signal 2 being the top screen. You can use the touchscreen as well with this screen swap method because it doesn't alter touchscreen input at all. This schematic uses the top screen due to it's longer ribbon cable because I shoehorn these into DMG shells. Cutting the trace is the most difficult part of this entire operation. You'll want to use a fiberglass rubbing pen or similar to buff the silk screen around the through hole to solder your wire as well. I like to use legs cut from the resistor and solder those into the hole.

Happy to alter or accept advice on this method! It's been working very well for me; the method shown in the other thread always gave me certain amounts of screen degradation.

I absolutely love this mod. Looking to do this whilst keeping the bottom screen, not the top (similar to what DeoNaught posted, basically a Gameboy Macro with a switch, like this )
Is there anything different I would need to do?

Also, quick question. What do the two lines next to the DL1 & DL2 mean, and what do the two circles next to the MICIN mean?

 

[FAST6191]

It mentions on the picture and the post.
Some people (presumably when shoving the board into another case) like to have their own LEDs placed wherever they need. You can remove those LEDs with the lines through them and replicate their effects by running wires from the pads (if you look to the left you will see the colours that they correspond to).

 

[wyweb]

Ah. Thanks

 

[wyweb]

Hello,

I saw an old (locked) thread about making a switch that would swap the screens on a DS Phat from top to bottom on a single screen, which is useful for a Macro build or a DMG shell build. I've been doing DMG shell builds but the Macros will work the same way.

Here's the schematic that I've drawn:

Using a three terminal switch, keeping the middle pin as the top screen input and the left and right pins as the signal 1 and signal 2 pins respectively, you'll be able to switch back and forth between the top and bottom screens without any signal loss or degradation. I've also marked a few spots to trim the board to fit in a DMG shell and marked some of the surface mound LEDs to be removed if you use external LEDs.

DCLK1 and DCLK2 are the test pads that correspond to the top and bottom screen signals, with Signal 1 being the bottom screen and Signal 2 being the top screen. You can use the touchscreen as well with this screen swap method because it doesn't alter touchscreen input at all. This schematic uses the top screen due to it's longer ribbon cable because I shoehorn these into DMG shells. Cutting the trace is the most difficult part of this entire operation. You'll want to use a fiberglass rubbing pen or similar to buff the silk screen around the through hole to solder your wire as well. I like to use legs cut from the resistor and solder those into the hole.

Happy to alter or accept advice on this method! It's been working very well for me; the method shown in the other thread always gave me certain amounts of screen degradation.

I noticed you said a 3 terminal switch is needed. Does it have to be 3 position/3 terminal as well, or can it be only 2 position/3 terminal?

 

[FAST6191]

I noticed you said a 3 terminal switch is needed. Does it have to be 3 position/3 terminal as well, or can it be only 2 position/3 terminal?

The design seems like the 2 position one is the better choice. The idea is the middle pin (which is active in either setting) is the one going to the screen. Setting it to either side changes the input which is sent to the screen. 3 position could still be made to work depending upon what those 3 positions do but would either have a redundant setting or possibly send signals places where they don't need to be.

 

[IC_]

I did this (with the bottom screen) but this happens when I switch to top screen, what did I do wrong? I checked that the bottom screen signal is not connected when the switch is in the top position

 

[GooseWerks]

Did you cut the trace?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I did this (with the bottom screen) but this happens when I switch to top screen, what did I do wrong? I checked that the bottom screen signal is not connected when the switch is in the top position

Did you cut the trace?

 

[IC_]

Did you cut the trace?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------



Did you cut the trace?

Yeah I did and made sure that there's no continuity with a multimeter, I tried messing with it a bit more after that and that solder pad for the top screen signal got lifted so I just gave up and reconnected that cut trace to make it like it was before...

 

[GooseWerks]

Shoot.

Keeping the wire length short is also important. I'm going to make some more stuff soon and I'll share some photos.

 

[Madcomrade98]

Hello i know this is a little different and a lot of whats in this thread is from a while back but im looking into trying to output the ds video signal to a raspberry pi to try to use it as a ds capture device. Do you think it would be possible to connect the too screen input pin to say the composite tv pin of a raspberry pi? Im been trying to do a lot of research to find a way i could approach this.

 

[IC_]

Hello i know this is a little different and a lot of whats in this thread is from a while back but im looking into trying to output the ds video signal to a raspberry pi to try to use it as a ds capture device. Do you think it would be possible to connect the too screen input pin to say the composite tv pin of a raspberry pi? Im been trying to do a lot of research to find a way i could approach this.

You would have to get one of those special DS capture boards and then connect it to the raspberry pi over USB. The raspberry pi probably just wouldn't be able to directly convert and capture the DS video signal with the I/O and processing hardware that it has.

https://www.3dscapture.com/ds/index.html