I want to buy a GBA handheld

[Sakitoshi]

Do you have a guide for adding the headphone port? This is something I would like to give a go during my next weekend off.

I'm at work now. but once I got home I can elaborate something. the pictures that took when modded the thing are horrid that I'm shocked I was able to take pictures that blurry.
The general idea is to drill the case to make room for the jack and then solder the wires to the charging port internally

Spoiler: pinout

Spoiler: case modification

click for large images

maybe you'll be able to made a decent guide. I'm very bad making guides.

Well yes - if you bridge them permanently, the speakers will be disabled. I figured you'd use a GBA SP connector for this sort of thing, but if you want it permanently in the system, you could connect the two pins with a switch or something.


That being said, GBA SP headphone adapters are readily available, so you don't have to fiddle with it yourself - they're super-cheap on EBay.

the quality of these adapters is also very super-cheap and don't last for very long.

that problem with the forever disabled speaker is easily fixed if you manage to fit a 3.5mm plug with switch inside. I barely managed to fit one without switch from a dead mp3 player and added the extra contact with a bent paperclip soldered to ground and soldering pin1 with audio ground together, so when you aren't using a headphone the speaker still works.

 

[eriol33]

wow so much replies, thanks guys. I actually have a pspgo and I have been using it for awhile (want to sell it for psp 3000 though). the compatibility is really good, but I honestly not satisfied since I never had chance to play in the original hardware. looks like gba SP is the best choice among three? Is the battery still available widely (third party battery is also fine). looks like I will have to hunt ez flash IV, but that's fine.

hmm GBA SP doesn't have audio jack huh (d'oh). but I guess that's fine, I don't use earphone that often anyway

 

[Harsky]

wow so much replies, thanks guys. I actually have a pspgo and I have been using it for awhile (want to sell it for psp 3000 though). the compatibility is really good, but I honestly not satisfied since I never had chance to play in the original hardware. looks like gba SP is the best choice among three? Is the battery still available widely (third party battery is also fine). looks like I will have to hunt ez flash IV, but that's fine.

hmm GBA SP doesn't have audio jack huh (d'oh). but I guess that's fine, I don't use earphone that often anyway

GBA SP is a pretty good out of the three. Battery for GBA SP is still available on ebay but be warned that if they're anything like the DS Lite's ones, they'll work for a few months and then it'll go bad and won't hold a charge for long. As for the headphones, you can get these cheap adapters but the downside is that you can't charge the GBA SP and use the headphones at the same time.

 

[Joe88]

wow so much replies, thanks guys. I actually have a pspgo and I have been using it for awhile (want to sell it for psp 3000 though). the compatibility is really good, but I honestly not satisfied since I never had chance to play in the original hardware. looks like gba SP is the best choice among three? Is the battery still available widely (third party battery is also fine). looks like I will have to hunt ez flash IV, but that's fine.

hmm GBA SP doesn't have audio jack huh (d'oh). but I guess that's fine, I don't use earphone that often anyway

EZ Flash IV
http://www.realhotstuff.hk/EZ-Flash-IV-with-Mini-card-adaptor_p_76.html

2GB MiniSD + MiniSD to SD Adapter
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Ki...ory_Card_Readers_Adapters&hash=item4aca218c75

you have to find the rest, plenty of AGS-101's on ebay, you will have to pay up for a good condition one (around $50-75 depending on color)
I also recommend a gaming grip, batteries are plentiful so that shouldnt be a concern

 

[Foxi4]

eriol33 I know for a fact that JamiePashley has a ready-to-play set of a GBA SP+EZ-Flash IV for sale, I'll refer you to him. You'll probably pay less than on EBay or on Real Hot Stuff that way.

Don't worry about the headphone business - GBA SP headphone adapters are available online for next to nothing.

*Snip!*

Smart approach. I was thinking of using the female mini jack sleeve pin as a trigger - open up the connector and separate the part that connects to the sleeve (normally used for the microphone but here it's unoccupied) into two, then connect the detection pins to them. That way, with the male mini jack in, the speakers would turn off, with the jack out, they would turn back on - that's a switch-less solution, altough it does require a bit of precise "crafting".

 

[eriol33]

unfortunately I don't think I can use ebay, the shipping cost might be too expensive for me (I'm in new zealand at the moment). don't worry about it, I know a lot of place where I can find retro stuff. thanks for the suggestion

 

[Satangel]

unfortunately I don't think I can use ebay, the shipping cost might be too expensive for me (I'm in new zealand at the moment). don't worry about it, I know a lot of place where I can find retro stuff. thanks for the suggestion

If you could stop by in Belgium, I'd give you my GBA and EZ IV. And hell, I'd throw my old DS Lite + 2 flashcards in it too. For free
See you then!

 

[Veho]

EZ Flash IV
http://www.realhotstuff.hk/EZ-Flash-IV-with-Mini-card-adaptor_p_76.html

Word of warning: it uses MiniSD cards, and the site offers microSD cards and (according to user reviews) no micro-to-mini adapter.
Also, the EZF IV can't read SDHC cards, so you can only use cards up to 2GB (still enough to hold over 200 GBA games so that's okay), and you have to be careful with the 2GB ones as they might be SDHC already.

 

[Sakitoshi]

Word of warning: it uses MiniSD cards, and the site offers microSD cards and (according to user reviews) no micro-to-mini adapter.
Also, the EZF IV can't read SDHC cards, so you can only use cards up to 2GB (still enough to hold over 200 GBA games so that's okay), and you have to be careful with the 2GB ones as they might be SDHC already.

absolutely no 2GB SD card is SDHC. but apparently there is a grey area on 4GB ones where some early 4GB cards are regular SD and later 4GB cards are SDHC.
also is wise to advise that some people have problems with micro-to-mini adapters and the EZF IV refuse to detect the SD card. that being said I myself use a micro-to-mini adapter with a Kingston 2GB card without problems and with plenty games to play until my GBA SP disintegrates for playing that much.

 

[Veho]

absolutely no 2GB SD card is SDHC. but apparently there is a grey area on 4GB ones where some early 4GB cards are regular SD and later 4GB cards are SDHC.

Yeah, that's what I meant I knew there was an overlap at some size but I could have sworn it was at 2GB.

 

[Chocolina]

The average used PSP costs $20 give or take based on cosmetic quality compared to a used GBA SP.

A used GBA Micro however can often cost as much as double or more than GBA SP even at "okay" cosmetic condition. Because the Micro is so easily scratched, and not abundantly available as every other handheld system, it's price can be overwhelming IMO for what you're actually getting. If you ever think about getting a micro for any reason other than collecting, just get a PSP.

 

[eriol33]

I have psp go, good sir. I honestly no complaint with the emulators, but I have always wanted to play in original hardware

 

[IpsoFact0]

i know this is a old thread but has anyone noticed that any headphones that have 3 rings on the audio jack dont workwith the gba headphone adapter?

 

[FAST6191]

That sounds more like you have a bad adapter, bad socket, or all your headphones have a dodgy trs plug or are all crazy high power things and that probably did not happen so back to the former.

 

[IpsoFact0]

That sounds more like you have a bad adapter, bad socket, or all your headphones have a dodgy trs plug or are all crazy high power things and that probably did not happen so back to the former.

brand new pair of beats dont work with the adapter..old shitty pair work just fine so yeah..

 

[Sakitoshi]

That's because most plugs are designed for normal plugs, not the ones with microphone.
And those kind of headphones are not intended to work with devices with no microphone support either.

 

[yeshuachrist]

PSP TV is cheap and it can play gba roms, its the same as a psp vita, plus there still making games for it