Videos like yours are a welcome distraction to the intensity of our nation's challenges right now. I know your area is heavily affected, so be safe and well, Colin.
Thank you, Colin! We always appreciate you covering not only what these mods do and the install, but the troubleshooting too. It *IS* a small board... we may make the pads bigger in the next revision. Thanks again for sharing RetroSix's work and glad you had fun with it.
Another question: I have a GameBoy Color, where the sound is not working at the moment... I think, the capacitors are dead. Does this module connect directly to the sound chip an overrides the caps, so the loudspeaker is working again? I do not need the headphone jack in this case :)
One thing to note too, since the board is very small it’s also easy to short those wires on neighboring components. The installer really needs to make sure that they keep the ends of their wires tinned, and properly trimmed.
You may have to sand the sides of the the CleanPower board a bit and possibly widen the space in one of the brackets inside the shell. Or at least I had to to get a good fit...
Good timing for your video Colin - I ordered my CleanAmp from RetroSix in the UK last week, so hopefully will get installing it in my original DMG soon.
This is pretty sweet. I was considering adding this to a gameboy I'm rebuilding but I rarely use the speakers over the prosound or regular headphone jacks. I'm pretty sure Nintendo intentionally gimped the volume on their older handhelds to save parent's sanity on road trips and the like.
OMG I literally bought this amp last week and have been so afraid to solder it since it's so insanely tiny. I had been hoping you'd make some kind of video and here it is! Thanks so much!! (Also I didn't get a manual on mine)
Sorry about that, you not getting the manual - they come to us pre-packaged. If you didnt find it already, we link to installation guides for most things from the product page... here's the latest PDF: drive.google.com/file/d/1XvRbNfxKpfv2uk4FeQXZslVD1H9KEmen/view
Hey Colin, I found your channel around a month ago when I decided to get more seriously into console repair/mods, and yours is by far my favorite channel to watch around that theme. The production quality is always excellent and pleasing, and I appreciate the depth and detail you convey in your discussions. I now watch your videos any time I’m trying to learn something, or just want to relax for a bit and listen to some interesting new concepts and perspectives. Please don’t stop doing what you do, these videos are very meaningful for a lot of us!
Yeah I just got a clean amp mod kit just like your it was my first solder wire job and as you said Colin this is loud as heck I cannot believe that I did it for myself and I’m so happy that you had a great video on this mod thanks for this awesome video keep it up and be safe
Your solder joints look pretty cold, maybe pick up a TS100, flash the community sourced firmware and make a review video on it, I'd love to see your input. They can be powered via hobby lipo batteries for portability as well.
I’ve been using these little amps on my builds for the last few months. It really does make a huge difference. They’re cheap enough that I’ll throw one in every build moving forward.
I you're going to go through all that, I would get a neodymium speaker for better bass response. Well, don't expect a sub woofer, but any amount of lower frequency gain would be greatly appreciated.
Agreed - and the Game Boy Colors for some reason are notorious for having their speakers go bad for seemingly no reason. One key indication is if it is a stock speaker with a plastic cone, that you'll see 'rust' inside the speaker, following the speaker wire inside of it. The worse that 'rust' is, usually the worse the speaker... until it just fails. It's an easy fix, just replace the speaker with a new 23mm one... and of course add the amp for some kick if you like. ;)
I picked this up when I ordered the retrosix USB C battery and haven't installed it yet. Glad to see it's a good unit as it's much cheaper than other proprietary mods. It would be worth looking into comparing the various audio mods vs the PAM chip.
Well there are a couple of the PAMs too... the PAM8302A (a clone of the PAM8302) and then also the PAM8403... we carry those too, and they each have their own pros, cons, and specs. While the PAM8302A and PAM8403 are both higher in wattage than the CleanAmp, they also arent designed to ensure noise reduction the way the CleanAmp is... the notable result is when Colin turns up the volume on his DMG the audio is clear... usually the PAMs will boost the volume... but unfortunately also background noise too.
It sounds like it's not playing either the left or right channel though. Listen to the percussion in the Mario Land comparison (percussion pans left to right every few beats). Before the mod you could hear the percussion through the whole piece, but with the mod, you only hear it every other beat.
@@tiojuan174 From what I can tell, it looks like they only ask you to solder to the amp the left and ground pins on the back PCB of the DMG. If their diagrams had more details.
These are always super cool the only that sucks is if you are rebuilding it gets expensive. If these were made over seas they would be more affordable. But overall still awesome 😎
Practice your soldering a bit (and clean or change your iron's tip). You would be amazed of how much proper soldering and tools (plus non clean flux) matter to these mods. Cheers!
I got one of these, and sadly messed it up. I cannot agree more - you need to have some level of expertise with soldering - it's absolutley tiny, and I struggled with getting one of the connections made, which ended up lifting off the solder pad. I'm no expert, but I've managed to solder various console and handheld mods before. Frustrating! But at that low cost it isn't the end of the world - I have just ordered a replacement. Practise makes perfect :)
i remember diong this as my first ever console mod/soldering mod.. my unit was called the GBAMP and i managed to fry 3 gameboy color boards til i realized my flux was highly conductive for some stupid reason.. but it was awesome with a nds speaker
Neat little amp, but at 3:07 the modded version sounds like it's missing the right stereo channel (half of the hi-hats are missing). Maybe the right channel is running into the same connection issue as the power was? If that's the case, then I'm wondering if it could be even louder when connected properly.
The question I have is when he plays the volume with the mod installed why don't we hear the sound effects of Mario getting hit or when playing Tetris we don't hear the pieces smacking together like we normally would??
Hey Colin, great video! I had some bad luck with this kit a few weeks ago, I installed it and it was working great. But then I installed the DMG IPS screen kit and unfortunately the sound totally died. I took out the speaker mod and re-soldered the old speaker but still got no sound. I don't know if it's the fault of the kit or maybe it just isn't compatible with the IPS board. In the end I had to get another console to complete my build with the new screen, I just used the stock speaker instead.
I have been unable to order from HHL. Unanswered support tickets, and all orders get cancelled for "fraudulent" but no reason given as to why. I've been ordering with my credit card and the payment goes through to them, then refunded right back. I'm at wits end, I want my IPS screen for my DMG, I even ordered other parts and never had HHL deliver once for anything I ordered. Literally no one helps me, it's like no one works there.
It works in the GBA - that is honestly the console we install it in the most when it comes to custom systems. It sounds just as clean as when Colin put it into his DMG. Promise!
Great video. Which ISP is that? I have the V2 from Handheld Legend and the button response is almost non-existent. Do you have any recommendation for that? I have tried both the OEM silicone pads as well as ones from HHL & receive the same terrible response.
My understanding is that there’s no hardware differences with the Play it Loud series, and that the name is just a play on words referencing the colors the shells came in. This mod should work the same on any version of DMG.
@@ThisDoesNotCompute I always imagined that the Play it Loud Gameboys had better speakers. That is some misleading marketing right there! Thanks for the answer.
I understand that Nintendo designs its products for a very "Japanese" environment where noisy things are not frowned upon, so their handheld consoles will provide a predominantly low audio level. However outside of Japan this is very different, and the sound is often overshadowed by the environment we are used to. This mod solves something that shouldn't be a problem for the Japanese, but it was frustrating for us (at least for me) the low volume level that the Game Boy offered .... and let alone the Game Boy Color that it was even worse.
That's one reason Nintendo does it, but there are some other reasons as well, which is power draw to help battery life much as possible, and they know a large portion of their target audience are kids, and it's so the volume levels are not so loud they annoying the parents when they are not using headphones/earbuds, plus in regards to kids it's also so it's hearing safe for younger children when they are using normal headphones/earbuds that aren't volume limited(kid friendly/child safe branded ones) Thankfully in recent years Nintendo with the Switch/Switch Lite has given us the option in software to turn off volume limiting, but I will admit the speakers on the Switch Lite could have been forward facing along with being a hair louder with bit more low end punch, and same with the "NEW" 2DS XL, as I have to carry a Boomcloud 360 headphone amp for use with my 2DS XL.
@@CommodoreFan64 Sure, battery consumption was a problem then (and still is). And on the New 2DS, in addition to the low volume, it must be added that the speakers are very badly located in the case, so that you can easily cover them with your hands.
I wonder if this could be done on a "NEW" 2DS XL as the sound output from it on both it's speakers, and headphone jack are truly bad, too the point I keep a Boomcloud 360 headphone amp in my EDC cable bag.
Honestly the CleanAmp is designed to boost line-level input, so as long as you know where in a console to power it from, what voltage you've got available, and then where the line-level audio is, you'd be good to install this is nearly anything. It's designed for the Game Boy family, but that's not the only thing it can do. Check out the product page (link in Colin's description) and at the bottom is the link to the manual... take a look and you'll see what I'm referring to.
Essentially wattage, number of channels, and then installation... if you want something that is easier to install then you can go with things like the PAM8302A, PAM8302, PAM8403, or even the HXJ8002... many times people will just take the speaker output of the console then re-amplify it with the amplifier PCB... which boost volume for sure but also can amplify (and sometimes introduce) noise. Amps such as the CleanAmp (and the classic GBAmp) are designed to be wired in a way that they arent boosting the amplified console output, they are amplifying the line-level output, which doesnt introduce noise and has a much cleaner-sounding result. So... there are basically too many differences to be directly compared. It depends on a number of things. The CleanAmp you'll want to have some soldering skills under your belt, but it's also amongst the cleanest sounding results.
Yeah, that is if you can get your order without hand held legend canceling your order because they think it's fraudulent and never respond to your emails.
Hey Colin! How thick is the wire that you used for the connection? I can find something between 0,1 mm and 0,35mm at Amazon in Germany, so I habe no idea what I have to order....
I used 28awg magnet wire, which works out to about .3mm diameter. You’d likely be fine with thicker wire if you wanted, I just used what I had on hand already.
I wasn't impressed with these to be honest. I bought one for my Game Boy Color, and while yes, it makes it louder, it also amplifies the static noise that is present on all Game Boy Colors. I contacted retrosix about this, and they told me to replace various caps related to the audio circuitry, and while that had a small effect on the noise, it didn't eliminate it entirely. So overall, I wouldn't recommend this mod. I'd recommend looking for an audio mod that can remove the noise. Oh, and those solder joints look pretty crusty there Colin :P
It depends on which Game Boy it is and such on what the causes could be... if it is a Game Boy Color and modded with a TFT- or IPS- based LCD kit, check out the replacement capacitor for noise reduction in our Game Boy Color category. You could also look up 'decoupling capacitors' and your Game Boy model to see about that path too. Welcome to modding - half of the fun is looking up all the things it could be and trying to figure it out. :)
Funny you should mention that... introducing the RetroSix CleanJuice GBA! A 1,700mAh LiPo battery with loads of playtime even on a fully modded GBA... and just yesterday we asked Colin if he'd like to play with one! handheldlegend.com/collections/game-boy-advance-gba/products/cleanjuice-game-boy-advance-li-ion-rechargeable-battery-module
@@lechatvenere i know this is 2 years late but it was the GBC. i got a DMG that i have no trouble hearing. it could have been a bad cap i ended up selling the console and buying a new color that also is extremely quiet.
The "coated magnet wire" isnt too hard to find in a general search, and as an alternative you could also go 30 gauge (aka 30 AWG) solid-core wire... it is a bit larger in diameter, but works equally well. I must admit the magnet wire is quite tiny... the solid-core wire is a bit less stiff tho.
Videos like yours are a welcome distraction to the intensity of our nation's challenges right now.
I know your area is heavily affected, so be safe and well, Colin.
Thank you, Colin! We always appreciate you covering not only what these mods do and the install, but the troubleshooting too. It *IS* a small board... we may make the pads bigger in the next revision. Thanks again for sharing RetroSix's work and glad you had fun with it.
Is there a distributor in Germany? I can only order it from the UK with high postage costs.
Another question: I have a GameBoy Color, where the sound is not working at the moment... I think, the capacitors are dead. Does this module connect directly to the sound chip an overrides the caps, so the loudspeaker is working again? I do not need the headphone jack in this case :)
Hey Guys please include the cables in the kit
It sounds like the mod only plays the left or right channel though (e.g the mario land percussion)
One thing to note too, since the board is very small it’s also easy to short those wires on neighboring components. The installer really needs to make sure that they keep the ends of their wires tinned, and properly trimmed.
Such a neat mod. And that Game Boy looks so gorgeous with the IPS screen.
I actually have one of these coming Monday, as well as the CleanPower mod, so amazing timing for this video to show up. Thanks!
It's a good combo! Thanks for the support. :)
You may have to sand the sides of the the CleanPower board a bit and possibly widen the space in one of the brackets inside the shell. Or at least I had to to get a good fit...
@@HandHeldLegend Should also give you guys a huge thanks for the quick response on my faulty IPS screen. Props to Dustin and Lauren!
Good timing for your video Colin - I ordered my CleanAmp from RetroSix in the UK last week, so hopefully will get installing it in my original DMG soon.
This is pretty sweet. I was considering adding this to a gameboy I'm rebuilding but I rarely use the speakers over the prosound or regular headphone jacks. I'm pretty sure Nintendo intentionally gimped the volume on their older handhelds to save parent's sanity on road trips and the like.
WHA? I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER HOW LOUD MA TETRIS IS ON MA GAMEBOY!
jokes aside. Neat little mod!
HALF PAST TWELVE
OMG I literally bought this amp last week and have been so afraid to solder it since it's so insanely tiny. I had been hoping you'd make some kind of video and here it is! Thanks so much!!
(Also I didn't get a manual on mine)
Mod it to your GBA, it works on that, from what I'm reading on the website!!!
@@nerdicusx Thas the plan
Sorry about that, you not getting the manual - they come to us pre-packaged. If you didnt find it already, we link to installation guides for most things from the product page... here's the latest PDF:
drive.google.com/file/d/1XvRbNfxKpfv2uk4FeQXZslVD1H9KEmen/view
Hey Colin, I found your channel around a month ago when I decided to get more seriously into console repair/mods, and yours is by far my favorite channel to watch around that theme. The production quality is always excellent and pleasing, and I appreciate the depth and detail you convey in your discussions. I now watch your videos any time I’m trying to learn something, or just want to relax for a bit and listen to some interesting new concepts and perspectives. Please don’t stop doing what you do, these videos are very meaningful for a lot of us!
Yours sincerely,
Colin
Yeah I just got a clean amp mod kit just like your it was my first solder wire job and as you said Colin this is loud as heck I cannot believe that I did it for myself and I’m so happy that you had a great video on this mod thanks for this awesome video keep it up and be safe
Yeah I got this kit from Handheld Legend
Your solder joints look pretty cold, maybe pick up a TS100, flash the community sourced firmware and make a review video on it, I'd love to see your input.
They can be powered via hobby lipo batteries for portability as well.
Agree with everything except the bit about hearing his inputs.
Ralim100 firmware is known to nuke the OLED display on the TS100. Already lost one iron to that firmware. Use the stock firmware
get a flux pen at least... it will look beautiful
Great mod and amazing price! I loved the manual with clean photos and explanation. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve been using these little amps on my builds for the last few months. It really does make a huge difference. They’re cheap enough that I’ll throw one in every build moving forward.
I you're going to go through all that, I would get a neodymium speaker for better bass response. Well, don't expect a sub woofer, but any amount of lower frequency gain would be greatly appreciated.
This amp sounds nice, but my preference is the pam8302a :)
Any chance of you making a tutorial on installing that pam amp in a dmg?
Long live the PAM8302A! 🙏 It will always have a special place in our hearts, too, Natalie. :)
That would be great for the Color as it's always had a pretty quiet speaker.
Agreed - and the Game Boy Colors for some reason are notorious for having their speakers go bad for seemingly no reason. One key indication is if it is a stock speaker with a plastic cone, that you'll see 'rust' inside the speaker, following the speaker wire inside of it. The worse that 'rust' is, usually the worse the speaker... until it just fails. It's an easy fix, just replace the speaker with a new 23mm one... and of course add the amp for some kick if you like. ;)
I need a few of these for various GameBoys...great video as usual
I picked this up when I ordered the retrosix USB C battery and haven't installed it yet. Glad to see it's a good unit as it's much cheaper than other proprietary mods. It would be worth looking into comparing the various audio mods vs the PAM chip.
Well there are a couple of the PAMs too... the PAM8302A (a clone of the PAM8302) and then also the PAM8403... we carry those too, and they each have their own pros, cons, and specs. While the PAM8302A and PAM8403 are both higher in wattage than the CleanAmp, they also arent designed to ensure noise reduction the way the CleanAmp is... the notable result is when Colin turns up the volume on his DMG the audio is clear... usually the PAMs will boost the volume... but unfortunately also background noise too.
@@HandHeldLegend thanks for the response! super informative.
Great video. But that board has some corrosion, to clean it you use white vineager and then IPA. :)
It sounds like it's not playing either the left or right channel though. Listen to the percussion in the Mario Land comparison (percussion pans left to right every few beats). Before the mod you could hear the percussion through the whole piece, but with the mod, you only hear it every other beat.
@@tiojuan174 From what I can tell, it looks like they only ask you to solder to the amp the left and ground pins on the back PCB of the DMG. If their diagrams had more details.
You can use LAN cables, the wires inside are thin and multi-colored.
These are always super cool the only that sucks is if you are rebuilding it gets expensive. If these were made over seas they would be more affordable. But overall still awesome 😎
Nice simple mod. But not sure how you can do the audio comparison in one take and still have gameplay sounds match.
After hearing how loud this thing is now, I'm pretty sure the low volume was intentional by Nintendo so parents wouldn't go crazy...
The clear and visual instructions are a pretty big deal considering how confusing it could be for newcomers to route multiple wires
Practice your soldering a bit (and clean or change your iron's tip). You would be amazed of how much proper soldering and tools (plus non clean flux) matter to these mods. Cheers!
I got one of these, and sadly messed it up. I cannot agree more - you need to have some level of expertise with soldering - it's absolutley tiny, and I struggled with getting one of the connections made, which ended up lifting off the solder pad. I'm no expert, but I've managed to solder various console and handheld mods before. Frustrating! But at that low cost it isn't the end of the world - I have just ordered a replacement. Practise makes perfect :)
i remember diong this as my first ever console mod/soldering mod.. my unit was called the GBAMP and i managed to fry 3 gameboy color boards til i realized my flux was highly conductive for some stupid reason.. but it was awesome with a nds speaker
I did this an hour before you posted this video. How crazy is that??
Install a small high speed fan with busted bearings inside for extra noise.
As the guy trying to sleep in a cramped airline seat two rows behind your kid with an iPad or a 3DS, I’ve got a mod for your quiet device speaker:
🎧❗️
Of course. Where was this video when I was trying to find info about this kit a MONTH ago? I completely desoldered a component by accident 😩
Very well made video!
Dude...this amp maybe works with POCKETCHIP TOO! fuck yeahhhhhhh
Neat little amp, but at 3:07 the modded version sounds like it's missing the right stereo channel (half of the hi-hats are missing). Maybe the right channel is running into the same connection issue as the power was?
If that's the case, then I'm wondering if it could be even louder when connected properly.
Nice mod, good video!
Awesome video as usual!
Do you have any recommendations for console mods or projects to build up some soldering experience?
The question I have is when he plays the volume with the mod installed why don't we hear the sound effects of Mario getting hit or when playing Tetris we don't hear the pieces smacking together like we normally would??
Hey Colin, great video!
I had some bad luck with this kit a few weeks ago, I installed it and it was working great.
But then I installed the DMG IPS screen kit and unfortunately the sound totally died.
I took out the speaker mod and re-soldered the old speaker but still got no sound.
I don't know if it's the fault of the kit or maybe it just isn't compatible with the IPS board.
In the end I had to get another console to complete my build with the new screen, I just used the stock speaker instead.
4:45 Wtf is that big soldering tip. Plumber one ? LOL
Is there any hum with this at all?
I have been unable to order from HHL. Unanswered support tickets, and all orders get cancelled for "fraudulent" but no reason given as to why. I've been ordering with my credit card and the payment goes through to them, then refunded right back.
I'm at wits end, I want my IPS screen for my DMG, I even ordered other parts and never had HHL deliver once for anything I ordered. Literally no one helps me, it's like no one works there.
The original gameboy speaker isn't that weak. Compared to the gb pocket and gameboy color it was super loud.
Sounds like you need a better soldering iron with a finer tip.
You know, I'll probably just use my original speaker too... It fits better and it sounds fine.
I done over 25 of these installs even on the neo geo pocket
Hey Colin, nice video. I installed mine in my DMG and have been getting a slight buzzing noise with it. Any ideas for a fix?
gameboy consoles are noisy, try looking into recapping the console and if that fails check out the dmg power board from retrosix.
I hope there is a GBA version some day !!! I want a GBA amp without that hissing noise....
This one works in all the Game Boy models!
It works in the GBA - that is honestly the console we install it in the most when it comes to custom systems. It sounds just as clean as when Colin put it into his DMG. Promise!
Can you also review the CleanPower Regulator? Thinking of getting that and the amp board.
Love you vids bro
Does this mod effect the sound when using the headphone jack too? Or is it just the speaker?
5:09
Read some review this mod cuts out one side of the audio channel? Is this correct? Just ordered a few PAM8403 stereo amps to try instead.
Now we really can "play it loud"!
YES! i can finally annoy everybody in perkins! 10/10
Does this Chip present power issues with your IPS backlight mod? Lights flickering?
What is the name of the wire you use ? I searched on google for epoxy coated magnetic wire but couldn't find it
Can you share the link for the exact wire you used?
Do you have to use that epoxy coated wire or can you use any thin gauge wire?
You must have GB with all the mods on it. Like some monster handheld.
What size magnet wire is used?
How much damage on tha battery backup mate, I mean 1w is fine but actually how much is the backup lessened by this mod , say on AVG 50-60%vol levels
The important question: does the speaker mutes when connecting the headphones?
5:10
Great video. Which ISP is that? I have the V2 from Handheld Legend and the button response is almost non-existent. Do you have any recommendation for that? I have tried both the OEM silicone pads as well as ones from HHL & receive the same terrible response.
I was literally just watching your videos when i saw this
Can you give a link to the wire you used?
Silly question but where did you purchase your wire from?
Why would you need it so loud if your just holding it a foot away from your face?
Yikes, you really should remove some of that corrosion! Great little mod though!
Wish I could do this to my 3DS XL
Colin, do you know if it is going to sound louder and better than the "play it loud!" gameboys?
My understanding is that there’s no hardware differences with the Play it Loud series, and that the name is just a play on words referencing the colors the shells came in. This mod should work the same on any version of DMG.
@@ThisDoesNotCompute I always imagined that the Play it Loud Gameboys had better speakers. That is some misleading marketing right there! Thanks for the answer.
I understand that Nintendo designs its products for a very "Japanese" environment where noisy things are not frowned upon, so their handheld consoles will provide a predominantly low audio level.
However outside of Japan this is very different, and the sound is often overshadowed by the environment we are used to.
This mod solves something that shouldn't be a problem for the Japanese, but it was frustrating for us (at least for me) the low volume level that the Game Boy offered .... and let alone the Game Boy Color that it was even worse.
That's one reason Nintendo does it, but there are some other reasons as well, which is power draw to help battery life much as possible, and they know a large portion of their target audience are kids, and it's so the volume levels are not so loud they annoying the parents when they are not using headphones/earbuds, plus in regards to kids it's also so it's hearing safe for younger children when they are using normal headphones/earbuds that aren't volume limited(kid friendly/child safe branded ones) Thankfully in recent years Nintendo with the Switch/Switch Lite has given us the option in software to turn off volume limiting, but I will admit the speakers on the Switch Lite could have been forward facing along with being a hair louder with bit more low end punch, and same with the "NEW" 2DS XL, as I have to carry a Boomcloud 360 headphone amp for use with my 2DS XL.
@@CommodoreFan64 Sure, battery consumption was a problem then (and still is).
And on the New 2DS, in addition to the low volume, it must be added that the speakers are very badly located in the case, so that you can easily cover them with your hands.
hello! Is there a mod for removing the Hissing sound of the DMG Sound ?
Than you.
What's up with all that corrosion
That wire looks neat, what gauge did you use? I’m tempted to get one of these amps for my IPS DMG...
28-30 AWG stranded core wire
That's impressive
I wonder if this could be done on a "NEW" 2DS XL as the sound output from it on both it's speakers, and headphone jack are truly bad, too the point I keep a Boomcloud 360 headphone amp in my EDC cable bag.
Honestly the CleanAmp is designed to boost line-level input, so as long as you know where in a console to power it from, what voltage you've got available, and then where the line-level audio is, you'd be good to install this is nearly anything. It's designed for the Game Boy family, but that's not the only thing it can do.
Check out the product page (link in Colin's description) and at the bottom is the link to the manual... take a look and you'll see what I'm referring to.
So, what is the difference between all the different GB amps? Handheld Legend has two, Retromodding has a few..
Essentially wattage, number of channels, and then installation... if you want something that is easier to install then you can go with things like the PAM8302A, PAM8302, PAM8403, or even the HXJ8002... many times people will just take the speaker output of the console then re-amplify it with the amplifier PCB... which boost volume for sure but also can amplify (and sometimes introduce) noise. Amps such as the CleanAmp (and the classic GBAmp) are designed to be wired in a way that they arent boosting the amplified console output, they are amplifying the line-level output, which doesnt introduce noise and has a much cleaner-sounding result. So... there are basically too many differences to be directly compared. It depends on a number of things. The CleanAmp you'll want to have some soldering skills under your belt, but it's also amongst the cleanest sounding results.
I'd have put some kapton tape over the copper before sticking it down 🤔
one point for eneloops, noice
Where did you pick up the wire you're using for this mod?
I really need to play Tetris again now.
Yeah, that is if you can get your order without hand held legend canceling your order because they think it's fraudulent and never respond to your emails.
Hey Colin! How thick is the wire that you used for the connection? I can find something between 0,1 mm and 0,35mm at Amazon in Germany, so I habe no idea what I have to order....
I used 28awg magnet wire, which works out to about .3mm diameter. You’d likely be fine with thicker wire if you wanted, I just used what I had on hand already.
I'm actually really surprised they don't want to sell a simple amp board for 50$ just because it's a "PROFESSIONAL CONSOLE GAMER MOD"
Yomoti - Before Chill.flac
In one of the reviews it says it only amplifies right channel. Is that true?
Thats correct. It seems most amp mods for the Gameboy are mono.
I guess because people don't realize that the stereo signal was summed together.
I wasn't impressed with these to be honest. I bought one for my Game Boy Color, and while yes, it makes it louder, it also amplifies the static noise that is present on all Game Boy Colors. I contacted retrosix about this, and they told me to replace various caps related to the audio circuitry, and while that had a small effect on the noise, it didn't eliminate it entirely. So overall, I wouldn't recommend this mod. I'd recommend looking for an audio mod that can remove the noise.
Oh, and those solder joints look pretty crusty there Colin :P
Will it work on a micro?
If you can get it to fit, probably? Micros are not very popular to mod so I don't think many even consider amping the sound.
I hear quite a bit of noise when I use my earphones, is there any way to get rid of this?
It depends on which Game Boy it is and such on what the causes could be... if it is a Game Boy Color and modded with a TFT- or IPS- based LCD kit, check out the replacement capacitor for noise reduction in our Game Boy Color category. You could also look up 'decoupling capacitors' and your Game Boy model to see about that path too. Welcome to modding - half of the fun is looking up all the things it could be and trying to figure it out. :)
Oh, forgot to mention that. It's an OG DMG.
usb c battery pack for gba advance next time please
Funny you should mention that... introducing the RetroSix CleanJuice GBA! A 1,700mAh LiPo battery with loads of playtime even on a fully modded GBA... and just yesterday we asked Colin if he'd like to play with one!
handheldlegend.com/collections/game-boy-advance-gba/products/cleanjuice-game-boy-advance-li-ion-rechargeable-battery-module
Absolute lost opportunity to say "Play It Loud".
Good video though.
to be fair, the play it loud series are the colored DMG's. But yeah :D
Still aint as loud as an Atari Lynx model 1. Lol.
Am i the only one here who thinks the original Gameboy is freaking loud ???
Flux!!
first
my GBC desperately needs this!! i can barely hear it even after replacing the speaker.
Your volume wheel may need to be cleaned. Also clean the headphone jack. There like a little tab in the jack that might needs to be cleaned as well
Alex Ruiz There are also capacitors that fail. Sometimes just replacing them completely fixes the issue.
Maybe it's not from the GBC 😏 you know 👂👂
@@lechatvenere i know this is 2 years late but it was the GBC. i got a DMG that i have no trouble hearing. it could have been a bad cap i ended up selling the console and buying a new color that also is extremely quiet.
@@masterkamen371 I think its just that the GBC is quiet on its own i can hear my DMG fine.
What Gauge wire did you use?
Can you link the wires you used?
The "coated magnet wire" isnt too hard to find in a general search, and as an alternative you could also go 30 gauge (aka 30 AWG) solid-core wire... it is a bit larger in diameter, but works equally well. I must admit the magnet wire is quite tiny... the solid-core wire is a bit less stiff tho.