I remember modding my GBA years ago when the Afterburner came out. It was a detailed install to make sure no dust got on the screen. I took my time and had all the parts laid out on a big well-lit table. Got it done and it still works today. I never knew they had these other screens to install. Thanks for the video!
I never had the original gba until recently, when someone I met gave me a white one for free 5 seconds after I met them. The sp and Megaman zero are my childhood
Is it just me or were you removing and installing the ribbon cable into the connector without releasing the grey locking tabs?....maybe that’s why you had trouble?🤔
He even mentioned the "locks" but didnt open them up. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that. His point is still valid, dont trust others to do a job you can do yourself
I actually "restored" an old GBA SP I've had lying around for years with one of the FunnyPlaying IPS screens and a new shell, and it works like a dream. Strongly recommended to anyone, especially if your handheld needs a new screen anyway! It's literally cheaper than an original AGS-101 screen, last I checked. Edit: Also, this is crazy easy to do, even with minimal experience! Just make sure to follow a good guide, and you can totally skip the brightness control solder, like I did. The default brightness is already much brighter than the brightest setting of the original 101 screen!
People seem to never mention the issue that's arguably larger than the form factor issue with the GBA SP: The battery life. Most OEM GBA SP batteries are on their way out at this point, and while modern 900 mAh replacements are available, there have been battery mods for the original GBA to give it a USB-C rechargable battery with a capacity of 1700 mAh. I have the RetroSix CleanJuice in my GBA and it really lasts a long time.
I just don't see the point in type c battery mods for the most part, you can get 2500mah+ rechargeable AAs for much cheaper. Top mods for me would be IPS screen, amplifer, dehumming kit, and my personal favorite is putting in a hdmi out kit.
@@Tim3888 I've considered the battery pack before, but only because my GBA's battery door broke off ages ago. But until I fix the power switch, the battery is a moot point.
I have an old GBA I picked up at a yard sale years ago that barely works. I'm thinking about doing a restoration + mod of it, and this video was really informative!
@@TheGauges420 ok but I know what's wrong with it and I have a good idea how to fix it. Mainly the battery terminals aren't making great contact, and there's a couple parts, like the speakers and volume knob, that need replacing and/or cleaning.
@@Fighter_BuilderIm probably way too late to comment this but Macho Nacho has a video showing a completely new motherboard kit for the GBA that only requires the CPU and RAM chips from a donor GBA to function. If you still have this GBA and its playing you up still it may be an idea.
@@Tozzpot500 Oh that's cool! Yeah I still haven't gotten around to restoring it yet (3 years later, oof), but if I end up having trouble with it when I eventually get around to it, I'll definitely keep that in mind!
@@Fighter_Builder Awesome, as someone who enjoys modding and restoring old consoles i highly suggest it for reviving a dying console. A small word of warning though, these kits do require micro-soldering and i messed up the first time i attempted it. I was able to fix it with flux and solder braid but i thought i would mention it. IPS screens and reshells are also really affordable now and ive seen some good Oled replacements as well. If you are looking for a reshell i highly recommend eXtremerate for aftermarket parts though they dont carry screens.
My goodness, i'm suprised you managed to pull and reinstall the screen, you totally forgot to release the locks on the PCB. The cable releases and reinstalls incredibly smoothly if the locks are released (pulled out). I guess you realized later and that's why you mention it later on the voice over.
All of this makes me happy I have an original AGS-101 GBA SP. It may lack a headphone jack, but it is my childhood Gameboy, which I am thankful I have this model.
I just did my first IPS mod on a GPA SP a few months ago as a gift for my nephew. I could of done a few thing better like I put the yellow part as the insulator instead of the plastic film, whoops, should still be fine. I'm thinking of doing another mod on a Fuchsia GBA I have. I love the grip of the first model even though I grew up on the SP. I think I will have an easier time playing GBA with the first model instead of using a SP or DS, wont have to deal with the hinge. You're video is going to be a good guide whenever I get around to doing it
@@TRamisuInstrumentals I just spent $200 on a fully kitted out GBA with iPs display, new shell, buttons, silicone and rechargeable USB-C battery. They’re definitely getting pricey. Also picked up a similar GBC for $199. Crazy times. For these prices I could get an Analogue Pocket if only they were available.
@@KD-bk7gd awh shit that's awesome man! They're definitely getting up there!! I am gonna mod myself but even then it's still pricey!!! Happy new year friend. I hope you love your gameboys :)
Used to mod a bunch of these like 7 or 8 years ago. Fun stuff. Replaced the shells, some of the buttons, installed the screens and went onto other projects. (RIP SP)
My personal recommendation is to do a Boxypixel mod kit. The kit plus system will run you about $200, but you get an IPS screen, rechargeable battery, USB Type C for faster charging, and a metal shell and buttons that give a great feel to the system. I went with a purple shell with brass A and B buttons. There's even a sound amplifier kit you can install.
I agree, makes me happy this is something i can actually do for my collection, i hope to do a reshell as well since my battery cover is bad on my GBA (i currently have masking tape so my batteries aren't exposed while playing) i might take a bit though since i just got a limited edition DSi not that long ago
Oh wow, I didnt realize screen replacement would be quite this straightforward on a GBA. I dont have many GBA games, but when I have some extra cash, I'll keep this screen mod in mind...
after this I'm tempted to get my old GBA out of storage, order a new screen and the screwdriver type I need and some more things it needs. shoulder buttons are so unresponsive it makes my old DSi's R button look functional. that and I need something to be able to play my old GBA games on again. Without emulation I mean.
Do it, I've primarily worked with the sp, but these things all kindve look the same inside and are so simple and seem to be pretty hard to completely ruin.i just picked up a gba micro in pretty excellent shape and I'm gonna bring it back up to near mint with a couple little parts to use as my main daily driver as I only really play game on break or in public and the sp just doesn't fit in my pocket practically
@@alinepiroutek8932 hmm well ive fixed my triggers for my 3ds, you could likely order new parts from amazon or carefully take out the trigger with the wires and watch a youtube tutorial on it... idk if the triggers are similar for the DS and 3ds, but i cleaned my metal plates on the triggers, it worked for me
THANK YOU a lot of tutorials I had watched in the past made it sound like sautering was a requirement for this mod so when I had first made a custom gba I just stuck with a worm light. I just bought the necessary supplies to make my custom gba, hoping I dont screw up the process the good thing is that I bought a custom shell for ips displays so I dont have to shave off the plastic
I bought mine premodded with the V2 screen and I love it to death. Mind you it was a little on the expensive side but it was also refurbished so it felt like a brand new console when I took it out of its packaging when it arrived
@@zagan512 can’t say I have had any real problems with it, one little side effect the screen has it that it causes the red low power light to display earlier than usual, but the battery life of the gba is untouched, I get at least 3 weeks out of one set of battles
I bought one because I didn’t have the OG GBA anymore. I traded mine in to get the SP back in the day. But in reality the DS Lite is the best one. Put a DS flash cart and GBA flash cart in the same console and the library is huge.
I like the DS Lite, but without support for the GB and GBC it can't fully replace the GBA. Obviously that's not a problem if those older systems don't interest you in the first place, but it still cuts out a lot of classic titles.
CFW N3DSXL is my favourite way to play GBA games now. I was enjoying games on the original hardware, but the 3DS still being Nintendo makes it feel legit enough for me.
It is legit, since the 3DS runs GBA games natively (it has the GBA processor inside). The DS Lite is also an option, it doesn't require a CFW, and it has a cartridge slot. On both DS and 3DS, you can use stereo sound, without headphones, as a bonus (if the game supports it).
I don’t tend to use the adjustable brightness on my GBA’s V2 screen. But it’s nice that it has that option anyway. I just leave on on level 5. I’m also surprised how long the battery lasts on the GBA with the V2 screen installed. I run Duracell Ultra AAs in my modded gba and they last at least 3 weeks on one set
@@tehMaloWalo yeah the power light turns red when it gets low, it’s a little bit harder to tell on a modded screen due to it using more power than the stock screen
Are you using the music from Dragon Ball Z Legacy of Goku 2? Hahaha, I was feeling nostalgic for that game and just finished watching a playthrough of it. I still have my copy somewhere, so I'm gonna go play it again 😁
I had a GBA as a kid, had a SP in my early twenties now in my mid twenties I had that urge to get a gba and pokemon. I did not like how the sp felt in my hands as they are on the larger side, my wists would cramp up holding it for too long. I ended up buying a pre modded gba with an ips kit off of facebook for 150$ cad. Only downside is it's pink lol. Was originally going to get a new shell but after watching videos on how it all works I don't want to ruin the guys good work on the gba since it all works right. keeping my eye open for a really beat up gba to restore and make my own. Love this handheld system so much.
I'm working on this mod myself. Broke my first ips screen because they're so damn fragile so I'm waiting for a new one. I'm also replacing my L and R button with tactile clicky ones. I installed an audio amplifier to boost the sound of the speaker since its so quiet normally. Aside from the ips screen, getting a usb-c rechargeable battery is the best upgrade you can do to your old gba. I got a precut replacement shell with the same colors as the original glacier purple so it wouldn't look modded until you turn it on. I can't wait until it's finished!
I agree, i dont trust other people's crappy work. I trust my own work as i make them as flawless as humanly possible. No dust in screen and always wear gloves to prevent finger prints.
The locks on this cable are actually really tiny and on each side of the connector, rather than lifting from the top, which is why I missed them. The guide I was following as reference for this video also missed them LOL
3:55 not to question your skill, but it seems like you didn't unlock the ribbon cable and just pulled it out. I've taken apart my GBA a couple times and never had it be snug when pulling out the cable. This may be why it was so difficult to plug in the new cable and why it didn't have a good connection the first time around
I used to modify systems, but my hands aren't as steady as they used to be, so I just paid a friend to mod one for me. It looks great. I just need to find a damned flash cart for it. Can't seem to ever catch the GBA ones in stock where I can get them fast.
I modded it myself just with a kit from Ali, the shell is fitted 7/10 but i didn't have to do anything except replacing a ribbon because everything was ready. It has a touch brighness sensor, and even the lowest setting works perfectly for normal circumstances. The battery life is about 1/3 lower than on original screen, which is acceptable.
Thanks Phobia, after discovering your video I went through with an order of the V2 screen and glass cover from a UK based vendor. I’ve done the job as you demonstrated (minus the blue led). I followed your example with solder-ironing the plastic ridge on the flat surface of the front shell to get the larger screen to align better. However, it’s still not close enough to the D-pad and a couple columns of pixels are too slightly obscured by the shell/glass faceplate. It’s not unusable, you can see the full screen if you tilt the GBA to the right, but it didn’t work as well for me as it did for you. My shell is the original from when I was a kid, so I wonder if the black shell you bought, although not optimised for the V2 screen, is still more specious than the OEM screen…
No, you're spot on Joseph. It might be difficult to see in the video, but there is also 1-2 columns of pixels obscured by the front faceplate on my GBA as well. Like you say, its not unusable, but it can certainly be a bit annoying. Since making this video, I purchased a pre-cut shell made for V2 screens and re-housed the GBA, which better aligned the screen and fixed the issue. So as originally stated in the video, I still recommend buying a pre-cut shell first and foremost, but I also understand that some people would like to modify their childhood shell for sentimental reasons. This is okay too, but only if you are comfortable with the slight screen mis-alignment!
@@PhobiaSoft Ah I see, you saw the same problem! I found a video by ModzvilleUSA! where this guy puts a V2 screen into a 2001 shell. He demonstrated using a flush cutter and precision knife to cut away more plastic and clean up the shell internals and he had to remove a lot more than you did in this video. I followed his guide to cutting and that worked out much better, the alignment improved a lot and it’s barely noticeable now, e.g. menus in games are no longer noticeably clipped offscreen on the right hand side. Now, I also replaced the front plastic plate for a glass plate. One thing ModzvilleUSA! did not do, and I was aware of too late, is that the new glass plate has a larger opening for the V2 screen than the original plastic one. So now, rectangular opening in the shell for the screen is visibly protruding (or intruding) on the screen - you can see a lip of plastic shell poking out from under the black border of the glass plate. We should be cutting back the border of the screen opening on the shell also, even a slightly rough job will be hidden by the black border of the glass plate. Again though, the benefit from this would be minor, as cutting away all of that extra plastic as in ModzvilleUSA’s guide does a satisfactory job, but after all that work there’s a little bit of plastic showing between the glass and V2 screen. I don’t mind because my shell is black so it’s just not very noticeable, but I also did my cousins white 2001 GBA (made a terrible live stream of it) and you can see this white border around the screen under the glass. My cousin didn’t mind it in the end and I reckoned it wasn’t worth the risk of removing the stock-down screen or glass plate for fear of damage or introducing dust. TLDR there’s a lot of plastic to cut and it’s tough to get it perfect lol! No criticism of the video here, you did a great job in your own and putting an excellent video together too. It got me working on my own unit and it’s no harm that I had to learn and think for myself too. Just wanted to share my learnings, as you shared yours. So thanks for inspiring me! 🙏👍
Ah thank you! I was trying to see if I could fix my broken speaker and accidentally made my screen do this. I had to shove that cable in there to fix it!
I did something quite similar to this mod in the past and I think we have the same imperfection: screen is not centered as it can be seen at 9:03 in the numbers on bottom left
I don't think its ever perfectly centered to be honest. Every mod so far that i have seen have had the same issue. I could never live with that to be honest lol. My ocd would bother me way to much.
@@Mocroskate I think it's a design problem of the screen we all are buying, it bothered me in the begin, not gonna lie, but it's still quite an improvement over the regular shitty GBA screen
So let me get this Straight, if I dont do any of that soldering and just connect the screen the only function I wont get is adjussting screen brightness, wow that really changes how hard I thought it would be to install a new fancy backlit screen on one of my old Game Boy Advances wow...
I just ordered one because I don't have a scolding iron and I don't wanna buy one just for one modification. Maybe sometime in the future when I have an extra hobby room
It’s crazy how my entire hand is bigger than the original GBA when I got mine when it first came out I thought it was huge and my hands were tiny when I was kid just like the rest of me it wasn’t until I turned 17 I had growth spurt and went from being 5’4 to 6’1 by the time I was 24 and went from having small hands to large.
Couple questions: isn’t the single chip-based ribbon cable a none-FP version? The blue SM LED looks great. Are there two separate LED’s (for the red power drain) on the board or is it a single dual-color LED? I’ll have to open mine again to check, but now I’m curious about changing this out myself. :)
Its possible. Since all this stuff is grey-market and has no brand name on the packaging, it can be hard to verify who actually manufactured the chip/board you're using. There are two power LEDs with (if I remember correctly) the green LED being above the red. I de-soldered the green LED and kept the red original below it to indicate when battery is low, as usual. I actually recorded that step, but it ended up being dreadfully out of focus, so I had to cut it :(
@@PhobiaSoft awesome! I'll have to check out doing that mod...I have some heavily modded GBA's that are theme-based, and they could use an LED mod...I just haven't put a lot of effort towards yet, but your vid made me think of it again. also, if it helps (although I realize you might already aware of it), funnyplaying put out some articles to help identify real vs. fake IPS kits. makho has some great video comparisons as well on what to look for. (that's how i found out about it). funnyplaying.com/blogs/gameboy-advance-news/copycat-gba-gbasp-lcd-announcement
Hmmmm just bumped into this.. I modded my own GB's in order to spent some free time with something recreational. However the final cost is not that far from a pre-modded GB with all the quality parts I've used. There are a lot of reputable modders out there with lots of love, for what they do and what they offer.
Man I wish I still had my GBA 😔. All the Castlevania games, Boktai 1 and 2, Onimusha Tactics, the 2 Yu Yu Hakusho games. Man probably my favorite handheld growing up.
Cool man. I modded my original clear GBA with an original AGS-101 screen, a new silver housing with color matching battery cover and black buttons. Also came with the new GBA front panel. After all was said and done, it was about $70ish or so. And it was pretty easy to mod and I did it myself at home. Also I can adjust the brightness with the potentiometer from the back of the unit. By using a screwdriver to adjust it. I as well love tinkering with electronics and doing modding. Have you ever thought about modding the Sega Game Gear? I would like to tackle that one sometime.
Part 2: ruclips.net/video/oN6yEqFl75Y/видео.html
(Shout out to the Legacy of Goku II soundtrack)
Isnt it the buus fury`s one?? Anyways I love that song. Nice video btw!!
It's used in I & II but they vary in some parts. The one used here sounds like the one from II.
@@NayruSSB I pulled it from the LoGII OST
As soon as it started playing I thought, "I know this from somewhere, it must be in the comments!"
I noticed the Yu-Gi-Oh world championship tournament 2004 soundtrack right at the beginning
I remember modding my GBA years ago when the Afterburner came out. It was a detailed install to make sure no dust got on the screen. I took my time and had all the parts laid out on a big well-lit table. Got it done and it still works today. I never knew they had these other screens to install. Thanks for the video!
My baby hands were made for an Advanced SP.
Mine too
I never had the original gba until recently, when someone I met gave me a white one for free 5 seconds after I met them. The sp and Megaman zero are my childhood
The original GBA feels like it's made for baby hands to me 😅
I have big hands but long skinny fingers and don't mind playing with my finger tips.
@@islandimus3370 thats how I got my gbc and Pokémon yellow
Is it just me or were you removing and installing the ribbon cable into the connector without releasing the grey locking tabs?....maybe that’s why you had trouble?🤔
I am glad I wasn't the only who noticed that.
He even mentioned the "locks" but didnt open them up. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that. His point is still valid, dont trust others to do a job you can do yourself
It was wild!!! 😵
Yes... I notice that.. I was like “ hey pull the gray tabs first”
Who gives an f. This chat room is cringe
I’m getting an IPS V2 very soon and this video helps a lot in understanding the process better. Thanks for showing how it’s done!
I actually "restored" an old GBA SP I've had lying around for years with one of the FunnyPlaying IPS screens and a new shell, and it works like a dream. Strongly recommended to anyone, especially if your handheld needs a new screen anyway! It's literally cheaper than an original AGS-101 screen, last I checked.
Edit: Also, this is crazy easy to do, even with minimal experience! Just make sure to follow a good guide, and you can totally skip the brightness control solder, like I did. The default brightness is already much brighter than the brightest setting of the original 101 screen!
Yea and it’s better to take your time but I’m 🤔 by of putting one in my gba also did you buy your ips off e bay?
Ya its crazy on ebay the 101s were going for 200+ bucks
So I bought an 001 SP and ips screen for less
People seem to never mention the issue that's arguably larger than the form factor issue with the GBA SP: The battery life. Most OEM GBA SP batteries are on their way out at this point, and while modern 900 mAh replacements are available, there have been battery mods for the original GBA to give it a USB-C rechargable battery with a capacity of 1700 mAh. I have the RetroSix CleanJuice in my GBA and it really lasts a long time.
Great point
I just don't see the point in type c battery mods for the most part, you can get 2500mah+ rechargeable AAs for much cheaper. Top mods for me would be IPS screen, amplifer, dehumming kit, and my personal favorite is putting in a hdmi out kit.
@@Tim3888 I've considered the battery pack before, but only because my GBA's battery door broke off ages ago.
But until I fix the power switch, the battery is a moot point.
I have an old GBA I picked up at a yard sale years ago that barely works. I'm thinking about doing a restoration + mod of it, and this video was really informative!
If it barely works then its still going to barely work.
@@TheGauges420 ok but I know what's wrong with it and I have a good idea how to fix it. Mainly the battery terminals aren't making great contact, and there's a couple parts, like the speakers and volume knob, that need replacing and/or cleaning.
@@Fighter_BuilderIm probably way too late to comment this but Macho Nacho has a video showing a completely new motherboard kit for the GBA that only requires the CPU and RAM chips from a donor GBA to function. If you still have this GBA and its playing you up still it may be an idea.
@@Tozzpot500 Oh that's cool! Yeah I still haven't gotten around to restoring it yet (3 years later, oof), but if I end up having trouble with it when I eventually get around to it, I'll definitely keep that in mind!
@@Fighter_Builder Awesome, as someone who enjoys modding and restoring old consoles i highly suggest it for reviving a dying console. A small word of warning though, these kits do require micro-soldering and i messed up the first time i attempted it. I was able to fix it with flux and solder braid but i thought i would mention it. IPS screens and reshells are also really affordable now and ive seen some good Oled replacements as well.
If you are looking for a reshell i highly recommend eXtremerate for aftermarket parts though they dont carry screens.
My goodness, i'm suprised you managed to pull and reinstall the screen, you totally forgot to release the locks on the PCB. The cable releases and reinstalls incredibly smoothly if the locks are released (pulled out).
I guess you realized later and that's why you mention it later on the voice over.
hi was screaming at the screen foe that lol
All of this makes me happy I have an original AGS-101 GBA SP. It may lack a headphone jack, but it is my childhood Gameboy, which I am thankful I have this model.
I found a working GBA underneath a couch cushion in a vacant house I was cleaning out for a job. Im probably gonna order a kit from handheld legend
What a find!
I bought a GBA recently and I was shocked at how dark it was. Should get my IPS drop mod within the week
Update! I've modded 2 gbas with new cases, buttons, screens and one has a USB-C battery mod. They're amazing
Ikr! Back in 2002 we didnt know lol but that screen was daaaarrrk af.
I was not aware of the issues with the V1 screens, so thank you for pointing that out!
I just did my first IPS mod on a GPA SP a few months ago as a gift for my nephew. I could of done a few thing better like I put the yellow part as the insulator instead of the plastic film, whoops, should still be fine. I'm thinking of doing another mod on a Fuchsia GBA I have. I love the grip of the first model even though I grew up on the SP. I think I will have an easier time playing GBA with the first model instead of using a SP or DS, wont have to deal with the hinge. You're video is going to be a good guide whenever I get around to doing it
Stock GBA’s are all selling for around $70 now, so after reshelling and screen it’s hard to make one for less than $140 on your own now.
Now an ags 101 is 120 minimum :)
@@TRamisuInstrumentals I just spent $200 on a fully kitted out GBA with iPs display, new shell, buttons, silicone and rechargeable USB-C battery. They’re definitely getting pricey. Also picked up a similar GBC for $199. Crazy times. For these prices I could get an Analogue Pocket if only they were available.
@@KD-bk7gd awh shit that's awesome man! They're definitely getting up there!! I am gonna mod myself but even then it's still pricey!!! Happy new year friend. I hope you love your gameboys :)
@@KD-bk7gd ahhh yes I really wish I had pre ordered the AP when I could've gotten it in 2022.
6:30 id recommend just getting a funnyplaying housing which supports the screen without trimming etc its molded that way
Exactly, trimming is the only difficult part
@@PhobiaSoft I did this mod today and fucked up my tp2 pad. Its gone. So I used tp3
Used to mod a bunch of these like 7 or 8 years ago. Fun stuff. Replaced the shells, some of the buttons, installed the screens and went onto other projects. (RIP SP)
My personal recommendation is to do a Boxypixel mod kit. The kit plus system will run you about $200, but you get an IPS screen, rechargeable battery, USB Type C for faster charging, and a metal shell and buttons that give a great feel to the system. I went with a purple shell with brass A and B buttons. There's even a sound amplifier kit you can install.
Boxypixel gba’s retail for around 300… doesn’t really seem worth it to me since you aren’t getting something that looks like an OEM game boy
The recharge and metal shell are lovely but yeah it's more expaeive now
I don’t know how to solder so it’s nice to know I can just attach the screen
I agree, makes me happy this is something i can actually do for my collection, i hope to do a reshell as well since my battery cover is bad on my GBA (i currently have masking tape so my batteries aren't exposed while playing) i might take a bit though since i just got a limited edition DSi not that long ago
Oh wow, I didnt realize screen replacement would be quite this straightforward on a GBA. I dont have many GBA games, but when I have some extra cash, I'll keep this screen mod in mind...
A bit off topic, but your voice is really nice to listen to! I love your accent.
after this I'm tempted to get my old GBA out of storage, order a new screen and the screwdriver type I need and some more things it needs. shoulder buttons are so unresponsive it makes my old DSi's R button look functional. that and I need something to be able to play my old GBA games on again. Without emulation I mean.
Do it, I've primarily worked with the sp, but these things all kindve look the same inside and are so simple and seem to be pretty hard to completely ruin.i just picked up a gba micro in pretty excellent shape and I'm gonna bring it back up to near mint with a couple little parts to use as my main daily driver as I only really play game on break or in public and the sp just doesn't fit in my pocket practically
Is there any permanent fix to LR buttons of DSi?
@@alinepiroutek8932 hmm well ive fixed my triggers for my 3ds, you could likely order new parts from amazon or carefully take out the trigger with the wires and watch a youtube tutorial on it... idk if the triggers are similar for the DS and 3ds, but i cleaned my metal plates on the triggers, it worked for me
@@alinepiroutek8932 the best thing you can do its clean the buttons with isopropyl alcohol. I did this when i bought a used dsi.
@@EvanDeLuca Well, I do this but it only works for few hours.
THANK YOU a lot of tutorials I had watched in the past made it sound like sautering was a requirement for this mod so when I had first made a custom gba I just stuck with a worm light. I just bought the necessary supplies to make my custom gba, hoping I dont screw up the process the good thing is that I bought a custom shell for ips displays so I dont have to shave off the plastic
I’m actually getting one that’s a ips V2 and famicom theme and it’s arriving tomorrow and I’m super excited
From where?
@@lVlArseniclVl eBay
Hey, I know this is an old video, but I just wanted to thank you for the good info. Cheers!
1:04 Legacy of Goku Music!! I think it's Legacy of Goku 2 if i remember correctly. But you made my night when i heard that! ✨️
Some of these mods look fun to try. Like getting the best of the retro system.
The dragon ball z soundtrack goes well when describing the gameboy advance! Perfect!
I bought mine premodded with the V2 screen and I love it to death. Mind you it was a little on the expensive side but it was also refurbished so it felt like a brand new console when I took it out of its packaging when it arrived
Im gonna buy one premodded with v2 screen also, have you noticed any problems? This would really help since i haven't actually bought one yet
@@zagan512 can’t say I have had any real problems with it, one little side effect the screen has it that it causes the red low power light to display earlier than usual, but the battery life of the gba is untouched, I get at least 3 weeks out of one set of battles
though the stuff about screens is quite outdated now lol, this was still a really nice video to watch!
I bought one because I didn’t have the OG GBA anymore. I traded mine in to get the SP back in the day. But in reality the DS Lite is the best one. Put a DS flash cart and GBA flash cart in the same console and the library is huge.
I like the DS Lite, but without support for the GB and GBC it can't fully replace the GBA. Obviously that's not a problem if those older systems don't interest you in the first place, but it still cuts out a lot of classic titles.
CFW N3DSXL is my favourite way to play GBA games now. I was enjoying games on the original hardware, but the 3DS still being Nintendo makes it feel legit enough for me.
It is legit, since the 3DS runs GBA games natively (it has the GBA processor inside).
The DS Lite is also an option, it doesn't require a CFW, and it has a cartridge slot.
On both DS and 3DS, you can use stereo sound, without headphones, as a bonus (if the game supports it).
Damn that Yufioh WCS 2004 menu music brings me back...
Same here man
just finished changing my screen i love it i was giving up hope on my gameboy thank you this video helped me a lot.
yo how do you only have 12k subs this is super high production value :O
ok?
I don’t tend to use the adjustable brightness on my GBA’s V2 screen. But it’s nice that it has that option anyway. I just leave on on level 5. I’m also surprised how long the battery lasts on the GBA with the V2 screen installed. I run Duracell Ultra AAs in my modded gba and they last at least 3 weeks on one set
Good to know since i have no soldering skills so i will have to use level 5 brightness, also nice to hear the battery life is good
sorry i know your comment is old but is there like a battery light when the batteries get low?
@@tehMaloWalo yeah the power light turns red when it gets low, it’s a little bit harder to tell on a modded screen due to it using more power than the stock screen
Mine too been playing superstar saga .
Are you using the music from Dragon Ball Z Legacy of Goku 2? Hahaha, I was feeling nostalgic for that game and just finished watching a playthrough of it. I still have my copy somewhere, so I'm gonna go play it again 😁
I had a GBA as a kid, had a SP in my early twenties now in my mid twenties I had that urge to get a gba and pokemon. I did not like how the sp felt in my hands as they are on the larger side, my wists would cramp up holding it for too long. I ended up buying a pre modded gba with an ips kit off of facebook for 150$ cad. Only downside is it's pink lol. Was originally going to get a new shell but after watching videos on how it all works I don't want to ruin the guys good work on the gba since it all works right. keeping my eye open for a really beat up gba to restore and make my own. Love this handheld system so much.
Wouldn't it have been easier to loosen the cable locks to be able to install it better?
I love to see this kind of videos I hope that before the end of the year I will have a gameboyadvance
Metroid fusion got me nostaligc, among the best
I'm working on this mod myself. Broke my first ips screen because they're so damn fragile so I'm waiting for a new one. I'm also replacing my L and R button with tactile clicky ones. I installed an audio amplifier to boost the sound of the speaker since its so quiet normally. Aside from the ips screen, getting a usb-c rechargeable battery is the best upgrade you can do to your old gba.
I got a precut replacement shell with the same colors as the original glacier purple so it wouldn't look modded until you turn it on. I can't wait until it's finished!
I agree, i dont trust other people's crappy work. I trust my own work as i make them as flawless as humanly possible. No dust in screen and always wear gloves to prevent finger prints.
6:55 Dude I can smell that molten plastic from here !
The icing on the cake is a usb port battery upgrade too.
The original gba ags 101 has this problem of eating battery and sudden shut down?
im playing dbz buu's fury while watching this and the music tripped me out
Great video! Looking to buy a GBA to mod, this is very helpful!
Thanks for making this video!
7:36 I shed a 😢tear. So beautiful.
Excellent! Thanks for sharing your project!
I somehow ended up getting the proper model so this video helped ease my mind afterwards hehe
The Yu Gi Oh amd Dragon Ball soundtracks are awesome and nostalgic
Bro I feel bad for how you treat your soldering iron. Melting plastic with it... That's cold blooded man
Haha that one was like $10 and I've always had problems with it, so it got what it deserved.
4:20 this white rectangular thing usually could be lifted i have seen them in laptops but for Gameboy don't know
The locks on this cable are actually really tiny and on each side of the connector, rather than lifting from the top, which is why I missed them. The guide I was following as reference for this video also missed them LOL
Great video. Thanks a bunch. I've been meaning to do this, and this was the cleanest how-to I've seen.
One day after work I'll pop out the old dremel and soldering iron and go ham, thanks man
3:55 not to question your skill, but it seems like you didn't unlock the ribbon cable and just pulled it out. I've taken apart my GBA a couple times and never had it be snug when pulling out the cable.
This may be why it was so difficult to plug in the new cable and why it didn't have a good connection the first time around
I really should get into soldering.
I still say if it weren't for the screen the GBA was one of the best portable consoles ever made (though the Vita is still my number 1)
Love the Vita
I used to modify systems, but my hands aren't as steady as they used to be, so I just paid a friend to mod one for me. It looks great. I just need to find a damned flash cart for it. Can't seem to ever catch the GBA ones in stock where I can get them fast.
Get the EZFlash Omega. Thing works like a dream and it's way cheaper than an Everdrive
I also like the legacy of goku series
I just a bought a refurbished pink original gba and I love it
How is the screen holding up?? I’m thinking of doing this
Looks brand new! I still think its the right move today
@@PhobiaSoft thank you I’m sure I’m gonna end up doing it soon.
if youtube wasn't the way it was i would say change the title, but it turned out to be informative, so thanks
Great video. I would’ve used kapton tape instead of electrical tape.. electrical tape becomes an oily mess over time.
GBA had some banger games😤🔥
The intro music, was that Yu-Gi-Oh Word Championship 2004?
Yessir!
I modded it myself just with a kit from Ali, the shell is fitted 7/10 but i didn't have to do anything except replacing a ribbon because everything was ready. It has a touch brighness sensor, and even the lowest setting works perfectly for normal circumstances. The battery life is about 1/3 lower than on original screen, which is acceptable.
Why doesn't Nintendo better relaunch the Gameboy Advance with backlit screen and chargeable battery?
Thanks Phobia, after discovering your video I went through with an order of the V2 screen and glass cover from a UK based vendor. I’ve done the job as you demonstrated (minus the blue led).
I followed your example with solder-ironing the plastic ridge on the flat surface of the front shell to get the larger screen to align better. However, it’s still not close enough to the D-pad and a couple columns of pixels are too slightly obscured by the shell/glass faceplate. It’s not unusable, you can see the full screen if you tilt the GBA to the right, but it didn’t work as well for me as it did for you. My shell is the original from when I was a kid, so I wonder if the black shell you bought, although not optimised for the V2 screen, is still more specious than the OEM screen…
No, you're spot on Joseph. It might be difficult to see in the video, but there is also 1-2 columns of pixels obscured by the front faceplate on my GBA as well. Like you say, its not unusable, but it can certainly be a bit annoying. Since making this video, I purchased a pre-cut shell made for V2 screens and re-housed the GBA, which better aligned the screen and fixed the issue. So as originally stated in the video, I still recommend buying a pre-cut shell first and foremost, but I also understand that some people would like to modify their childhood shell for sentimental reasons. This is okay too, but only if you are comfortable with the slight screen mis-alignment!
@@PhobiaSoft Ah I see, you saw the same problem!
I found a video by ModzvilleUSA! where this guy puts a V2 screen into a 2001 shell. He demonstrated using a flush cutter and precision knife to cut away more plastic and clean up the shell internals and he had to remove a lot more than you did in this video. I followed his guide to cutting and that worked out much better, the alignment improved a lot and it’s barely noticeable now, e.g. menus in games are no longer noticeably clipped offscreen on the right hand side.
Now, I also replaced the front plastic plate for a glass plate.
One thing ModzvilleUSA! did not do, and I was aware of too late, is that the new glass plate has a larger opening for the V2 screen than the original plastic one. So now, rectangular opening in the shell for the screen is visibly protruding (or intruding) on the screen - you can see a lip of plastic shell poking out from under the black border of the glass plate.
We should be cutting back the border of the screen opening on the shell also, even a slightly rough job will be hidden by the black border of the glass plate.
Again though, the benefit from this would be minor, as cutting away all of that extra plastic as in ModzvilleUSA’s guide does a satisfactory job, but after all that work there’s a little bit of plastic showing between the glass and V2 screen. I don’t mind because my shell is black so it’s just not very noticeable, but I also did my cousins white 2001 GBA (made a terrible live stream of it) and you can see this white border around the screen under the glass. My cousin didn’t mind it in the end and I reckoned it wasn’t worth the risk of removing the stock-down screen or glass plate for fear of damage or introducing dust.
TLDR there’s a lot of plastic to cut and it’s tough to get it perfect lol!
No criticism of the video here, you did a great job in your own and putting an excellent video together too. It got me working on my own unit and it’s no harm that I had to learn and think for myself too. Just wanted to share my learnings, as you shared yours. So thanks for inspiring me! 🙏👍
Ah thank you! I was trying to see if I could fix my broken speaker and accidentally made my screen do this. I had to shove that cable in there to fix it!
At 8:16, did you intentionally choose the words "lower" and "raise" to serve as a mnemonic?
😏
Anyone: this is too small for our hands...
Nintendo, a Japanese company: ...
Japanese with small hands: yay
Fun fact the game boy advance (black) is a toysRus exclusive
So just to confirm, I don’t have to solder it to get the screen to work ?
Nope! All soldering is optional
@@PhobiaSoft thanks man
My dad just modded mine. He bought a new case, screen, and added a backlight
Gotta love the legacy of Goku II soundtrack, that's my 5th favorite GBA game
I love the Legacy of Goku 2 music!
My man knows what's up
I did something quite similar to this mod in the past and I think we have the same imperfection: screen is not centered as it can be seen at 9:03 in the numbers on bottom left
I don't think its ever perfectly centered to be honest. Every mod so far that i have seen have had the same issue. I could never live with that to be honest lol. My ocd would bother me way to much.
@@Mocroskate I think it's a design problem of the screen we all are buying, it bothered me in the begin, not gonna lie, but it's still quite an improvement over the regular shitty GBA screen
I bought one a little over a year ago for about $100. It was worth it for me. Didn't seem too outrageous for one.
If you release the locks, the screen ribbon should slide right out with no force.
Great video, thanks a million! ✌️😁🎮
So let me get this Straight, if I dont do any of that soldering and just connect the screen the only function I wont get is adjussting screen brightness, wow that really changes how hard I thought it would be to install a new fancy backlit screen on one of my old Game Boy Advances wow...
Me, who never planned on buying a gameboy advance, modded or otherwise: "Good looking out"
Amazingly informative video. Thank you!
the SP and the joycon both fit my hands nicely so I am a lucky baby hand haver yay
Love this channel!
I just ordered one because I don't have a scolding iron and I don't wanna buy one just for one modification. Maybe sometime in the future when I have an extra hobby room
It’s crazy how my entire hand is bigger than the original GBA when I got mine when it first came out I thought it was huge and my hands were tiny when I was kid just like the rest of me it wasn’t until I turned 17 I had growth spurt and went from being 5’4 to 6’1 by the time I was 24 and went from having small hands to large.
Couple questions: isn’t the single chip-based ribbon cable a none-FP version? The blue SM LED looks great. Are there two separate LED’s (for the red power drain) on the board or is it a single dual-color LED? I’ll have to open mine again to check, but now I’m curious about changing this out myself. :)
Its possible. Since all this stuff is grey-market and has no brand name on the packaging, it can be hard to verify who actually manufactured the chip/board you're using.
There are two power LEDs with (if I remember correctly) the green LED being above the red. I de-soldered the green LED and kept the red original below it to indicate when battery is low, as usual. I actually recorded that step, but it ended up being dreadfully out of focus, so I had to cut it :(
@@PhobiaSoft awesome! I'll have to check out doing that mod...I have some heavily modded GBA's that are theme-based, and they could use an LED mod...I just haven't put a lot of effort towards yet, but your vid made me think of it again.
also, if it helps (although I realize you might already aware of it), funnyplaying put out some articles to help identify real vs. fake IPS kits. makho has some great video comparisons as well on what to look for. (that's how i found out about it).
funnyplaying.com/blogs/gameboy-advance-news/copycat-gba-gbasp-lcd-announcement
That blue LED looks sweet but I've had some bad luck with soldering SMD LEDs in the past.
Hmmmm just bumped into this.. I modded my own GB's in order to spent some free time with something recreational. However the final cost is not that far from a pre-modded GB with all the quality parts I've used. There are a lot of reputable modders out there with lots of love, for what they do and what they offer.
What songs was being used at 1:15? Sounds so familiar.
Been meaning to mod my gba for the past year. Thanks for reminding me. Now I just gotta have one... Fuck. Also a fellow Legacy of Goku OST fan!
Good video. But why not simply buy a Nintendo DS fat or Lite and use it to play GBA games?
Man I wish I still had my GBA 😔. All the Castlevania games, Boktai 1 and 2, Onimusha Tactics, the 2 Yu Yu Hakusho games. Man probably my favorite handheld growing up.
Jeez I wish you told me that sooner!
Cool man. I modded my original clear GBA with an original AGS-101 screen, a new silver housing with color matching battery cover and black buttons. Also came with the new GBA front panel. After all was said and done, it was about $70ish or so. And it was pretty easy to mod and I did it myself at home. Also I can adjust the brightness with the potentiometer from the back of the unit. By using a screwdriver to adjust it. I as well love tinkering with electronics and doing modding. Have you ever thought about modding the Sega Game Gear? I would like to tackle that one sometime.
So the v2 is a safe option and stuff from hand held legends