Trying to get homebrew running on your PSP? Want to add a screen light to your Game Boy? Trying to figure out how to work your GP2X? By popular demand, discuss it in here! (This forum is for pre-built handhelds, NOT custom made portables!)
Hi everybody!
I'm new here, and I want to mod my DMG, adding light to the screen, and later, a rechargeable battery.
But, I'm afraid of trying the backlight mod, since I seriously screwed my GameBoy Pocket screen when I attempted to backlight it.
So, I'm using two white LEDs (not sure if its enough) and I'm getting power from here:
Am I doing the right thing?
Last edited by Rokkuman on Mon Feb 14, 2011 12:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If you're using the frontlight from an SP, you need 3v. So if that spot is 3v, then yes. You can wire straight to the battery contacts, but you would need a switch to turn the light on and off. If you aren't using an SP frontlight, you're going to have trouble seeing the screen just with LEDs. I tried with a gameboy color, and it just wouldn't work well.
I've installed the LEDs, and gave it a test run, and you're right, I'm having trouble seeing the screen.
So, I need more LED's?
I don't have an SP, and I can't buy one.
So, what can I do?
That's not really going to work. If you need the screen lit up with a normal LED, you should make it external and use the 5v (with a resistor, of course) from the link port.
The reason front lighting works with SPs and such is because there is a plastic sheet that has been etched to evenly distribute the light onto the screen.
Definitely don't attempt to install an SP frontlight into a DMG for a number of reasons. It's considerably more difficult than backlighting the unit, it will look awful, and the backlight could be used for a screen that can't be backlit, like the GBC or GBA for instance.
Just try to install a normal backlight. The pocket is considerably more difficult to backlight. Namely because of the ribbon cable placement, and the fact that the case has to be dremeled to fit an LED backlight in.
Well, that's quite dissapointing...
No matter what happens, I will NEVER try to backlight my DMG. It's the last Gameboy I have, and I really dont want to lose it.
In my country, it's really hard to buy things like backlighting kits or polarized films, and such.
So, I think I'll try things on my own for now. If I get positive results, be sure that I will share it with everyone here.
Anyways....
Does anyone know how to add a rechargeable battery to the DMG?
Could a 6v cellphone battery work?
How long would it last (the power, of course)?
EDIT: Changed the name of the topic, since now I'm asking for something that's NOT backlighting.
I don't mean to be discouraging, but you will not, under any circumstances, get good results with using pcb mount LEDs. They're not designed for front lighting, you need something else to distribute the light. The only practical way to do this would be like I said, make it external and have the led point at the screen. It won't look great, but it will be better than trying to cram LEDs inside.
As for rechargeable batteries- third party rechargeable battery packs exist. If you're not comfortable with modding, I wouldn't put any foreign batteries into your gameboy. The capacity depends on the battery, and you'll likely need to add some sort of protection circuit to prevent the battery from exploding if you plan on charging it while it's in the unit. Otherwise you can just charge it with the charger that came with the cellphone.
crap wrote:I don't mean to be discouraging, but you will not, under any circumstances, get good results with using pcb mount LEDs. They're not designed for front lighting, you need something else to distribute the light. The only practical way to do this would be like I said, make it external and have the led point at the screen. It won't look great, but it will be better than trying to cram LEDs inside.
Oh, I see. No problem.
So, if I make it external, the two LEDs are enough?
Or do I need more?
Regarding the batteries... what do you mean by "protection circuit"?
Thanks in advance.
When he says "protection circuit" he means something that will cut the charger from charging the battery once it reaches it's capacity. These are used on almost every charger so that the batterys will not fry/explode
I didn't do anything.
Is there some sort of "username censoring" in the forums?
Well, back on topic...
crap wrote:But yeah, you can use a cellphone battery.
Epic Lavalamp wrote:If it is the right voltage you can
Thanks for your replies!
I'm almost done with my external frontlit DMG.
This may sound annoying but I'm a n00b at modding...
What can you tell me about overclocking?
I've heard that if you overclock a PC, it can stop working sooner than expected. Does the same thing applies to the DMG?
You would just have to figure out where the wires will go, but in theory it should work. I know the front light is large enough for a DMG GameBoy, because I've put it in the case for one. My mod uses a Nintendo DS in a DMG case with a front lit GameBoy Color thrown in for the heck of it.
I am not completely finished, but I posted a step by step guide anyway so I could enter a contest. (Votes would be appreciated)
Woah, that's an awesome project.
Pretty cool! I would try it, but I'm currently broke, so it has to wait....
Thanks for the comments. A buddy gave me his old DMGs, they're 5, and now I can mod to my hearts content. I'll definitely try that frontlight mod done by Bibin.
Thanks.
