Reliable place to buy Afterburner?

[Surt]

Are there any reliable sites that still sell the afterburner light kit for the GBA? I found a few but they look a little...err...shady.

[bacteria]

Afterburner on a GBA looks crap and pixilated. Get a GBA SP instead.

[hailrazer]

Afterburner on a GBA looks crap and pixilated. Get a GBA SP instead.

Why do you say it looks "pixelated". It looks washed out but it doesn't change the way the pixels were on the original screen. it just brightens them up a bit.

But yes a GBA Sp with backlight looks better.

[bacteria]

I had an Afterburner (traded it to Palmertech recently); it looks pixilated as the plastic sheet visibly has masses of horizontal and vertical lines to catch and divert the light so it shines onto the GBA screen. This has the effect of making the crisp clear unpixilated GBA screen look pixelated. Yes, also washed out too. In contrast, the GBA SP was designed with a decent light, and officially made.

[Surt]

I had a SP but I didn't like how it felt in my hands - kind of uncomfortable. I got rid of it and stopped playing games all together for awhile but now I have more time on my hands. So I bought a GBA because it’s more comfortable.

So minus the afterburner and my distaste for the SP - is there any other internal option to lighten my screen up?

[hailrazer]

I had an Afterburner (traded it to Palmertech recently); it looks pixilated as the plastic sheet visibly has masses of horizontal and vertical lines to catch and divert the light so it shines onto the GBA screen. This has the effect of making the crisp clear unpixilated GBA screen look pixelated. Yes, also washed out too. In contrast, the GBA SP was designed with a decent light, and officially made.

That's weird.

I added Afterburners for a while , over 40 of them and never noticed that. Maybe you had a defective glass.

[eurddrue]

http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?t=25568

been a while but this will work

[Surt]

http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?t=25568

been a while but this will work

Thanks a bunch

[eurddrue]

http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?t=25568

been a while but this will work

Thanks a bunch

don't thank me thank palmertech

[tysonDS]

I didn't want to revive Palmertech's old thread, so I'll post here instead.

Palmertech, I followed your idea and gutted an old GBA SP - was very easy to remove the Light Guide in front of the LCD.

I opened up my GBA original and removed the foam tape insulating the LCD and the screen, and put the Light Guide in here.

I then wired up a 68ohm resistor (very important tip!!! thanks) and connected the light guide up to the GBA pins.

I didn't have to modify the case or anything, although it is now very snug/tight.

It works GREAT!! It really does light up the GBA for playing in the dark, just like an SP!

Not bad for a 10 minute install, very effective. And getting a cheap used SP is way easier than trying to find an Afterburner on the cheap.

Unfortunately the view is slightly more washed out, as the GBA and the GBA SP LCD are obviously different, also it doesn't seem as sharp directly looking forward, but if you tilt it a few degrees it is very sharp. I think this is caused by the angle of the light guide.

Also, if I could do this mod again, I would ensure I would not touch the light guide at all, because it picked up all my damn fingerprints! Will get some glasses cleaner tonight to fix that.

All in all, this is a kick ass mod.

Note: If people have to ask "why would you want to use a GBA instead of a GBA SP?" < then clearly you don't know GBA well enough.

GBA is like 100 times more comfortable than an SP, and has real buttons not those clicky crap tact buttons.

I can't wait to find more SP's to rip out some light guides... hehe

[palmertech]

you have awakened me from hibernation to give you a tip... No glass cleaner. Just water, anything else ruins the antiglare film.

Expect a tut on this, pending my current possibility of leaving the forums.

[tysonDS]

^ Awesome! thanks Palmertech, that's the second time you have saved me from killing a perfectly good light guide!

It's a pity the oils from my fingerprints got on the plastic. It really sticks on there and when it lights up it lights up your fingerprint.. lol

Actually, I didn't even realise at the time I had touched the screen.

I'll try cleaning it up and take a photo tonight,

Thanks again.

Edit: Also Palmertech, dunno if you can answer this for me, what happens if you turn the light guide around and insert the wrong way. Will the light shine out of the GBA, not towards the screen? The reason I ask is I was unsure if I put it in the right way around.

As the light guide is designed to focus light down, I'm going to assume it can only be put one way.

I'm not sure if I put mine in wrong or not, as it seems pretty bright/washed out. Tbh I thought it would have been a bit sharper.

I think I put it right. When looking towards the screen, the ribbon cable should be on your left.

Dude, why leave benheck forums? You're a useful genius around here.

[eurddrue]

I don't think that it shines a beam of light, just the plastic lights up

[Kyo]

That is a very cool mod. I want to do this, except with an original gameboy

[eurddrue]

kyo, I think that you can use a second generation/revision gbasp screen on a gameboy pocket, bibin had a thread on it a while ago...

edit:bibin's thread