Going to start my projects! Questions & pics (1st post)

[mkyGD3]

Hello all! I recently stumbled onto this forum because I wanted to backlight my MGB. Well, I recently acquired a DMG from my buddy for FREE and was thinking about backlighting it as well. I have seen a lot of people making music on their Game Boys, but I will be using mine solely for playing games. Sorry if these photos are bad, but here are a couple pictures of what I am working with:

This is the DMG I acquired from my friend. It is in very good condition. The only thing that is wrong with it is that it has minor scratches and there is a small amount of corrosion in the battery compartment. I want to do a white backlight on this DMG, replace the buttons, and maybe put a different color LED for the battery light.

DMG:

Battery compartment corrosion:

Second, is the MGB I have had since they came out. I want to backlight this and get some new buttons. I may want to swap the internals into a new case since this one has some wear on it (after all, it is about 14 years old I think), or maybe fix this case up a little and paint it.

I did have a couple of questions.

1. Pro Sound. I was looking for info, but I think I was looking in the wrong places. What is the benefit of the Pro Sound mod? Is it just for headphones or does it affect the speaker inside the case? If it does provide a nice sound to either, I might want to do this to the DMG.

2. Battery. Would I need to beef up my battery since I am adding all these things? What about adding a rechargeable source? I have seen people adding PSP batteries to their Game Boys. Would this be a possibility? Maybe a GBA: SP battery?

3. Backlight. I want to do a white backlight to both of these. I was looking on ASMretro and found this (http://www.asmretro.com/product/ledx3-vb). Would this be a good backlight for both of these? I have read on here that backlighting the MCB is kind of a pain in the butt. Would these be an easy mod?

4. Cases. I have been looking around for a replacement case and I can't seem to find any. Is there any place to find some? I would love to have a clear case for both of these projects. I have seen some really nice frosted clear cases.


I will probably be updating this thread as I go along with acquiring everything on my list for the mods. Let me know what you guys think and I could always use a push in the right direction with info! Thank you!

 

[Sly]

This isn't related to your questions, but if you dip your battery contacts in vinegar, it eats away at the corrosion and leaves them looking very shiny.

 

[Mr. Hooker]

lcd color invert on the black mgb would be really cool.

purple or ultraviolet led for the power light to mach the writing.

 

[mkyGD3]

I won a PSP Slim battery today on eBay. I'm getting paid on Friday and I'm going to pick up some buttons and backlights.

 

[mkyGD3]

So I got some parts and stuff in the mail. I figured I'd update the thread and post a couple of pictures. Friday I will be ordering my backlights and picking up another DMG to swap the parts into the clear case. I think I'm going to buy the VB series backlight from ASMretro.com. I am buying one for the DMG and one for the MGB.

Sorry if these pictures are HUGE. For some reason Imgur is weird.

Here's what I bought as far as parts go:
- Rechargeable PSP Slim battery (3.6V 1200mAh)
- Kitsch-Bent clear DMG case
- Kitsch-Bent clear buttons
- Kitsch-Bent DMG white start/select button
- Kitsch-Bent DMG white replacement screen

I also painted my MGB a Tiffany Blue. It took me about 4 days to paint it but I think it came put really good.

I searched around and couldn't really find a thread for modding a PSP Slim battery into the DMG. Will this supply enough voltage with the backlight installed? I'm pretty sure I need to buy the charger port as well for the PSP battery. Has anyone else done this mod in a DMG? What gauge wire should I use?

Anyway, I'll probably search around the Internet a bit more and look for some info. I will probably post another update next week or so. I'm planning on frosting the clear DMG case so I'll post a picture up of the finished product.

 

[Sly]

Looks good so far. Even if you won't be using the DMG for chiptune, I think this replacement screen would look better than the white one.
Also, nice paint job! Which brand of spray paint did you use?

 

[mkyGD3]

Looks good so far. Even if you won't be using the DMG for chiptune, I think this replacement screen would look better than the white one.
Also, nice paint job! Which brand of spray paint did you use?

Thanks! I love the retro look of that screen cover. Is there anywhere to find them in the US? the paint I used was Rust-oleum Painters Touch "Satin Aqua". I used 3 really light coats of Valspar satin clear coat after I did 4 light coats of paint. I'll post up a better picture later today if I get a chance. Thanks everyone!

 

[Sly]

Do you still need the black DMG case that you replaced with the clear one? I'd be interested in buying or trading for it.

 

[Sly]

Oh, and for the screen covers, Kitsch used to supply them, but I can't find any of them being sold in the US.

 

[mkyGD3]

Do you still need the black DMG case that you replaced with the clear one? I'd be interested in buying or trading for it.

I think I might hold on to the black DMG and use a different one for the internal parts. If anything comes up, I'll let you know and we can work something out!

 

[Ishwhale]

1. Pro Sound. I was looking for info, but I think I was looking in the wrong places. What is the benefit of the Pro Sound mod? Is it just for headphones or does it affect the speaker inside the case? If it does provide a nice sound to either, I might want to do this to the DMG.
Prosound mod only has a noticeable difference on speakers or headphones with an external power source, so if you were to plug your headphones into the new jack, it would actually sound quieter than the stock jack. It's really for people who are planning to record sound off of the Gameboy as it provides a direct connection the sound and reduces noise.

2. Battery. Would I need to beef up my battery since I am adding all these things? What about adding a rechargeable source? I have seen people adding PSP batteries to their Game Boys. Would this be a possibility? Maybe a GBA: SP battery?
There is not a noticeable loss in battery life, however if you want, it is possible to install a rechargeable battery from an SP or like others have said, PSP slim. Google for tutorials.

3. Backlight. I want to do a white backlight to both of these. I was looking on ASMretro and found this (http://www.asmretro.com/product/ledx3-vb). Would this be a good backlight for both of these? I have read on here that backlighting the MCB is kind of a pain in the butt. Would these be an easy mod?
I generally recommend Nonelectronics.com for backlights, they now have a model that doesn't require trimming of the plastic frame around the screen on the pcb and rather just snaps into place, making it virtually impossible for all the hipsters to *Can'tSayThisOnTV* it up. Backlighting a MGB is "more difficult" than a DMG because the ribbon cable that connects the LCD to the PCB is extremely temperamental and if you mess it up, there is really no way to fix it, and you'll be missing your childhood Gameboy and regretting ever opening it.

4. Cases. I have been looking around for a replacement case and I can't seem to find any. Is there any place to find some? I would love to have a clear case for both of these projects. I have seen some really nice frosted clear cases.
You seem to have already found these so I don't need to answer it.