***edit***
I have frontlit GBCs in the past with SP frontlights.
Just installed one of the frontlight kits. Will be posting photos here momentarily and update with my first impressions.
The Fronlit screen
Macro Photos:
GBC with SP Frontlight
When I had the gameboy color open, I adjusted the knob for the contrast all the way counterclockwise for the most contrast and it really didn't help much.
During my first attempt to install the fronlight one of the wires came off of the solder point of the frontlight unit itself. No tugging or hard pulling, but a gentle pull and the wire came right off. Might have just been a first batch sort of error in quality
The wires used look fairly identical to the wires used with the backlight kits also available through kitsch.
First Impressions:
It's fairly washed out. It reduces the clarity of the screen and legibility fairly considerably.
The original LSDj color scheme for the color is barely legible. The best setting I found was the "Grey" color scheme for LSDj. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't getting any better than that.
The dimples that are built-into the surface of the frontlight panel material is what helps refract the light onto the screen... but it also makes the screen hard to see.
It does the job. It is not for everyone though.
The only other options available on the market to my understanding would be the lighting/magnifier attachments for the gbc, cannibalize a AGS-001 SP, hold an LED flashlight in your mouth or have really decent lighting.
How could the product be improved
If there was any other material that could be used for the frontlight panel. Something with maybe half as many dimples to help with the clarity. I'm certain that half as many dimples would still refract enough usable light. The panel used didn't seem like it was made for the purpose of front lighting a GBC specifically. The second batch would definitely benefit from a different frontlight panel material selection.
What am I going to do now?
I'm going to mess around with it for a week or so. As of right now I am not all that happy with the product. The clear and crisp definition of the GBC screen is what I really enjoy about it, and this frontlight unit pretty much kills that. It does what it advertises it would do, but I don't know if it's a trade off I'm willing to work with personally.
At the end of the week, if I am still not happy with it, I most likely will just uninstall and use a LED head strap lamp and call it a day.
Modification of the product
You can add resistors to the kit to lower the brightness of the frontlight.
Last edited by katsumbhong (Jan 21, 2014 2:35 am)
