Pulse Tune
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I would like to do a GBC frontlight mod, so I've been comparing and researching the different mods that are out there and I have some questions about it. If anyone has experience with these mods, I would appreciate your input!

While the Kitsch-Bent kits look pretty easy to install (even with the added step of LOCA), the screen still looks a bit washed out. Which is why I would like to use an AGS-001 (GBA SP) frontlight instead if possible. It looks more difficult to install, but the end result has more contrast and color. The AGS-001 mod also requires a few supplies that I don't have: a resistor and some wires. But I don't know where the best place is to buy them. There's a site called Mouser Electronics that looks pretty good, but they offer so many models and brands that finding what I need is somewhat bewildering. So I found some wire and resistors on Radioshack. Will these do the job okay?

30AWG Wrapping Wire
https://www.radioshack.com/products/wra … 5717668293

47K-Ohm 1/4-Watt Carbon Film Resistor - I have heard that both the 1/4 and 1/2 Watt resistors will work. But will one dim the screen more than the other?
https://www.radioshack.com/products/rad … 5717288389

For the screen, I found a seller "thegodofgaming" that sells AGS-001 screens on Ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nintendo-Game-B … rkt%3D1%26
People usually use LOCA with the Kitsch-Bent and HHL mods, but would it improve the picture quality if I glued the AGS-001 frontlight to the Game Boy Color screen?

Most videos I've seen of this mod on YouTube don't mention this, but someone on YouTube with the name Elly Awesome posted her tutorial of the mod and mentioned that the orange flat cable on the AGS-001 has two tabs, and that one must be removed in order for the mod to work. Is this a step I need to worry about? Here's the part of the video where she talks about it.
https://youtu.be/xpxs1K7SmeY?t=319

I'm a little concerned about the very thin flat cable on the AGS-001 frontlight, which looks fragile. I suppose if something went wrong I could just do the Kitsch-Bent mod instead.  I would like to install it in a vertical orientation, since that'll make the mod a bit easier.

Last edited by Pulse Tune (Sep 10, 2016 8:27 am)

bitjacker
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Alive and well in fucksville

If you are going to solder to a ribbon cable you better have done it before. those are tricky because they will melt. Flux paste is a must. you will not be using part of the cable shown in the ebay picture. and I found an ags 001 on ebay for only $20

ArtyBoomshaka
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First off you can get AGS-001 screens for $15 from mortoff.

Personally, reading up this article (http://www.mylkstuff.com/page40.htm) and the followup on how to do it properly made me give up on the idea.
The AGS-001 frontlight is designed to be looked at at an angle horizontally, which is why all the pictures you see around are taken at an angle... 

If you still want to do this mod, I suggest reading up on it a bit more.
The part about the tab on the frontlight module you won't get until you actually take the screen apart or see someone else do it. 
basically, you have 2 layers soldered in the middle, you only want to keep the one attached directly to the frontlight's led strip.

Good luck!

Pulse Tune
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bitjacker wrote:

If you are going to solder to a ribbon cable you better have done it before. those are tricky because they will melt. Flux paste is a must. you will not be using part of the cable shown in the ebay picture. and I found an ags 001 on ebay for only $20

I fixed some old speakers that were shorted out by stripping the wire and soldering it to a new jack, but that's as far as my soldering experience goes. I also changed the shell of a DS Lite that had a broken hinge. I wasn't aware that the ribbon cable would melt easy, so thanks for the heads up. Is it necessary to use flux paste when soldering to the GBC's main board?

ArtyBoomshaka wrote:

First off you can get AGS-001 screens for $15 from mortoff.

Personally, reading up this article (http://www.mylkstuff.com/page40.htm) and the followup on how to do it properly made me give up on the idea.
The AGS-001 frontlight is designed to be looked at at an angle horizontally, which is why all the pictures you see around are taken at an angle...

If you still want to do this mod, I suggest reading up on it a bit more.
The part about the tab on the frontlight module you won't get until you actually take the screen apart or see someone else do it. 
basically, you have 2 layers soldered in the middle, you only want to keep the one attached directly to the frontlight's led strip.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info. After reading about the mod some more I decided that it's not really worth it. Installing it vertically causes too much glare, and installing it horizontally is too much of a hassle. Instead I ordered up a frontlight, Osaka 7 LOCA and a glass screen from handheld legend. Although the end product is more washed out, I suspect it will look a bit better in person, and at least the light is better distributed without the glare you would get from a vertical SP mod. In preparation I picked up some canned air, microfiber cloth and powder-free latex gloves. From what I've heard, you can't be too careful when trying to minimize dust, dirt, and the oils on your hand from getting on the screen or the frontlight.

Last edited by Pulse Tune (Sep 15, 2016 8:24 am)

urbster1
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Naptown

edit: derp wrong thread

Last edited by urbster1 (Sep 15, 2016 4:45 pm)

bitjacker
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Alive and well in fucksville

Flux is not necessary, just ensures that the solder goes where you want it. And stays. put it on with a toothpick if it is single little points. a dab of molten solder should be  about the size of a bb. also look up what tinning means.

Last edited by bitjacker (Sep 16, 2016 1:05 am)

Pulse Tune
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I got the supplies from HHL today so I made some progress with the mod. I wasn't able to finish it because I have solder somewhere downstairs but I wasn't able to find it, so I'll probably go pick some up tomorrow. I took the PCB out of the shell and removed the screen, cut little notches in the front shell piece for the frontlight wires to go through and picked the foam off the back of the LCD with my fingernails. I also got the glass screen panel installed, and it looks very nice. I feel like things are going well so far, so as long as the LOCA application and soldering process goes smooth I'm hoping for a successful mod. One question I have though is about how to test the frontlight panel. I was hoping to test it before I went through with the LOCA application. I assumed I could touch the wires from the frontlight up to the two ends of a double A battery to see if it works, but nothing happened. So what could I use to test it? Would a cell battery work?


The supplies I'm using.


Glass panel installed and foam removed from back side of the LCD.

bitjacker wrote:

Flux is not necessary, just ensures that the solder goes where you want it. And stays. put it on with a toothpick if it is single little points. a dab of molten solder should be  about the size of a bb. also look up what tinning means.

By a toothpick do you mean the tip shape of the soldering iron or an actual toothpick? I was going to solder it the way this guy did (minus the flux step):
https://youtu.be/jWZhsYP9IZQ?t=323

I won't connect the red wire where he did, but rather the top of the 3 solder points on the right. The HHL frontlight and Kitsch Bent differ in this one area for some reason. Also, I'm using a really cheap soldering iron that won't let you change the temperature. Hopefully that's alright, I don't know what temperature is right for this job.

Last edited by Pulse Tune (Sep 19, 2016 10:09 am)