Punisher5.0 Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 You can, I have. I've got the EZ Flash Omega since it sits flush on the GBA/MIcro/DSLite (has a swappable shell included.) Works all the same as the GBA Everdrive for ease of setup, one click starting of things, saves are solid (not battery dependent), has battery only for RTC games, same speeds basically on read, write, play -- yet 1/2 the price of krikzz. I put all the GB+GBC stuff on this microSD card I had and it goes nicely into the GB Player or the handhelds of whatever size with no issues at all. I just use the Everdrive GB when using my GB, GBC, GBP or GB Light. I wish I would have known about that flashcart beforehand to compare. Im ok with the purchase though because Krikzz sells quality stuff with a warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 (edited) Thanks for the info. I was hoping to just use the GBA everdrive for replacing the Game Boy for the GC player. I'm guessing you mean you're replacing a Gameboy everdrive? Course the Gameboy Player for Gamecube plays all GB/GBC/GBA anyway, so you're covered in that department. If anything it'll just make for less cart swaps. As Tanooki said the emulator on the GBA flashcarts just ends up being Goomba.. so if you're familiar with that at all, you'll know what to expect. I love the GBA flashcart not only for the native GBA support, but also because via emulation (Goomba) it can also play NES, GB/GBC, Sega Master System, and Gamegear for starters. I don't know how they'd look on the GC, but on a standard GBA/GBA-SP, it's awesome. I wish I had the dremel I do now, it's an oldie from the 70s that's rock solid I recently got some chucks for, when I tried to do what you're onto now a couple years back as I killed the GBA with a simple drop on carpet. I Cool man, I haven't gotten around to the soldering just yet so it's sitting on my desk.. But how did you kill a GBA with a drop on a carpet doing this mod? Just curious.. Edited November 29, 2018 by NE146 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 I didn't have proper tools to cut out the interior of the shell well. I ended up using a hot soldering tip to melt stuff away and tried smoothing it over. IN the end it put enough pressure on there, at first the new lens I had wouldn't stay flat initially. So it was being so squeezed, it fell of this very desk I'm at onto carpet and landed on a corner (not even face down) and it just snapped it. I got all of less than a month of fun out of it which was really demotivating. I have a dremel now and the parts outside of the ribbon cable, but I just don't know if I really want to bother killing a good 101 to do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 aah k.. And there was no fixing it after that I take it? Dang man.. I have a dremel now and the parts outside of the ribbon cable, but I just don't know if I really want to bother killing a good 101 to do the job. Oh god.. I would never have thought of killing any 101. I just got a screen kit off ebay which cost about $40, but I'd rather pay the cash then pull apart my sole GBA SPs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher5.0 Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 I'm guessing you mean you're replacing a Gameboy everdrive? Course the Gameboy Player for Gamecube plays all GB/GBC/GBA anyway, so you're covered in that department. If anything it'll just make for less cart swaps. As Tanooki said the emulator on the GBA flashcarts just ends up being Goomba.. so if you're familiar with that at all, you'll know what to expect. I love the GBA flashcart not only for the native GBA support, but also because via emulation (Goomba) it can also play NES, GB/GBC, Sega Master System, and Gamegear for starters. I don't know how they'd look on the GC, but on a standard GBA/GBA-SP, it's awesome. Cool man, I haven't gotten around to the soldering just yet so it's sitting on my desk.. But how did you kill a GBA with a drop on a carpet doing this mod? Just curious.. By that I meant im trying to cheap out and use the GBA everdrive for the GB and GBC. The NES and Game Gear are bonuses if they work well. It makes the Gamecube extremely versatile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 (edited) Finished up.. pretty happy with it. Although I'm second guessing myself since the screen is only at the 1st brightness level, so I don't know if I soldered the wire ok (my eyesight has gotten really bad and I can't really see tiny stuff well anymore..even with glasses). But, it definitely looks 1000 times better than the original unlit screen.. this actually raises it from the dead and makes it usable. So i might just call it a day rather than re-open. Edited November 30, 2018 by NE146 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 aah k.. And there was no fixing it after that I take it? Dang man.. Oh god.. I would never have thought of killing any 101. I just got a screen kit off ebay which cost about $40, but I'd rather pay the cash then pull apart my sole GBA SPs Well no the liquid crystal was cracked in a couple places clean through to KO the display on a large triangle over it to the edge. The screen I had put into it was harvested from a 101 that got jacked up so I popped the panel out and bought a ribbon cable adapter for it for $10 and did the work. I half wish my SP beater would break so I could do it again. I know about the $40 kits, but in general, given what it costs to buy a GBA on ePay, then the screen, then the ribbon and the shipping around all of it, you can be a very patient individual and buy one already done up for about $100 so I just didn't bother. Now though I do have a GBA that was cheaply picked up for like $5 (indigo colored), but I'd still have to eat another $60 so it's not really worth it. That very GBA in your finished picture looks fantastic and that's the beauty of one I mentioned already I got. Not a spot on it other than a small gouge in the lens in the GA area of the naming there. I have a replacement coming along with a lime battery cover and lens for a GBC I got at the same time last weekend too. Your GBA brightness, that's normal. There is a further optional mod to get the added brightness levels, but part of it is you're using the aftermarket 101 panel which is a little more darker/contrast than the original from Nintendo. It's a known thing, but it's nothing major and is still better off than the SP was without the 101 update. The dimmer value of it is kind of like on a 3DS when you use battery saving display mode or not. Opening it would do you no good unless you do the further mod which I wouldn't bother with. By that I meant im trying to cheap out and use the GBA everdrive for the GB and GBC. The NES and Game Gear are bonuses if they work well. It makes the Gamecube extremely versatile. From personal experience, they work, and fantastically. GG is nicer than the other two since it's already coming from a smaller lower resolution square. The NES and SMS have a vertical compression issue going on that flattens a few lines or causes some minor shimmer, kind of like how the NES games Nintendo did in those gray NES like carts back in the day (Mario, 2 Zeldas, Castlevania, etc.) It's not bad, not even bad enough to say you need to get used to it, but it is there and you see it. Also PC Engine(TG16) works amazing too and that emulator will even fire up ISOs of CD and SCDs. Back when I had the first EZ-Flash4 I ever got, I put the ISO for Dracula X, Ys 1+2, and Gate of Thunder on there and that was a lot of fun to be had. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher5.0 Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 Im seriously considering one of those ebay backlight screen kits. Ive been using the GBA X5 and I can barely see anything on this screen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 You should. They're slightly dimmer than the OEM Nintendo panels but far superior to the frontlit SPs before the 101 popped. The job is very easy if you have some basic tools and can solder a solitary wire to a single point on the motherboard. The hardest part really is filing, dremeling, melting, snipping, etc the inside of the shell flush enough to not stress the tight fit of the replacement panel and the conversion ribbon cable. The GBA done up in this kit is a true thing of beauty mixed with the comfort of a wide body on it like a real controller combined with using stock AAs so you're not using aging GBA SP batteries or chinese garbage knockoffs of that so you can get more power anywhere on the go that sells AAs. I miss my old one. I've got a glacier model I've been sitting on in a storage pouch for a long while now I'm debating doing it to. I have a dremel now unlike before so I know I can file it down enough to avoid the unfortunate demise of the one I did originally. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 I highly recommend it as well.. I play my original GBA all the time now. The lit screen has made 100% of a difference. However it's bullshit since the prices for the mod kit have jacked up on ebay to almost 70 bucks!.. way more than what I paid. e.g. https://www.ebay.com/itm/222641343900 but it's either that or sacrifice a GBA-SP 101 which I would never do. If you do go that route, Here's the tutorial I used.. although I used a dremel (waay easier) to carve stuff out rather than an Xacto knife like in the video: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtmonkey Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 I've got a You should. They're slightly dimmer than the OEM Nintendo panels but far superior to the frontlit SPs before the 101 popped. The job is very easy if you have some basic tools and can solder a solitary wire to a single point on the motherboard. The hardest part really is filing, dremeling, melting, snipping, etc the inside of the shell flush enough to not stress the tight fit of the replacement panel and the conversion ribbon cable. The GBA done up in this kit is a true thing of beauty mixed with the comfort of a wide body on it like a real controller combined with using stock AAs so you're not using aging GBA SP batteries or chinese garbage knockoffs of that so you can get more power anywhere on the go that sells AAs. I miss my old one. I've got a glacier model I've been sitting on in a storage pouch for a long while now I'm debating doing it to. I have a dremel now unlike before so I know I can file it down enough to avoid the unfortunate demise of the one I did originally. I've got a GBA modded with a backlit screen, and it's indeed a thing of beauty. The original GBA had the best dpad/buttons in the entire GBA range of hardware, and playing games with perfect controls on a beautiful screen viewable nearly anywhere really brings the GBA to life. Shame the game library has so many garbage licensed games tho haha! The good games more than make up for that though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high voltage Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 (edited) Some UK GB mags: I think this UK GBA magazine lasted 2 issues UK Planet Game Boy, didn't see anymore at the news stands after 4 issues Also UK, Advance magazine, 6 issues....three A5 sized, didn't sell, three A4, that was it... Game Boy/Total Game Boy Color/Total Advance, 35 issues Not forgetting, already posted here, GBX with its cover mounted video, and game (last issue) There also was Nintendo Magazine System, which turned into Game Boy Official magazine, which I didn't collect, and GB Action, which I had but cannot find.... Multi handheld magazines: Hands On! (lasted only one issue?) fistful! (one issue only? I wonder why!) UK C&VG (Computer and Video Games) had GO!, which came bundled with the main magazine, 24 issues Edited December 31, 2018 by high voltage 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher5.0 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 I highly recommend it as well.. I play my original GBA all the time now. The lit screen has made 100% of a difference. However it's bullshit since the prices for the mod kit have jacked up on ebay to almost 70 bucks!.. way more than what I paid. e.g. https://www.ebay.com/itm/222641343900 but it's either that or sacrifice a GBA-SP 101 which I would never do. If you do go that route, Here's the tutorial I used.. although I used a dremel (waay easier) to carve stuff out rather than an Xacto knife like in the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYiZQZI-P5E This is the one I was looking at: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F143047640526 Is there a way to tell what size pin connector it will take without taking the system apart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Nice spread of foreign GBA magazines. We had our share of a killed off too soon setup too from Nintendo no less -- Nintendo Power Advance Vol 1-4. I've got the set of them and they're amazing older style magazines like the earlier era of NP because they have large scale total game guides for some amazing titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted December 31, 2018 Share Posted December 31, 2018 Is there a way to tell what size pin connector it will take without taking the system apart? Yes. Check that video I posted about 20 seconds in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher5.0 Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Yes. Check that video I posted about 20 seconds in. Awesome. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted January 1, 2019 Share Posted January 1, 2019 Even more simple if the video wasn't there, look up the ribbon connector on ebay. Many of the listings in one of their free pictures allowed usually show a diagram on how to spot it from the back of the system with the battery door removed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher5.0 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Ok I have the 42 pin model GBA. How come these screen kits say 32 or 40? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 It's 40.. just ignore the "42" typos Or put it this way, it aint 32! http://www.nathandickman.com/40-pin-or-32-pin-game-boy-advance-agb-001-screen-type-how-to-tell/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher5.0 Posted January 2, 2019 Share Posted January 2, 2019 Haha thank you. I was wondering if they were typos but there are so many of them like that I wasnt sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 It's 32 or 40, that's it. All you do after carving out the inside of the screen side of the inside of the shell to fit the larger 101 panel is pretty easy. LCD ribbon to adapter, adapter to motherboard jack. One wire hangs off adapter, that is soldered to the main board in a specific spot. Button it back up and games are bright and pretty. It's a 5min job outside of the shell shaping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 (edited) I made my first gaming related purchase of 2019 this week, and it's one that I'm at pretty much maximum possible levels of excitement about! I've owned a couple AGS-101 backlit Game Boy Advance systems in the past but they both had Chinese reproduction shells and buttons and I really never cared for the cheap flimsy feeling of the shells and poorly cast buttons, so I eventually sold them and decided to keep an eye out for a pristine mint condition Indigo colored GBA with all original Nintendo parts that I could add a backlit screen to myself. After a good year or so of searching I finally found exactly what I was looking for! For $45 shipped I picked up a gem mint Indigo GBA with zero scratches anywhere on the system and all original Nintendo parts, plus the seller threw in a carrying case and a few equally mint condition games to go with the system. It feels absolutely glorious in my hands, solid and sturdy with nice smoothly cast and responsive buttons, and over the next few months I'll be upgrading it with an AGS-101 LCD screen, BennVenn Voltage Regulator for maximum screen brightness, and an EverDrive GBA X5 fully loaded with every game I could ever possibly want to play for the Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, original Game Boy, NES, Game Gear, and Sega Master System. That's my gaming project for 2019! Edited January 3, 2019 by Jin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted January 4, 2019 Share Posted January 4, 2019 You got lucky for sure with it in that shape and those games. It's a relatively hard or easy project to do if you can smoothly cut the shell for the right depth fit otherwise they end in disaster as the actual mod work is as easy as a 10 piece lego set. I'd really strongly yet again recommend avoiding the everdrive for the ez flash omega. It's nearly 1/2 the price, as reliable hardware both for build quality but also functionality too, yet it fits flush to the system without sticking out like a 1cm big TOE off the top. And it has emulators built in for the Nintendo stuff, so it will stock load NES, GB and GBC games without constructing a multi-cart bootrom (for SMS Advance for SMS+GG you'll still have to.) I'm considering the project too as I found a couple dollars months ago a minty perfect glacier model, which is what I started out on anyway but I have to question if shaving it down would just ugly it up since it's see through. I did get one GB find already this year for $6 at the half price which was bizarre since it's a Japanese game. Bikkuri Nekketsu Shin Kiroku! Dokodemo kin Medal. (Basically the Gameboy JP only release of Crash and the Boys Street Challenge) part of the Kunio line of games. The art caught my eye immediately when I spotted it, and I didn't realize this one existed and I've got the Dodgeball one, been thinking of getting the brawler that turned into Double Dragon 2 for the US too. When I see a Japanese gameboy game that doesn't require reading in moderate to heavy doses it doesn't get left behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted January 4, 2019 Author Share Posted January 4, 2019 You got lucky for sure with it in that shape and those games. It's a relatively hard or easy project to do if you can smoothly cut the shell for the right depth fit otherwise they end in disaster as the actual mod work is as easy as a 10 piece lego set. I'd really strongly yet again recommend avoiding the everdrive for the ez flash omega. It's nearly 1/2 the price, as reliable hardware both for build quality but also functionality too, yet it fits flush to the system without sticking out like a 1cm big TOE off the top. And it has emulators built in for the Nintendo stuff, so it will stock load NES, GB and GBC games without constructing a multi-cart bootrom (for SMS Advance for SMS+GG you'll still have to.) Oh believe me, I'm gonna be nervous as heck when it comes time to start cutting into the inside of the shell to fit the AGS-101 LCD screen in there. I'm confident in my ability to perform the soldering necessary for the screen and voltage regulator so I'm not worried about that, but I think I will spend the $10 or so to pick up a reproduction shell to practice my cutting and filing on before I go to work on the real thing. I'm not going to start cutting into such a pristine condition system until I know that I can do it cleanly without screwing anything up. For the flash cart I'm pretty set on the EverDrive GBA X5 rather than the EZ Flash Omega, and there's a few reasons for that. The first is that the EZ Flash Omega consumes 50% more power than the EverDrive GBA X5 (150 mAh vs 100 mAh). The EZ Flash Omega also has a non-replaceable RTC battery where as the EverDrive GBA X5 is easily replaceable, and there are widespread reports of save file corruption on the EZ Flash Omega that you don't have to worry about with an EverDrive. Lastly, since the only computers in my household are Macs and all the compiler programs for SMSAdvance to create .gba files from Game Gear and Master System for use on the EZ Flash Omega are in Windows only .exe format I would not be able to play Game Gear or Master System games on my GBA with the EZ Flash Omega. With the EverDrive GBA X5's native SMSAdvance emulator support there's no need for a Windows only compiler program, you just drag and drop the .sms and .gg game files onto the SD card and you're good to go. So the choice between the EZ Flash Omega and EverDrive GBA X5 is kind of a no-brainer for me. Yeah, the EverDrive is twice the price and sticks out a little but it consumes 50% less power, has a replacable RTC battery, no save file corruption to worry about, and native support for Game Gear and Master System emulation. I'm cool with paying twice the price and having a nub sticking out of my GBA for all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted January 5, 2019 Share Posted January 5, 2019 I am still mystified that no enterprising person feeding on the nervous and/or lazy haven't tried making a new mold with it already pre-centered and molded for the 101 screen. It wouldn't even need to be a full shell, just a front place with your choice of plastic or glass lens. I'd buy one as I'm still nervous after wrecking my first one when I didn't have a proper dremel to use. :\ I'm not sure I buy into the battery bit, and the power consumption was that bad at launch but notably improved with firmware revisions, but you're right I guess if the ED plays SMS/GG games without making a file which is a nice little perk that they could remedy. I'll have to try and find that space, I think on gbatemp, where they run out various beta tests for the omega firmware as it's more up to date than what is aging on their site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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