Cool Uncle Mods: The GachaSP, the Smol GBA SP that's Big Fun!

[@josephtomkinsmusic]

I’m glad you like it! 😁 thanks for sticking with me through the few issues 😅 all of the things you highlighted we fixed as we worked on it with you so the latest version on my Ko-Fi and PCBWay community pages comes with the shorter button wells and the more comfortable fit!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

So excited to try it out, thanks so much again Joseph for chatting with me and making this cutie!!

[@ryancunniff475]

This was an awesome project. Question on hardware, does this use OEM screws? I could not find any info on fasteners. Thanks!

[@inkstray]

why is the pcbway link dead

[@josephtomkinsmusic]

@@ryancunniff475 it didn’t use OEM screens, it’s laminated displays from FP preferred!

[@josephtomkinsmusic]

@@inkstray the design was stolen but since taking the link down I’ve had multiple requests so it will be back on the same link once PCBWay reapprove in a few hours

[@mwfisa]

Love my cool uncle Marisa. So freakin' cool as always!!! Hadn't seen this before and now working on sourcing the parts and building my own. Thanks much, Unc!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Whoo! Good luck & thanks for watching!

[@retrogameevo]

Heeeeey! RGEVO here. I am so glad that you got it done and it looks so great. Thanks a lot for trusting Joseph and I and testing it, having another person test fitting in parallel to me was deffo very helpful and for sure makes it so that we can move faster towards the “final” version 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

A pleasure! Thanks again to you guys for working on it and also being so open to chatting with me :') So excited for the future!

[@MarloHernandezS1L3NT]

Great video uncle! This honestly looks very cool. Love seeing all these mods being done to the gameboy

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@VisiV]

Wow. That is SO CUTE. You picked really good colors and materials. It looks better than a commercial product honestly. Your footage is really gorgeous and high quality too. Thanks for posting.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thank you so much for watching! I was super impressed by the quality of everything and Joseph's design is pro 🩷

[@nerdloftgaming]

The Game Boy community makes me proud, amazing work everyone 😭 I really want a 3D Printer for myself but this PCBWAY sounds like an amazing alternative! While this build is not perfect, it’s definitely cute haha. Thanks always, Uncle!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Right - it's such a vibrant and creative community 🩷🩷🩷

[@Lofi_Noodles]

Great Video, Had no clue about this build! Thank you for showing it!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@NINtendo72]

Cool! I might just do this build. I'll keep an eye out for the revisions 👀

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Yesss, it's so so cool.

[@SirKittyMcMittens]

The way I was looking forward to this video lol I'm glad I'm not the only one who had trouble with the switches and buttons. Besides that, I'm loving this little thing so far, but I also can't wait for the models and pcb's to get further improvements (And yes, it looks great next to a Playdate hehe)

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Ooh I'm also glad to hear that I wasn't the only one hahah - I am excited for new button board revisions 👀🩷

[@kindofabigdyl]

Found your channel from a friend sending me this video. Amazing video, amazing build, can’t wait to dive into your other videos!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thanks so much for being here!

[@lucebreaks]

Oh yeah this has playdate blood running through and through haha awesome Playdate is really neat because like, all things considered it's about on spec with GBA just lacking the color. I've made some music for a few playdate games so getting to see how the playdate works behind the scenes is super neat, I do hope you get yours soon! I don't even have one myself yet haha

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

I hope you have one on the way! What games did you work on? I'd love to check them out once I get mine 🥲

[@lucebreaks]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa I worked on an on-rails light-gun like called Necro Crisis and then I worked on a game-n-watch styled game called Paging Dr Floppy! I did the sound effects and music for both games as well as general sound work

[@GentleEnt]

What an absolutely stellar build. This has got to be my favorite SP mod that i've seen

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

I'm happy you think so too! I can't wait for the next update.

[@OneLastYou]

This video strikes the perfect balance of personality and chill, love it!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thank you!!

[@crystal_is_cozy]

This is amazing. I just discovered your channel and I’m already a huge fan. Love your vibe. Thank you for sharing! 🥰

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thank so much, I'm so glad you're here!

[@cullenparker9096]

Thank you for making this video. The buttons on the pcb way weren't clear what to use so I'm glad you provided a link. Also you mentioned something about an RGB mod for your crt, did you have a video about that? I appreciate how much effort into quality you provide! Keep up the good work.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thank you for watching, I'm glad it helped you out! Unfortunately the RGB mod was way before the KZbin channel but also it was like a fever dream, I can't remember anything about it lol. There's some documentation and such on the CRT subreddit that should help get you started and some kind folks who are open to helping.

[@cullenparker9096]

I came back to say I am so impressed with you, I have had zero luck soldering the buttons on. You have amazing skill, but unfortunately I may have to scrap this project as I am just not able to get those pesky buttons soldered down.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

@@cullenparker9096 Just put it to the side for now! You'll eventually get to the point where you'll be ready to tackle it again :) A microscope will help a lot and a hot plate will make the buttons a breeze if you're still having trouble.

[@indigocotton4187]

1st time viewer - brilliant! Great channel / production

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thanks so much for watching and for the kind words!

[@leabriana1223]

Awesome! I had not seen this! I love unhinged GBAs tbh!

[@XINN1X]

great video this is an amazing project even though it looks a bit uncomfortable to hold haha. I hope OnionOS starts supporting more variety of hardware because this space is so cool and growing. the zoomed in shots were super nice

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thanks for watching! OnionOS is for emulators, this is original hardware ;) - in terms of comfort, it's probably uncomfortable if you find small devices like the Playdate or GB Micro uncomfortable, for me it was a-ok to hold! Keep an eye out for a video on the final revision of the gachasp!

[@Marconi9331]

Great video as always, to be honest I still feel that a unhinged SP build is sacrilegious but at least this one bring some cuteness and portability with it. A feedback about the microscope camera I like it a lot and feel that it is really helpful to people unfamiliar with modding or the hardware in question, one good thing that this camera brought that I believe was accidental was showing the point of your finger near the pads, when I started modding consoles many times watching videos with microscope point of view gave me the wrong impression that pads were bigger than the actually were, but in this video it was very clear the pad sizes in comparison.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Haha, I totally get that. When I got into the hobby and saw microscope only videos and then ordered the boards I was always shocked by how small the pads really were 😅 Thanks so much for watching!

[@InternetWesley]

Ohhh... I'm in love with this design :o

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

It is the cutest thing I've seen 100%

[@vintage_sole4065]

Yo the algorithm showing smaller KZbinrs is such a air of fresh content

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

It's true I'm only 5'3" (also thank you for watching!)

[@LuisGonzalez-dbz]

Please do continue adding those clips where you’re all zoomed in, so therapeutic and enlightening.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching 🩷

[@strra]

Awesome. I wish this were a thing a few months back when i had a SP with a bad screen. I put in an IPS screen but would have done this at the same time. I do like the microscope shots, by the way!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thank you for watching! I hope another SP comes your way - the final revision is out to boot! Video as soon as I get my bits and bobs :')

[@joe-raysix]

Our Cool Uncle Marisa™ has confirmed herself to be a bear in this video when she speaks of her eyes. PAY ATTENTION, PEOPLE!

[@lodadd]

This looks as alluring as all the popular SBCs floating around. Beautiful! I don't think it's for me ergonomically or switch-wise - I'm definitely a squishy membrane button guy - but I'm almost tempted to just print this to look at or make a display piece.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Honestly not a bad idea to put together for display! I'm a squishy membrane person too, but OEM SP switches are ok fine for me and fingers crossed we'll get that in future revisions!

[@ann9096]

Great video! it looks like you have a loose screw in the shell at 25:15

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thanks so much for watching! And good eye! By the time I took the demo video, the screw threads had lost their integrity due to the resin material, so some of the screws were having Bad Time TT_TT

[@beartoothWC]

god the gba sp is so goated

[@the.spin.doctor]

i love your channel!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thank you!!

[@thenarrator5746]

Very cool. I will be attempting this. 25:20 Dont know if you noticed the loose screw in there. Great video

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

The video footage made me notice it haha. Good luck with your build! Make sure to get all the new prints and not the ones I use in this video. This is an old video.

[@X862go]

Adorable ❤

[@X862go]

uncle go to bed its 2 am I will hit the likes for you.

[@X862go]

DONE.

[@NotJimCarrey]

If you want to use all same-colored wires in a project like this, leave them a touch longer and paint the end (nail polish, marker, hobby paint) and use that as a color code.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

That's a smart idea! The wires aren't terribly visible on this project so I wasn't bothered, but that is great advice for that kind of case, thanks for sharing!

[@nullbyt]

This is a really cool form factor.

[@vocal_challenge]

amazing!!

[@nightlifety]

sick video! 🤘🏻

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thanks for watching!

[@bocarlsson3rd]

Don't worry how your soldering job is. I've been soldering for years and mine look like shit so you're still a better solderer than me.

[@Numba1indahood]

Yooo, you got mentioned by Wulff Den! He saw this video and has to try this project for himself!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Haha, I saw his video, I'm glad the Gacha SP is getting exposure and crazy coincidence it was published the same day of a big update for the gacha!

[@archiep9162]

Thanks Uncle Mods

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

You are welcome, Archie P

[@texspex]

Nice work Uncle Marisa! I do feel the fully transparent shell is a risk for diy stuff since even the tiniest of imperfections can be seen through it. Something like those 'smoke transparent' cases of N64 style might be good, but I'm not sure if PCBWay can print those. 🤔

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Absolutely, this was my first time using one because how could I not show off the pink PCB! I do believe PCBway does tinted ones too. This is definitely a low risk project once the kinks are ironed out as there isn't much surface area to see imperfections on - I only see them on where I took the cutters to.

[@TousiffTH]

I'm a simple man, I watch a nice video, I click subscribe.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

simply the best - thank you!

[@theretrocaveman]

Great vid as always, this is sick! to pcbway i go.... 😭

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Thanks so much! Have a blast 🩷

[@8bitnation419]

This looks pretty cool and unique but it also looks quite uncomfortable for longer play sessions. I think the Boxy Pixel, and Slate shells are the best mods when going for a different form factor along with there metal build quality. But i like this too, it reminds me of the PlayDate.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Honestly, once the switch issue is fixed, it's rather comfortable to hold. But I also have slender hands so I'm coming from that perspective. Probably is more challenging with bigger hands.

[@AndrewStottisTheIndiWerWlf]

Why do I want this more than anything in my whole life

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

The power of cute ✨

[@AndrewStottisTheIndiWerWlf]

Making mine this week. Rose Gold finished aluminum shell with all of the v2 updates. Wish me luck.

[@TarikA]

Not interested in owning one but gotta admit, it's really cute! :)

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

It is a work of adorable 💚🩷

[@ChronoMoogle]

Crafty uncle!

[@dsteeezy8]

So as far the brightness goes funnyplaying sells a IPS kit with touch sensor pad that lets you adjust the brightness without having to preset it and the newer version has a spot for adding a little speaker 🤩

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Touch sensors are very dodgy but it could definitely come in handy with this specific build :^∆

[@dsteeezy8]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa I’ll update you if it worked for me lol! Wish me luck

[@TheRyanelittlefield]

Wait, are you playing... *squints* War of the Lions? Or is that a "Legend of" game? God, I hate that I can't tell. I'm a fan of the soldering view! Seeing more of this content from you would be awesome. My soldering skills are probably garbage by comparison, so this is all fine haha Also, this might be a departure from some of your other content, but on the topic of Mr Driller 2, I would love to know some games that you really love that don't require English / translation to enjoy!!

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

It's War of the Lions! Very good eyes 👀 - And that's a good idea, I've got a few Japanese games like that, I would be happy to share

[@outsideinside9990]

Reminds me of my Anbernic RG280V, the shape of it anyway.

[@Atheneerr]

ooo now im interested in this build! XD What material did you use for the shell btw?

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

It's resin!

[@taikatou]

i love it

[@JessicaFEREM]

Soneone should make a clip on attachment for the z flip that gives you SP controls but also clips on the back for storage. That would be awesome.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

That would be neat. I wonder if you can run a gba emulator on the cover screen now, since we can basically run any app there at this point.

[@JessicaFEREM]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa ooo what about making a controller that has the bottom half of an SP but on the top is a phone clip and then it just connects over Bluetooth

[@JessicaFEREM]

Or even a controller that looks like the original DS but has a clip in the middle for DS games

[@winsucker7755]

"RING RING RING!" :D

[@nikkolaus91]

Risky business, recording yourself with an Invisalign in. I was waiting for them to pop out like dentures.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Buddy, if your aligners are popping out you should be seeing an orthodontist instead of watching youtube.

[@DevilNeverKnows]

you remind me of Hazel from Bottoms (that's 1000% a compliment)

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Haha I haven't seen it but thank you for the compliment 🩷💚

[@brisingr14]

Hi, CoolUncleMarisa. Kawai gba. Its like a shorter version of the miyoo mini. So many ways to play games...

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

UhM, this is not true!!! Anyway, please do not look at my Bear Arms in the video. Bare Arms. BARE.

[@KindaKurt]

😍

[@frumiousgaming]

What distinguishes a gameboy advance sp from a regular gba apart from the form factor? I always assumed it was the same internals with a different shell! Do you think at some point the community will be able to develop custom switches for things like this?

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

In terms of the OG, the SP had a light but the GBA didn't. At this point, with modding, it really is just the form factor haha. I don't imagine custom switches would be made because they are difficult and expensive to make in small batches.

[@RetroWolf13]

See s like it needs more tweaking amazing looking though

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Looks like the shell has already been tweaked by Joseph and Jonas reports a new button board is in testing 🤩

[@RetroWolf13]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa awesome I might dabble in this as I love the GBA and original GB and GBC

[@gavynbrandt]

I'd love to put one together that can be worn similar to a watch

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

You must have big wrists hahah - I'd love to see it if you end up doing so!

[@GhostlyFilm]

Pretty cool, but the ergonomics are gonna be why I'd pass. I'd rather just mod the crap out of a GBA Advance. Do you have any issues with comfort? Especially during long gaming sessions?

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

It's pretty perfect for RPGs and stuff. I didn't love the buttons as I said in the video, but the final revision has huge improvements in that area so I'm excited to put that together and see. If they are comfortable, it'll be A plus for long sessions too

[@Breakbeats92.5]

Sighs you might be turning into a retro-hand-held-gaming-addict: you are seriously considering buying micro SD cards in bulk.

[@superduperdrew12345]

The lack of a speaker is a deal breaker for me

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

There is a speaker in the second revision and the final revision.

[@vibujicilemi]

hi Marisa! What microscope you have? Would you recommend it?

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

It's from HUILEY Official Store on AliExpress as "1200X Microscope Digital Portable 7" LCD Video Microscope 12MP for Soldering Electronic PCB Inspection Continuous Zoom" - I'm really happy with it for $60!

[@johzho123]

You need to experiment extensively on dome type actuation parts, those look really bad to click in

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

The current revision has changed the switches. Video soon. Please note, I am not involved in the creation of this project so I would not be experimenting with anything 😅

[@hyakin7818]

I thought it was a gba sp but like a slide phone

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

That'd be so neat

[@martintxo14]

I dislike the sp unhinged mod but this one looks so cool 🔥and clever. Idk about the comfort tho 😅 (your art instagram link is not working btw)

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

It's comfy for me 😅 And thanks for letting me know, I updated it.

[@brunocar02]

Reminds me of the LDK

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

I had to look it up, super cute!

[@reminon]

Aw man. An ita display wouldve been legit.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

I believe the newer versions are compatible with more displays! Retro pixel mode on the FP V3 comes really close though, I have a comparison video on my channel if you're interested in coming to the dark side.

[@idkwhattonamemyself2]

can we start calling this unhinged instead? i think it's a better name than "hingeless"

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Yes.

[@Hako_exe]

You're here from Bob's video...

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Bob's yer uncle

[@Hako_exe]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa I wish he was my uncle

[@NinetiesBabiii]

I would love to pay someone to build this for me.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

I'd be happy to if you email me or join the discord :)

[@coolguyjoel1017]

That's an Arthritis machine 😅

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Nahh

[@shocknawe]

Does anyone know about a GBA SP mod that makes it horizontal? Cheers.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

At first this made me laugh because...GBA, but it's true they're not identical! Someone should get on that.

[@shocknawe]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa I am NOT insane. Hahahaha I mean. You made a perfectly fine console unbelievably smaller right? My thought process was actually what you did BUT GB Nano inspired instead.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

@@shocknawe no it's absolutely a valid thought. It made me think of how the new froggy boy color uses GBA SP buttons. But it's a GBC board.

[@DarthPooh]

I would keep a everdrive gba in it

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

One filled with arcade games would be the best!

[@DarthPooh]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa yes and the everdrive can play nes and sega game gear games

[@goggleheroomegamaple53]

What gauge of wire do you use

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

30 AWG 🩷

[@goggleheroomegamaple53]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa thanks

[@buddyhonda1]

Is it possible to just purchase one

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

I could build you one to purchase if you email me but it'd come with a big disclaimer since, as I mention in the video, it's not really a finalized product yet.

[@buddyhonda1]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa omg yes please!!! What's your email ?

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

It's my channel name at google dot com. You can also find it on my profile 🙂

[@buddyhonda1]

Thank you

[@buddyhonda1]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa did you get my email

[@JustJagsOG]

dangit everytime i make one mod another one comes out

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

We will never run out of projects to do!

[@QP9237]

I'm super confused by the point of this mod. If you want a hingeless SP, well then you have the plain jane gba (you want a better screen then add one). If you want a smaller hingeless one then there was always the micro... honestly why not make micro mods without actively scavenging oem sp parts. Otherwise sure if it's only a capitalist action to using resources then there's nothing left to say.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Bruh lacks joy and imagination

[@QP9237]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa idk about that. Clearly fpga retro development is growing, a lot of fun and experimentation to be had there, heck you could do basically what this mod intends with the landfill surplus of original DSs and Lites. You know what, my completely empty challenge to you, develop a cool/unique micro mod for the DS lite.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

​@@QP9237I'm not a mod maker. If you make one though, please share. There's room for all the mods in this world :)

[@josephtomkinsmusic]

@@QP9237 you could do it with the surplus of DS Lite parts in the world, but macros exist, so does the neon advance etc I made this mod to be fun, a ridiculous concept to attempt to scale down to a play date size because I personally like tiny tiny consoles. The entire thing is reversible, non-destructive, and the files are available to make yourself - you actually don’t even need to use a single OEM SP part, including the PCB, there are raspberry pi powered replacement boards that can be used instead from Zarcade

[@ChewyChicken589]

I admire the accomplishment but that looks even more uncomfortable than the regular SP

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Everyone's hands are built differently, I can see how it would be uncomfortable for larger hands 😅

[@DeixisDeixis]

Whats wrong with being an auntie?

[@joel198d]

Link cable compatible?

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Yep!

[@joel198d]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa thanks for replying I just realized though there’s no speaker :L maybe in the future? Idk if that would fit in there though

[@joel198d]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa and the conversion cable would mean you can’t link cable while speaker is plugged in xP

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

There is already a revised version with a speaker! Check out Joseph's pages I linked in the description :)

[@joel198d]

@@yourcoolunclemarisathank you uncle !

[@emmans00069]

Bella muchacha, what is that tetris game? 23:13

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Mamma Mia it is apotris

[@emmans00069]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa thank you very much, uncle Marisa

[@Javeton]

Cute concept but looks highly uncomfortable.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Comfy for me! Different hands demand different ergonomics though, of course :0)

[@Alice8000]

hey isn't this that youtuber that went to youtube HQ with that thang on her?

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

?

[@Alice8000]

@@yourcoolunclemarisa ya werne't you sleeping in your car ther eand the ploice came?

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

@@Alice8000 uhh, no. I've never been to KZbin HQ and I can't even drive lol.

[@bhoqeem1975]

Are you Italian?

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

Nò 🤌

[@6TheBACH]

This looks uncomfortable AF. Good luck with those bumpers.

[@yourcoolunclemarisa]

To each their own, no need to be fractious.