Game Boy Color OLED Screen Full Tutorial

[@paulosergiodossantos7261]

Great video, but about your steps sequence: you really should have soldered the wire to the conversion pcb before putting it against the screen. The screen is a sandwich of plastic, and 350⁰C is way more than you need to melt something or at least leave some stain on the screen. You did it very fast so it was safe. But as it is a tutorial, someone couldn't have the same luck I have modded hundreds of game boys and believe me, I've already done all kind of mistakes and loose a lot of parts 😂

[@JoeBleeps]

I've pinned this. A very good point. I wasn't too worried as it was a quick joint on a board not directly connected to the screen itself but someone else with less experience might run into issues. I'll add the wire first next time.

[@Dinkin_Flicka]

32 year old here, veteran to many Gameboys and early 90s consoles. Just got done upgrading my display thanks to your tutorial. Having a better understanding of the Pokemon scene and obviously better game knowledge makes the thought of starting the original series over again that much more exciting. Kudos to the in depth tutorial(s) you offer!

[@cookiebombbom]

I’ve watched about 5 of these videos now and yours was by far the best and most informative. Thank you!

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you so much!

[@pentacosttb2565]

Ordered a kit myself, will be following this when I get it, cheers mate!

[@JoeBleeps]

You're welcome! And good luck!

[@pentacosttb2565]

Just finished and it’s working flawlessly. The screen is just astonishingly good now, thanks for the guide, you made it a lot easier.

[@JoeBleeps]

@@pentacosttb2565 brilliant news! I'm glad the guide was helpful

[@HellHatch666]

I just got mine in yesterday installed it last night and HOLY COW is it good. I played my GBC for hours after like I was in middle school again!

[@JoeBleeps]

It absolutely transforms the console doesn't it?

[@PWRSLV]

Nice work, Joe. The OLEDS look fantastic 🤘🏻

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you!

[@cocopizzagames]

Thank you Joe, I was able to follow your tutorial 1:1 and I am excited on my first ever modded GBC ! Easily able to follow all your steps.

[@JoeBleeps]

Glad to hear that. Congratulations!

[@harleye1235]

I bought a Gameboy with a damaged screen from eBay just for this mod. I couldn't bring myself to tear apart the original GBC I have

[@JoeBleeps]

That's absolutely the advice I would always give. You preserved your original and restored an abandoned unit. That's the right way to go about it.

[@MrAmadeus1998]

Way to go, let’s not destroy a piece of history if we don’t have to.

[@plume...]

Funny that the screw getting attached to the speaker magnet actually ended up in improving the design of the tray... win! The screen looks sublime too :)

[@JoeBleeps]

This is why it's important to test these prototypes, you never know what's going to catch you out haha

[@poppacdp]

This is a great video and everything is broken down very detailed and simple for someone like me who is planning to do this for the first time. Thank you!

[@JoeBleeps]

That's wonderful feedback. Thank you!

[@MatthewLeeSantos]

Hey mate, great video! Thanks to you I was able to install it by myself, even though I was worried about soldering for the first time, I followed your guide and it worked for me!

[@JoeBleeps]

Brilliant to hear, thank you!

[@skryfall]

Just installed mine. It is hands down the best screen I've seen for a GBC, hell maybe even for all the gameboy line of consoles.

[@JoeBleeps]

It really is a very modern looking display!

[@flatcorp3584]

Thank you very much for this tutorial! It helped me with my GBC and every step is perfectly described! Greetings from Germany!

[@miklos7503]

Just installed my OLED screen following your instructions, went flawlessly. If you see crazy multicolored vertical lines the ribbon cable needs to be reseated. Screen looks incredible!

[@Gibbs3DWorld]

What size screen is the oled? I want to replace the black laminate lens with a white color.. do you think that is possible?

[@miklos7503]

@@Gibbs3DWorld Screen is about 48mm x 44mm. I didn't see an option for white in the OLED, maybe only the IPS kits have a choice of color? Not sure

[@Gibbs3DWorld]

​@@miklos7503 I greatly appreciate that screen size measurement! Very handy information I needed.

[@aritomiblog]

Pretty cool! I need a similar Oled screen for my GBA!

[@JoeBleeps]

It's a huge difference

[@iShredStreets]

Same!

[@xfreakerx1]

Thanks for the install help! I'm enjoying the screen though I do wish they added a saturation adjust

[@JoeBleeps]

Agreed. It is a really nice screen though

[@killzoneliberation]

Yea, I'm also the opinion that yellow fits best to black.

[@JoeBleeps]

I always loved the yellow DMG and the yellow Pocket but for some reason the yellow GBC never grabbed me in quite the same way. Probably because the rest of the shell colours were fantastic too. That said, this completed build looks beautiful

[@lp0pic]

I couldn't decide on whether I want the OLED screen + original Gameboy parts or the full FPGBC kit, so I'm very excited to see the comparison video of the two. 🎉

[@JoeBleeps]

It's a tough call, both have their advantages. Just a matter of time before there's an FPGA system with an oled screen though

[@JoeBleeps]

@@rarenintendo I agree on the uprated screen but I wouldn't want more buttons and speakers, I'd rather keep the original form factor

[@JoeBleeps]

@@rarenintendo I don't want to play SNES on a game boy though, that's what I'm saying

[@y0LAs_]

Even though the scope of this video is purely around displays, one point that should be assessed when choosing one of these options is that the FPGBC has a really good speaker with great basses for its size

[@JoeBleeps]

It does, much bassier. I've heard some people say theirs is very muffled, I don't know if that's an inconsistent product or a difference of opinion but I was impressed with how powerful that speaker was.

[@centurioneyt9235]

That's the most stunning GBC screen mod I've ever seen in my life ❤

[@JoeBleeps]

Genuinely the best looking screen I've ever seen in a game boy.

[@JoeBleeps]

Genuinely the best looking screen I've ever seen in a game boy.

[@roidnerd2501]

I know i commented here before but must have missed part about change colour with flicking down the menu now i know how to change colour would be great to be able to change each 1 different just like i can on my GBA

[@clay0302]

New to soldering. It seems like solder wire may not be strictly required, but you do use it for the second soldering step at ~10:30- for that step, what diameter solder wire do you recommend?

[@chrisavena]

Not going to lie i saw the same videos but this one is the best one 😎

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you so much! A huge compliment when there's so much strong competition

[@NonyaDamnbusiness]

I did this mod last week but used a beat-up Dandelion yellow GBC. Very easy mod anyone can do. Never liked the screens with the touch sensors. That felt fiddly. Now it's in a nice ice-blue glow-in-the-dark case with glow-in-the-dark membranes and smoke black clear buttons, power switch, and IR lens. It looks like a brand-new Gameboy Color and I've been playing Pokemon Gold on a BennVenn MBC3000 v5 flashcart as well as an original Mario Tennis cart I had to reflow the solder and replace the battery in to get it to work properly it every day.

[@JoeBleeps]

Sounds like a brilliant upgrade!

[@samluce5033]

Awesome video, I was wondering though, I have that same kit in my cart in AliExpress, however I'd like to get colored glass for the screen as seen on the IPS screen that is orange in the beginning of the video. Do you know if AliExpress offers this or if it's not offered for the OLED kit yet? Thanks again!

[@JoeBleeps]

So far it's just black for these kits

[@PerthRetroGaming]

Great video Joe, very concise and professional!

[@salmanrashid6245]

Can you imagine if this screen came pre-installed from factory when it was originally released?

[@lwatsonaddict]

Is it possible to combine the FPGBC with the OLED screen??? 👀

[@JoeBleeps]

not yet but that's what I'm hoping we end up with soon!

[@4biddeninja]

Will the front of this shell fit the back of a non q5 shell?

[@JoeBleeps]

Good point. I'm not sure as I haven't tried but I think it might

[@yekimrelssek2929]

Do the cartridge pins get in the way at all?

[@JoeBleeps]

I've not had any issues with that.

[@federicomagni4851]

Great video! Thanks for this content!! Do you think it would be possible to change the lens of this screen? It seems they only sell black ones but I'd love to have this OLED screen with blue glass😅

[@JoeBleeps]

@@federicomagni4851 no, the lens is bonded to the screen and you'd cause some damage trying to remove it unfortunately

[@moramonamora]

hello! im mostly new to soldering, but i have all of the parts needed currently for the GBC build i want to do. i have the OLED screen, replacement speaker (the one on my GBC is kinda trashed), and funnyplaying button led kit. i think i should be able to handle the screen, but i just wanted to ask if you had somewhat of a list of soldering equipment required for GBC mods? also, where exactly should i be soldering, on a desk, on a rubber mat, something like that? im gonna do some practicing before doing the GBC definitely, but as im kinda just heading into this myself im not fully sure where to start. the GBC is gonna be my first "big project" once im comfortable with what im doing, and i hope to end up moving onto circuit bending some toy instruments i have. but i figured i would ask just for the GBC requirements/advice, since your video is the most informative and straight-to-the-point of all the other videos ive seen. thanks!

[@steveothehulk]

In your opinion what’s the best screen upgrade for the gameboy Color regarding screen size and quality ? And what’s the best screen for the gb pocket?

[@JoeBleeps]

@@steveothehulk although it's somewhat saturated, the OLED is really impressive. The blacks are so dark, it's easy to install, it's laminated so you're guaranteed no dust under the lens and the touchscreen controls give a lot of flexibility

[@JoeBleeps]

@@steveothehulk as for GB pocket I've only tried an IPs screen and had bad experiences with power consumption. The old style led panels have been more reliable for me on the pocket but I think I just had a bad IPS kit

[@steveothehulk]

@@JoeBleeps thanks for the reply, one more thing, have you ever modded or upgeaded a gb boy colour? the gb boy colour is a cheap fake gameboy colour? its crying out to be modded as its a really great copy of the gbc

[@JoeBleeps]

@@steveothehulk I did a prosound mod but it was kind of pointless as the sound chip can't handle proper emulation and won't work with LSDJ

[@eathenalexander2836]

Need this for gba and gba sp

[@JoeBleeps]

I wouldn't be surprised if they're here before long

[@KanyeWestLover12345]

Great video, i’ve done this mod on my GBC and looks fantastic but looks a bit over saturated. Is there any settings in the OSD menu to make it less saturated?

[@JoeBleeps]

Not so far that I'm aware of, just the brightness I think

[@187StaticMr]

Good job, excellent work!

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you!

[@GreenisYellow]

Installed but now screen turns white with games and when I move the gameboy it freezes any suggestions on what went wrong?

[@JoeBleeps]

Two main possible issues is that either one of the ribbon connections isn't secure, or maybe there's a short between the screen assembly and the motherboard

[@nicholas.mcintosh]

can this screen be used with the FPGBC kit?

[@JoeBleeps]

I am currently unsure. I was tempted to try but I didn't want to damage anything!

[@JussimirPasold]

How does the oled screen brightness compare to the other gbc ips upgrades?

[@newnamekian]

Im lost, I did all of the steps got power to the OLED but no games would read. Took it apart made sure all ribbons were in place and nothing. Screen wasnt even taking power anymore. So I resoldered the wire and still nothing, the screen isnt even getting power any more. Idk what to do.

[@JoeBleeps]

If it worked before you should be able to get it working again. Could be a faulty unit. Have you tried it with the original screen again?

[@lucifermorningstar910]

Damn as some who restored and made a custom back lit GBA 2 years ago, I pray this mod comes to GBA. Screen looks amazing 😍

[@JoeBleeps]

It would be great on a GBA!

[@schavezsilver]

Question? Ordered this mod kit same exact one but the Gameboy color logo doesn’t light up and the touch screen doesn’t respond any idea what the issue would be? Thanks

[@JoeBleeps]

When you first set it up, the Game Boy Color logo doesn't light up, you need to activate that in the settings but if your touch screen doesn't work then of course it won't work yet. So with the touch screen you'll need to check all the connections, particularly the ends of the main ribbon and the small clip connector on the back of the screen. Also make sure no metal parts are touching between the screen assembly and the motherboard. Good luck!

[@9000And1Fails]

Would the Funny Playing shells fit this screen? Also since the Funny Playing shells have a modified battery compartment, would retrosix's wireless charging battery fit in that?

[@JoeBleeps]

Yes these are pretty much the same shells. The battery compartment is modified in these too. It works for the FunnyPlaying rechargeable batteries, not sure about the one you mentioned though

[@9000And1Fails]

@@JoeBleeps Alrighty thanks for letting me know!

[@Gibbs3DWorld]

Is it possible to buy the oled upgrade with a white lens cover?

[@HexoPass-]

I just got my hands on a gbc, waiting on the kit to arrive to mod it

[@JoeBleeps]

Exciting!

[@xXhikashiXx]

I'm going to attempt an insane build with the oled I'm building a boxy pixel with every mod that's out there the light up buttons with tactile switches

[@JoeBleeps]

That sounds pretty awesome, will these laminated screens fit the boxypixel shells?

[@xXhikashiXx]

@JoeBleeps from what I heard yes because boxy pixel can fit q5 screens and the oled is the same but who knows 🤷‍♂️ once I get it and assemble it ill let you know

[@JoeBleeps]

@@xXhikashiXx if it fits the laminated Q5 then the oled should fit too

[@xXhikashiXx]

@JoeBleeps so update the boxy pixel doesn't fully fit the oled screen by like a hair I don't want to break the glass so I will sand down the edge and it will fit

[@JoeBleeps]

@@xXhikashiXx good luck!

[@roidnerd2501]

I just got a stunning Pikachu shell which matches exact same colour as the Pokémon yellow games perfectly and has oled omg its stunning im ordering another 2 of the same from the seller just stunning.

[@JoeBleeps]

Fantastic! I'm looking at trying some of those printed shells too

[@roidnerd2501]

@@JoeBleeps oh yeah honestly the one i got stunning comes with custom box and that as well is just stunning just so great that the shell match the Pokémon game perfectly, I wont be modding myself yet but in total i have 2 gba modded 2gbc modded and 1 og grape gbc im aim to get 6 modded and 1 og of each so just need gba og i have cobalt sp as well

[@JoeBleeps]

@@roidnerd2501 sounds like a nice collection

[@roidnerd2501]

@@JoeBleeps that is just some of it because of my autism i get the same thing 2 to 3 times over i also got pokemon stadium CIB console limited edtion one 2 zelda 3ds xl 2 ds lites just black ones and thats about it and i got one them gb operator things that lets you use your gbc and gba games to backup saves and play games from pc

[@JoeBleeps]

@@roidnerd2501 I know that feeling!!

[@andresgalvez]

Is this compatible with the funny playing rechargeable battery mod? (Not the usb c mod)

[@JoeBleeps]

Yes it is. Haven't tried it yet but a friend of mine did it. No cutting required with this shell

[@newnamekian]

Im not sure how exactly but I botched it. At first the screen turned on but games wouldnt load. Messed around w it a bit and now the gbc won't even power on.

[@OzDawg1333]

Will these fit in OG shells?

[@JoeBleeps]

No not really. The level of trimming required would be extremely difficult. Not worth it when these replacement shells are this good

[@tommy6742]

Haven't touched my backlit modded GBC after I bought the RGB30. It's extremely hard for me to go back to using a real GBC when the RGB30 has a much larger 8:7 display.

[@JoeBleeps]

I absolutely adore the RGB30. But for me, the original form factor is irresistible

[@dallows3235]

You reckon this screen would fit into an original GBC shell easily enough? I love my original clear purple shell and would much rather have one of these beauties placed into that instead of an aftermarket shell (they just don’t have that same classic feel to them, which bugs me)

[@JoeBleeps]

These shells are good, you know. Pair them up with your original buttons and membranes and the classic feel is there. While you can technically fit them in a heavily modified original shell, it would take a lot of work and would be unlikely to have a clean finish. Especially on a clear shell where all your work inside the shell is exposed too

[@dallows3235]

Yeahh, I get you! They do have a purple clear shell on there that comes with this screen. May just swap it out and stick just keep my original shell neatly boxed away. Different shell + screen but keep my childhood interior, buttons, membranes and what not. Thanks for the reply, buddy!

[@JoeBleeps]

@@dallows3235 That is the best option for sure. Or even keep your childhood console as it is and always was, and get a whole replacement working console that's maybe seen better days on the outside.

[@ericjohnson305]

Is the AliExpress kit the same as the Zedlabz kit?

[@JoeBleeps]

Yes it is, there are different sellers but as far as I can tell they are all the same kit

[@therealeugenius]

Is there a similar mod for the GBA?

[@JoeBleeps]

Not yet. Laminated IPS is the best on the GBA so far. It's really good

[@Orochi_NZ]

I must be super unlucky, I followed all the instructions and my amoled screen doesn't work :( I put the mainboard back into the old shell i had and it worked fine so I can only assume there's something up with the amoled or its components

[@JoeBleeps]

Sometimes the screen kits can be faulty, it might not be anything you did. Normally you're advised to test the screen first but as it needs the wire soldering for power in this case that's more difficult to do. Try getting in touch with the seller to see about getting a replacement but first, double check the seating of the ribbon cable, the part where the two connectors clip together as this is easy to misalign, the battery contacts to make sure a proper connection is made and also double check your soldering, particularly to see if any connections have been bridged.

[@Orochi_NZ]

@@JoeBleeps Soldering has been quadruple checked before I gave up with a headache; The only thing I saw really wrong was the ribbon cable had some black gunk on the smaller end that I tried to clean up with isopropyl alchohol but couldn't really get it off. Looked to be on the contacts where it slots in too. I've explained the situation to the seller now it's up to fate.

[@JoeBleeps]

@@Orochi_NZ if alcohol won't get it off, try scraping very gently with the edge of a blade

[@Orochi_NZ]

@@JoeBleeps Thank you for the advice! I'll try it later. You're getting a follow for being so nice and helpful

[@JoeBleeps]

@@Orochi_NZ ahh thank you! Good luck

[@SGVSOUTHSIDE]

So this is what Steve O is doing nowadays after jackass😂

[@JoeBleeps]

🤣 not heard that one in a while

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Cool, Is this this AliExpress the Hispeedo? I wish this was for the Game Boy SP or Game Boy Advance & so we can put that into a vertical metal shell like that from Boxy Pixel :-) God bless.

[@JoeBleeps]

@@SevenDeMagnus that's the one! I'm expecting game boy advance is just a matter of time

[@SevenDeMagnus]

@@JoeBleeps and may they invent a Bluetooth module as well and OLED module for the SP so it can be placed in a Boxy Shell for the new ultimate Game Boy.

[@SevenDeMagnus]

@@JoeBleeps New subscriber here.

[@SevenDeMagnus]

@@JoeBleeps :-) Thanks, what's your recommendation/advise- should I wait for the OLED for the SP so in turn, overall that can be installed in a cool metal body with metal buttons (like a Boxy Pixel or from other offering besides Boxy Pixel) turning it into the better looking (& more durable, no moving parts) vertical Game Boy that can play all Game Boy games? Though the best way to truly play all games is on a 100" wall size TV OLED or OLED VR which can have a 200" TV on a lake or on Mars :-) (Apple Vision Pro)- for Gameboys via the amazing GameBoy Advance add on but then an actual Game Boy may still be better coz' it can play gyro based games like Kirby or sone kind of Marble Madness :-) God bles all our gaming.

[@JoeBleeps]

@@SevenDeMagnus thank you for the sub!

[@iShredStreets]

Hoping there will be GBA OLED’s soon!

[@gwriter88]

Now we need an OLED screen for the PSP!!

[@RevolutionFalls]

Vita 1000 should suffice for the moment

[@JoeBleeps]

@@RevolutionFalls I was going to say this, the original vita has a wonderful screen

[@gwriter88]

​@@JoeBleeps Yes, but i want the real hardware with the original resolution, the upscale in vita works well, but you know an OLED screen with the proper resolution will/could be amazing

[@JoeBleeps]

@@gwriter88 oh for sure

[@RevolutionFalls]

How the frick do you get sand in the power switch?!

[@JoeBleeps]

A day at the beach, most likely. That stuff gets everywhere. There was some in the speaker too. Noticed the switch was scratchy and uneven so I desoldered the metal casing, dismantled it and found a few grains in there. Cleaned, reassembled and back to normal operation now

[@RevolutionFalls]

@@JoeBleeps well, at least it works normally now

[@JoeBleeps]

@@RevolutionFalls absolutely

[@fz96]

Shame that they didn't have a colorful mode for the COLOR letters, so it looks like the real one but lit.

[@JoeBleeps]

That would have been great. Or different colour text for the "Game Boy" and the "Color" bit

[@FlyingSurprise]

I followed your guide and now I have a completely dead Game Boy Color. Not even the light turns on. I am an idiot.

[@camposf]

Check if you didn’t bridge any points on the power switch. Clean up the soldering if you did

[@NinjaFaceGames]

Controversial opinion, I prefer 3rd party membranes. On the topic of this actual mod lol, I'm a bit nervous about OLED burn in with this. HUD elements are pretty static in Gameboy games, and I can't imagine these are at like Nintendo quality or anything so could be more prone to it than something like the Switch OLED.

[@JoeBleeps]

I think that depends on what you play and for how long. I tend to be quite sporadic and I swap games often. It's something I'll watch out for though!

[@TheCasius01]

It's so annoying i am searching a video trying to explain to me how to manage the real screen and I have only as result videos about these screens. Is there someone who can help me to find a KZbinr ?

[@JoeBleeps]

@@TheCasius01 what do you need help with?

[@TheCasius01]

@@JoeBleeps I found it. You are so cool to have answered 😁

[@JoeBleeps]

@@TheCasius01 glad you found it!

[@iamdmc]

I generally like your content but imho you said incredible what felt like 50 times here I'm sure there are more words you could use to describe it, and IMHO if you wanted to stand apart from the crowd making these videos you should have just compared the quality of the OLED screen to the IPS

[@JoeBleeps]

I did notice that in the edit haha, definitely need some more variety in my superlatives. I'm going to do a comparison video too but I wanted to focus on the build tutorial first

[@JoeBleeps]

This is good feedback though, I appreciate you taking the time 🙏

[@iamdmc]

@@JoeBleeps keep up the good work! You do good stuff

[@JoeBleeps]

@@iamdmc thank you!

[@MackintoshMike-f2w]

Pollich Course

[@iminimal86]

I like all your videos 🫶

[@JoeBleeps]

Thank you!

[@TroyDitty-j2z]

Smith Point

[@LesEuell-f2z]

Wyman Canyon

[@WinstonLewis-s1v]

Prosacco Bypass

[@theodorkea3570]

'Promosm'

[@MA-xd9zl]

I need one for the gb advanced sp 🥲

[@JoeBleeps]

That would be lovely indeed