Install a Game Boy Color Front Light Kit!

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

If your Game Boy doesn't power on after doing this mod, some have found that adding a 100-ohm resistor between the red positive lead and the Game Boy's circuit board can fix it.

[@DiWa_66]

With me the screen flashes only briefly, then the Gameboy is again dead. And this is not because of the battery! ☝️🤓

[@kenkeez]

I'm having the same issue. Where, exactly, does the resistor need to be installed?

[@DiWa_66]

Is in the text, between the red cable and the board!

[@kenkeez]

Hi Dirk. I saw the text. I am new to this. The resistor solders to red, but where does it terminate on the circuit board?

[@kenkeez]

Nevermind, I figured it out.

[@bridgerbooth4643]

Not much of a modder, but I always love watching these videos. Fidgeting with electronics is always enjoyable, and the tutorials you make show clearly what to do and the pros and cons of completing the task. You definitely deserve more subs. Keep up the great videos!

[@julianscigliano5876]

I hear him say logic board... instantly know he's a mac user.

[@julianscigliano5876]

nice tutorial tho

[@corgikun2579]

Julian Scigliano people still cared about OS wars in 2016?

[@spygearman]

Yeah, Windows obviously won.

[@donniedraxler]

Yea macs craps

[@alexmichael8615]

Straight up logic bro

[@sorrenblitz805]

Even with as lackluster as it is I really kinda prefer the form of the Gameboy color over the advance

[@thesilentobserver93]

Thank god that it's now 2021, and backlit IPS kits exist now! Waiting on the one from Funny Playing to arrive for mine that already has the glass lens applied, along with their custom shell so it'll all fit together without cutting. I'm not particularly into retro stuff, but the GBC holds a very special place in my heart as it was the only thing I had to play on as a kid. Was really happy to find one at a local Goodwill that had a bad speaker a few years back. But it really took me until now to do anything with it, as I just couldn't get beyond the lack of a lit up screen. I finally went ahead and replaced the speaker in it, along with two of the three capacitors (accidentally broke the tabs off of one of the new ones, and damn near ruined the Game Boy trying to get it to work anyway, so I'm keeping the old one for now) now that a better display is an affordable and easy to install option that'll allow me to enjoy using it. I'm not huge on the idea of using a GBA or an emulator to play these games, as I've never been a big fan of the SPs clamshell design, and playing on my phone or PC just doesn't feel right to me.

[@koga924]

That Life of Pixel background music is giving me nostalgia of when PSMobile was still up and on the Vita.

[@AdmiralBoner-p2r]

Great tutorial. Good to know that we can't expect it to be perfct, as you mentioned; due to limits of frontlight technology. Also worth mentioning DO NOT RUB THE FRONTLIGHT SCREEN. I did this and it creates marks you can't get rid of!

[@EricAbroad]

As someone who bought this. Don't. Order the IPS backlit screen from FunnyPlaying instead. I got the V2 model. Don't even waste your time with frontlight, you'll be disappointed with it and just buy backlight. Hope this helps!

[@pokemonduck]

there is no V2 for the GBC

[@hbarudi]

The gameboy color is now only good for retro playing with the N64. Otherwise backwards compatibility on the SP is good. The original game boy advance is only good for use with the e-reader device that provides access to event only pokemon and items. For playing original gameboy and gameboy color games, the sp is the best option for backlight. The original ds and ds lite are good for playing gba games.

[@ikyogre1]

If you use a resister, and LOCA, it would look so much clearer, and only take an extra like 10 minutes. 1k ohm trim pot is recommended.

[@jonc2914]

where do i soder this? can u explain how its done"?

[@Kimdah_]

Jon C If you have the same as this one. Add LOCA (in the updated frontlight mod video he shows how to) and then just add a resistor between the black wire and the solder point on the circuit board.

[@Kimdah_]

Jon C Black wire goes to top of the 4 solder points on the bottom of the circuit board, red to the bottom one.

[@Ashitaka1110]

I've followed everything here to a T (and used LOCA, though that's not the issue); yes, I got the right wires on the ride solder points. No, the solder from said solder points isn't running into solder from another point. When I try to power up now, everything (LCD, frontlight panel, red power LED etc.) comes on for a SPLIT SECOND and then goes dead. I unsoldered the two wires, and the system works perfectly fine as normal. So i carefully resolder them, and it won't power up again, same problem; the power to everything flicks on for a split second and then dies. I'm stumped. Anyone have any ideas?

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

+Ashitaka1110 Where did you buy the frontlight from? It's possible the one you bought uses a different voltage than the one I showed in the video -- in which case, you'd need to use different solder points or add a resistor.

[@Ashitaka1110]

+This Does Not Compute Thanks for the reply, and you're right. Seems there are two sets of instructions for the ones from Hand Held Legend and the one from Kitsch-Bent. Just switched solder points and it's working fine. To make it clear for anyone else who may be reading this with the same issue, you need to solder to different points based on where you got your frontlight kit. The one from Kitsch-Bent is like in this video, the top-most of the four points. If you're like me and got it from Hand Held Legend, you need to solder the red (positive) wire to the top-most of the column of three points to the right of the four point column (right near the edge of the circuit board). The black wire solders to the same point for both kits, FYI.

[@Ashitaka1110]

+Ashitaka1110 One more quick update for everyone; I noticed some slight flickering in the frontlight that occurred when the image on the LCD changed in some way (I.E. a character moving, new text in a conversation appearing, etc.) I reached out to HHL and they suggested returning the positive wire to the original solder point (the top-most of the column of four points) but adding a 100 ohm resistor. I did that and it works beautifully. HHL said not all units have the flickering issue, so if you have a HHL frontlight go ahead and follow their instructions first, and if you get the flickering issue, then try the other solder point with a resistor.

[@FireMrshlBill]

I did the 100ohm resistor. Has anyone tried a higher value? 100ohm is good when in a normally lit room, but laying in bed at night in the dark, its so bright my wife complains while she is trying to sleep. I may try a 220ohm or higher. Would be cool to do a 3-way switch (off-low-high), so break the circuit, higher value resistor for low then 100ohm resistor for high. Also, even though I left it out in the direct sunlight on a bright and hot day for an hour to cure the loca, I noticed some spidering in the lower right corner. I forgot to peel the front reflective tape up at first so it could cure underneath, but I did peel it up and sit a UV flashlight on it for ~15 minutes per section. After I reassembled it and noticed the spidering, I sat the UV flashlight on that section for 10 min more, then took it out in the direct sunlight for another 10 minutes. Hopefully, the spidering doesn't spread anymore, its not enough to be too annoying now. If it does get bigger, then I guess just disassemble it and peel up the tape and cure it some more? Any way to make the spidering disappear?

[@amps718]

I have the same problem....did u figure it out?...need help too

[@MaxieRetro]

Just broke the screen. I've been doing repairs/mods for a long time with out problem. I wasn't wrenching on the screen either just a gentile pry and then I heard a crunch. $40+ down the drain...

[@ferroth]

It's ok you can try BennVenn's backlight mod...

[@VetriVade]

I read that one side of the backlight is slightly textured while the other side is smooth. can't remember which side goes in which direction, but that may fixed the washed out color

[@jasonevans1679]

to use that method you need a 100ohm resistor. the line of 3 contacts where uve done the negative solder is correct. instead solder the red wire to the top of the other group of three to the right. problem solved.

[@EstCrossings]

how much does the battery life change. im going through 2 AA batteries every 2 days

[@bsanchez3563]

Depends because even though didn't have video games until about the 3rd grade this year originally would leave it running even on pause but now just turn it off... however that was using dollar store batteries that are aa aka lr6 "heavy duty" zinc chloride

[@X-RAGE]

I did this mod with a piece of metallic reflective paper S05 for windows and its not that bad TBH I remove the foam and metallic frame then put the metallic reflective paper and it reflect light better and gives slighlty better color saturation than simply putting the light panel since the GBC screen is kinda transparent, the clarity is certainly not as good as the loca mod but if you want to replace the light panel after if dies...

[@Jallge]

Seems to me that the LEDs might also be a bit bright, and are washing out the screen.

[@RetroPCUser]

I installed the one from Handheld Legend (V2 Laminated OCA applied + a 100Ohm resistor) and installed it in my GameBoy Color. It lights up, but, dust particles are still going in. Took a few attempts (used some scotch tape to get the dust off of the underside of the light) and got it installed, however, there are a little bit of air bubbles left and the dust particles keep reappearing.

[@hudsonbouw2184]

What is the best way to remove dust off of the gameboy color lcd screen? (whenever i try to remove dust I always get more on the screen)

[@Rezerection]

7 years later we all have backlit ips screens in our gbc, usb c power mods w/play and charge capability, lithium battery mods, audio amplifier mods, and more more uv printed/customized, or metal shell and button possibilities than we can shake a stick at. hell we even have ips backlight screen mods with hdmi output built into the damn thing....loving 2023 (for retro gaming at least)

[@JaZzEd1420]

Why do the wires go on those specific solder points mentioned in 3:12? Could you put them onto other points? JW i'm a beginner with tinkering with this stuff, and am looking at another mod that tells me to use those points as well.

[@ikyogre1]

Do you think this would be a good idea?? I have an old gameboy color in really rough shape New Shell + Glass Screen from rose colored gaming (16.99) Backlight Kit (12.00) Loca ( 6.99)

[@lostboy4409]

That's exactly what I'm doing except my new case is a gold pikachu

[@JaqDaytona]

I just put my New Rose Gaming glass screen on. Did you ever go through wth this? I'm very curious.

[@ikyogre1]

Nick Martinez Yeah. I finished it wuite a while ago ^.^ The glass screen still has no scratches on it. The Frontlight mod turned out great too. The only thing is the clear orange case cracked near the screw holes. :D

[@robertwilkinson5865]

How far we’ve come

[@nathanheath3756]

Mine has a blank white screen , not sure why. All of the leads are soldered correctly. I flipped it around and tried both sides too and the same result holds , the white screen

[@icetony14]

i did this mod on a gba advance first gen. and it look good the first couple days, i used loca(not osaka) and i cured the screen on a uv lamp overnight to ensure there weren't any problems. anyways I put the gameboy back to its box. and couple weeks after while checking my collection noticed that this advance had huge spidering marks around the screen. my question is what could possibly went wrong on this one. was it possibly crappy loca that wouldn't cure? or something else? i install the frontligth with the texture side facing the user. any ideas? thanks

[@iamjowin]

Oh also sorry one more question. What temperature is it best to set the soldering iron to?

[@madddogg7920]

I've done everything in the tutorial but I'm having all kinds of trouble trying to solder the wires. Do you even use solder or do you just use the soldering iron to melt the wires to the soldering points? It's probably something really simple and stupid that I'm missing or doing wrong but it's really frustrating me.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

Yeah, I think adding some solder to the points before connecting the wires will probably make things much easier...sometimes there's enough already there, but often there isn't.

[@madddogg7920]

Thanks. I'll try that and see if it makes things easier. I'm no expert on soldering but I didn't think it would be this difficult.

[@RetroPCUser]

I add solder to the wire before placing it on the board's contact points. Remember: HHL requires to solder the positive lead + a 100Ohm resistor to the right side of the board.

[@jmazda6v6]

Thank you I been searching for this vifeo

[@bobbyhinner3225]

Can I use a front light on a dmg or gameboy pocket? I broke my first pocket I tried backlighting and I really don’t want to break anymore and frontlighting is way simpler and safer and easier

[@xludedelux]

Have you noticed a significant difference as far as quality/ performance between Kitsch-Bent and HandHeld Legend other than the different solder points??

[@xludedelux]

I guess I worded that weird. I wanted to know which one was better or if theyre the same. Since then I have installed both and IMO I found the Kitsch-Bent is slightly better

[@troycruikshank1027]

Thank you for this. I love your work videos.

[@mykie242]

Would something like this work with the original DMG? I'd love this for use with my LSDJ cart!

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

mykie242 The original DMG and the Game Boy Pocket have an even better option -- their screens are compatible with backlighting. It's a bit more involved to install than frontlighting, and I'll probably do a video on it someday (need to get a spare DMG or GBP first), but produces dramatically better results.

[@zmullaney]

Colin, I did all the above steps, but when i power on, the light comes on, but not the actual GBC and sound does not work, any thoughts?

[@zmullaney]

+zmullaney GBC Screen*

[@philipphorner5873]

Hi.. Does anyone know, if such a frontlight can be installed to a Gameboy pocket too?

[@sur3tv]

what is the silver strip at the bottom for? can i take it off so all the loca cures throughout?

[@iamjowin]

what size soldering tip do you use for this? It was a bit hard for me to tell in the video. Is it a pencil tip?

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

Yeah, most of the time I prefer to use a pencil tip on projects like this as it gives a bit more precision (and also doesn't look quite so obtrusive on camera).

[@iamjowin]

thank you!!!

[@mangomartinez2012]

Hey, I got a similar problem to a previous comment about turning on or off. I had bought my Light from Hand Held. What do you suggest I try?

[@Gaizure]

Martin Martinez try using a resistor on the red wire.

[@JustinWalkerTube]

I almost installed the kit, I’m so glad I didn’t. Thanks for sharing.

[@Pauliimauli]

I did that but now the game wont start. Any idea why ?

[@zaLkran]

I followed all your steps, did my soldering right except I didnt remove the black sponge behind the LCD. As a result when I switched on, it shows a lighted screen without the gameboy logo and died down 3 secs after. Is it a must to remove the black sponge?

[@zaLkran]

Ok new update, I've removed the black sponge. The gameboy logo shows up, screen got lighted. But it still dies down 3 secs after I switched on. Oh gosh..

[@GloriaVezzoli]

+U. Sufiyan You might need to use a resistor..

[@enneadnokonx]

It's unfortunate, you seemed to have botched it by not removing the protective film from BOTH sides of the frontlight mod. No wonder the screen looks shit.

[@zmullaney]

Colin, It seems that my front light is taking up all the power, the gameboy does not have a power light, screen doesnt turn on and there is no sound. Do you think i need a resistor? Is this mod model specific? My model is, CGB-001.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

+zmullaney Perhaps a stupid question, but I assume you're using fresh batteries? If the battery voltage is low enough, the GBC won't turn on but the LEDs in the frontlight may still illuminate. Maybe try using an AC adapter with your GBC instead of batteries as a test? Good luck!

[@zmullaney]

Colin, No go. I think the system board is no longer working, im not sure what happened, but the hunt continues! Ill try again with a different GBC. Thanks for your help! Keep up the good work.

[@snapplejack8818]

+zmullaney this is actually a very easy problem to fix and I a bit disappointed in Colin that he did not research this more. You would be able to stop the system from shorting out by adding a small resister or soldering the negative wire to the point on the top of the row of power points across from the ones Colin used just below the point labeled C3. Colin, I would very much like you to fix this by annotation and next time read the page* for the actual item you are using before making a video explaining how to use it, I spent at least an hour trying to get it to work the way shown here before I decided to go and see what the original manufacturer said. *handheldlegend.com/collections/frontpage/products/game-boy-color-frontlight?variant=1272083907

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

+Snapple Jack Well, I think I've figured out what the problem is: As I mentioned in the video, the frontlight I installed is from Kitsch-Bent. Their installation instructions mirror the steps I showed. Apparently the Hand Held Legend panel is designed a bit differently, and has slightly different instructions. One would think that they should install the same way, but apparently not. On the page you linked to, someone asked a very similar question, if they can use HHL's installation instructions if they bought their frontlight from KB. HHL replied, "Use your voltmeter to find a ground point for the black wire. You can use the KB solder point just add a 100 ohm resistor. The frontlight won't be as bright. Follow those instructions if you purchased there." So I guess the lesson we all learned is, you can't assume that all of these kind of products are cross-compatible. Thanks for watching!

[@zmullaney]

+This Does Not Compute I appreciate the responses. This was my mistake for not following HHL's instructions from their website. Thanks for all the help! Looking forward to your future work Colin.

[@sham_wow_guy]

I just did this and now my screen is black when I turn it on. The front light lights up as it should, but the picture is black. Any ideas?

[@RetroPCUser]

Check that you inserted the ribbon for the display in the right orientation and use the correct and appropriate orientation for the wiring. Remember: HHL's instructions are different than others and add a 100Ohm resistor to the red wire.

[@lostboy4409]

Do you think the method from handheld legend is good

[@dogeymon83]

Looks ok, but the IPS Q5 makes this video obsolete. It’s the perfect screen

[@Bboysharky246]

hey man I have some issues ATM. I followed your instructions and ran into issues, it works and all but after a period of time the system shuts off on me. is there anyway you can help me?

[@JaqDaytona]

replace batteries.

[@EvanNixonType4]

Awesome video. Loved it!

[@EstCrossings]

how much will the screen dim if i add a 1.8 k ohm resistor

[@rubberwoody]

what does this do to battery life?

[@Demonanimator]

i know everyone must have fucking said this already, but you could have slightly twisted the front cover to gently remove the display. no prying needed.

[@SpicyDirtREAL]

Demonanimator you would think it, but not at all. He has previously said he used macs bur he uses windows now. Although he is a fan of the mac software but interestingly he uses and android phone

[@SpicyDirtREAL]

Demonanimator sry igbore thqt

[@Kimdah_]

Agreed. Sounds horrible when the lcd separates from the front cover, but that’s just the adhesive. Doesn’t make it sound less painful though 😫

[@SpicyDirtREAL]

Can modding be a job? If so, plz reply cause i wanna find out. Thanks!!!

[@BadBrad119]

are the gba backlights still all gone? Kind of a shame, wish I got to it earlier

[@JacobVossFilms]

B-Rad Gaming Im in the same boat :(

[@faraday9234]

Flip the light panel over you simply put it on backwards

[@OOOHBILLY]

Subbed already and hit the bell... Totes worth it

[@sanditiojitok1403]

is this kit compatible with DMG01?

[@EstCrossings]

QUICK WHICH WAY DO I PUT IT IN? SMOOTH SIDE OUT?

[@basuraNiko]

Do you have a video where it's just showing the hand process? 😂

[@ElRealPetChicken]

Do a tutorial on rgb mod for the Nintendo top loader nes.

[@EstCrossings]

can i put it with the foam

[@TheRealArrendondo]

You are my hero😩🙌🏾

[@thecbc7658]

love ur channel

[@EstCrossings]

just bend the frame and it pops out

[@AmolLusk]

Wouldn't a few leds in the edges do the job?

[@EstCrossings]

can adjusting the contrast help

[@gargonzola1074]

Robin Tammik you can't adjust contrast on GBC

[@EstCrossings]

there is a little thing you can turn thats in the battery compartment

[@ferroth]

No...there isn't...

[@EstCrossings]

looks far better in reality i didnt use loca

[@thinkzinc100]

I installed the light kit and it looks like crap. The screen is now blurry and the resolution is very poor. Don't waste your time. This whole exercise makes me want to mock up an attachment with led lights and market it on ebay and amazon.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

+thinkzinc100 Did you install it with LOCA?

[@EstCrossings]

i didnt but im okay with that

[@jayzombie976]

what was it that he used to connect the wires

[@ferroth]

a soldering iron

[@ThereBeGoldInThemTharHills]

that looks like a hakko fx 888 d... am i right?

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

+John Knox Yep!

[@ThereBeGoldInThemTharHills]

+This Does Not Compute that blue and yellow gave it away lol. I love mine, best iron Ive ever used. I have a problem finding replacement tips. Do you know of a good supplier? love your videos btw!

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

+John Knox Yeah I'm fond of Hakko irons; you'll see an FX901 being used in some videos. As for replacement parts (and electronic test equipment in general) I've found that tequipment.net has a pretty good selection.

[@ThereBeGoldInThemTharHills]

+This Does Not Compute Dude you're a boss, thanks so much! I'll check out that fx901 I'm partial to the 888 tho lol. I use an assortment of fixed watt irons to conserve my 888 tips. I did an ags 001 screen mod on a gba a while back and ive been looking at alot of videos bc im about to do my first 101 mod and im nervous about that whole trimpot potentiometer and the p1 to da1 connection. I want that extra bright screen but i hear all these horror stories haha

[@ferroth]

can you use a hot glue gun to connect the wires?

[@RetroPlus]

Ferroth Hahaha! Oh god, it hurts! Ahahaha! No.

[@ferroth]

Lmao I had to ask since I didn't have a soldering iron. I ended up buying one :D

[@Dafastso]

wow that panel looks so bad. thanks for showing how bad it is.

[@jooniethebest3709]

Noice m8!

[@peepgames4985]

I love your life 🎮

[@GomezBro]

its basically trash

[@FroztiProductions]

Or here's an idea... go outside.