Retro Modding GBA Amp Review

[@TheRetroFuture]

Quality video! (and audio)

[@mattfisher1916]

The Retro Future lol nice one Elliott

[@jordanvelazquez6321]

I love how you pop up unexpectedly sometimes elliot

[@MrJ0mmy]

:)

[@daniellikahong]

Hi Eliott, I have modded the GBA with a IPS V2 screen, and it looks beautifull, but the speaker has still got this noise in the headphone jack. Any idea where this is coming from?

[@certifiedfridge]

I think its the system itself. Mine does that without the amplifier mod.

[@joshuak4553]

You should've demonstrated the loudness of the speakers like this: "The original speaker was quite lackluster. At half volume, it went, "ehhhhhhhhhhhhh". However, with this new speaker, it was much louder. It went "AAAHHHHHHHHH!!"." Thank you.

[@AmericanPieMusic]

Hey Colin its going fine, thank you

[@SHADOSTRYKR]

hahahah

[@koliebrie_to_go]

Love your handheld modding videos.... reason I started modding....your videos gave me the confidence needed

[@neverritt]

1:49 Dude, you make this look easy! I was almost finished, then I managed to melt these tiny capacitors off...

[@cinkerquink]

Damn that sucks. Today I screwed up on these capacitors as well. I didn't know I was supposed to bridge just the two positive solder points. I bridged the capacitors themselves meanwhile bridging the positive and negative of each capacitor. I removed all the solder but I think I cooked the capacitors cos now it wont turn on. Jeez I'm a dumbass.

[@user-gj6vg6nq2f]

@@cinkerquink I did the same thing !

[@JamieBainbridge]

Colin uses the Hakko FX-901 soldering iron. This is battery powered. I use AA rechargeables in mine (so 2x 1.2V) and it's the perfect power for doing surface mount modding. Even with 2x 1.5V you need to give it a little rest in between through-hole parts or wires, and forget soldering big wires over say 16ga. It's a good quality iron, just the strength seems like it was made for doing component-only work.

[@RetroBerner]

sounds like that battery pack could use some shielding

[@Kalvinjj]

That is an option, but I don't know if the noise is related to the switching regulator's electrical noise or if it's external interference. Shielding couldn't do it any worse tho so always an option.

[@SianaGearz]

To review, what voltage rails GBA has: 5.0V - used in GBC mode for cartridge and CPU 3.3V - used in GBA mode for cartridge and CPU 2.5V - also needed by the CPU regardless of mode and by on-board Work RAM 13,6V as well as -15V - needed by the LCD battery voltage straight up - audio amplifier, switching multi-regulator. All voltage rails come from multi-output switch-mode regulator U4, proprietary. The audio amp is U6, also not further specified. I think an inductor in line with VCC going towards the amplifier will do a lot of good. -Also capacitors C51, C50 and C24 are worth looking over and possibly bypassing with a ceramic and/or replacing with best available low-ESR types.- Wait, no, they are ceramics to begin with, but that's not enough, they need a friend. CP1 is worth a sharp look though. Hypothetically the resistor R33 5Ohm prevents the bulk of the regulator noise going into the audio amplifier, but eh? Looks like i've got something to work off.

[@bland9876]

My game gear does the same thing when I use the plug on the top ins set ed of the battery compartment (although I've never used the battery compartment)

[@kaosine2877]

Eh I'm willing to bet that huzz/hum was always there even before this. I haven't even modded mine beyond the ags screen years ago, and noticed the hum on boot. But it goes away usually once a game takes over XD

[@rebsdioramas]

Good video. I will say one thing though, you should really tin the wires / pads then just reflow them together, makes it much easier to get a solid joint rather than stuffing around trying to force the untinned wire into the solder blob.

[@Schwallex]

I quite enjoy your podcasts, but this right here brings back memories of how I found your channel in the first place, maybe two years ago now. And then binge-watched everything you had at the time (even though I'd never modded anything myself, not even a toaster). Never stop making these, this is the kind of unique content that makes you stand out, makes people discover you, and makes them learn fun things they never even realized they were interested in. Quality stuff.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

Thanks for the kind words! No worries, the podcasts are just part of what I do...the other videos are definitely here to stay (and start to encompass more kinds of tech as time goes on, because there's so much to explore).

[@thebahooplamaster]

Ahhh finally. Now that I see that this can be done, I no longer have to plug a gigantic amplifier into my GameBoy and put it next to my ear anymore!

[@46tool25]

thebahooplamaster why r u in every video

[@essexginge9167]

Think your going deaf maybe try a hearing aid??

[@TBustah]

I guess the lesson here is to choose your mods wisely. The regular speakers are fine, I'd rather have the battery pack.

[@ch3rry833]

A couple of small but effective soldering tricks: 1. always tin your wires. When you expose the material of a wire, put some solder on it in order to solder the wire better. Doing this will avoid having some strands of it going out of the solder on the pads and it will give you a stronger connection. Do this everytime 2. use flux if the solder on the iron tip isn't fuming. What's fuming when you melt solder isn't the solder itself but it's the flux inside, that allows you to have a clean result. If it's not fuming anymore, just use fresh solder or apply some flux. Doing this you will avoid those solder "spikes" and everything will be cleaner and more functional

[@KenjiRyuma90]

$35 is way expensive; I'll stick to my headsets. Plus RetroMod over charge a lot for their stuff. Handheld legend and eBay have way better prices.

[@chopsmccartney6786]

Yes. RetroModding does have some nice products, even exclusive high quality ones. However, their products mean little to me when their prices and shipping fees are too high to justify performing these mods regularly. For example, I can't fathom spending the money for a set of colored Start/Select buttons, then $8 shipping on top of it.

[@ChiChuNug]

Hey man whats your email, im needing an amp

[@retrotechgames-diyrepair4691]

I have amplifiers for GBA and GBC systems currently at $12.95 www.ebay.com/itm/Sound-Amplifier-by-RTG-Up-To-Over-3X-Louder-Nintendo-Gameboy-Advance-Color/183873438711?hash=item2acfb603f7:m:m6oQIeijga64QOVI30Ua3Sg

[@pentiummmx2294]

retromodding is overpriced plus shipping is through the roof.

[@michaelhernandez1398]

RetroTechGames - DIY Repair I was checking yours out. What’s the reason yours doesn’t make up a buzzing sound?

[@julianlindsay4000]

Yup the buzzing is the feedback you hear from interfearance from the recharable battery board.

[@JustinHarrisTV]

Really cool mod. I recall the quiet volume always being an issue with my GBA. Definitely going to check this out!! Great video!

[@user-zo9dc1lu3q]

The Game Boy handhelds line of consoles, my favourite line of consoles of all time.

[@Bilalnwo]

Very helpful video. Please also do a video on installing the Benvenn voltage regulator also from retromodding.

[@aaroNiGHTS]

Awesome video. I never had issue with the GBA's volume - But I think I often played with the sound off to keep people around me happy!

[@gustavosoto4607]

Awesome video, I liked that you mentioned the static sound when using rechargable batteries. I'll use normal batteries when buying my modded GBA.

[@brenlowe2498]

To anyone getting the GBAmp3, an alternative amp, be warned that its application is slightly more difficult, especially if you decide to wire it to incorporate less noise. Also, I do recommend if you can get your hands on them, the ds lite speakers are the best for clarity.

[@lambentblaze736]

That GBA is pretty much as tricked out as mine now. No surprise considering that most of my work done on it was with your tutorials as reference! I tried something different with the speaker though, and actually stuck in a DS Lite speaker. In hind sight, I should have just gone with the one you used since the DS Lite speaker requires case modification.

[@Peter-dc5cq]

I’d love one. I just need to grow my soldering skills some more. I’ve successfully installed my GBA backlit screen following step by step videos. Any reason to dive back into the interior components of the GBA doesn’t leave me at ease due to my lack in electronic exp.

[@AmyraCarter]

Yeah, a three hundred percent difference. That's an amazing thing.

[@timterrell8678]

I just installed this same amp and I have the same rechargeable battery pack. Mine does not hum. It works perfect. I used the heat shrink tubing and double sided adhesive foam on the back of the speaker.

[@BubMcZombieFacedLand]

I have never seen a person have more GBAs than me, until today.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

BubMcZombieface does 5 GBAs and 7 DSes count?

[@lasse085]

I know a guy that have over 400 gameboys. 10-20 gameboys isn't that many. I have over 30 myself.

[@BubMcZombieFacedLand]

I have dozens of ds lite systems but some need work. I was going to make gb sp of the ones that don't read carts but I am at the point of listing them on ebay to cash out.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

TOGA holy crap! My collection is microscopic compared to that and a good excuse to collect more Gameboys and DS.

[@Psychodegu]

That is not a collection, it is called hoarding.

[@donsaul]

Nice! I missed these kind of videos.

[@alexvids9232]

thanks did this just now. worked perfect.

[@pokepress]

I recall my original GBA model also exhibited buzzing from the headphone jack, so it may also be a deeper hardware problem.

[@riverandquiver909]

I would love to see this mod on a GBA SP

[@TheZeroSbr]

It would be harder. The speaker in a SP isn't soldered in like on the OG model. The best you could do is put in a higher quality speaker that has less distortion, which is only part of the appeal to this mod.

[@MEWOVER9000]

You can fix that buzz with some low and high pass filters :P

[@keesgelder]

Interesting. I installed one a few months ago, and also noticed the buzz. It's there on regular AA's as well though. Oddly, it even seems to be worse with certain games than others. To be honest, that kind of killed this mod for me. The extra volume is a fun 'gimmick' (it can really go ridiculously loud) but the stock sound was so much cleaner that I can't really recommend this mod. I've still got an "Anton Veretenenko's GBAmp v3" lying around to try, but I believe there's some noise complaints with that one as well.

[@CommodoreFan64]

that sucks, seems like external portable headphones amps are still the best way to go on Nintendo portables.

[@saschareuter3952]

DribbelDog Confirmed. I got the Metal Jesus Edition from Retro Modding with an amp pre-installed. The buzz is pretty loud and annoying for me, also on AA's.

[@OOOAAAIII]

I have done the Veretenenko mod, and no noise issues here. If there's noise in your GBA already, it will amplify it, mine still sounded pretty fine, and it still does after the mod. I would personally advise to keep the old speaker in though, instead of replacing it with the new one. The new speaker sounded too harsh, agressive, I missed the old warm sound. Placed the old one back, everything perfect now! I'm pretty happy with the results and would do it again.

[@SianaGearz]

My unmodded GBA buzzes quite a bit into the headphones on NiMH batteries! I use Eneloop Pro clones from a local store chain, low ESR and low self-discharge. I wonder what's up with that. Also makes me think... would i pay THAT money and then not use the bundled speaker? I mean the board is likely just a PAM8403, but with gain set reduced and with speaker spanned between positive terminal of one channel and negative of the other. And those boards, you get 5 of them for $2. In fact i have a bunch around always just in case.

[@SianaGearz]

Correction, it is definitely a PAM8403 (and why not, the chip is awesome), and it simply only runs one channel from the PAM. It also contains mute circuity, which is optional IMO.

[@wulfone5961]

I just bought a original GBA from Ebay that someone modded with the IPS V2 screen, clean amp and the pure silence mod and I still get that buzzing. The same one you get and all I have used in it is regular AA's and rechargeable enelooop pro batteries. I have heard the screen can make it buzz like that as well.

[@AugustineDelgado]

slap a shield behind the battery, only other guess is maybe the amp board is too close to the speaker and/or battery and it's causing interference.

[@OnlyEpicEmber]

FINALLY I can use my GBA as a boom box!

[@1Raphael]

always awesome videos

[@danxepha4535]

I'd really like to see you do a stereo speaker mod for the GBA. It always seemed odd to me that it never had stereo speakers as standard.

[@SianaGearz]

There's little room inside it for that.

[@carlosburgos3775]

I love this. Nice job. Thank you for this.

[@DEMON631114]

Dude I love your mods man, keep the vids coming great job

[@marvmin1]

You got to look at the circuit and see if you can solder in a new volume fuse

[@deeredude]

So happy to see a gameboy mod vid !!! Made my day!!! 😎😊✌

[@Spazza42]

RetroModding’s battery buzzes because it supplies over 6 watts of power to the console and its peripherals. AA batteries only push 2w of power.

[@HiNu7]

Do a video on the voltage regulator or Lee_Chan's 5 stage digital brightness ribbon cable.

[@yorgle]

I wonder if a mod like i've seen (and done) on the backlight mod for the DMG , where you basically put a huge capacitor on the output of the power supply to help it smooth out the power....

[@brokenstyx]

"sent it me to check out" - you sent it back afterwards?

[@HeroTubeHD]

I highly recommend that I can plug my GBA to my beatspill+ with the double male audio cable.

[@DaiAtlus79]

3:46 probably need to shield the wires or the pack itself? make a small laminated foil cover to go over the pack's board? or the battery hatch cover itself? if not laminated foil, maybe BoPET/Mylar?

[@SianaGearz]

Not necessary, there is unlikely to be any induction via wiring - if memory serves it's a 4-layer board so there's a ground pour right underneath, which causes extremely close collapse of electric fields around the conductors, kind of like a dipole field. The noise comes embedded in the signal induced in the processor IC or via power rails from the somewhat sloppily designed regulator. Haven't quite figured out what to do about it yet.

[@brenlowe2498]

I ordered a Gbamp3. I kinda wonder what the differences are. That amp actually wants me to desolder the 11th leg of a chip. The directions arent exactly clear how to do it either >.

[@axiomNES]

Maybe Nintendo thought of the parents when limiting the volume of the GBA! As a parent now, I would certainly appreciate that thoughtfulness

[@coppert4nk]

I hear Birocratic! Great taste, Colin.

[@shattered-reflection8045]

great video and also great taste in music

[@CanadianZangief]

I wonder if there is a cheaper option though. Those same speakers are really cheap on eBay and I’ve picked up 3W amplifiers that would boost the sound output maybe not room filling loud but it would definitely be better than stock and that would be a total cost of under $3. Oh and I love your videos man I get a lot of ideas from your pro level mods =D

[@SianaGearz]

It looks to me from the layout of the board that it might be the same "3W" amplifier IC PAM8403, which is actually hilariously good. It might be configured for lower gain here in order not to fry the speaker. Someone else up here in the comments bought this expensive kit and chose then after trial to keep the amplifier and use it to boost GBA's stock speaker, and that worked fine too, so you might not need to replace it either.

[@SianaGearz]

Actually i can see the lettering PAM8403 right on the IC at 4:07. The gain of the IC is internally set to 24db and this just about matches the 25db claim in the product description for this kit. So nothing special appears to have been done and you can likely drive GBA's stock speaker straight from a PAM8403 kit off the shelf. There's an additional 8-pin chip on the PCB, purpose not clear. The marking appears to read 74T1, hard to say whether it's an LM741 opamp or a 47-series logic IC, but if i were to guess, its sole function might be driving the mute/shutdown on PAM8403, which might be just there to save power and prevent buzz when the headphones are connected.

[@CanadianZangief]

Siana Gearz good eye! I didn’t even notice the marking. Ya that’s the same 3W I have used before for like 1-2$. I guess this is a convenience kit rather than looking for the parts yourself?

[@SianaGearz]

Well it does remove the "engineering" effort from the end-user as it were, because they likely describe the procedure in detail. They also claim to ship a "high end" 1W speaker, but i think anything short of a $6 Visaton is far from "high end", more like "Alibaba special".

[@coondogtheman]

I would have liked to hear it playing at full volume with the amp mod.

[@OOOAAAIII]

Have done a mod like this, but those new speakers sound way too harsh. I placed the old speaker back, much much better, smoother, and no distortion at all.

[@YoSparkles]

Can you tell me where to get that soldering iron? I don’t know which one is good.

[@T200026]

Thanks for this, mines on its way to the uk..

[@Richter.Belmont]

Great video Colin! Does any mod like that exist for the original (flat) 2DS?

[@Microwave414]

Definitely more highs in that new speaker and while that is nice and all... the GBA in my opinion benefits speakers that "lies" to you a little bit. It's not exactly an SNES or a genesis in the sound quality department. To be more exact I think the speaker is a little too clean sounding for the GBA's own good which just amplifies (pun not intended) the faults of the GBA's sound processor or lack of one in this case since the CPU itself handles it.

[@ozera16]

Dude I love your content ...

[@maxdeathlore]

Cool video! I wonder how this affects battery life though!

[@firc9936]

Just attempted to do this... somehow just got solder onto the chip next to the 2 small capacitors I was supposed to bridge together. Now 1/4 Of the pins on the chip are bridged together. Idk what to do.

[@schmidsgamebox5883]

since my AGB-001 has its issues I should consider to mod it.

[@acidstudiosmx]

I want to install this on my Backlited GBA!

[@jacksonshelton8055]

What if there was a mod to make the GBA sound less runny and more full like the original Game Boy? Because the audio still sounded a bit tinny. But noticeably louder.

[@ahmedp800]

Can you make it surround sound? ;-) Cool video as Always!

[@simfish607]

Hey Colin, any plans to do a video on BennVenn's AGS-101 voltage regulator and/ or digital backlight brightness controller?

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

No immediate plans, but it might happen at some point.

[@chasestorch7782]

I purchased the amp and speaker from retro modding, but opted not to buy the install kit. What gauge wiring is used? Thanks!

[@brianperez5638]

Just wondering do you have a video or picture of comparing the back lit gba and front light gba just to see how they look side by side.?

[@GrimRepair]

I think the volume if fine until someone with a modern cell phone sits next to you then you can't hear your game.

[@sensibleGamer]

hmmm... not sure now. I already bought the rechargeable battery kit, probably the mod I've wanted the most, but I also REALLY want better sound! Are ther any possible solutions for quieting the noise generated by the rechargeable battery?

[@zerocks88]

my backlit original GBA has the buzzing too when using a lithium ion battery pack.. definitely not gonna try this mod because it'd likely make it louder lol

[@daniellikahong]

Hi This Does Not Compute, I have modded the GBA with a IPS V2 screen, and it looks beautifull, but the speaker has still got this noise in the headphone jack. Any idea where this is coming from?

[@redsyrup1138]

Can anyone attest to the quality of the audio with that replacement speaker? Sometimes louder doesn't necessarily mean better sounding audio. I bought an amp for my DMG-01 and had to source a larger speaker and mod the case just to get decent quality audio. Those button speakers usually produce poor audio.

[@trashandchaos]

sounds pretty good to me, at least as far as gba audio output goes. there's buzzing to it with AAs that's unnoticeable (to my ear) during gameplay, but slightly annoying elsewhere. that's kind of on the gba though.

[@jordananderson8299]

For some reason I sort of believe all the GBA mods you review on the channel are from Retro Modding. Is that the only company in existence to make GBA mods?

[@John-jc3ty]

why would anyone want more sound in the GBA? i couldnt understand if at least the quality was better, but if its just louder...

[@Deltax5]

I just got a gba 101 screen modded with brightness mod. I got it for way less then retro modding.. I would of just got it from retro modding but the canadain dolor makes it almost $200 more with the taxes and shipping. It's not worth it for me. Im happy what I got. I got no skills in soldering. I just use headphones for the sound or get a aux to the sound systems.

[@pfp131]

is this mod compatible with GBA sp? very good video!

[@hbarudi]

Good for those who want the higher volume, but to me I only need to hear it enough for when I am using my headphones elsewhere.

[@TheOnlyOwnedbyCow]

So then do we need the power cleaner for this if we use normal batteries? Can you use both together?

[@retrorevolutions4590]

Nice job colin

[@bland9876]

I'm having a ruff week thanks for asking

[@Omega_2]

4:03 What the hell is up with that R13? is that supposed to be like that?

[@nintendope55]

I'm surprised that mod worked, not the best soldering I've seen.

[@eatyourvegitablespt.262]

On normal batteries, is there any sort of distortion??

[@nemesisnine3297]

Why does mine have only one side of the melody?

[@thecaptain2281]

Very cool mod!

[@anonymousushanka4129]

Hey, Colin, I had a question. I’ve recently been focusing on my PS1 and its faulty laser that I would like to replace. Seeing as your videos give excellent insight as to how to go about doing projects such as these, I was curious if you have any suggestions.

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

I haven't had to replace a PS1 laser (yet), but one piece of advice I can offer is to make sure the replacement is from a similar model as yours. Sony made changes to the laser assembly throughout the PS1's production run.

[@anonymousushanka4129]

This Does Not Compute Thank you. I’ve heard that one from the PSOne variation is supposed to work quite well; Mine is the 5501

[@BlayzedBlue]

The DS Lite has great sound. AND a headphone jack.

[@excessiveworry3838]

BlayzedBlue The DS lite is the best GBA. Don't snap it in half though.

[@CommodoreFan64]

The Yellow Tub Got that right, I've taken care of my DS Lite over the years with kit gloves, and somehow the hinge still has a broken piece on the right side that's very visible when I open it up. lucky for me it still works just fine, but I've also have seen several over the years at my local flea market where the screen was barely hanging on.

[@AlecInstant]

The buzzing is consistent on mine. Idk how to fix this.

[@Gamerguy8585]

how does it sound when put the new speaker into a Gameboy color?

[@MusicDiscoveryNet]

Hey Colin, which background music is running in this video? : )

[@mattfisher1916]

MusicDiscoveryNet | MDN He found the audio from an old vhs porn.

[@theboshua]

Going well, Colin. How you doin'?

[@MhaicoIsmael]

I did not see the end of the wire to be soldered

[@drecksbongert4367]

does anyone know if there is a way to put in a better headphone jack in the GBA? mine isnt broken but the sound isnt as clear as id like it to be.

[@mattfisher1916]

Replacements can be found on eBay - best solution.

[@Deltax5]

I got a GBa with a 101 screen. Worked fine. But after awhile. plugged in headphones and now when I play it and now the speaker don't work.is it a easy fix? Can anyone help me..

[@Newlvlunlocked]

Sounds like the headphone jack needs a clean, might be stuck so your console thinks there is headphones in hence no noise

[@TheMr77469]

Do you send the KZbin link to people who asked for a review, or email your observations before you post the video on KZbin?

[@ThisDoesNotCompute]

No. As a matter of policy I don’t share videos or the details of a review with a company prior to it going live. My opinion is purely my own and is not for sale.

[@SeekoGT]

What in the woooooorld

[@NekoVP]

Best videos on YT :D

[@alvarojavier1995]

My Gba only have 2 lvls of vol. low, and zero, do you know if i use this mod, the sound could be restored? im skeptical :/

[@lolight2]

Did you try cleaning the volume rocker with some isopropyl aclohol?

[@alvarojavier1995]

@@lolight2 Yes, i do that, and refresh the contacts on the potentiometer, but nothing, sometimes (1 of 20 times)it works normally, but almost all time is low :/

[@OVERLOARD949494]

I got some heavy white noise. Is this normal?

[@matrix91dr69]

Hi! I followed the tutorial and... my GBA doesn't turn on anymore! Can you help me, please? :(

[@_ahze]

I'm having the same issue I'm so upset

[@KopAce]

Does it sound any better through headphones too?