Turning a Nintendo DS into a Game Boy Macro*
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Is it really worth it to rip the top screen off of your DS Lite just to play GBA games?
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i did this with an original ds with a broken top screen and it was very easy. i want to clarify for anyone reading this that you don't need to buy a nintendo switch speaker if you're not using the boxy pixel top case - you can re-use the one from your top screen. you also don't have to work with that tiny resistor - they make resistors in many different sizes and shapes that are much easier to hold and solder. for the top case i just used what i already had and cut the hinges off and used some bondo to fill in the holes.
I always thought the original DS would be better for this simply because the GBA cartridge won’t stick out.
@@Hacky4675 i never liked the way the gba games stuck out of the ds lite. that was the only thing i didn't like about it. but really the best ds to do this mod to is just any ds with a broken top screen, so you can still get some use out of a broken device. if you just want something to play gba games on, i'd say an actual gba with a screen mod is best because then you can play gb/gbc games too.
@@Hacky4675 Exactly this!
@@Danny.._ I still have my GC plugged in and use it exclusively for the GB player for that reason. Too much of an old man! Love the portability option but looking down for hours was easier 20 years ago while I was growing up. Now I’m just growing out…
@@Hacky4675 Nice. I never had a gba player and now they're too expensive to justify it when i already have other ways to play gba games
I put an IPS screen and rechargeable USB-C battery in a GBA I got for 40$. The entire thing cost me less than $130 and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Highly recommend. No soldering involved, so it was pretty easy to do. Love your videos!
No need for DSi at all either
Which kit please? For normal Gameboy advance and not SP?
@@Kasaner I bought it from Hand Held Legend. The exact nam was IPS LCD V2 FOR GAME BOY ADVANCE. And you’re correct, it was not for the SP. You do have to trim your shell a little, but it is truly not hard. I’m an idiot and I was able to do it. Just be careful closing the shell as you don’t want to crimp anything.
Gbas are extremely easy to work with, ds lites are not
5
I just did an IPS mod on my childhood GBA, and I think it is definitely a better option then creating a DS Macro. I can play GB, GBC and GBA games with a backlight and better screen now. The DS macro seems to only make sense if you have a broken DS. I also personally prefer the GBA form factor. Playing Metroid Fusion on the screen is amazing!
*than
@@SnoFitzroy🤓
Brass products are a little more demanding than Boxypixel's usual anodized aluminum products. Brass will tarnish with time and normal-use, so it's highly recommended to polish, neutralize, and clear-coat the brass piece before installing it for your mod. This will preserve the brass reflective finish and prevent tarnishing for that 24/7 beautiful golden aesthetic. It isn't hard, just costs a few extra bucks and a day's worth of time. (Drying takes quite some time.)
Dat patina
For me, I love the form factor of the GBA and PSP, so the macro idea does appeal to me, but I think I'd probably want to just do a screen mod on a GBA instead. Plus I can play GB, GBC carts too.
The lack of GB/GBC support is a killer for me.
The one advantage to the Macro is low cost - an IPS display for a GBA is $60+, whereas a macro costs like $5 or whatever it is to get the resistor.
I actually use my DS Lite to play DS games with an R4 and GBA with the EZ Flash Omega, love it, the size and clam shell design is perfect for portable gaming
AGREED!! I do the same with my DS lite, works great!!👍👍👍
Yep, that really is the way to go, though I have found myself playing more GB/C/A on a hacked Vita than anywhere else. The Vita d pad is the best, but you can't beat playing ds games on original hardware. You lose a lot with ds emulation.
yeah why would you ruin a ds like that
Glad to hear your conclusions on the macro mod! I've modded many Nintendo handhelds at this point. The original wide GBA with a 101 screen mod is my favorite way to play GBA, even though I have an Analogue Pocket. Though the Pocket dock is amazing for non-handheld play.
I love the DS, it has a decent library and the Lite model can play GBA. When the Macro mod first started popping up I thought it was cute, but kind of wasteful. Now that it's blown up years later, I kind of really hate it. There is so much functionality that is just cut out to make a more awkward GBA with a not very great display... GBA mods with 101 screens and IPS screens are cheaper, easier, and have WAY better looking displays. A DS Lite can play GBA games just fine, WITHOUT chopping it up and throwing away it's main DS game function, PLUS you get the flip screen for easy pocketing / screen protection!
If you want a great way to play GBA, just mod a GBA, or buy a DS with a 101 screen... or buy a DS Lite and just play it?
Does your DS Lite already has a broken top screen? If you can mod well enough to make a GBA Macro, you can mod well enough to fix a DS Lite top screen.
There is an issue with DS Lites where the R button always stops working. It's my biggest complaint about the DS. I have fixed a few in my day, and if you make the system into a Macro, this R button issue will still happen!
Uhhh, thanks to anyone who actually read this whole thing To people who love their Macro builds, I am glad you're happy with them. It's a slick and creative mod that I just personally don't care for.
The r button is easy fix. Caig deoxit. You don't even need to take it apart. Spray it and click for a bit, then wipe excess.
Nowadays, you even have the ITA screens, that give the same vibe that the 101 but better and with better color display (at least, for me)
Thank you!! I Agree Totally! It's just a waste of a perfectly good DS. and You'll miss out on so many amazing games that Emulators don't do justice like Ouendan, Elite Beat Agents and Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic Colours and a ton of other great games from people's childhood's.
There is a finite amount of DS Systems in the world and Nintendo isn't making anymore and the 3DS Systems doesn't play DS Games at the proper resolution so the best ways to play DS Games is to get a DS Lite or a DSi XL since it has a IPS Screen and it doesn't stretch or blur the image at all.
RIP for those two DSs
I know 🙏
I can easily fix it, damn it!! And he just throw it away 100%!
Bros account was made 3 weeks ago
*three
@@lemonlime8949 Yours was made 3 years ago..
I did this once with a DS Lite with a burned topscreen. Used stock parts with an added LED on the left connected to the resistor(I didn't use an SMD resistor). Also used a glue gun stick to diffuse the led light. Didn't reach the right side but still looked cool.
Here are some of my takes from the experience:
1. You can use the top screen speaker but be careful where you seat it. Magnets and sleepmode.
2. My power button was also rek'ed. I replaced it with a push button located behind the back. Stylus is used to power it on or off.
3. What actually tested my patience was the shoulder button. The plate spring was oxidized(didn't register presses well enough) so I had to clean them. While dismantling the module, the rubber part flew away because I used a forcep to take it out. Took me a few hours with my face on the floor before I was able to find it.
There is a solution to the gba carts sticking out. Since you’re already using an r4 cart, you could also get an ezflash v which come in both ds and ds lite sizes. You can flash your gba rom onto it over r4 and it will act like a physical gba game except it will be flush with the case
The Ez V is hard to come by today, is easier to use the omega with the DS lite cartridge size
14:10
@@juniorbarranqueiro it's also r3ally expensive I spent 80 for mine
I always felt this was for salvaging broken consoles, not for modding something in mint condition
Shoulda grabbed the flex amp for the macro mod. Gives better sound and has the resistor included.
This mod is sooooo much easier with this flex amp
I thought about building one of these years ago, but I don't have any DS Lites with a broken top screen. I have an AGS-101 and a GBA with an IPS mod though. Both look better than the bottom screen of the DS Lite.
I agree using an original gba with a new screen is the best way. I did this on my childhood gba and the older kit that lets you use a gbasp screen. It took less than an hour and was incredibly easy. It also increased the already amazing battery life, and still gives me older gameboy compatibility and link cable port
Back in ,the day I had the DS Flashcart M3DS Real that came with an expansion pack from the Slot-2 that fits perfectly on the DSLite slot and it is essentially a GBA flashcard. The device keeps the GB, GBC, and GBA ROMs stored on the DS flashcard and transfers them to the GBA slot cart when you want to play GBA games. I think is the best option for a GBA Macro.
get yourself a set of helping hands with a light/magnifying lense. or spend 90 bucks and get a basic solder scope with a screen. these things CHANGED MY LIFE when soldering.
This seems like a cool project if you like to fiddle with things but I think the best GBA console is gonna be an actual GBA modded with an IPS screen and whatever other little additions you want to make.
The only in-video ads I don't skip past. YAHUNGRY?!
That Sonic Rush theme in the background takes me back man
Helder's game tech makes an amp with the tiny resistor on a flex pcb so it's alot easier to do the mod
Me: he should use an ez flash
*starts talking about ez flash*
Me: why isn't he using the low profile shell?
*I threw it out*
Me: Damn it Bob!
I've seen people selling GB Macros on Etsy for around $200+. I was very intrigued but they seemed a bit expensive, which is why I held off. I honestly think I would probably be happier just springing for an Analog Pocket as it would do GBA plus several other consoles as well. Thanks for the video Wulff! You've definitely answered all the questions I had about the GB Macro.
I was just on ebay yesterday and there's a bunch of listings of gba macro's for $40. Not bad! They have the OG shells so if you wanted em to look real clean you'd have to dole out extra for either the boxy pixel faceplate or the glowsticks.
@@Greed26 Ah. Yeah I'm talking about the boxy pixel faceplated GB Macros, literally all the work has been done already and that's why they sell for almost $200 on Etsy. It'd absolutely be far cheaper to DIY for sure. Either way, I'll stick to my N3DS for my emulation needs and my Steam Deck/Switch for heavy duty gaming etc.
Before the various IPS screens came out, I saw the benefit to using a DS or DS Lite. But now I think it's just way better to grab a IPS kit and an OG GBA.
Yes and the DS has so many great games! and Nintendo isn't making any new DS Systems and Emulation don't do a lot of DS Games Justice.
For cleaning brass, get a pack of “sunshine cloths” my wedding band is brass and those things are absolutely amazing.
oh wow I have the EZFlash and actually didn't realize what that little piece was for, thanks!
For those of you wondering if you should attempt a mod like this or fix up an original GBA, here's my take.
The GBA Macro mod has the advantage of using a DS Lite LCD panel that has essentially been mummified and preserved by the touchscreen. Once removed, it will be in immaculate condition, and is as close as you can possibly get to a GBA SP 101 screen without paying obscene amounts of money.
The biggest downside of the Macro, in my opinion, isn't even the lack of innate backwards compatibility with GB/GBC due to using DS hardware, its the form factor of the final product. Its incredibly comfortable, except when using the shoulder buttons. The DS Lite was always meant to be held with the bottom screen leaning backwards and the top screen offering as a counterbalance, when you have to hold the whole thing vertically like with the GBA macro, it is INCREDIBLY straining on MY fingers to use L and R. If you can find a 3D printable grip, I'd recommend that, but many of the ones available online or pre-made and sold on places like eBay or etsy cover the AUX port, which to me is an essential part of a handheld gaming console.
tldr; exceptional screen for a good price, poor ergonomics for the shoulder buttons
I think one of the biggest advantages to this kind of mod vs an original gba or gba advance is the bigger battery. Otherwise its not very cost effective
Battery mod is the answer my friend (or you can buy eneloop rechargeable batteries, they're great)
@@juniorbarranqueiro there's a battery mod for a ds lite? I looked for one, or at least hopped I could buy a bigger battery in my ds lite or dsi, but no such luck. They don't sell them, and apparently it could cause problems to the system
@@ERRENTPRIM the battery mod is actually for the GBA and the SP. For the DS, i think that had a battery expansion that you could buy, but no mod that i know
@@juniorbarranqueiro Cool, I found one for the dsi. Seems legit. I don't if I'll grab one, though. haven't used my dsi in a minute. I think that whichever mod you do is really dependent on what system you have and your budget, maybe even your game library.
I think fixing a ds family of systems is probably the best bet because its super annoying emulating them on any other device. Playing a ds game on a pc or portable emulator just sucks. same with the 3ds. but my original comment was just mentioning the one positive of this type of mod, cause it seemed like something Wulf hadn't thought of.
I remember as a kid when my ds lite died playing a ds game, I would switch to gba games and get a couple more hours of play out of the thing
thanks for doing these bob, some of this stuff looks like a real pain and i appreciate you doing all the crampwork, i never would have started modding if i hadn't seen you take these leaps 💪really wanna do a macro one day, but want to wait for a more comprehensive reshell option 🙏
7:04 Bob: "I could swallow this and it would do nothing" Me: Do it. 👁👄👁
GBA is my favorite game system from my childhood, and my favorite retro gaming library. I sank days into Metroid Fusion and Advance Wars as a kid. I mostly emulate now, but I still have my old GBA. I've been thinking of modding it with upgrades, and your videos like this really inspire me. Might need to try my hand at soldering...
I built one of these instead of these and I love it. Instead of of buying a DS lite I just bought the bottom motherboard, and installed it that way.
The only benefits are:
1) You like the aesthetics
2) You have a DS Lite with a broken top screen, but don't want to fiddle with replacing it.
3) DS Lites (especially with a broken top screen) are like, half the price of stock GBA units in good condition.
There are also GB Macro mods out there that leave the touch screen and build in a toggle button that lets you switch the screen between top and bottom displays, allowing you to still play DS games (with minor hassle)
That stomach shot was something. I felt the HUNGRY sense from here
IPS moded GBA is the best way. I'm amazed at the screen every time I turn it on.
I love these DS videos definitely one of my favorite topics
Appreciate how direct and eco friendly the message of this video was! I’ve seen photos of systems like that online and they always looked cool, but I can totally see what you mean about destroying a good working system 👏
Kirby Canvas Curse is SICK! I agree Bob I agree
I have a gba, gba sp, ds lite and a macro that I modded myself. I'm a noob, so I ran into several hiccups too but its now my favorite way to play gba games. I purposefully ebayed a ds lite that had a broken hinge and audio issues. I would never break a functioning ds lite to make a macro, it'd hurt me too much. Also for those curious about the quality of the screen: just looking at how a ds lite lower screen looks while playing a gba game doesn't do it justice. By removing the touch screen that sits over the video screen, the picture is a lot sharper and brighter, it looks excellent.
I have a dslite with both a busted top screen and a broken hinge. This mod was made for me. I'm hyped.
I would say the DS lite is one of the most difficult to disassemble system I have done up to date. Joycon's are a walk in the park compared to it. I used to have a bottom board hanging around but I think I threw it away since some of the buttons might have been broken too. Only system I've done that is worse than the DS is the PSP, that thing is in a league of it's own with how weird the inside is.
I have a gold and black one from Boxy. In fact I have all the game boy shells boxy has made in black with brass buttons.
As a Club Penguin fan... The part of the video were you break the DS with the Club Penguin: EPF stickers was a pain to watch lol
You can play gb/gbc with goomba color. It comes with a tool to fit gb/gbc roms into a kind of emulator rom from which you can select the games. Works good on my game boy micro with ez flash 4
I know you worked hard and had a rough time getting this mod done, but... This is easily my most-hated mod I've seen floating around YT. Especially when it means perfectly fine DS Lites have to die.
The only reason I'd consider making one of these is if I had a broken DS laying around, but I'd never go out of my way to make one, seems kinda pointless since better options are available
Wulff: where Is the resistor?
Ds: gone reduce to atom
Hey Bob. Thanks for the amazing videos. I know you hear this a ton already, but seriously, it’s great stuff. I don’t plan to ever pick up a soldering iron, but I’ve already watched this video twice. Your editing style, concise language, and high quality shots really make for a relaxing viewing experience. I even watch your ads, lol. All of this to say, thanks.
Tbh this mod looks like a waste of time if the top screen of the ds lite isn't broken already. But at least we got another great wulff den video
I was already familiar with the game boy macro, I just wanted to say that yours is the best I’ve ever seen
The only TH-cam channel that I love the ads lol
I believe in balance philosophy. I have a 2ds xl modded and I have a DS Lite with a GBA slot built in. I use the homebrew scene on my 2ds xl and run GBA games from the home screen. It uses similar architecture to that of the GBA (ARM7 chip). However the form factor on my GBA is amazing! Too much money to get it modernized though.
Only Wulff Den can fuck up something so simple and easy like removing the top screen of a DS Lite.
I like him though, 'cuz he keeps on trying. There are no failures, only learning experiences. And boy does he learn A LOT.
You can get a glass screen cover, theres an audio mod which i dont recomend. Also had problems screwing the brass front w plastic back. Only do this if u have a broken one. Do not destroy it if it works
I agree that the problem with this mod is the cost. I plan on building 3 gb macros all in different styles. I bought the boxy pixel, 3d printed translucent one, and I'm going to make one with the dowel rod. I already own a gba with an ips screen. I am more or less doing it for fun and science. What attracted me to your video is the coverage of using an ez flash omega vs an r4 cart. I have a dsi and gba emulation on the console is horrible. Literally most of the games don't even run.
Playing GBA on the DSi XL looks amazing, this mod style might work better with an XL
Gameboy macro is great, but only if the DS you have has a problem and the top screen doesn't work basically. But best way to play GBA games is basically a modded GBA itself. Once you add in a backlit screen (IPS mod or mod that puts the best SP screen into it, AGS 101 one), you gain the best GBA ever. And if you go to extreme with mods, you can create a really nice one but that will cost a crap ton (300-400 at least most likely), making it very expensive but in end a very nice gba :). But if you just sticks to the IPS/etc screen just for backlit screen, it can cost you less than 150 bucks most likely. Only ended up costing me 100ish to get IPS screen for my GBA(parts and shipping).
I have a ds lite that the hinges broke on so I love that I found this video because it so happens that I really liked playing gba games on it. Have never done anything like this before but I'm might give it a go sometime.
What about those GBA flash carts that have the optional top for DS? Those sit flush too!
This is my favorite type of Bob video. Mad
Probably worth it just to do a GBA IPS mod
Great vid as always Bob. Today I picked up the Zelda Game and Watch on a clearance sale and the first thing I thought of when I saw that awesome little screen was "someone should turn this in to a GBA" hint hint
Hands down one of my favorite mods of all time. I have the black anodized face plate from boxypixel.
they make resistors that work for this in many different sizes/form factors. if the boxy pixel shell requires that tiny one, i wish you would have specified that in the video.
I was conflicted when I learned of this mod last week, although I think the half-broken pink DS which I rescued from the e-waste recycling heap might be a great candidate. As for that tiny resistor, it ain't no joke... A couple of years ago a friend put me up to modding a couple of GPU's. The resistors that I dealt with were so obscenely small, I must've dropped 10 of them just from breathing.
Learning to work with those tiny resistors is a great way to level-up one's soldering skills.
The DS Macro mod is only really intended for when you already have a half-broken DS/i/Lite. It's supposed to be more for "on the budget" type opportunities.
A drop-in IPS screen is a better way to play on original hardware. After 6 months I finally received mine, took me a couple of hours of work (no instructions, a couple of errors, alignment, etc) and now I can play GB, GBC and GBA on an original GBA. Bought it from AliExpress, and it's the same sold by some retro modding store, from which I got the instructions. So no soldering required, just take the old screen and drop the new one, it has pixel mode, b&w mode, several levels of brightness, and cheaper than getting a modded GBA, or spending hundreds on boxy pixel shells (they're great, but pricey)
I only think it's worth it if you have a broken and beat up ds lite and another way to play DS games. Also, you should pick up Helder's Mod for this because it takes care of the resistor and adds an amp for audio.
I have an EZ-flash card that was made to fit in the DS lite cart slot, i had the super DS lite back in the day. Still kicking around, but I can do most of what I want to with my N3DSXL.
wow interesting to know how complicated the process is, I manage to get one of these a while back from a guy on Mercari for $40 free shipping
You sold me on never doing this, thank you very much kind sir.
I'll stick to my modded AGBs and Analogue Pocket.
I've done this mod a few times, both with bloxypixels face plate and using stock faceplates. It is a very easy mod. The hardest part was getting the speaker to stay still during assembly. I love the aluminum faceplate it just gives it a quality feel and looks amazing with the intended glass screen lens. I'm currently working on a few with the fat ds. I only do this when shells are beyond repair due to the hinge. I haven't had good luck with replacement shells. If you have the parts sitting around give it a shot.
I love my anbernic. It saves me the head ache of ever having to do a mod where my skills are not that good.
13:30 there are gba flash carts that sit flush with the bottom and can take a microSD card to store the gba games.
There’s something else you can solder on that enhanced audio and even has that resistor on it, super easy
I bought a broken ds lite on a flea market years ago for like 1 euro, removed the top screen (which was broken) and soldered an led, no resistors et voila it works again. Now I use it for GBA games. it doesn't look as nice as yours, has no speaker but I can fix that or just use headphone port. For one buck I think it was worth it.
I made an original GBA with boxy pixel shell, buttons, IPS mod from Retro Game Repair shop and a 2000 mAh usb-c rechargeable battery mod from Handheld legends I think. It's probably the best version of original GBA imo. A laminated backlit ips screen makes such a difference on any GBA.
Very cool, but I think Id rather swap out the screen in my Advance SP
i just did the rhotronix mod that gives the gameboy macro a tv out so you can still use the top screen, its a pretty good compromise
This used to be great when ags-101 screens and gba ips screens were hard to come by. Now, not so much. There are many handheld emulators with larger screens that can handle gba games just fine.
The problems with using a ds flash cart can easily be overcome.
I had (or have?) a set with a ds flash cart and a compact gba flash cart (meant for the DS Lite) where the ds cart could easily change what's on the gba cart..
So you loaded the ds cart, chose your game, and it took a backup of the save from the current game, then flashed the game you want alongside it's savegame backup to the cart and you could then start the gba game from the menu
Bob your sofa grew during the factor ad 😹 good video tho
Helder's flex ampod fixes the audio loudness of the switch speaker and replace the ohm resistor for the screen.
I lost count on how many of them I made haha my philosophy is make one that just works without fancying it up and I sell it for a very low price and people seem to also like that.
Screen modding a GBA seems to achieve quite pleasing results. You can now get laminated screens for the GBA just like you had for the GB color last year (wait, from 2021 maybe?) and that seems to yield the best image (of all these mods)
But I remember watching on youtube someone building one and not liking the rigidity of the accompanying front shell (that has to be the one purpose made for this laminated screen)
It was a great way to keep using my broken ds lite. Then i added an amp, 2 iphone speakers and a 2000mah battery so its stupid loud and lasts all day. You dont even have to use a resistor, just change the settings to auto boot into gba games and use the bottom screen
I had no idea about that small resistor. When I was a kid my sister broke my ds in half and it worked just fine as a Gameboy advance. The main problem being we only had one Gameboy game at that time
You should've mentioned another roundabout solution - the 3ds. The 3ds had gba games given to ambassadors only, and interestingly it uses hardware rather than emulation. If you use custom firmware, you can use a program called new super ultimate injector to inject rom files to launch from the home screen. Gba games run perfectly and have the scanlines and colors you would expect. It's the most authentic feeling way imo to play gba games outside of cartridges. Playing on ips oled screens looks pretty but for me just feels kind of ehhh.. I know it's not original nintendo hardware and therefore I'm constantly reminded that I'm emulating a game rather than playin a game, if that makes sense. The 3ds's hardware level incorporation of gba makes it feel flawless and balanced, while the 3ds's screen being shittier than modern emulating handhelds and gba mods oddly makes games feel way more like you remember them
I'm pretty sure you don't need that resistor if you only want GBA functionality as long as you have the DS set to boot straight to the GBA. I know this because 5-10 years ago I convinced a friend of mine to rip the top half of his DS off without knowing if it would work. It would no longer boot to the OS but it did still play GBA games and we did zero soldering.
I got my Analogue pocket at the beginning of this week, so I am mainly waiting for mods for the pocket to take off so I can make my analogue pocket look like an og gameboy.
Considering my DS Lite has a broken top screen (the right hinge broke off), this honestly might be the avenue I'll go down for it. I already have a DSi XL, Old 3DS XL, and New 3DS XL (all of which are modded with CFW). So honestly I don't really need the DS Lite. The Gameboy slot is just about the only purpose it gets as you have to keep the top hinge super steady just to play anything on the top screen
I love soldering tiny components, for that though…binocular microscopes are necessary 😂
You can make them with out the resistor. Just requires keeping the stop screen ribbon cable and trimming it down to just the lighting part and tucking it away. Mine has worked like that for the last 2 years
I repaired a DS Lite, with no power and in the final steps I broke the volume slider, because the after market shell didn't fit very well. I hate after market shells! XD I really feel your problems. :D
I might do this mod. I bought a ds lite recently for $5 off marketplace, works fine. previous owner didn't have a power cord.
if it works fine don't strip away half the functionality lol
Main thing you’re forgetting here is that this was originally made back in the 2000s to be a cheap mod to get some use out of your broken DS, which, at the time, had way more expensive parts since it was only a few years old. This is more of a “well my warranty just expired and I’m not gonna spend a bunch of money on a new shell and or top screen so screw it” thing, and not a “EPIC NINTENDO MOD REDDIT GOLD SOY” thing. Nowadays this mod is just leddit updoot fodder and has no actual use since DS parts are cheaper than a new system (which is already fairly cheap now).
Now I want to see a collab with the retro future to make a legit DS macro with 4 screens
You’re like the Gandalf of this kind of stuff at this point
WRONG... on so many accounts...
Watch the Macho Nacho build for a much better source.
- Boxy Pixel Brass fronts come UNFINISHED, this is VERY detailed on their web page. Your complaints are invalid.
- Aftermarket shells are notoriously bad, if the proper prep is not done, you will have issues whether doing a macro or just a shell swap.
- You do not NEED to do soldering, there are other ways to do this build.
- You can order helders flex amp in lieu of utilizing the resistor, makes solder builds 100x easier.
- Removing the digitizer from the lower screen is only needed for boxy pixel.
- Buy an EZ-Flash Omega if you dislike the GBA Cart "bump"
- Using an R4 card just isn't practical for GBA.
This build is the ultimate GBA, it is NOT meant to continue use as a DS Lite. These are excellent for playing on authentic nintendo hardware, I've built 4 so far and every experience was enjoyable.
I literally experienced these exact tribulations but with the OG DS that had a busted top screen. I lost 4 of those stupid resistors just by breathing. Good thing I purchased a strip of them. Also, you can use a larger trimmed resistor if you're able to trim it enough and tuck it around the board.
The pack of resistors I bought only costed like $1.97 for 12 on eBay, but I also just bought LED’s from Amazon for it too from Jake Simmons tutorial and all it was pretty easy to do lol I really like the shell you used it reminds me more of Samus colors
fun fact, if you set it to autoboot before you take the top screen off then you dont need to add a resistor if you only play gba