How to fit an IPS screen to your Game Boy Advance SP
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2024
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I've written a guide for @Nintendo Life to explain the process for replacing your frontlit AGS-001 screen in a Game Boy Advance SP with one of the new, larger backlit IPS screens available specifically for this console. The finished article can be found here:
www.nintendolife.com/news/202...
While I was writing the guide, I made this video as a companion piece to the article, so join me as I attempt to explain how to make a huge improvement to the display on this awesome little console.
00:00 Introduction
01:40 Tools and equipment
04:45 Disassembly
10:26 The IPS kit
12:20 Cutting the shell
15:35 Installing the screen
20:27 Brightness control
24:34 Reassembly and testing
27:17 Conclusions
Note: This guide is all about fitting the kit into an existing console. If you want to build one with a replacement outer shell too, be sure to check out my other video here:
• Modded GBA SP with IPS...
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Thanks for watching! - เกม
This was the only video that explained everything step by step, thanks again for all the tips and tricks. I finished the upgrade on my GBA SP and what difference it’s made thanks again for the help 👍🏼
Thanks so much for the feedback! I'm glad it helped ❤️
That’s usually the problem with ips screens on sp’s. I have a utility knife and it works pretty good.
Followed this all the way and I found the hardest part was getting the damn ribbon back in with my fat hands. Thanks for this video. Extremely helpful and the screen is bloody mind blowing.
Thank you! I'm glad it was worth the effort. Good tweezers can be very helpful for those fiddly bits!
I'm extremly exited for this project! Just ordered all the stuff.
Followed this guide and replaced my screen tonight. Really easy, hardest part was the shaving down the sides but just take your time and it should work out fine. Thanks so much for the guide :)
Absolutely important to take your time. Glad it went well for you!
Amazing tutorial mate! Made this entire process super easy. Thanks so much!
Brilliant video. Your pacing and editing are great, and your instructions are perfectly on point without any fluff.
Thank you so much! That means a lot; it's a balance I try hard to achieve 😊🙏
Thank you Joe! This Video got me to try modding my old Gba SP and i couldn't be happier with how it turned out! :)
Fantastic to hear! Thanks!
Just got my screen installed! Thanks for this guide.
That's great! Thank you
Fantastic instructions. Followed to the letter with great success. Thank you.
Excellent! Thanks for the feedback 😊
Excellent work, I've resurrected an old GBA SP for the kids. Thanks
Just finished doing this on my Classic NES GBA SP, went really well, thank you so much!
Fantastic!
Thinking about doing the same mate because as much as i love it (the classic nes gba sp) the screen is a total disgrace! Did you buy the ips v2 kit mentioned in the description? Seems like a good deal at €38 on ebay
Managed to do this swap easily Thanks to your video! Thank you!
This video was VERY HELPFUL. Mine is modded to perfection now. Thanks!
Thanks so much!
Thank you! Just completed my first ever mod, with soldering, on my nes classic gba sp:)
Congratulations!
Thank you so incredibly much. This video was extremely educational and helped me upgrade my SP. Definitely liked and subscribed. Again, thank you so much.
Thank you so much for your kind words!
I did mine recently and I'm very happy with it.
Great to hear!
This video is so, so helpful. I’m going to do this with my childhood SP and give it an atomic purple case with teal buttons. So excited (and nervous lol). The clear instructions definitely give me some confidence that I can do it!
That's lovely to hear! Fingers crossed for you 🤞
@@JoeBleeps Update: did it! Went with an N64 controller color scheme for the buttons instead of the teal :D
@@catelynr5222 sounds awesome!
Fantastic. Thank you so much. This is by far the best, most comprehensive, well constructed, and edited video I could find when I was lost installing my screen. I cannot recommend this video enough for people who aren't engineers!
Thanks for time together at the beach a couple times this year.
If a husband and wife think another man is their friend, but that other man sows seed words of division and unfaithfulness then do not trust him.
A man and his wife go for a walk and that man is there and he is joyfully and with a smile on his face sharing that a cook cheated on his wife with someone he works with them the husband and wife should not trust that man to have goodwill towards their marriage.
After time goes by and the devil is attacking a husband and his wife’s marriage covenant and they be separated and the woman confront the man who hangs out with her husband at nights and the woman questions the man’s motives and what’s in his heart towards their marriage and that man then responds with crazy eyes w whispers to the wife that “no one Will believe her.” He was never a friend nor can he be trusted if he goes to sleep with a witch says he’s a Christian now and then works to divide this marriage. He shouldn’t be trusted or his words believed. A man who was open to others that he was open to cheating on his girlfriend.
th-cam.com/users/shortsiq_ScCXCocw?si=wgvK0qg8aM2VHw82
Is that chillbob running in the city???
amazing man, thank you so much for this!!
I now have a rocking new screen!!
and a now broken down and left dpad button for some reason 🤣😭
time to get the soldering iron out again
Thanks a lot for this mate really helped me. You break it down 10/10.
Thank you!
Thanks for the tutorial! helped me out a lot!
Great to hear! Thanks for letting me know
Great video! Very helpful and clear. You need more subs!
Thanks!
Thank you very much for the guide, you inspired me to do this myself! You earned a subscriber!
That's great to hear! Thank you and good luck!
@@JoeBleeps Thank you! I hope you gain more subscribers in the future!
I'm a bit nervous but quite keen to try this.
Nervous is good. It means you'll be careful and take your time. Good luck!
I like, keep doing more!
Great, thanks for the tutorial!
😊 Welcome!
Nice one joe, the soldering the tip trick was something I never even considered. That's gonna stay with me for ever now haha
Thanks! I really need to do that soldering tips video huh 😅
whos joe
@@deathrazer91 Joe Bleeps
Nice work getting on Nintendo Life! Looking forward to the soldering tutorial. A skill I'm sadly lacking. 😪
Thank you!
Thank You Joe
Welcome!
I’m so looking forward to refurbishing my old game boy sp, I have the 001 model. it functions great but it’s in desperate need of remodeling.
Awesome! Good luck!
I can't wait to try this when the screen comes in
How did it go?
@@iballa2 perfect I've done 2 already 👏👌
Awesome tutorial!!
Thank you dude!
Joe Bleeps If you have a broken AGS-101 GBA SP with a cracked screen, you could actually use an IPS LCD with an AGS-101 motherboard!
Excellent tutorial! The screen is practically brighter than the sun now hahaha
So much brighter than the original screen!
Great video which helped greatly with the install. I didn’t bother with soldering, however for me the trickiest part was getting that damn ribbon cable clipped back in, either you didn’t spend much time on that part of you find it super easy!!
Ahh sorry! Yes it is a bit tricky but not as bad as the ones on the DMG that require more force
if you dont solder does it remain on low brightness or high brightness?
@@brokenshadows9357 highest setting
@@JoeBleeps is this the same with the v2 ips?
@@brokenshadows9357 off the top of my head, the default with these things is just "on", which is the brightest setting. All the adjustments you can make just dim the screen to different increments.
Brilliant thanks:)
😊🙏
Will this work for the newer laminate IPS screens from funnyplaying? Thanks for the detailed video
Oh man! Now I can upgrade my original black 001 (it's so beat to heck) and has dust the size of two to three pixels between the screen and the front light.
Awesome! If you're thinking about replacing the shell too, take a look at my video with the Super Famicom shell, there's some useful info about replacing the hinges on there
@@JoeBleeps dude. You rock ♡♡
How centered is the new screen? Do you lose a few mm on one side? Also, when you shake it vertically and horizontally, do you hear the new components move even slightly?
It is well centered and fairly snug. The foam insert helps stop any rattling
I'll be honest I did this myself but couldn't stand the IPS screen, I'm going back to the original front lit display the games were designed for. I thought I'd love it but just couldn't get on with it, thought the games looked worse, like radioactive worse. The shells are very cool though especially if the original is scratched up. Good work anyway Joe it was a very useful video you have made here.
Ahh that's a shame. I like how it looks but I guess it's not for everyone
In terms of battery life how does that change? Does it have a better battery life than when the normal screen is installed?
It's the main disadvantage of these screens; the battery life is much shorter especially at max brightness
Thank you for the guide. However the 2 links in your description does not ship to my country 😭
They are fairly generic parts that I use so hopefully you can find another supplier!
Hello, great video ! Can you tell me the diameter of the tin wire you are using ?? Thanks
I tend to use 32awg wire or kynar. Thank you!
The logo on these IPS screens seems more accurate than others i've seen. Is that a difference between the V1 and V2 screens?
I don't have two to compare side by side but this does look really good
Great tutorial! I've completed the installation myself however, after about 5 minutes of playing the left button now controls the brightness aswell :/ when pressing the brightness button it also counts as a left press, could this be a soldering issue?
Sounds like the wire may be trapped under the d pad maybe? Could be a soldering issue also
Quick question when you "cut/shave" the sides, I've just reshelled a SP & got a new screen protector with the kit but my question why can't you just carefully remove protector & just recenter the screen?
The IPS screen is bigger and has the display slightly off centre to fit.
Thanks for this video. I’ve basically got a dilemma; I bought a reshelled gba sp with the ips v2 screen installed but I think the lens and the lcd have not been aligned properly as the screen is a bit wonky/slanted. It is uneven.
What I’m planning to do now is use floss to separate out the lcd and lens and put a new lens onto the lcd, worst case scenario the lcd breaks, then I’ll just order a new screen entirely and connect that to my gba sp (and do any trimming on the shell that i need to). In that case, I’m sure I can just remove the ribbon off my current screen (the one with the lens and lcd not properly aligned) and just connect that same ribbon to the new screen?
If you're doing that use a hair dryer or heat gun to make it easier to remove the screen cover
I have a question I also have the GBA sp asg001 I’m looking at these screens but in the details a lot of them r not telling mi if it’s for the 001 or 101 or do the new screens work on both?
I think it's mainly for the 001, it works with a 101 board too but I vaguely remember it needs wiring up differently. I don't think it's worth upgrading a 101 as it's a great screen anyway, but an IPS is a great replacement for the 001 for sure
I bought an 001 model recently and really wanted the indigo casing, but with the nice screen! If I do this mod will it impact battery life? Or will I need to buy a higher quality battery to support it? And I live in the US can someone point me to a quality but reasonably priced screen from here or will I need to get it out of the country?
It does indeed affect the battery, I made another video about building a custom battery that lasts a lot longer, have a look on my channel
Hello, on my C67 it seems that the solder doesn't stick, and it doesn't have that golden thing like in your video, do you know what it could be? Thanks!
Hard to tell without seeing it but the pad may be corroded or it may have been ripped off the motherboard. You could trace the point to the next component or another suitable solder point maybe?
Very detailed, absolute great guide here. Are you from the North West mate?
Certainly am! And thank you!
Can you link those side cutters ? I ruined two cases trying to melt the plastic off, since I don’t have proper cutters . I used a flat head screwdriver by heating up with the stove fire , which not only is not safe , it took way too long .
Yeah that would take an age! Even using a craft knife would be quicker than that. I bought my cutters from Maplin years ago before they all shut down. I don't remember the exact brand, but hopefully side cutters or fluch cutters as a search should do you well. The Games Workshop tools are generally good quality and intended for cutting plastic though
Question: can the ags 101 model of the gba sp working with that kit as well?
Yes I think so, but if you have a 101 screen I'd keep that instead
when are you going to do a soldering video I want to learn the correct way lol
Soon! Definitely. And if there's anything specific in terms of soldering you want to see, let me know.
Can you fit the ips screen on the ags 101? (hearing this back it sounds like a dumb question but im going to still ask)
I'm pretty sure you can, I think the wiring may be a little different
Hey, how many brightness levels does this display have?
Five on this one I think?
Hey Joe! Nice tutorial, I’m about to trim one this coming weekend and this made it seem easier than I was thinking. Off question, what’s the brand of your scalpel craft knife?
It's a retractable Swann Morton with a 10A blade
@@JoeBleeps thanks man!!
My IPS didn’t come with an insulation sheet for the back of the screen. Is that dangerous?
In your experience does it effect the speaker using these ips screens? Mine seems to have a bit of noise since installing the screen and is especially noticeable using earphones
Not to a distracting extent. I'll have to check one against another to see. Or hear, as the case may be 😅
@@JoeBleeps i have a feeling that as it’s drawing more power it’s somehow effecting the sound as I can pretty much hear the different frequencies and hums as the games load. It’s much worse using headphones.
Did you notice any reduction or improvement with battery life?
Definitely a reduction. Not entirely surprising. The original battery is pretty old now and is 600mAh, so I've tried replacing with a new third party 850mAh battery, should make a fair improvement but I've not tested it enough to be able to tell yet.
Do you notice any input lag with this screen? I can swear mine has more input lag when playing super mario world.
Not that I'd noticed on this one
Does anyone know what the screen looks like with out the soldering
I don't have a solder ing iron is there a way around it?
If you do it without the wires it will just default to maximum brightness, I think. But if you're spending out on a Gameboy, a new shell and a screen kit, a soldering iron is a worthwhile purchase too
Amazing vid! Anyone know where I can get the IPS screen in the US? The chinese vendor Joe used doesn't ship to the US and the website RetroModding does not ship it's screen to the US either.
Thank you! I'm sorry to hear its been hard to get one. Have you tried Deadpan Robot? They are UK based but ship internationally, try the link in my description if you haven't already.
in case you haven't found one yet or anyone else needs one, these kits are all over ebay from tons of chinese vendors, some even sell them bundled with aftermarket shells that don't need trimmed to fit the lcd (although most shells don't include hinges so you would need to remove those from your original shell)
@@coopercummings8370
Yep, that's exactly what I did but I bought the kit on AliExpress instead of eBay. It works and looks great. Here's the link for the one I bought for anyone interested: www.aliexpress.com/item/4000843765370.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.1e574c4dQqNBM4
And also here are some pics of my finished GBA: imgur.com/gallery/sdmqC4F
@@JoeBleeps Hi Joe, sorry for the late reply. I never got to see this notification. I managed to get the kit on AliExpress, and it turned out great! Only caveat is that I don't have a soldering iron so I couldn't implement the brightness selector.
Anyway, thanks for the amazing video! Here are some pics of my refurbished GBA SP: imgur.com/gallery/sdmqC4F
@@kevinrivera2813 that's awesome! And no worries, thanks for the update!
My 3DS screen swap was a nightmare years ago, I failed so horribly I had to chuck it☹️.
The 3DS is such a compact & awkward system compared to the GBA SP.
I just received my screen in the mail today...
They forgot to put the cables in.
So now I'm playing the 'return, refund, re-order' game with Amazon T-T
(To the credit of the company, customer support responded in less than a minute)
Is there a way to disassemble the entire system after installing the IPS lcd? Or would that require desoldering the wire?
I'd say it would be easy enough but yes you'd need to desolder one end of the wire from the spot on the ribbon cable. The other end may as well stay attached to the motherboard
what type of wire did you use for soldering?
I normally use 32awg servo wire or kynar
@@JoeBleeps thank you so much
@@beagleboy2.040 I love the servo wire because it is easy to strip with your thumbnail and it's flexible so it puts less strain on the joint
I love the video, it's very well done, but I have a pet peeve.... SAWder. Not soul-der. Might (probably) be a regional thing but it was physically hurting me 😂
Haha I always find it funny how Americans call it sodder . Definitely a regional thing
@@JoeBleeps I assumed as much 😂 tbh I read the word before I ever heard it said, and I was "corrected" by my dad at the time. Guess I internalized that more than I thought lol
Is this screen as bright as the 101 model?
It's brighter and more vibrant but it's not pixel perfect like the 101 so it's not as crisp
I think I will skip the soldering part... I will want it full lighted anyhow
I can understand that. I just love soldering!
Be careful with those "free" screwdrivers! If you come across a stubborn screw these cheap things can strip out the screw head.
Same with any of the cheap chinesium screw driver and bit sets. If this is a one time thing you will probably be fine.
If you plan on doing more of this kind of work Id suggest getting a better quality bit set. Wiha and Wera are good.
The first time you strip the head of a hard to get at screw you will find out what I mean.
You're absolutely right, sometimes the drivers that come with these things make the job ten times harder than it needs to be. Occasionally they'll be decent, I'll sometimes try them out but usually I'll default to my own tools
What’s the point of soldering it? Just a question
If you solder the wires you get to change the brightness of the screen with the little button. If you install it without soldering it's just set to maximum brightness. I posted a video of a new kit last week where you can do all the adjustments without soldering
I forgot to put the insulating film behind the screen before closing up the shell, is it really grave if I didn't?
It's more of a precaution than anything, if it all seems to be working fine I wouldn't worry. If there are any issues then that's the first thing you'd need to fix when troubleshooting
@@JoeBleeps Thanks, I'll keep an aye on it; but I'm tempted to open the thing back up and already dreading dealing with the hinges again
@@sashielefreet1799 the hinges don't need dealing with once they are in place, you'll be fine
@@JoeBleeps damm you're right, I was about to something really REALLY dumb... Thanks bro!
@@sashielefreet1799 no problem!
I'm not that handy, can I also skip the soldering part?
Yeah you'll just have the screen on max brightness all the time
@@JoeBleeps Thanks!
I have the v1 do you know how different it is
I think it's mainly the different levels of brightness
@@JoeBleeps thank you for responding so quick! I assumed there was only one ips screen! I have the funny playing one.
@@alikune3096 with these new screens there's apways a new version that seems to be coming along every few weeks! 😅 But there's not a huge difference between them all, the funny playing ones are great for the SP
Just got an ips screen with a broken ribbon cable thanks to people who can’t do their job either at eBay or usps. The screen looks nice in the video though.
Did you ask for a replacement cable?
Your tactic of removing the plastic took a lot of time.
What I do: I'm cutting those side ribs in with a sharp knife. After that I cut in the bottom of that long piece of plastic (inside direction). Just 3/4 times maybe. Then I push from (outside to inside) that whole part of plastic, till it 'breaks'. You have to try it, it is very clean and done in 4 minutes.
It's a good method, I've done that before too. I just thought with a beginner's tutorial I didn't want other people slicing their fingers trying to follow my guide! 😅
Super excited to cut the SHIT out of my fingers next week when my gba comes in
Haha careful now!
Can you mod mine?
Guys can someone please help me? I'm looking for this mod but I want to buy it from Europe so as to avoid the taxes etc. (I want to pay for the price of the mod and the shipping and avoid the customs and other taxes). The mod itself from the link in the description is at a good price but the taxes and customs almost double the final cost. Can someone please help me find it as cheap as possible? Thanks
I always use deadpan robot in the UK but if you're elsewhere in Europe that's a problem since Brexit 😔
I used the link Joe provided in the description (ebay) and the guy sent it to me (Cyprus) from Belgium. So not any extra fees there except £6 VAT. Total cost £38..or €46 if u prefer
This is a brilliant tutorial however I just don’t think I’ve got the confidence to do this. I’m going to try and find someone who will do it for me for a fee.
Thank you! I just got my hands on a no cut, no solder drop in unit so stay tuned for my tutorial on that one when it comes. Should be a lot easier!
@@JoeBleeps Brilliant thanks I shall definitely look out for that!
@@Heidiroberts06 hopefully within the next couple of weeks :)
"It's easier than ever" - proceeds to spend a whole lot of time cutting through the plasic of shell with tools, then solders the motherboard
Yeah, so easy indeed...
Shut up lmao
I would describe your scalpel skills as medical. What's up with that?
Haha! I've accidentally caught my fingers once or twice over the years. That definitely encourages precision 😅
What a helpful and well put together tutorial. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for taking the time to give such positive feedback! It's much appreciated