Retro console and games thread

Flibster

Flibster

Flibster

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Mate just handed me something he got from a dumpster outside their office. Knowing I like odd stuff, he rescued it..

A NeXTcube. It's a bit battered and completely gutted, no hardware in it. But.. It's a proper magnesium Cube. :D Just going to clean it up a bit and stick it on a shelf somewhere.

Haven't seen one in about 15 years, and I always had a wish to build a PC into one, but this'll remain as is.

Slurm said:
I'm doing that just now, just waiting on a replacement case.

You can get a good condition GBA for about £20 and the AGS-101 backlit screen + lcd cable for around £35-£40.
You just need to get the right cable type for your console, 32 or 40 pin. The screen sellers often show how to tell them apart.
I waited until my GBA arrived and then ordered the right screen.

You can also get complete replacement case/buttons/glass screen protector kits for around £15 in various colours.

I've opted for a dark clear case with SNES colour buttons, it looks cool in my head anyway. :)

A pre-modded GBA is around £70, although it looks fun to do yourself.

Once it's complete and working I'll probably try a lithium battery mod, using 2x GBA SP lithium batteries in parallel with a charging board so I can charge the GBA using a micro USB cable.
Click to expand...

There's a lot of people doing these mods now, there's even couple of sites that specialise in selling bits.

It's important to use the AGS-101 screen as it keeps the correct resolution. Most of the 3rd party replacement LCD's are higher res and look nasty as there's scaling issues. There are a couple of proper 1:1 replacements though.

I think I got my bits from Retro Modding in the USA, but there are places in the UK now. Deadpanrobot for a start.

I am tempted to take a DS and mod it into a GBA type thing though. I've got one somewhere with a knackered hinge, so half the job is done. ;)
 
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Slurm

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Flibster said:
It's important to use the AGS-101 screen as it keeps the correct resolution. Most of the 3rd party replacement LCD's are higher res and look nasty as there's scaling issues. There are a couple of proper 1:1 replacements though.

I think I got my bits from Retro Modding in the USA, but there are places in the UK now. Deadpanrobot for a start.

I am tempted to take a DS and mod it into a GBA type thing though. I've got one somewhere with a knackered hinge, so half the job is done. ;)
Click to expand...

I bought the case from Deadpanrobot (and some other bits and pieces, great store), the 101 screens were out of stock, I got that from ebay. Unsure if it's one with the scaling issues but it looks okay (though I can't compare it of course).

Finished the screen mod (40pin), really pleased with the results.

epf1au.jpg


jphh55.jpg


35k8r2d.jpg


I may do a few other mods to it (voltage regulator/amp/battery mod), but that'll do for now.

Next stop is backlight/bivert my original Gameboy, then frontlight/loca my Gameboy Color, although hopefully a good backlit lcd mod comes out for it. :)

I saw a couple of those single screen DS to use as a GBA on Google images, great idea, looks nice.
 

kinger8938

kinger8938

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Slurm said:
I bought the case from Deadpanrobot (and some other bits and pieces, great store), the 101 screens were out of stock, I got that from ebay. Unsure if it's one with the scaling issues but it looks okay (though I can't compare it of course).

Finished the screen mod (40pin), really pleased with the results.

epf1au.jpg


jphh55.jpg


35k8r2d.jpg


I may do a few other mods to it (voltage regulator/amp/battery mod), but that'll do for now.

Next stop is backlight/bivert my original Gameboy, then frontlight/loca my Gameboy Color, although hopefully a good backlit lcd mod comes out for it. :)

I saw a couple of those single screen DS to use as a GBA on Google images, great idea, looks nice.
Click to expand...

That's stunning.

Can I ask, if you buy the case do you still need to chip away the insides for the screen to fit or are they made with the mod in mind?

What is battery life like after the mod? My main concern was the soldering, I'd have to buy the iron etc and haven't done it since school :D
 

Slurm

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Cheers! :)
I had to cut my case, but I've seen them for sale pre-modded (Retro Modding in Canada sell them, might be others in UK). I used flush cutters, craft knife and finished off with some sandpaper but just a craft knife should do, there's plenty of videos on YouTube.
The part you're cutting gets covered with the screen protector so it doesn't really matter how ugly it is.

I cut where I've roughly marked in red.

14khe6c.jpg


For battery life I've only looked at one video, but he actually got a few hours more out of the backlit GBA compared to a normal one.

I'd just get a cheapish soldering iron/station and practice on any spare or dead network cards/gfx cards or anything lying about that you don't care about.
I've modded most of my consoles in some way or another, I seem to have had more fun modding them than playing them so far. :)
 

kinger8938

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Slurm said:
Cheers! :)
I had to cut my case, but I've seen them for sale pre-modded (Retro Modding in Canada sell them, might be others in UK). I used flush cutters, craft knife and finished off with some sandpaper but just a craft knife should do, there's plenty of videos on YouTube.
The part you're cutting gets covered with the screen protector so it doesn't really matter how ugly it is.

I cut where I've roughly marked in red.

14khe6c.jpg


For battery life I've only looked at one video, but he actually got a few hours more out of the backlit GBA compared to a normal one.

I'd just get a cheapish soldering iron/station and practice on any spare or dead network cards/gfx cards or anything lying about that you don't care about.
I've modded most of my consoles in some way or another, I seem to have had more fun modding them than playing them so far. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information :) step one is to source a good condition console and go from there. I may return with more questions as and when :D
 

Slurm

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kinger8938 said:
Thanks for the information :) step one is to source a good condition console and go from there. I may return with more questions as and when :D
Click to expand...

If you go ahead with this and get a 40pin GBA, make sure to get a 40pin Type B cable.
I was getting weird image retention/ghosting issues when playing Gameboy and Gameboy Color games, after a quick search I found I must have been using a Type A cable and had to remove several tiny components from the motherboard and join 2 points with a wire.

It looks perfect now, but if I'd got a Type B cable to begin with I wouldn't have had to remove anything.
I actually remember reading something about that a couple of months ago but then forgot all about it. :rolleyes:
 

Housey

Housey

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A few little bits of modern tech add ons for old tech toys arrived yesterday :D

Commodore SD Floppy Disk ROM!
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A bit of a VIC 20 wonder cartridge. Memory and SD ROM special
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And similar for the Spectrum!
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All form here https://www.thefuturewas8bit.com who do not compete with our beloved OCUK I believe but if they do please remove mods.
 

Housey

Housey

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I bought a really cheap little game storage shelf off Amazon as I had some stuff stacked. Less than 40 quid and easy to assemble and works well, nice little details like a latch to hold it to the wall behind. I have put it in an alcove which leads into my office, perfect temporary job until chippy gets to work building my office aka man cave.

41435922782_92a9bd1ee4_h.jpg
 
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