Along with a GameCube I finished earlier came this Glacier GameBoy Advance for an IPS screen upgrade, recap and cleaning!
Inside also found a USB-C rechargeable battery mod kit I wasn’t expecting. I do sometimes do rechargeable battery mods so I ended up getting this installed and will add the service to my GBA section, just need to figure out fair cost given the time needed to properly cut an OEM shell.
This particular IPS kit is also larger than stock screen, so it needs an IPS compatible lens which did not come with the kit. I’ll be updating the GBA services page to make this clearer going forward but ordered a few including one for this unit.
While waiting for the lens to arrive, I fully disassembled the GBA so I could deep clean the front and back shell plus all plastic parts, buttons and membranes! Cleaning is much easier when you are replacing the lens as you don’t have to worry about debris or fingerprints on the inside while cleaning since that will be the last part to be installed during final assembly.
With everything cleaned and dry, I decided to tackle the battery mod first as that’s the trickiest from a shell modding perspective. First step was to carefully trim some plastic on the sides and bottom of the battery “bay” so it would sit flush in there, this fit is VERY tight with absolutely no room for error, so any ridges or nubs have to be COMPLETELY removed. I also removed the no longer necessary left side spring kit.
Once I could fit the new battery pack inside, I was then able to stick the new USB board on top and hold the battery cover in place and measure with my calipers the X and Y center points of each side of the USB-C hole. I did this on some Kapton tape, then drilled 2 pilot holes, carved out in between and the rest is simply a game of carefully filing around the border and checking it every minute or so. The key is to go slow, once you accidentally widen the slot too much you can never put material back so gentle is the key here. Once I confirmed the USB-C port could fit and was happy with the cutout I wiped off all dust from the area and the battery mod prep was done!
Next up was the screen, a V2 kit from HiSpeedIDO. This also requires shell trimming of 2 raised ridges on the bottom and right side, and careful scraping away of a few areas to the right so its perfectly flat and a good alignment reference for the screen. Finally, I had to enlarge the viewing window on all 4 sides slightly, using an Xacto knife and large flat file to make it as clean and “OEM-like” as possible.
Once I knew the shell modding was done, I cleaned the front shell up again and moved on to recap the system. Only 4 caps (using a console5 kit) makes it a short process, but good to get out of the way before wiring up the screen.
This screen does not have a fancy GUI like the V3 or touch sensors, so you have to wire up Select L and R to 3 points on the board from pads on the IPS kit itself. Luckily the instructions were good about showing not just solder points but ideal wire routing to avoid pinches, etc. so was able to follow that closely and ensure the wire paths were not going to prevent proper shell closure.
With that all wired up, I fired up the GBA while it was mostly apart to ensure the screen was working before folding or bending the flex as HandHeldLegend will NOT accept returns if that’s the case. Luckily screen looked great so I carefully aligned against right edge with lower and left side spacers, used adhesive screen mount and got the internals all installed back into shell and system closed up!
With the entire screen back together I played on it for about 30-40 minutes to make sure everything was working ok before removing the screen protector film and finally adhering the new glass lens on. One that glass lens is on it’s very hard to remove without cracking or damaging it so it’s best to ensure you won’t have to.
What I like to do is carefully peel the sheet off the outer sticky area, then peel up just a slight corner on the actual screen window section of both the sticky back and non-sticky screen protection paper. I then flip the lens over while carefully holding on the outer edges, get it close to the GBA and in one relatively quick and smooth motion I pull the IPS screen protective sheet off then rip the lens paper off and drop it on. Doing so quickly helps ensure you are less likely to get a rogue hair or strand or debris in between which can be distracting for the customer!
Happy with the end result, I got it staged for a photo and packed up for return shipping… another order complete!
Thank you very much! I’ll be returning at some point for another service!
You’re welcome! Thanks for trusting me with both your systems, I’m quite happy with how they turned out!