Neo-Geo Pocket Color (NGPC) Overclocking

Hi, folks. I'm writing in just to share a slightly interesting hack I did because I was bored.

Well, I wanted to overclock my Super Gameboy 2 (and other GB systems) but needed to find a crystal faster than the regular 4.19 Mhz in the Gameboy (and, as it turns out, a ~20 Mhz crystal is in the SGB2), so I found a 6.144 Mhz one in the NGPC. I thus swapped the crystals between the NGPC and SGB2. The result: Gameboy games run super slow (along with lower audio pitch) on the SGB2, and the NGPC runs very fast, over 3 times faster than usual, I guess. The games that I tested still run perfectly, though the game speed and audio pitch are all increased. A pretty useless mod, but also smashingly easy to perform.

Next up is hopefully finding some kind of RGB out for the NGPC. Of course, it uses digital RGB and runs at a sync rate that doesn't match up with NTSC frequencies, but do you imagine the TV De Advance could be somehow used in this regard, as it also digitally captures the GBA screen's signals and generates NTSC video out of it...

Maybe I'll do some more hacking at a later date.

 

Very interesting mod! Does NGPC work stable for hours with this new xtal? Does it get very hot? I may do it just for kicks when I get around to transplanting GBA SP frontlight to NGPC.

 

Yes very interesting project for the NGPC

 

I would like to know the LCD pinout or where to tap RGB from an NGPC when you figure it out. Keep us posted.

 

Maybe you could put in a switch to regulate the frequency(would that even be possible?)
Also... Pics please!

 

I didn't do any hacking since my original post, but a switch to regulate the frequency is possible; it just involves attaching two crystals at different speeds to the switch.

As far as the LCD pinout goes, that's a project for a more accomplished technician.

 

Alot of people have done this with a gameboy as well. Like you said there's not much use to it....
Unless you're playing pokemon :nod:

 

True. The NGPC doesn't really suffer from any slowdown. But I haven't played every game. If you think there is slowdown issues let me know what game it is.