Putting a Gameboy Advance SP into a Gameboy Color Case!

Hey there everyone!

I have been thinking of this mod for a while.
I have seen this mod been done on a Original DMG model, but never on a Color unit.
The mod I would like to do should only be used for playing gameboy color games, so no need for L & R buttons.
However I'm uncertain if there is enough room inside the gameboy color?
I'm quite good at soldering, however I haven't much experience with dremmel tools etc.
Does anybody know if it's possible at all?
Only info I can find at all is this (Which ain't saying much): https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-mod-a-game-boy-advance-sp-in-to-a-game-boy-color.369843/

It would look something like this:

 

If you're only going to play Gameboy Color games, why not just mod in a backlight and get some rechargables? Is there another advantage to running a GBC game through a GBA? I'm not trying to rain on you, I'm genuinely curious about the advantages

 

You can't backlight a Gameboy Color, you can only mod it with a Frontlight. And the difference is to say it at least noticeable.
There is a device called a GB Boy Color, which is a clone Gameboy Color with a backlit screen, I could just buy one of those, but this is much more fun!
However I need to know if the mod is possible at all, before throwing myself at it
I have quite a few Gameboy advance's so I don't need to play Advance games on this one, and It'll problably save me some space inside the housing aswell, so thats why

 

It should fit fine, if you have the tool to Desolder all the big stuff, like the the tact switches, headphone jack and cart connector. You will be fine
you may run into an issue with the lcd flex being too short, if so you could desolder the clamp connector and extend it..

you will save a headache if you don't use the GBA cart connector and wire up the original GBC one, if you use ribbon cable, use twice as many wires and have every second one connected to GROUND, this will reduce cross talk (same with the lcd if you extend it).

use the original GBC speaker, headphone jack, link port, power led, volume pot type (wheel type, ohms may be different)
make things easier, use a second Pcb for the carbon buttons (either chop up a GBC mobo or use an old controller)...

 

Seems like a waste of a SP IMO. It's almost like a downgrade; if you want to have a non-flip SP it's much easier to build a DMG SP while still maintaining the Advance gameplay, there's even parts available specifically for that project. That's just my two pennies.

 

Could you get one of those and steal the screen and use it? Would save disembowling a much rarer backlit GBA.

 

no, the displays are different.

 

Hey there Leham! Seems like everytime I ask of something you have the answer
However, since the GBA SP screen is that much larger than the Gameboy Color, I'm pretty sure that I need to dremel and sand, the whole front part smooth, that means that the power led will get rid in the process as well.
I could also easily fit the GBA speaker in the casing, but that's not a concern at the moment.
So let me understand this correctly, I can use the original cart connector, and button layout part?
I have a GBC motherboard, which doesn't work so it will come to got use chop it up.
Is it possible to find a diagram, over the Gameboy Colors button PCB, and where it leads, cause then I could just solder those to the buttons on the SP.
I can also easily fit the GBA SP Link port, however if the GBC work, I would happily use it aswell.

I had expected these types of comments.
You can call it stupid and a downgrade, whatever.
I myself consider it as being a upgrade of the original Gameboy Color.
And yes it's easier to do it with a DMG, and I will problably try to do that mod at some point.
But right now I'm more into the Gameboy Color

 

Not a color but I bet this is a similar effect you're going for yes?



You'd lose a lot of original features, and what would you do for L and R? You'd need a lot of hand gymnastics

 

Well, I figured since this is going to be a backlit Gameboy Color only, there is no need for the L og R triggers
I don't need to expand the screen, since the GBA automatically, scale down to the original GBC size.

 

Oh right ok. Now I follow you.

 

It probably wouldn't be too hard to put a couple of conveniently placed buttons on the back of the casing where your index fingers sit, not sure if there would be room in a GBC casing, but the original GB should be easy.

Of course this is moot if you are using the original cart slot as you wouldn't be able to put a GBA cart in anyway, unless you modded a GB/GBC game pak to take a GBA flash card pcb.

My humble opinion (which you should probably ignore) is that the original GBA offers the best ergonomics of all gameboys, and if you're going to put time and effort into manufacturing your "ultimate Game Boy" that would be a good place to start.

 

Thank you all for answering me!
It seems like some of you in here find it almost blasphemic, that I would "slaughter" an innoncent model-101 for this project
I just thought that this could be the first "real" backlit Nintendo Gameboy Color, and quite fun to make aswell, and since I own a couple of Gameboys Advance already I could always just use one of those for the advanced (A-ha haae) stuff.
However, I'm considering doing the DMG mod instead now, since it's problably easier, and I would get full fuctionality.
I do have a model-001, which doesn't have a housing, and I used the frontlight for a Gameboy Color, so it's not to any use really.
So I just might try the mod with this one in a Color.
Then I would atleast know if it's possible at all without much loss If failing.

Just wanted to update everyone!

 

I got a fair bit of flack for my project to turn super gamboy + gameboy cart into a snes custom cartridge. I would like to see the test of an SP into a GBC I just worry that there simply isn't enough room. I used link port from broken GBC for my cartridge and there really isn't much room at all inside that plastic.

 

Got a question!
Should i just cut around the edges of the button pcb (Marked in red in picture)
And then fit it in the right places on the GBC housing, and then solder the button pcb to the Gameboy Advance SP.
If yes, then where should I solder from on the GBC buttons? If I solder on the Gold plate, it will interfere with the buttons while pressing, right?

 

Test Pads;
p01
p02
p03
p00
p11
p10
p12
p13

all lead to their own button on the pcb, pull them to ground to close that swtch, iirc the top layer is usually ground..

Solder the test points from the hacked up GBC pcb to the correct test points on the SP. Then solder in the ground, because you are cutting the pcb you will have to find ground for each segment of the pcb, not too hard.

One side of the button pad goes to a test point, the other to the ground plane on the PCB