I've loved taking things apart since I was a kid. There's just something special about prying open a machine to see how it functions and what lies inside.
My latest foray into this started on a Saturday morning while sifting through my vintage console collection. I have a set of two Gameboy Advance SP's from my childhood, one of which belonged to my sister with the brighter, fancier screen. Somewhere down the line, it got a little scrunched and caused the hinge to crack. I'd been meaning to fix it for years, but never really found the time.
Saturday internet surfing took me to HandheldLegend, a site which sells parts for handheld consoles. To say I reacted like a kid in a candy store would be an understatement. Cases. Buttons. Boards. Screens. All the neato little things that make my little geek heart sparkle. And with a cracked Gameboy Advance in my possession, what better excuse to start on something I've always wanted to do? And why not mod both of them?
I purchased a set of cases and some neato N64 themed buttons as an homage to my N64 controllers. In addition to repairing my broken-hinged teal second gen SP (AGS-101), I made the call to upgrade the screen on my first gen, Flame Red SP (AGS-001) to something much flashier.
NOTE: The upgrade process is photo documented on the Flame Red SP since this includes the screen upgrade.
Part 1: Cracking open an old one with the boys
This thing comes apart fairly intuitively. First the battery cover and battery pak should be removed using a small Phillip's screwdriver. Then, remove the cover screws using a small, Tri-wing screwdriver. These screws are easy to strip, so care was taken not to strip them out.
Once the board of the console is exposed, 3 more screws holding it into the case can be removed.
It was time to remove the ribbon cable. This thing is fragile, so a lot of care was taken not to snap the poor thing. I gently lifted the board from the case to expose the ribbon cable from beneath. There are two levels that are needed to be pressed toward the top of the board in order to release the cable. The ribbon cable slid out gently.
Part 2: Upgrades people, upgrades
With the ribbon cable disconnected, the board was free & ready to put in the new case. On my teal model, the hinge was broken, and since the AGS-101 has the better screen of the pair, I chose to keep this one. My red AGS-001 however had the older, more washed out screen, so I opted to give that one an upgrade.
These LCD screens ABSOLUTELY should be tested before putting them into the console. I slotted the ribbon cable in for a quick power test and she fired right up. With my success, I got the screen seated in the new purple case, curling the ribbon cable around once inside one of the hinges as it was in the old model.
It was time to get the ribbon looped through the small slot that's concealed by the other hinge cover. This was a bit tricky, as the small hinge piece needs to be held and screwed into place before inserting the board. I also took the time here to add my Nintendo 64 themed buttons & the speaker.
Plugging in the ribbon cable to the board here required some care as we needed to ensure that the cable was securely seated and the tension on the cable can get stressed and risk breakage if you're not careful. Thankfully, we managed it and got the board seated.
I took this opportunity to get the L&R buttons replaced in this case. They're just a simple spring & bar holding them in place, but if you have large hands, I could see it being tricky to manipulate.
Just to be safe, I also decided to test the screen again before securing the board into the case to make sure no damage was done during constructions. Thankfully, there were no issues here and the screen still fired up.
I secured the board in place and got the back cover seated. I replaced all the screws, taking care not to neglect any.
Now, let's not neglect the elephant in the room. Although simple by design, those hinge-pieces are devilish to get in and out of these things. Heck, I'm not proud to admit that I completely shattered the corner hinge of my teal model trying to push the hinge piece out. My decision to get a new screen for my red model was made in no small part due to this experience.
Part 3: The Final Glow-Up
She was done and looking gorgeous with the new screen. Powering it on she was a sight to behold.
As previously mentioned, I also upgraded my teal model and kept the original screen from that one. I opted to give that one the silver case. Now my only problem was that this LCD next to the "enhanced" screen of my formerly teal model definitely showed the difference....
I'm overall very happy with my new builds. It helped scratch that itch that I always get when tearing apart hardware. And now I had two little consoles to emulate the N64 controllers of my childhood.
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