LED Mod Your Gameboy Color

Step 5 Buncha' Soldering

You should now have your Gameboy taken apart, the hole for the switch cut out, and two diffused LEDs. Now it's time to solder it all together.

Take your switch and solder two wires to the switch. I didn't use red and black, but you can if you like. IMPORTANT: Put the switch in its hole before you solder the wires to anything, or you will have troubles later.

After you put the switch in, solder one of the wires to the negative battery terminal labeled BT- on top of the white part of the PCB. Next cut the leads shorter on your LEDs, then solder red and black wires to one of them. Solder the other ends of the wires to your other LED, making sure you pay attention to the polarity. You can tell on the LED which side is positive because the negative side has a flat spot at the base.

Solder the other wire from the switch to the negative side of one of your LEDs. You should have something like in the sixth picture.

Finally, solder a short wire from the positive side of your LED to the positive battery terminal, labeled BT+. My LEDs are rated for 3.1v, but if your LEDs are rated for a lower voltage, you may want to add a small resistor (100 Ohms) to extend the life of them.

You should now have everything soldered together! Flip the switch and see if everything lights up okay. If not, check all your connections, and make sure you have the polarity right on your LEDs.

You may want to insulate the connections to the LEDs, but I didn't find a problem with it.

Comments

[jakou3]

hey i did this and when i first turned it on the leds flashed then wouldnt turn on again. they get the occasional flash but i dont know what i did wrong

[cbrowne5]

does it matter what size wire you use as i have just stripped the wire out of a old playstation pad

[GBCmodder]

I tried to but it back together but it wont fit. also the springs in the battery compatment are tightining up so the batterys just fall out.  also when i turn on the power to the LED's, smoke comes up.  what did i do wrong/ whats happening!!!!

[UrbanEngineer93]

 i'd say theres a MAJOR short somewhere in your circuitry.  and the way you put the wires back in  is somehow hindering the way your battery spring on the pcb is acting (just my guess)

[sillyzombie666]

sounds like the leds cant take the power / crossed wires

[chi-kitory]

it was getting a little to much on the reply on the other post, so start to reply here! :D With this new "How to Make a Portable Game System" what will it contain? Like taking any consol and turning it portable to only a certain system? or is the mod more of making your own videogame system with your own gfx, and everything? lol.. Btw its all chill, plus GBP are only like 5$'s so i can get like a few next time just in case.. Its not even your fault.. it was my first mod anyway so i learned alot from it b/c of you! :D thanks! Next time i am going to try to add it to the speaker, so then it flashes with sounds.. its going to look cool! :D ha.. I am thinking about moding my gbp that i have now into something else like a mp3 or something.. Now that the screen is dead.. or making it into a music maker.. idk..

[1up]

My new Instructable is going to cover how to make an NES portable, meaning internal batteries, controller, and screen. Here is a slideshow I posted a while ago: http://www.instructables.com/id/Handheld_NES_Instructable_Soon/?comments=all#C9BJ415FMMCVM6T

Even though we specifically make a portable NES, I will cover briefly how to "portablize" other systems.

[chi-kitory]

yeah i saw that NES port a few days ago! looks great! ha must of took a long time! :D Mad Props! I cant wait until i see this tut.. :D the only problem i have is i dont have a nes.. So i think i might go buy one just to do this tut.. How much did the port screen cost?

[1up]

That's the most expensive part. It's about $50, if you find a good deal.

[bubba4561]

Well, you know... Some games for that system were so ground breaking, that you HAVE to shell out a few extra bucks to play them.

[chi-kitory]

i was wondering why you put the connection wires to the negitive? why not to the positive? Also, When you play a video game with this, does it effect the battery life by alot? (i know it's going to kill it faster but is it going to be like 20 minutes of play, and no more life?) I think i am going to use this tutorial to make my own mod to the gbc.. Thanks for the noob parts of how to add anything into a gbc. Your the man 1up thanks! :D

[1up]

Thank you for the nice comment. :) You could add the connection wire to positive if you like, I'm not really sure why I put it on the negative. :P It does not affect the battery life very much. You won't have only 20 min. of play, it will more like just take away 20 min.of play. That isn't really much in the long run.

[iTHuNKie]

ok so let me get this straight, you connect the two led leads together (the polarity's match), then you get the switch, connect a wire FROM the switch TO a negative lead on the LED, then connect another wire FROM another metal point on the switch TO BT- on the Gameboy Color circuit board thingy. Is that right, cause i really want to get this right

[1up]

Yes, you have that right. Also, connect the LEDs positive to positive on the gameboy, so the switch is switching the negative lead.

[chi-kitory]

Thanks for replying! :D i forgot i posted on this, and i was looking this over again b/c i am trying it on my gb pocket.. The only problem i am running into is finding leds! ha lol.. i have a pen that has leds in it, but i can figure out how to take it out.. >_< lol.. Do you have a website or something that i can contact you at? so like when i am done, i can show you or something?

[1up]

Just send me a message on this website. Add a link with your pictures. :)

[chi-kitory]

D00d I hope your still here, I am currently doing this on my gb pocket like i said, but i dont want to add a switch on it, i just want it to turn on when i turn the gb on... >_< help?

[chi-kitory]

like i connect it to the BT- and the BT+ but it turns on without the gb being on..

[1up]

Uhh, you would have to find a point on the GBP that has voltage when you turn on the Gameboy... I've never opened a pocket so I wouldn't know. I'll see if I can find some info on the internet.

[chi-kitory]

thanks alot, want me to take a pix?

[1up]

See if you can get a good close-up of the power switch.

[1up]

While the GBP is taken apart. I need to see the connections. (Do you have a multimeter?)

[chi-kitory]

Nope i dont have a multimeter...
heres some pixs:
Front of GBP
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk317/Chi-kitory/100_5036.jpg
Back of GBP
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk317/Chi-kitory/100_5037.jpg
as close as i could to the power switch
http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk317/Chi-kitory/100_5039.jpg
another of the back

[chi-kitory]

i can make the images bigger if you want

[chi-kitory]

Ha i figured it out! heres how it does, Now b/c the screen only when the power turns on, i got the idea attach the LED to the screen, And well it works! :D now i just got to figure out if its safe for the screen or if attaching the wires to the screen will maintain.. lol.. :D if you figure out a safe way tell me! :D

[1up]

Nice job! Did you solder the LEDs? If you did then it's fine.

[chi-kitory]

i have not yet soldered them yet, i was afraid you were going to say thats a bad idea or something... lol..it doesnt matter anyways, i broke the led wire, so now i need to find a new one or fix the old one.. >_< i got a pix of it before it broke so at least i have proof! :D ha lol.. Thanks for all the helps!

[chi-kitory]

Ah Damn, I put the LED on it, i put the case back on it, everything set to go, i test it out, it works great! i pop in my pokemon yellow, and BAM!!! MY screen brakes! theres lines all over it, the screen turns from black to blue, the screen blacks in blacks out.. >_< i broke it... TT_TT, my poor GBP... hum... Sad day... TT_TT

[1up]

Try it again, but without the game. Does it work then?

[chi-kitory]

Nope, just a screen with blackness>_< and its not the contrast>_< i also took off the led.. and that didnt help..

[1up]

Oh, man. That really sucks. I'm sorry about that.

_{It's all my fault, too... :cry:}

[chi-kitory]

lol its not your fault! HA its all good i got over it.. i am just going to make it a pimpn looking broke GBP.. lol So working on any new mods?

[1up]

'K, that's good... I'm still mad at myself. >_< If you get another, we can try again. You might want to use a switch that time. :P New mods? Why yes, I am. Right now I'm about 70% done with my "How to Make a Portable Game System" Instructable. I am also building a portable N64 and making a wireless N64 controller.

[cr0ybot]

I might also recommend adding a resistor between the positive wire and the first LED. Longer life and safer. It also might lessen the difference in brightness you experienced between the LEDs. Fun stuff though. I love customization.

[1up]

My LEDs were rated for 3.1v, so there was no problem for me. But I'll add something about that. ; )