Worklog GB Boy Colour

[Acronell]

Alright so this will be the full worklog for my workings with the GB Boy Colour.

I went out to intentionally get this for this project.


The GB Boy is a hardware clone system of the original Gameboy, that is on a board about the same size as the Gameboy Color board. Now the GB Boy itself was a standard black/white screen, no backlight, and only plays original Gameboy game cartridges. It does this very well, and is pretty friggin cool to begin with. I originally owned this model, and played alot of Tetris DX on it.

Then the GB Boy Colour came, and it is a Gameboy Color hardware clone. The GB Boy Colour has a built in backlight, and has built in games!!(Numbers vary on how many games are included).


This is the version I purchased

Now many people have wanted to change the internal games to games that they would play instead, which obviously is great idea. I've seen posts online where people have said they are attempting to change the games, but I never see any progress on these things.

Now lately I've watched some teardown videos on the GB Boy Colour and seen that internally, the games are built in on a secondary PCB that is soldered directly to the cartridge slot traces.

This image is a snapshot from a Teardown Video on YouTube


There is an 8MB ROM module, where the built in games are stored.

Now the included games are all arcade style primarily, and there is no working save function for the games, meanungonce it's turned off the games have to be played from the start again, and no High Scores re saved either.

This being the case, I have absolutely no intention of keeping this built in flash cartridge. I need to be able to save games, and actually play games I want to play.

@Noah If you'd like it, you may have the flash cart at no charge, perhaps canniblize the 8MB ROM.

This being the case, my goal is to replace the flash cart with either a single game, which would have to be a reproduction cartridge, or with another newer flash cart that support microSD and save files.

The problem with a full flash cartridge is the size of the board. The built in flash cart is a 1/2 size PCB, which works well for reproduction games, as they tend to be 1/2 boards as well. But I can't find a 1/2 size microSD compatible flash cartridge.

I also intend to replace the d pad and buttons with better feeling ones, likely original Gameboy varieties.

 

[pipbug]

That gloptop tho. And tbh just gut it and throw in a Pi imo

 

[Noah]

That gloptop tho. And tbh just gut it and throw in a Pi imo

Pis can't natively play GB cartridges.

Seems like a cool project!

The built in cart only boots when nothing is inserted into the cart slot right?

 

[pipbug]

Pis can't natively play GB cartridges.

Seems like a cool project!

The built in cart only boots when nothing is inserted into the cart slot right?

Yeah, i know. @Acronell are you planning on replacing the built in flashcart with a flashcart slot, or is there already one? I'm not too familiar with GBC clones lol

 

[fibbef]

Here's how I can see you maximizing this project:
-Remove the flash cart and house it in a stock GB cart's shell. Give it a new custom sticker.
-Replace the GB Boy (I feel like I have Tourette's whenever I say that) shell. That cheap housing just screams, "You paid for GBC but you got Game and Watch". You could paint the inside of a clear GBC shell to give it a neat effect.
-Back/frontlight, rapid fire buttons, overclock, whatever other mods you see fit.

Just a few ideas. But you do you.

 

[Doom]

Iirc last time i heard about the gb boy color colour gameboy someone had mentioned how it doesn't fit properly in a normal GBC shell, not that such a thing would be a problem for us, but worth mentioning that it's not as easy as switching them out.

 

[Acronell]

That gloptop tho. And tbh just gut it and throw in a Pi imo

I wouldn't do that, as it is I already have a Pi Zero that I am putting in a GBC housing.

Pis can't natively play GB cartridges.

Seems like a cool project!

The built in cart only boots when nothing is inserted into the cart slot right?

Yeah, there is a pin that closes when you insert a game and bridges the connection to play from the cartridge slot instead of the built in.

Yeah, i know. @Acronell are you planning on replacing the built in flashcart with a flashcart slot, or is there already one? I'm not too familiar with GBC clones lol

Internally there is a flash cart PCB directly soldered to the cartridge slot traces, and then there is an actual cartridge slot that allows you to play your own games.

My plan is to either replace the built in flash cart with another flash cart that supports microSD and keeps save files, or replace it with a GB/GBC reproduction PCB.

The reproduction PCBs are half the size of an official Nintendo Gameboy game PCB.

Here's how I can see you maximizing this project:
-Remove the flash cart and house it in a stock GB cart's shell. Give it a new custom sticker.
-Replace the GB Boy (I feel like I have Tourette's whenever I say that) shell. That cheap housing just screams, "You paid for GBC but you got Game and Watch". You could paint the inside of a clear GBC shell to give it a neat effect.
-Back/frontlight, rapid fire buttons, overclock, whatever other mods you see fit.

Just a few ideas. But you do you.

The original GB Boy isn't being worked on here.

I'm only working on the GB Boy Colour, which already has a backlit screen.

The flash cart is built in internally, with a pin in the cart slot that switches between the built in flash cart and using another cartridge via the cart slot.

I plan to mod the housing after I make sure the rest works. Cosmetic afterwards.

 

[fibbef]

I'm only working on the GB Boy Colour, which already has a backlit screen.

Sorry, I skipped the part in your first post where you already said the Colour is backlit.

The flash cart is built in internally, with a pin in the cart slot that switches between the built in flash cart and using another cartridge via the cart slot.

What I had in mind was desoldering the built in cart, rip the ROM chip out of a throwaway OEM cart, and connect the Colour's flash cart to the connector pins in the OEM cart. Since you say the flash cart is wired directly to the cart slot traces, it sounds like it should work.

gb boy color colour gameboy

 

[Acronell]

Sorry, I skipped the part in your first post where you already said the Colour is backlit.

No worries

What I had in mind was desoldering the built in cart, rip the ROM chip out of a throwaway OEM cart, and connect the Colour's flash cart to the connector pins in the OEM cart. Since you say the flash cart is wired directly to the cart slot traces, it sounds like it should work.

Actually, I am doing absolutely nothing with the flash cart that was built in. Thus I'm willing to part it to @Noah for no charge, moreso for his own flash cart projects.

I will be using something else entirely.

 

[Stitches]

Doesn't the GB Boy Colour's screen have a slightly, but noticeably lower resolution than the Gameboy Colour?

 

[Acronell]

Doesn't the GB Boy Colour's screen have a slightly, but noticeably lower resolution than the Gameboy Colour?

I don't believe that it's a lower resolution, but the screen is a different size, and the aspect ratio is noticeably different to the veteran player.

 

[Acronell]

Alright, everything has arrived finally!!

The GB Boy Colour, 2 reproduction carts, and my official copy of Link's Awakening DX.

Here are shots to show the complete list of games included on the built in flash cart:

Sorry about all the shots but honestly I couldn't be bothered to type them all out.

Now, the 2 reproduction carts are these:

Pokémon TPP Version: Red Anniversary Edition

Information about this game is nowhere that I can link, because everywhere with info has a row download link in it T.T

Long story short, it's a 151 hack with increased difficulty, and it has gender choice.

The other is this one:

Which is supposed to be an Orange Islands hack, but I don't know since it's DOA.


Here are what the reproduction boards look like:

Versus official game board (Link's Awakening:

This being the case, I am at likely to be using any official cartridge games here.

I am thinking I am just going to add a second cartridge slot instead of soldering a game board directly to the PCB.

The gamebit screwdriver is too big for the holes though...., so I will now be lightly craving into the holes to allow the gamebit to fit.

 

[cheese]

Wow those clones are crusty as fuck, I'm surprised they weren't both DOA... The other one may not be broken now, but I bet in 2-5 years the remaining flux/crust on those boards will eat right through the Chinesium and make it stop working... I would suggest you clean it up with some acetone to get that crud off. If you're confident in your ability, you may want to rework the boards as well, just to make sure whatever questionable substances they call "solder" doesn't crumble away (but don't just go at it if you don't think you can fix any fuck-ups).

Can't wait to see how it goes though, looking forward to something neat!

 

[Acronell]

Wow those clones are crusty as fuck, I'm surprised they weren't both DOA... The other one may not be broken now, but I bet in 2-5 years the remaining flux/crust on those boards will eat right through the Chinesium and make it stop working... I would suggest you clean it up with some acetone to get that crud off. If you're confident in your ability, you may want to rework the boards as well, just to make sure whatever questionable substances they call "solder" doesn't crumble away (but don't just go at it if you don't think you can fix any fuck-ups).

Can't wait to see how it goes though, looking forward to something neat!

At this point, I am thinking more towards installing the second cart slot instead of the direct PCB soldering. This will allow for double carts on the go.

The pin inside the cart slot that enables the game to load, instead of the built in, is easily avoided if you simply pull the game cartridges up slightly, it will still be fit in and not loose while not connecting the game, allowing the built in the be played.

Then being the case, a second cart slot would be easily used without issue.

I plan to clean up the boards before attempting anything as it is, but I'm not solid on actually reworking the boards.

We will have to see.

If only there was a half sized flash cart with microSD capabilities

 

[Acronell]

Well here are the bits so far:

The screw holes were too small for the gamebit driver, and I was forced to make a choice, which meant some melty melty.

Here we have the actual unit opened up:

Here we can get a look at the face of the board:

A little size comparison to show the built in flash cartridge:

George has never looked so out of place to be honest.

Now, I done goofed it up real bad:

Now for the untrained eye, what happened is that in my workings I accidentally ripped up the contacts that the flash cart was soldered to.

The good news is that I can make new contacts and just tap into the traces the same basically as the originals did.


This is going to be alot more time consuming than I initially believed it would be.

More in time, more in time

 

[Acronell]

Alright, for now I have put the GB BOY COLOUR back together sans the built in flash.

Without a cartridge inserted the console acts the same as the original Gameboy, and just displays GB BOY on the screen.

The switch still works fine, and when a cartridge is inserted it boots right up.

Pictures will come at a later time, as currently I am too sickly to really move

 

[fibbef]

Sorry to hear about the stomach bug. No es gouda.

I looooooove me some Game Boy, so I may have to pick up one of these knockoffs someday. That's also why I was suggesting rehousing the built-in flash cart; because until I get the chance to do it, next best thing is to see someone else do it.

I reckon it's time you became an esteemed member! Must be a change the mods have to make manually...

 

[ShockSlayer]

it's automatic we would never admit we like acronell

 

[Acronell]

Sorry to hear about the stomach bug. No es gouda.

I looooooove me some Game Boy, so I may have to pick up one of these knockoffs someday. That's also why I was suggesting rehousing the built-in flash cart; because until I get the chance to do it, next best thing is to see someone else do it.

I reckon it's time you became an esteemed member! Must be a change the mods have to make manually...

Es muy malo mi amigo.

The built in flash cart is the daugtherboard in the second to last picture in my previous post with pictures, the board between the white pads above George is it.

It's actually 3/4 length of a standard game board(approx) meaning that if I wanted to rehouse it in a new cartridge housing, I would have to either make, or canniblize, the contact pads from a standard board to attach it to. There are good games in the list undoubtedly, but without saves or even highscore saving, it just isn't worth the effort for me, I like to see progress in my games.

You should definitely pick up a GB Boy Colour, they go for between 30$-40$ usually, and are actually still being produced. The one I got was put together no earlier than December of 2016, I only know this because that's the date stamp on the back of the screen.

Just make sure it's the Colour one, the standard GB Boy isn't colour, and has no backlight, or built in games.

I had been told that when you reach xxxxx posts it was automatic. But perhaps not an esteemed member, just a member in general, like Aquaman.

it's automatic we would never admit we like acronell

The first stage is denial my friend

 

[fibbef]

I had been told that when you reach xxxxx posts it was automatic.

Posting in case you weren't aware of this thread:
https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/bitbuilts-rank-guide.152/
Something to strive for now.

But perhaps not an esteemed member, just a member in general, like Aquaman.