DMG Backlight and Retrobright! (cheap and easy without bi-vert*)

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MN12BIRD

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Published on July 26, 2019 2:00:08 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq5973b5bJc

Duration: 18:09

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*no bi-vert mod. I know many people will bring it up so I wanted to get that out right away. I explain what the bi-vert mod is at the end of the video, with explanation of contrast improvement, how back-light color effects contrast and show a side by side comparison. Stock with the green LED back-light the DMG screen is absolutely usable. It's a million times better than stock without a back-light! But the bi-vert mod would indeed improve contrast further. The fact is this was my first time doing the back-light mod on a system with a partially defective LCD screen and I wanted to keep it as cheap and simple as possible. I would say if you're comfortable with doing mods buy the bi-vert kit and take the extra steps do install it. I think if I end up doing another one of these in the future I will do the bi-vert mod. But for now I'm very happy with the way this one turned out.

I had this Game Boy lying around for years now. The plastic had turned yellow, it was missing the screen cover and it had a small imperfection in the LCD's top left corner. It seemed like the perfect candidate for refurbishing!

I've seen people doing retrobright for years and figured it was about time I tried it myself. I've also seen people do LED back-light mods to the DMG Game Boy and figured I should try that too!

I bought a bottle of %3 Hydrogen Peroxide for $2.00 at a grocery store and already had some Resolve Oxy Action Laundry cleaner in the closet. Not too sure if the Resolve did anything but figured it couldn't hurt. This isn't an exact science but it can't get any worse! I mixed about %70 Hydrogen Peroxide with %30 water and added a tablespoon of the Resolve. I put all the plastic parts in a Tupperware container and left it out in the sun for a few hours. The back half, battery cover and link port cover only had a small amount of yellowing and were already looking perfect. The front half was much more yellowed and so I left it in for a few more hours that day and 5-6 more hours the next day. The front half isn't perfect but it's a heck of a lot better than it was!

The LED mod was fairly easy as only two wires are required to be soldered to power and the current limiting resistors are already installed onto the LED panels flex ribbon. The hardest part is getting the reflector and polarizing lens off the glass LCD screen. There are two flex ribbons soldered to the bottom and side of the screen. Great care must be taken when working with the glass screen as it is not uncommon to break the LCD while doing the back-light mod.

The LED back-light does of course effect battery life but it's very minor. The DMG already has stellar battery life so loosing a half hour or even an hour (at most I'm guessing?) you will still have a very long run time. Most people who have done this mod say they did NOT notice any difference in battery life so it must be a very small impact.

The LCD back-light and replacement glass screen cover were both ordered from Hand Held Legend. Shipping cost was reasonable to Canada but it did take 15 days to arrive. That's probably mostly customs fault? I'm so used to ordering things off Amazon that show up next day or in 2 days that 15 days felt like forever! I was just so excited to get the kit installed as the retrobright and screen prep was done and I was just waiting for the kit to be installed. Hand Held Legend has replacement cases, buttons and screen covers in multiple colors. The LED back-light kits also come in a variety of color options. The have a lot of parts for DMG's but also the Pocket, Color, Advance and other portable systems too.

Overall I'm very pleased with how this turned out. The screen was never going to be perfect with that imperfection in it but at least the case was in good shape (other than the color) as it's solid, no cracks and the buttons feel and work great. The fact is the screen is so much more usable now. I can play my OG Game Boy in moderately lit (or dark!) rooms without needing to blast bright lights directly on the screen! Again, it's a million times better than it ever was stock even if it's not perfect (and could be better with a bi-vert mod!)