📰 New article from RetroRGB
Screen Mods Exposed
https://www.retrorgb.com/screen-mods-exposed.html
|
Reviving Retro Screens: How Modern Displays Fit in Old Game Boys
Here’s how modders are bringing bright, colorful screens to classic handheld consoles like the Game Boy and GBA:
- The Original LCD: Early Game Boy screens used reflective LCD technology that relied on ambient light. They worked by twisting liquid crystals using a grid of electrodes controlled by driver chips.
- Intercept & Translate: Modern IPS/OLED upgrades don’t replace the console’s core logic, but rather intercept the signals meant for the original screen and translate them for the new display.
- The CPLD Key: A small chip (often a CPLD) on a driver board handles this translation, taking data from the Game Boy and sending it to the modern IPS panel. Some kits even use screens originally designed for cameras!
- DIY Options: You can even use a Raspberry Pi Pico to drive an SPI display if you want a more hands-on approach.
- RetroWorld Expo Workshop: Learn how to replace your GBA screen with a backlit IPS panel at the Gameboy Advance Refresh workshop at RetroWorld Expo 2025 in Hartford, CT! (Grab a ticket)
- Dive Deeper: Check out the full video for detailed animations, 3D models, and experiments that explain the process in more detail!