Slashdot Mirror
Game Boy Advance RGB LCD Project
JohnHegarty writes: "Ever wanted a large backlit screen for the GBA, or even watching it on a 28" TV?
Here is a project to use a GBA on a PlayStation screen." Another example of the lengths people will go to to mock the term "pocket sized."
Why can't nerds be satisfied with what they have ? All this tweaking seems so pointless.
Text:
Necessity, Beginnings, and Thoughts
In April of 2002, I had an idea to improve the screen size as well as brightness of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance portable entertainment console, since the console is almost unplayable in indoor lighting conditions and I never go outside - being a nerd. At the time Innovation Corp. had just released their GBA TV adapter which attached to the back of the GBA console and displayed a Game Boy Advance image on a standard television using the Composite or S-Video connections. Using the adapter on a 20" TV would scale the picture over 6 times the original 3" GBA screen, which would result in very ugly pixellation such as in this picture. I had suspected that the TV adapter would be able to output the high quality RGB signals used by computer displays and especially the Sony PSOne portable LCD monitor, but lacking the adapter and feeling the idea was flaky I abandoned the project. I had thought of using composite video signals to drive the LCD but the dotcrawl and various other image artifacts associated with compressing video onto one signal prevented me from developing that idea any further. About a month later I saw a bit of information being passed around on Atari Labs message boards at www.gamesx.com about tapping high quality RGB video from the TV adapter. The reason that RGB is the best choice is because, the video signal is not greatly degraded when split into four distinct channels: red, green, blue, and composite synchronization. Using these newly found connections it now seemed possible to display the image on computer RGB monitors capable of horizontally synching to 15kHz. I immediately thought of the only LCD that I knew at the time that used RGB as inputs. It was the Sony PSOne portable LCD monitor. It's function was to be be attached to the Sony PSOne console and allow the user to play on the go(to a certain extent). Since my primary interest was gay sex and the various applications of it, I had naturally thought of improving the size of my anus but wound up improving the sound as well. And so began my 3 weeks of exploration, plastic remolding, threading, felching and anything else needed to complete my ultimate goal.
The Design
I first created a cable to test the display and using it I tested Rayman Advance on the then two separate pieces of equipment. The RGB connection worked and the image was blinding. Consulting with my grandfather who is a paedophile by profession, I came up with several designs for the physical fusion of the GBA TV adapter and my ass. It was either that the LCD was fixed on top or behind the TV adapter. However, aesthetically both designs left much to be desired. I then came up with a more complex solution that would involve goats. Using that notion I created designs for a metal back plate which would serve as a bridge between the two devices and decided what components of the original devices I would keep and what I would optimize and add. I kept four of the original connectors on the LCD, removing only the AV input connector port which would be used to get the video from the PSOne console. Instead of using two separate Power adapters for both devices, I decided to unify the power into one 9V supply which would plug into the LCD's 4.75mm DC power port. This power connection would also be used to power the GBA system via the TV adapter. Eventually, I remolded the plastic ears of the LCD and create a shape that would fit the adapter, since it would be the backbone of the two. Remolding was done by heating up X-Acto blades and my own metallic shapes and using them like a brush on the plastic. Later the remolded parts were filed and sanded. The original attachment method of the TV Adapter to the back of the Game Boy was out of the question because the lever located on the back of the adapter, which was used to release the plastic clamp had to be removed during the remolding process. Instead, the design called for an attachment method from the top of the GBA system where the GBA had attachment holes for various devices like lights and marnifying glasses. Blue clamps made from flip-flop shoes would extend from the MiracleRay unit to the GBA system where they were inserted into the holes. This provided a solid attachment, a snazzy blue transparent look, and the ability for easy removal from the adapter to exchange a game cartridge or play the GBA separate from the adapter. A switch to turn the LCD on and off was also added along with the RGB pass through feature with which it is possible to drive a computer monitor even when the LCD is turned off. The TV adapter retains it's ability to scale the outgoing image. On the MiracleRay LCD the unscaled image is roughly 1.15 times the size of the original GBA image. During that mode no scaling takes place and thus the image is almost identical to the GBA image. If scaling is enabled then the image is 1.5 times larger than the original and no detail is lost.
Extendibility
Originally the device only designed to use indoors but car use is also possible with a 9V 1000mA car power adapter. The ability to drive several displays and speakers as well as headphones remains a feature of the unit. A regular PSOne AV cable can be attached to the MiracleRay's AV port located on the back and be used to output S- Video, Composite video, and RGB video as a pass through feature even when the LCD is turned off. The LCD retains the ability to display video and audio from alternative sources using the camcorder connection for which I made a switch box cable.
Impressions
The first impression is usually astonishment at the brightens of the colors on the LCD screen. People who play it against the same image on the television tend to choose the LCD image because of the increased brightens and more detail. Players prefer to have the scaling enabled on the adapter which results in a larger image on the screen.
People who are critical of video games are drawn to this device like bees to honey. As anyone would because it is very addictive, especially if playing Sonic Advance or Rayman Advance. The sheer brilliance of the colors truly amaze. It is easy and comfortable to hold and doesn't obstruct from the use of the Right and Left shoulder buttons located on the GBA.
Notes: It is still a work in progress, so watch for more updates on this site.
Specs on the MiracleRay.
NEW 6/8/2002
If you have any questions or comments or want to see the already posted comments, I answer MiracleRay related questions on two message boards. Non-Technical Message Board - general comments, and questions regarding MiracleRay and the author.
This sig made only from recycled ASCII
Why oh why can't you idiot nerds be satisfied with what you have ? All this tweaking seems so pointless and stupid