GBA hardware addons...anyone try these?

[whoisKeel]

first off, i'm looking at this afterburner product:

http://www.success-hk.com/pp/item_detail.asp?itemID={EE461CB8-2E9B-4471-8BF9-20BD47F4A52B}

it's a backlight you solder in to your gba... anyone try it?

also this:
http://www.nes-emulator.com/gameboy_flash_card.htm

how good is this nes emu? kind of expensive, but if it emulates nes well, could be worth it

[bargora]

The Afterburner is cool, but the installation is a pain. Once you've opened up the GBA, you have to cut some plastic out from the inside of the case. The soldering isn't too bad if you're only installing an on-off switch, but cutting the case to hold the switch in place will probably require some precision.

I had ordered the kit with a stealth dimmer chip rather than a simple on/off switch. When I tried to solder in the stealth dimmer chip, I had to do about five times as many solder connections, and ended up partially screwing up the section of the PCB that works the "select" button. Aye carumba! So I ended up ripping out the chip and going with a dimmer dial (also included) instead. For some reason, the instructions had me making the solder connection between the wires and the dimmer dial right against the case. In fact, it instructed me to use a blob of solder to hold the switch in place. Bad Idea! Hot solder melt case! Double aye carumba!

But in the end, it worked, and it illuminates things nicely. Just be really careful about applying the AR film. No dust, no bubbles, and you'll be fine. You might want to order an extra film or two or three in case you screw up that part the first (or second or third) time. If the store you're looking at doesn't sell the AR films separately, you can get them for a buck apiece (and/or the entire kit) through www.tritonlabs.com.

P.S.--I ended up getting a GBA SP a few months later, and I like it better than my AB GBA because it folds up for portability and screen protection, and because it has a built-in rechargeable battery.

[DEBRO]

I was one of the first in line to get an AB when it was finally released. I didn't want to take the chance in frying my GBA so I sent it off to get modded. I can't remember the company that did it for me but they don't do this anymore anyway.

I liked the AB but the games still seemed a bit dark to me. It could have been my installation or my GBA but Namco Museum was still a bit too dark to play without direct light. The AB did do wonders for Mario Kart!

I bought a GBA-SP a couple of months ago and I think it's light is better than the AB. The GBA-SP lights up all around the screen where as my AB would have the light source only from the bottom (I think...I haven't looked at it in months now).

[Jive3D]

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[whoisKeel]

well, i may go for the afterburner instead of shelling out $100 for the SP (or however much it costs)

those flash kits....are they specifically for the SP only or do they work on both? i mean, does the sp have a different connection->usb type thingy from the regular gba?

[SoulBlazer]

Don't forget the other pros the SP has -- a rechargable lithium battery that will last you the life of the unit, and is good for 12 hours at a time; very compact and folded shape; and the option to turn the backlight OFF if you're playing in light and make the battery last even longer.

[Balloon Fight]

If you are getting an afterburner, definitely send it off to one of the many sites for the installation. It is 10x easier, and will save you a lot of stress.

[jonjandran]

The best bet for the Afterburner is to buy it off E-Bay.
You can get it for $25.00 and it will come with the Pre-Made case.
Just make sure you find the right auctions. And you can get the pre-made case in any color you need.
I've done several AB installs and if you do it right it is just as good as the SP.(and I have 4 SP's so dont post saying I don't know what I'm talking about)
And don't put the dimmer switch on, you'll never use it. Nintendo did a lot of research into this and that's why the SP doesn't have one.