This repo is for the beta testers!

Before I go any further, please read this VERY important disclaimer, if you are thinking about making this yourself.

I made this project first and foremost for my own purposes. Nearly all of the features I have included are things I personally wanted. I have tried my hardest to make the project modular, if others would like to improve or change things easily, and I have also tried very hard to make the design somewhat less prone to potential errors during assembly. But in the end, every decision I made was for what I wanted the final product to be, with my skill level in mind.

If you choose to build this project yourself, be warned - this is a considerably advanced, and expensive build. You must be comfortable with the fact that you may lose or damage expensive components. You are 100% liable for any damage done to your property or yourself. I am not responsible for any damage or loss of property incurred while attempting this project, or after completion of the project - you alone accept all risk. While I am confident in this design, I cannot claim full compatibility with every system configuration. And there may be latent issues that have yet to crop up. If you see anything I may have missed, or some dubious design choice, feel free to ask questions or comment as such - feedback is appreciated, corrections are welcome. You accept all risks and costs associated to this build if you choose to attempt it.

DO NOT attempt this project if you are uncomfortable or inexperienced with detailed electronics troubleshooting, or are not proficient in soldering! You will AT MINIMUM need to be proficient in drag soldering and hot air reflowing. If you have not gained proficiency in these soldering skills, DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS PROJECT.

1. Reset button capability

• Bridge the solder pads labeled RST (near bottom left of CPU) to turn the rocker switch into a reset button when you press the switch inwards.

2. Power LED brightness

• Change R9 to adjust the brightness (lower resistance, higher brightess; higher resistance, lower brightness)
• Change R10 to adjust the brightness when at low power (will always be dimmer than at regular power)

3. Q5 Screen Kit Control (OSD, brightness, palette)

• Solder wires from the screen kit to the various pads on the top left corner of the board to control the screen kit
• A, B, and SEL are for the OSD controls, and BAT is for measuring the battery level
• "Up" and "Down" refer to the rocking direction on the rocker switch (where the contrast dial used to be) and are intended to be used with the touch-pads on the screen kit for controlling brightness and color palettes - desolder the touch pads, and in their place solder a wire on each to go from the kit to the MGBC board
• Try to keep the touch-pad wires as close to the board as possible after assembly - if they are touching the shell, then you can accidentally activate the touch controls

Here is an example image from the DMGC project to give you an idea.

4. On the power board, make sure you short R2 with solder, and keep R3 depopulated. R2 is circled in red, R3 is circled in blue.

5. If adding tactile switches, make note that start and select are rotated 90 degrees compared to the other buttons.

6. If you are adding a lipo with the GBPP, REMOVE EM7. (I haven't tested this yet.... so do so at your OWN RISK).

7. After you've assembled the PCBs, I suggest you test the output of the regulator board to make sure you are getting 5V out of the output pin before connecting it all to the main PCB. So, what you can do is just use wires instead of closer standoffs, and do not wire up the 5V output to the main board (5V output circled in red in the image below). Once you've checked that 5V is being output, then I would go ahead and solder the regulator board on properly.

You will need at least one donor GBC for this project. No Game Boy Pocket is required, unless you want to reuse OEM parts.

Remember, use code CodyWick13 or JackV at checkout for 10% off your order at RGRS!

• Shell: Get the Funnyplaying "IPS Ready" ones if you don't want to trim anything. If you don't, then you're on your own for how to prepare it - generally, you can follow guides for preparing a Pocket for an IPS screen kit.
  • Example: https://retrogamerepairshop.com/collections/gbp-lenses/products/funnyplaying-game-boy-pocket-q5-ips-ready-shell-housing-no-cut
• Buttons: Funnyplaying models are generally OEM-like (IMO), but you can also use OEM ones.
  • Example: https://retrogamerepairshop.com/collections/gbp-buttons-1
• Membranes: Don’t forget the membranes! You will need them even if you install tactile switches.
  • Example: https://retrogamerepairshop.com/collections/gbp-buttons-1/products/game-boy-pocket-high-quality-conductive-pads
• Lens: Make sure you get an "IPS Lens" as the viewing area is larger than the OEM one.
  • Example: https://retrogamerepairshop.com/collections/gbp-lenses-1
• Battery contact terminals: If you're only using a donor Game Boy Color, you'll also need a set of Game Boy Pocket battery contact terminals.
  • Example: https://retrogamerepairshop.com/products/gbp-game-boy-pocket-high-quality-replacement-battery-contact-terminals
• Screen Kit: This is the important one. You NEED this specific type of screen - the Q5 IPS with OSD. It goes by many names, the maker is Hispeedido (you cannot use the lens or any shell included in this kit). Image below of what to look for. Laminated ones are not compatible.
  • https://retrogamerepairshop.com/collections/gbc-displays/products/game-boy-color-q5-ips-backlight-with-osd?variant=37646279213228
  • https://retrogamerepairshop.com/collections/gbc-displays/products/game-boy-color-q5-osd-ips-kit-with-color-changing-logo?variant=41819042185388 (you can disable the colored logo, not like you can use it for this mod anyway)
  • https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804561453158.html
  • https://handheldlegend.com/products/game-boy-color-ips-lcd-q5-hispeedido
  • Other AliExpress or eBay shops (watch out for scams)

These tables are provided above in an Excel format if it's easier to view. (Check the Board Assembly tab)

Here's a table of the components you'll need for the PCB. Mouser cart with everything that isn't salvaged from an original board is here: https://www.mouser.com/ProjectManager/ProjectDetail.aspx?AccessID=1970a339d8

I included multiples of all the passives, since they're small, and a few parts that are prone to being broken. I also added tactile switches to the order, which you can remove if you want the regular OEM feel without clicky buttons.

Note: You do not need parts for the power board if you are using a GBPP, or Frogulator instead of my power board. I do not condone the use of Retrosix's Clean Power boards.

Note: R2 must be short circuited with a wire or solder blob, and R3 and C6 must be depopulated from the board entirely.