SP Zero: Parts Options for Screen, Battery, PCB, etc..

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redled
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SP Zero: Parts Options for Screen, Battery, PCB, etc..

Post by redled » Wed Sep 20, 2017 5:22 am

Gameboy Advance SP Zero seems to be a very rare build, and I like challenges... :o

Below is a list of viable parts for others also seeking greater challenges beyond the vast open spaces of the DMG case.

Case
1. Ebay $15.99 and includes a glass screen and hinges. Upon arrival case feels a tad thin in spots.
2. Amazon $12 Prime but most do NOT come with hinges for the screen lid!

Screen
1. Adafruit 1601 (requires modification of board, like in ABH's or Ampersand's builds) is a 2.8" LCD TFT with 320x240 resolution.
2. BW screen from Amazon (requires extreme modification) Unless you have high skill in removing and swapping components for their slimmer counterpart. Indeed some are willing to commit downright butchery for results.
3. 2.8" SPI (ILI9341) for $15 on ebay (Requires minimal modification following Moosepr's guide, and you also need this pinout board) You can get a screen for $10 from China, and it's on Amazon too.

Battery
1. Stock battery 850mA gets about 50 minutes of power.
2. Adafruit 328 2500mAh barely fits in cartridge slot, requires some modification of the cart slot to open it up and allow the battery to be pushed in farther.

PCB
1. $20 on Ebay for broken SPs that still boot so you know the electronics are good and you can reuse the PCB, switch, speaker, volume, etc.
2. Custom via Codeman which isn't currently for sale, but perhaps we can convince them ;)

The Heroes
We honor those who have completed the rare SP build:
- ABH
- Codeman
- Ampersand
- wvabrinskas aka The Butcher

What did I miss? Please post anything relevant below and I'll update this list! Thank you 8-)
Last edited by redled on Wed Sep 20, 2017 8:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: SP Zero: Parts Options for Screen, Battery, PCB, etc..

Post by ABH » Wed Sep 20, 2017 5:52 am

Wish you luck with your build :)

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Re: SP Zero: Parts Options for Screen, Battery, PCB, etc..

Post by abrugsch » Wed Sep 20, 2017 6:21 am

a better option than the adafruit screen is a generic 2.8" SPI without a PCB (like this one for instance: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8-8x5cm-2-8-I ... SwAItZkgTI ) and use one of moosepr's adapter boards. you'll have more room to play with in the top case.

the PCB codeman is building seems like it won't ever leave his shed because he thinks it'll be too expensive for anyone else to want. it's probable that someone else will try and make one without some of the fancy features he's included.... ;)

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Re: SP Zero: Parts Options for Screen, Battery, PCB, etc..

Post by codeman0624 » Wed Sep 20, 2017 7:13 am

abrugsch wrote:
Wed Sep 20, 2017 6:21 am
the PCB codeman is building seems like it won't ever leave his shed because he thinks it'll be too expensive for anyone else to want. it's probable that someone else will try and make one without some of the fancy features he's included.... ;)
I'm actually still working on the board, trying to get it ready/feasible to sell. I'm making some modifications to be able to choose between SPI screen and the composite screen. I understand that doing the necessary modifications for the composite screen is very difficult for most, so going SPI will make it easier.


The SP is definitely a challenge, I look forward to following this thread to see how you come up with solutions!

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Re: SP Zero: Parts Options for Screen, Battery, PCB, etc..

Post by redled » Thu Sep 21, 2017 6:04 pm

Thanks for everyone's interest!

Based on abrugsch's suggestion I ordered the display listed as #3 and will update this thread with some info once that arrives!

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