Moral Dilemma: When is it okay it dismantle a working (ish) Game Boy?

[AlmostSunTzu]

Hey everyone. I'm getting ready to start my first Game Boy Zero build. I wanted it to be a "Play It Loud" Green Game Boy like the one I owned as a child until someone stole it from me in 1997 or '98. Unfortunately, I can't find any pre-built DMG shells in that color- it's all lime green, glow-in-the-dark green or transparent green.

So I started searching for a cheap, non-functional green Game Boy. I finally found one for $25 (incl. shipping). It just arrived yesterday and to my surprise, it actually works- except for 8 or 9 lines on the screen which are completely messed up.

My question is, is this broken enough to justify dismantling it? Can you get replacement screens? Could I possible buy a cheap DMG case and put these guts inside it, while fixing the screen? I don't want to destroy a working Game Boy. I'm probably going to spend some money on DMG shells just to practice Dremeling out anyway, so I could buy an extra for these guts.

I bought this thing expecting it to not work at all and now that it kinda does work I feel bad taking it apart!

[Robochris]

Personally, I wouldn’t tear it down. But I like to collect.

[Helder]

If you decide to go for the mod then get a cheap shell and the lcds can usually be fixed with a soldering iron being run across the ribbon.

[VeteranGamer]

Personally, I wouldn’t tear it down. But I like to collect.

i'm also not a fan of butchering/using retro handhelds for the Game Boy Zero builds....
especially the Play it Loud Game Boy, and even more so as you can easily get repro cases....

i've seen people use the Transparent and even the Blue, even thou admittedly they do look cool .....
its not the way to go IMHO, especially as these units may/will go up in price and a Game Boy Zero really wont

Unfortunately, I can't find any pre-built DMG shells in that color- it's all lime green, glow-in-the-dark green or transparent green.

you can get repro of nearly all the colours now (Ok, maybe not the transparent) so there really no excuses for using an original....
(unless you just really dont care)





https://www.deadpanrobot.co.uk/green-sn ... rn-snes-rm

https://www.deadpanrobot.co.uk/custom-shells


because of legal reasons some of the better sellers that provide these cases haven't put the Game Boy logos on them....
unlike the ones you can easily source from China...



now this may not be a great thing for people selling refurbished Game Boy and trying to hood wink their potential buyers that they are buying an original item....

but for a Game Boy Zero build it doesnt matter, IMHO its actually a benefit...
do what i do, and just customise it....







repair the Game Boy you have, so you have the one from your childhood....
buy a repro in the same colour (if you want) from Deadpan Robot and build a Game Boy Zero (2018 style)

win, win




.

[KonnorJ]

Hey VeteranGamer, what did you use for those decals?

[tinkerBOY]

Those horizontal lines on the Game Boy can still be fixed. It's a bit harder than the usual dead veritical lines but they can still be fixed.

Just buy a cheap case from AliExpress: http://s.aliexpress.com/uuAfYFni

[Jacegate]

I went an different route. I wanted my childhood gameboy as well. Mine was doa on the screen, explain shortly. I dissembled saved all the parts. Used the case with my old childhood stickers still stuck on it lol. With the saved parts i was able to replace the original screen (original screen and screen protector was destroyed by my best friend when i was a kid .22 Pellet air rifle lol) and install it a new custom painted case. After a new speaker, battery contacts and TLC it works fine now. But i would be against taking apart an easily fixable or working unit.

[AlmostSunTzu]

Well, to resurrect a 2.5 year old thread, I finally got the opportunity to complete my GBZ build and in December of 2020 got back to work.

How did I solve the moral dilemma, you ask? I decided to do the right thing and resume my search for a reproduction DMG shell! You guys were right

Somehow back when I posted this thread I missed the deadpanrobot link (actually sourced from RetroModding) that VeteranGamer posted. In December I stumbled upon RetroModding and decided to see if they had Play It Loud Green and behold, they did! I was shocked. I could have sworn I looked everywhere back then. Life just got in the way I guess (a deployment overseas specifically).

Anyway, I'm about halfway done with the build, just waiting on parts. Here's the inspiration Gameboy next to my work-in-progress:

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gbz1.jpg (1.94 MiB) Viewed 3822 times

And here's the guts up till this point (using Kite's CS Lite):

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gbz2.jpg (2.34 MiB) Viewed 3822 times

I'll create a build thread soon where I can talk about the issues I'm running into

Definitely going to restore that original DMG to its former glory, too!