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Discussion about software development for the old-school Gameboys, ranging from the "Gray brick" to Gameboy Color
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#1 2009-01-18 07:22:56

Azghul
New member
Registered: 2009-01-18
Posts: 2

Replacing the voltage regulator

Hi!

I got some old DMGs at eBay for a special casemod. I want to build a completely custom case which should not be larger than the old one. In order to put some extra components into the case, I need some more room. I thought about replacing the LARGE voltage-regulator-pcb with a smaller unit. Is there anybody who has done that before? I think the +5V should be no problem, but the -19V for the display could be a problem. Any ideas?

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#2 2009-01-18 14:58:54

nitro2k01
Administrator
Registered: 2008-02-22
Posts: 244

Re: Replacing the voltage regulator

Exactly what are you trying to fit inside the case? Do I understand you correctly if I think you're planning to mold the plastic yourself for the new case? Or are you going to reuse the old case?
I don't think you'll be able to find a smaller regulator that does the same job. However, the regulator is a switching mode regulator with both buck and boost. This means that it can accept a wide range of input voltages. In a lab test I did it could accept anything form 1V up to 7V. however when feeding it with 3-4 V or lower (Don't remember the exact threshold) the screen was too pale to be useful.
If you're going for a Prosound, you can put the jack vertically on the left side of the regulator - there's enough space for that. For anything else, the pocket on the right side shouldn't be underestimated. Remove the speaker and the headphone jack for more space. (Again, if you're going for a Prosound mod, these are kind of unnecessary)
You could also mode the battery compartment. Either by reducing the total number of batteries to three or perhaps even 2. They'll drain faster when you do that though. Or you could replace the battery compartment with a rechargeable battery solution. That way you'll trim away a pretty big amount of space. The downside is that you'll have to design the battery circuit yourself. But if you can get 3.3 V or more, that'll probably be enough to power the GB's regulator correctly.


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#3 2009-01-18 15:45:24

Azghul
New member
Registered: 2009-01-18
Posts: 2

Re: Replacing the voltage regulator

Ah that explains why I had no voltage-problems with rechargable batteries. (1,2 instead of 1,5 V). Using 3 batteries sounds good to me, especially if I use AAA instead of AA. That shoud give me more space than I need even if I keep the original voltage regulator. Another idea would be a redisign of the voltage-regulator-board to make it smaller.
The mod I want to do is pretty much smashing everything except the electronics and build a completey custom case in order to make it look nice ^^

Last edited by Azghul (2009-01-18 15:45:48)

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