Out of stock

[Discontinued] GBA Reg & Charge v2.0 (Run your GBA/GBC/mGB from a LiPo battery)

$0.00 USD

[Discontinued on Sep 2019]

With this device you can upgrade your GameBoy Advance, GameBoy Colour or GameBoy Pocket to support a LiPo battery. Features over 90% efficiency, charge & play and supports the red power LED indicator on the GBA – it will light up when the battery is low.

Questions? Jump on our Discord server where we and other users can help you or contact us via Twitter.

Latest News
25 May 2019 – New USB-C v2.0a version should work with USB-C power banks and possibly MacBooks too (untested)

If you use a Turnigy 2000mAh battery, the battery life is estimated to be 20-24 hours (to reach around 1650mAh used – 3V reading on LiPo) on a 32 pin backlit GBA running a regular Gameboy cartridge, the whole system draws 85mA at 2.9V on GBA input (LiPo consumption at ~70mA). Cutting/filing some parts of the GBA battery compartment is required if you use the Turnigy battery.

This is a DIY part, you will need to solder your LiPo battery leads to the board and wires from the board to the GBA/GBC/mGB to power it and another connection to a capacitor on the GBA/GBC/mGB board. You can use double sided tape to stick the board to the battery so that it doesn’t move around. Check out the How to Install section for a GBA installation guide found on the left tabs on this page.

If you compare this to the usual diode drop method, you don’t waste around 9mA-30mA depending on the battery voltage, check our measurements here. If you don’t mind the extra current draw, we have the Mini LiPo Charger board available.

Each unit is assembled and tested in house. You will receive the product as pictured.

SKU: N/A Category:

Description

Features
• Use any LiPo battery you like (recommended to use a LiPo with a battery protection)
• Uses a DC-DC to give the best efficiency, more than 90%
• Gameboy Advance power light turns red when the LiPo battery drops to ~3.33V. Gameboy Colour’s red light becomes much dimmer.
• Charge and play at the same time; automatically switches GBA to be powered from 5V charger when connected.
• Micro USB or USB-C connector option (new USB-C v2.0a PCB should work with USB-C power banks)

Specifications
Red LED on = charging
Blue LED on = charger connected
Size: 27mm x 25mm x 4mm (5mm for USB-C)
Weight: 3g
Maximum recommended discharge rate: 500mA (will work with all carts)
Charging max input voltage: 5.5V
Charging rate: 450mA
Output voltage: 2.85V normally, switches to 2.25V when LiPo is at ~3.33V
Quiescent current: 11uA
Efficiency: 90%+
Battery protection on board: Polyfuse 1A
DC-DC converter will power off if battery drops to ~2.7V

Requirements
LiPo battery – You can take a look at this AliExpress seller that has different battery sizes
Wires & Micro USB cable or USB-C cable depending on the option you purchase

 

Disclaimer: We shall not be held liable to and shall not accept any liability, obligation or responsibility whatsoever for any loss or damage that may occur by using this product directly or indirectly.

Additional information

Weight 3 g
Dimensions N/A
USB Connector

Micro USB, USB-C

Optional cable

None, 20cm USB-A to USB-C cable (Black)

How to Install

For GBA


Solder the red and black power wires (at least 26 AWG and at least 4cm length) to the Gameboy Advance’s positive and negative battery terminals. Also solder a wire (any AWG) to the positive terminal after the power switch or to the capacitor closest to the power switch, as above I chose one of the capacitors.


Run the wires through the case and solder them to their respective terminals.
Red: GBA +
Black: GBA –
White: PW SW


Install your LiPo battery underneath the board and carefully solder the negative terminal and then the positive terminal. Be careful not to short the 2 terminals with the soldering iron or with any of the tools you might be using.


With some thin double sided foam tape (1mm), you should attach the board to the battery. Test fit your battery cover and use a pen to draw where you have to cut out material for the Micro USB port.

We recommend using a clear GBA back cover so you can see when the battery is charging (red LED); the blue LED lets you know when USB power has been applied.

Depending on the battery you use, you may need to remove the back cover clip as that can potentially apply pressure to the LiPo battery when the battery cover is closed, that’s why you can see we’re just used some blu-tack to hold it in place.

For GBC

Solder the PW SW wire to the power switch contact labelled “C”

Shipping rates/Delivery times

We usually ship within 2-3 business days and will let you know when your order has been shipped. We ship overseas all around the world – America, Europe, Asia, etc (except to Brazil or Mexico due to lost packages) and to reduce shipping costs we send via the Airmail letter service for $3. Any item you order will come to you with in a padded envelope due to a restriction that letters can’t be more than 20mm in height.

The usual delivery time is 2 to 4 weeks; we ship via Australia Post. Unfortunately there is no tracking number available for this Airmail letter service.

You are responsible for any import tax/duties or other charges that may apply (so far we have had 1 report of a user having to pay import tax in the UK).

If you are looking for faster delivery times, please contact us for a quote, please note that shipping prices can start from $36 for 2-3 days delivery to the US (via DHL).

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