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How to Install the Afterburner on the GBA

The Game Boy Advance, or GBA for short, is an updated version of the Game Boy Color designed to enhance the game play of Nintendo games. The Game Boy Advance comes with many pros, such as a bigger screen and longer battery life, however it also has the downside of having no back light. This can make the GBA difficult to play in low light and cause a glaring effect in too much light. The afterburner corrects this problem by emitting a yellow light behind the LCD screen.

Things You'll Need

Tri-wing screwdriver
Dremel
Epoxy glue
Soldering Iron
Wire trimmers

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the batteries and game cartridge from your Game Boy Advance. Place your GBA face down and unscrew the back. There will be seven screws. Place the screws aside, being careful not to lose them.
- 2
  Slide off the on/off switch, both shoulder buttons and the vertical side support. You will now see the back of the LCD screen as well as three screws holding the main board to the front of the Game Boy Advance.
- 3
  Unscrew the three screws and place them aside. Lift up the main board, being careful not to detach it. Remove the d pad, A/B button, start/select button and the plastic power indicator.
- 4
  Place the main board back down. Using the plastic card that came with the afterburner kit, insert it underneath the back of the LCD screen, carefully prying it up. Remove the black foam boarder that is along the screen as well as the clear plastic with the words "Game Boy Advance" on it, placing both aside for later.
- 5
  Turn on your dremel and shave away the plastic rectangle toward the bottom of where the LCD screen was located. Make sure the afterburner fits in this area, shaving away any access plastic as needed.
- 6
  Cut off the bottom side of the black foam you set aside in step four. Reattach the now three-sided foam to the front plastic casing, as well as the clear plastic with the words "Game Boy Advance." If the plastic no longer sticks, apply a small amount of epoxy glue to it.
- 7
  Apply the anti-reflective film included with your afterburner kit. This can be done by peeling it off and applying it to the LCD screen.
- 8
  Heat up your soldering iron to solder together the wires included in the afterburner kit. Solder one of the red wires to the middle of lead 2. Solder the second red wire to the outside of lead 1. Leave lead 3 and 4 untouched. Insert the afterburner into your GBA by inserting the red wires through the holes in the bottom of the GBA and pulling. Solder the black wire to the left pad of the afterburner and the red wire to the right pad. Trim any extra wires, then fold and solder the ends together so they fit inside the Game Boy Advance.
- 9
  Solder the loose end of the black wire to the GND pad on the back of the Game Boy Advance board. Carefully fit the afterburner into the GBA. Brush a light layer of rubber cement over the afterburner to keep it in place. Wait at least 12 hours for the cement to dry.
- 10
  Put the Game Boy Advance back together starting with the buttons removed in step three, then step two. Screw everything back in place, then turn on the GBA. The afterburner will now be installed, emitting a yellow light from behind the screen.

Game Boy