The changes are not that noticeable, but you can definitely hear the difference using a headset. The sound is cleaner and the background noise is lower.
Good to know. I did a GBA Consolizer, which has me using the headphone jack for audio, and I was wondering if this was worth it or even did anything to the headphone jack. Sounds like it is. Thanks for sharing!
@@MachoNachoProductions Yeah, if the mods also affect the headphone output, might have been easier to capture that with a direct connection rather than using your mic :) Tho i dont know how to use headphones with the SP.
Hey. I've been I stalling dehum and dehiss capacitors for a while now (no flex cable just replacing the caps by hand) and although it's very hard to pick up on the video I can definitely hear a diffence. Another fact to mention is that you are replacing old capacitors that WILL go bad and leak onto the motherboard with new higher quality ones that won't leak as there is no fluid in them to begin with. Great video as always
It's not the right mic for the application but noise floor reductions is a result of using tantalum caps that have probably more consistent flow but also have slightly higher resistance resulting in less noise floor signal making it to the speakers or headphone jack.
Which, by the way, make sure you clean the area after removing the electrolytics. The safest way for most people to remove them is to twist them gently back and forth with pliers until the legs fail, but this may also cause fluid to leak when you do.
Tito has singlehandedly changed the energy of Thursdays for me, as well as influenced me to start tinkering in the modding trade. Now I'm always looking forward to what goodies might be shown each week!
Not only are your videos super informative about retro consoles, but they are really helpful in teaching beginners how to solder. I've recently gotten into soldering and your videos teach me new techniques that give me confidence in my ability to tackle new projects. I appreciate your content!
Thank you so much for shining a light on such valuable but underappreciated mods. I'm curious what the peak current draw of a fully modded console is, and how close to the limit the new batteries get.
I’m hoping to upgrade my equipment to maybe jest these things. I know Makho does very good technical deep dives into these metrics. He has a great channel and is a tremendous resource. Cheers Ardent!
I’m so glad it’s working well for you! I typically get a lot of comments about it. Strangely enough, so far I haven’t seen any comments about it in this video. Cheers buddy!
Even listening via my Macbook speakers, I was easily able to hear the background hissing from the GBA playing the Metroid opening (particularly the melody right after the broken liquid tank) without the cap mods! Couldn't tell difference with Castlevania though. I got the GBA Flex Cleaner PCB a long time ago from OSHPark before it started being sold premade (much regret) and I can't say it made a huge difference, but I'm totally gonna try to get the tantalum cap kit and audio amp (I'm running a Retromodding amp atm, this one is so much cleaner aesthetically!) after watching this, you've tipped me over the edge Tito! Will also be getting the SP Power Cleaner and battery, its a no brainer IMO. Keep up the amazing work mate, your videos are always one of the week's highlights!
Ah btw, forgot to mention that I actually had a hard time installing the GBA Power Cleaner, prob due to my iron tip and not using liquid flux (I only had paste). I actually ended up desoldering an original tiny capacitor, which naturally freaked me out, but I got it back in place. Got any tips for this for in future, seeing how effortless you make it look? :D
12:42 GBA-SP Power Cleaner install 13:25 Pre-tinned pwr-cleaner board (Not Shown) 13:28 - 13:38 Tap solder with iron (Prolonged heat will damage board) 18:41 GBA-SP Audio Test
Dude I gotta say, your solders always look so nice. Mine tend to be a bit bigger than I’d like, or they look like rain drops instead. Yours are always so smooth looking, and it’s like the exact amount needed, no more no less
Thank you Jacob! Really appreciate it. I have to say flux helps a lot. It’ll make your solder joints look much cleaner. That and some practice. You’ll get there buddy! Cheers!
I love this mod, I have been looking for just this a few days ago and right now you show this incredible mod of the improved version of the one I was looking for🤩👌🏻
2:10 You accidentally wrote the # 4 twice in your list. Another great video though, keep up the good work. Also, I'd love to see those power switches in a future video :D.
I installed Retrosix's CleanAmp V1.1 with a 1 watt speaker on my GBA, and holy hell the background noise was extremely audible, I also use an EZFlash Omega and when you turn the GBA on, you can hear the background very loudly. It's not noticeable when playing a game but during the quiet parts it's there and it's annoying, I'm definitely buying these mods.
As someone who wants to start doing Gameboy modding in the near future this is something I never thought about. Probably a good idea to try this out too. Love the little Zero face on the battery.
Awesome content! great music (reminds me when shopping at an expensive store at the mall haha), great closeups of the GBA and the work, also great info..straight and to the point..great stuff!
Just turning on the game boy advance/sp you should be able to hear the static noise as the "game boy" logo flashes on. Try seeing if you can hear a difference there.
Thanks a ton for this video Tito! I now have power cleaners for both the gba and SP on the way to me, got them from zedlabs in the UK. The background humm is extremely noticeable even on a stock GBA when using headphones.
Your videos have really inspired me to do console modifications, did a GBC ips mod awhile ago along with shell swap, and just finished up a GBA mod including power cleaner, de humm de hiss, clean amp, rechargeable battery mod and IPS and shell swap. Next tackle will be a OG Xbox HDMI mod! Thanks for all the inspiration!
I'm really interested in how Helder's GBA mods compare to the likes of the CleanAmp, CleanPower, and the dehum/dehiss kits that are already available for the system
well, just by the looks of it, they're functionally identical, except you don't have to dodge daggers and solder sand-grain sized surface mount components with the helder kit. in terms of the SP, the Helder appears to do a much better job than the available dehum/hiss kit by retrosix
I love mine. i have 2 sp 101s a oem white and oem brown tab. with the helder mod on a stock system you can tell a big difference in audio filtering between the both. when you measure fidelity you measure background noise/filtering/output, sound at the ear/speaker and clean input. with the mod these still will never become hifi because the speaker used no matter the filtering but it does make a big difference for the over all. when people try to tell the difference in sound on a gba at volume you will never tell the difference because of the fidelity of the speaker it self. speaker upgrades are heard from the ear. the filter is there for only fidelity in silence for the output. the buzzing and white noise at 0 volume is what this mod approaches. it does a great job at that and I appreciate the mod very much.
I can tell there’s less high frequency hum but there’s still some low frequency hum going on. My tinnitus still gets set off by this :( Edit that’s not to say I won’t be getting this mod. This by far is the best kit I’ve seen for cleaning up power in a gba.
Are your referring to my video or the GBA? There were some people who could hear a high frequency noise in my older videos but I think I have taken care of that.
@@MachoNachoProductions I’m referring to the gba lol. I have tried the handful of clean amp type mods and none of them so far have done any good at really getting rid of hum from gba audio. I developed tinnitus as a result of COVID (got super blocked with my sinuses and ear canals). And now whenever I play my gba I play it at a low volume. Or if I play a flight sim I have to turn off the cabin air and engine noise effects
Oh phew😅! Thank you for letting me know! Yeah the GBA has high frequency issues for sure. Sorry to hear about your tinnitus and getting COVID. Hopefully this could be a possible solution for you. Cheers buddy!
@@MachoNachoProductions Thanks man! I enjoy your content, keep making awesome vids! And I hope you’ve been able to get the issues with your Dreamcast figured out lol
Thank you railerswim! I’ll be working on the Dreamcast today. I bought a new motherboard and hope that resolves the issue. I’m thinking the dreampsu may have fried it. I want to release the video ASAP so fingers crossed this revolves it 🤞
Awesome video! I will actually be doing a similar test soon except for testing I will be getting MDFourier captures of my GBA before doing any mods and then installing them one by one and redoing the test. This takes your own ears out of the equation in regards to figuring out if the mods are worth it or not since the changes, or lack of changes, can be easily seen on an output chart. And for me, when it comes to what I hear, my hope is that a lot of the static, popping and hissing that you hear in some games on scene transitions and in other areas are either reduced or removed. I know the GBA is famous for not having a real audio chip and that a lot of games also used extremely low quality samples for their music to save on space. So I know those issues won't be resolved. But if the static and popping you hear outside of those samples can be limited, then I'll be happy. Thanks again for the video! I always love seeing stuff like this that I also enjoy doing, but presented in a way that interests people.
That is a good mod definition : - easy to install - not expensive - good result . The GBA and GBA SP are some most of the coolest mod made, with IPS, new battery kit, ect. But even IPS are good, I still waiting for a OLED screen mod for both GBA and GBA SP. Sure that's overkill, but Oled pure black color and lower cost of power can be awesome with GBA 🤘.
You inspired me a couple nights ago to try my hand at disassembling my AGS-101 mainly to see if I could. After following your tutorial I was able to assemble after taking it apart. Excited to buy a GBA and put a ips panel with a usb-c battery mod and new shell. Long winded I know but just so happy I found a new hobby I think. I'm looking at parts to buy as I write this. Thanks for the content!
Clipping the Capacitors off does actually work very well, although it stinks a bit, also be careful with the larger cap, press it down hard and don't break it off
I'm definitely getting my hands on these mods, I'm just waiting for the amp mod on the GBA to be available. I think peace of mind is definitely more than enough of a justification for buying these, personally. Also, would definitely love to see a video on the power switch replacement in the future.
I know I'm late, but as someone who has over 1,000 hours in Aria of Sorrow, I can say that there is most definitely a difference between the two(on SP, that's all I've ever owned). I really wish you had stepped into the foyer so we could've heard the tunes too, but like I said, I can already hear the difference.
Great video as always, thank you! Truly impressed with how aesthetically pleasing the graphics are and how much effort is put into them! One question: do these power cleaning mods improve battery life for consoles using IPS screens and flashcarts?
Thank you so much buddy🙏! As far as I know there is no impact to battery life, positive or negative. I hope Helder can chime in. This is a great questions. Sorry I couldn’t answer. Cheers buddy!
Definitely going to try this on my SP. I had no idea this was a thing until this video. I just got an SP and IPS modded it, and I was a little disappointed at how bad it sounded with headphones (I got the 3.5mm dongle adapter lol). I assumed that was just how it always sounded and my nostalgia was filling in the gaps, but maybe not!
I saw this vid last week and order the parts from helder, man he shipped them out fast! Seems nice and definitely reasonably priced, I can't wait to install them on my sp.
Yeah I can hear the difference, That hissing is gone from the moded console, incredible. Not sure if I care about a louder sound tho., from hearing it the louder the more distorted it gets. Good video.
Hi Tito! 1) Yes i would like to see how to change the power switch on a GBA SP. (It seems mine is at it's last days of life!!!!) 2) Nice mods but only for the audio noices? 3) Does these mods affects the battery life? Does it stay powered on longer with those mods? 4) I was waiting at the end to test those batteries :-( Another great video overall. I love the jazz music when watching your skills on modding. It relaxes me so much. Who is gonna wait now almost 1 week for your next video?????? It's like an addiction! Can't wait man! Peace & love from Greece!!!!!!!!!!
the soldering on the Flex GBA AMP has me rolling(The actualy resistors/chips on the amp itself). It looks like how I got a Pokemon Sapphire working after destroying some contacts lol
I’ve known helder personally for a long time and have been using his mods forever. If anyone has done a lot of mods on the Game Boy then you’ll know how much of a pain it is to install the power cleaner and amp solutions that were on the market prior to these. Helder’s mods are always designed with the modder in mind. He tries to make things super simple and it’s greatly appreciated. Regarding the audio noise, I’m super sensitive to noticing it. To me, it sounds like when you have a cellphone next to a speaker; you hear the radio interference. These mods are a blessing when it comes to eliminating that interference. Excellent video and I love the production quality! You did a wonderful job showing how easy these are to install.
I have a GBA with an IPS screen. Between that and my EverDrive, good energizer batteries last about three hours before the low battery red light comes on. I just ordered the works from his site, hoping that all those mods and rechargeable battery makes this thing perform better and last longer
Honestly gonna hit up Helder for one of these for my SP. I notice a slight difference but the thing that has me sold is the welfare of my console. This just makes sense since these things are 20 years old.
Got and installed the new caps, power filter and speaker and amp from Helder on my ITA original GBA. And damn, its a noticeable difference (I think he's also improved the kits since this video). The speaker is obviously louder, but also clearer when combined with the amp. And it cleaned the headphone noise right up, which I think is where the biggest sound benefit is. You could hear tons of noise from the electronics originally, but now the noise is very minor, if you hear anything at all. Very, very impressive. Not like the GBA was a beautiful sounding machine, but at least now it can perform to the best of its abilities. Definitely worth it for the relatively inexpensive price, especially since new caps will help the system be more stable as well. Also, one note about removing the surface mount caps with Nacho's method. It works well. But electrolytic caps absolutely stink when they are opened so be prepared for a smell to linger for a bit lol.
I honestly feel like the GBA Amp added in a higher and more noticeable hum, but the SP content was top notch. Personally been looking into Chiptune music, and this was a much appreciated video on my end. Plus, I know there are issues with the Funny Playing IPS screen V1 (I use one for the aesthetic white screen border with metallic logo). And I wonder if the power cleaner may address some of the concerns people had with power issues. Thanks for the info! :D
The Recap Kit is avalable in the listing for the GBA Power Cleaner, if you view the GBA Power Cleaner listing, the Recap Kit is listed in the options drop down menu.
Hey Tito, thanks for this video, I wasn’t aware of these kits, they sound (xD) great. I’ll check them out since they seem a no brainer to install, cheers dude!
Funnily enough, I've just been looking at the exact same GBA original audio cleaning kit. My GBA had always had a bassy hum from new; the IPS mod may have increased this slightly but my ears aren't as good as they were back in the day. The hum comes from the speaker (or something in close proximity to it), it is present even when the volume is off and the hum level can be drowned out at mid-high volumes or with ambient noises such as the TV being on. It's only really annoying to me when playing in near zero ambient noise; usually when playing if I can't sleep or if I'm camping. Tito, would you mind doing a short follow up video, recording the sound of no Gameboy running (ie your normal minimal ambient noise), a stock GBA running without sound and a Helder cleaned audio GBA without sound? Not a complaint at all; just a small suggestion to try to notice the subtleties that a mic might not fully pick up that a present ear would pick up more. Your videos are brilliant, so keep up the good work!
One can also use earphones connected through a volume potentiometer, raising the console volume to max and controlling the volume with the potentiometer to reduce noise - poboy fashion. A vid demonstrating the respective switch replacements would be great as there are few quality demonstrations available, including the DS lite. Another helpful presentation would be for the GBA SP power port. Mahko has the only one I know of using a standard aftermarket port - a good demo showing a proper method of adjusting the cantact pins to the pads would be awesome as they don't come user friendly. Thanks for another great show - the gaming world needs more good teachers like yourself.
Thank you so much George 🙏! I’m always so happy hearing that my videos are helpful. I will definitely look into adding a video about switch and port replacement. So many videos I have to make. I wish there was more time in the day. Cheers buddy!
Thanks for the video Tito. I bought the SP mod and battery. IMO power mods are the most important because they (in theory) extend the life of the console. Don't sweat the pricing slip up too much. Prices are going to change in the future anyway.
Just came back from my mistakes and practicing alot and just finished them both gba now has ips dimming light amp and cleaner sp same but forgot to buy amp will be done this weekend. 👍
so the changes that the power cleaner provides are far more noticeable if you install the amp kit first. the unmodified speakers are not really loud enough for the hums and hisses to be heard. but if you only install an amp, the buzzing, hissing, and humming of the power delivery is very audible when the console is turned on, volume maxed but no sound is playing. (IE power on device with no game installed or use the castlevania save room) the power cleaner removes that background noise generated by the hardware before it can get amplified. it's still present no matter what, but the kit filters out the vast majority of it.
I just took the leap an ordered my ips kit for my sp and the omega and red buttons to make a nes style button theme with black. Order one of those 850mah batts hope it's legit great video as always. : D
Thank you Gazilla! I’m going to be working on the Dreamcast this afternoon. I just received a new motherboard. I have a feeling the dreampsu may have fried the old one. I’m hoping this is it otherwise I’m totally at a loss. I tried reaching out to Dan to help with troubleshooting but haven’t heard back. Fingers crossed the new motherboard fixes it🤞
Interesting cap removal technique. I use Dr. Carson's method, twisting the capacitor off its legs with a pair of pliers. I've seen some popular UA-cam modders go in with a heat gun which seems highly unnecessary.
I have a Helder SP battery in my SP and have tested it for months. Can confirm this is probably the best solution for a new battery and lasts much longer than a cheap knockoff brand you get from some popular sites.
only if you incapable of soldering 2 wires. If you are, the best route is 603048 battery soldered to oem battery frame (it fits perfectly). A very simple and effective mod. Those batteries cost only 2-3$ each and are rated at 900mah capacity). Real capacity for SP will be a tad lower (like 700-800mah) because SP has relatively high voltage cut off.
I think that cap kit is the real star of the show. I butchered my GBA last time I recapped it. Another good place to test the mod would just be on the EZ Flash Omega menu at full volume. With all my mods that menu would make an audible noise coming out of the speaker and head phones as the longer game names scrolled on the screen. Pitch of the noise would change with the brightness level of the IPS screen. Also constant 60hz hum. I picked up a de-noise/hum kit from retrosix but never installed it. It's like this kit but freehand soldering all the tiny extra cap is place. 😨
the point of the save room is to do nothing, you want to hear if the speakers make noise without any other noise. Not to imply that other sound effects dont help but you need both with time.
I know these vids are now older, but I wonder 8f using headphones can accentuate the difference between the before and after mod sound. Guess I'll try for myself and find out! 😁
The changes are not that noticeable, but you can definitely hear the difference using a headset. The sound is cleaner and the background noise is lower.
Good to know! I should have checked that out. Thanks for the insight! Cheers!
Good to know. I did a GBA Consolizer, which has me using the headphone jack for audio, and I was wondering if this was worth it or even did anything to the headphone jack. Sounds like it is. Thanks for sharing!
@@MachoNachoProductions Yeah, if the mods also affect the headphone output, might have been easier to capture that with a direct connection rather than using your mic :) Tho i dont know how to use headphones with the SP.
This is 100x100 what I'd want in my pc engine gt...
Is there a mod to reduce the terrifying background noise?
These mods are gonna be huge for the GBA chiptune community.
I hadn’t thought of that! Awesome!
Hey. I've been I stalling dehum and dehiss capacitors for a while now (no flex cable just replacing the caps by hand) and although it's very hard to pick up on the video I can definitely hear a diffence.
Another fact to mention is that you are replacing old capacitors that WILL go bad and leak onto the motherboard with new higher quality ones that won't leak as there is no fluid in them to begin with.
Great video as always
Thanks buddy!
Yes, very true! Couldn’t have said it better! Sometimes it’s nice just to replace old components with better ones. Cheers dude!
It's not the right mic for the application but noise floor reductions is a result of using tantalum caps that have probably more consistent flow but also have slightly higher resistance resulting in less noise floor signal making it to the speakers or headphone jack.
Which, by the way, make sure you clean the area after removing the electrolytics. The safest way for most people to remove them is to twist them gently back and forth with pliers until the legs fail, but this may also cause fluid to leak when you do.
You can notice the noise if you use headphones, less volume, more noise, easy to test, we believe in your words, no need microphone
Thank you Carlos😁! Yeah it was hard to get it on the mic. Cheers buddy!
I agree. If you wear headphones you can hear the hum from the speaker. It really did a nice job cleaning the signal. Nice “behind the scenes” mod.
Thanks Josh!!
Tito has singlehandedly changed the energy of Thursdays for me, as well as influenced me to start tinkering in the modding trade. Now I'm always looking forward to what goodies might be shown each week!
Dude thank you! I’m so happy you are enjoying the videos! It’s a great hobby and I’m thrilled you’re having fun with it. Cheers thresh!!
Not only are your videos super informative about retro consoles, but they are really helpful in teaching beginners how to solder. I've recently gotten into soldering and your videos teach me new techniques that give me confidence in my ability to tackle new projects. I appreciate your content!
Thank you so much for shining a light on such valuable but underappreciated mods. I'm curious what the peak current draw of a fully modded console is, and how close to the limit the new batteries get.
I’m hoping to upgrade my equipment to maybe jest these things. I know Makho does very good technical deep dives into these metrics. He has a great channel and is a tremendous resource. Cheers Ardent!
your way of removing the caps is definitely the best, I learned it from your previous videos and it makes the removal process a breeze.
I’m so glad it’s working well for you! I typically get a lot of comments about it. Strangely enough, so far I haven’t seen any comments about it in this video. Cheers buddy!
Yes! This channel is awesome... The effort put into these videos is astounding... Well done!!!
Thank buddy🙏! I’m happy you are enjoying the channel! Cheers!!
Even listening via my Macbook speakers, I was easily able to hear the background hissing from the GBA playing the Metroid opening (particularly the melody right after the broken liquid tank) without the cap mods! Couldn't tell difference with Castlevania though.
I got the GBA Flex Cleaner PCB a long time ago from OSHPark before it started being sold premade (much regret) and I can't say it made a huge difference, but I'm totally gonna try to get the tantalum cap kit and audio amp (I'm running a Retromodding amp atm, this one is so much cleaner aesthetically!) after watching this, you've tipped me over the edge Tito! Will also be getting the SP Power Cleaner and battery, its a no brainer IMO.
Keep up the amazing work mate, your videos are always one of the week's highlights!
Ah btw, forgot to mention that I actually had a hard time installing the GBA Power Cleaner, prob due to my iron tip and not using liquid flux (I only had paste). I actually ended up desoldering an original tiny capacitor, which naturally freaked me out, but I got it back in place. Got any tips for this for in future, seeing how effortless you make it look? :D
12:42 GBA-SP Power Cleaner install
13:25 Pre-tinned pwr-cleaner board (Not Shown)
13:28 - 13:38 Tap solder with iron (Prolonged heat will damage board)
18:41 GBA-SP Audio Test
Dude I gotta say, your solders always look so nice. Mine tend to be a bit bigger than I’d like, or they look like rain drops instead. Yours are always so smooth looking, and it’s like the exact amount needed, no more no less
Thank you Jacob! Really appreciate it. I have to say flux helps a lot. It’ll make your solder joints look much cleaner. That and some practice. You’ll get there buddy! Cheers!
I love this mod, I have been looking for just this a few days ago and right now you show this incredible mod of the improved version of the one I was looking for🤩👌🏻
Nice job as usual! Helder's work definitely deserves more love :)
Used the recap kit. Happy knowing these new ones can’t leak. Popping off my old ones, all but 1 had leakage underneath.
2:10 You accidentally wrote the # 4 twice in your list.
Another great video though, keep up the good work.
Also, I'd love to see those power switches in a future video :D.
Doh! Oh man! I must have watched the video 5 times before uploading. Can’t believe I missed that. Thanks for the heads up! Cheers!
Dude. Your intros are euphoric. Nostalgic feeling, even though I wasn't alive during the decade it reminds me of.
So happy you enjoy the intros dude! Thank you 🙏
I installed Retrosix's CleanAmp V1.1 with a 1 watt speaker on my GBA, and holy hell the background noise was extremely audible, I also use an EZFlash Omega and when you turn the GBA on, you can hear the background very loudly. It's not noticeable when playing a game but during the quiet parts it's there and it's annoying, I'm definitely buying these mods.
oh yes, thursday is here with a new video! I look forward to these Tito! thanks buddy, great content per usual
You’re most welcome Joseph! I’m so happy that you’re excited to see my videos! Thank you very much for watching! Cheers!
Thank you a lot for the loud volume warning countdown, i am really scared by surprises like these usually so i cannot thank you enough
As someone who wants to start doing Gameboy modding in the near future this is something I never thought about. Probably a good idea to try this out too.
Love the little Zero face on the battery.
Awesome content! great music (reminds me when shopping at an expensive store at the mall haha), great closeups of the GBA and the work, also great info..straight and to the point..great stuff!
Nice. Very high quality videos.You definitely deserve more subscribers. Keep it going!
Thank you🙏! Cheers Stepan!!
Just turning on the game boy advance/sp you should be able to hear the static noise as the "game boy" logo flashes on. Try seeing if you can hear a difference there.
That’s a great point! Thanks!
Thanks a ton for this video Tito! I now have power cleaners for both the gba and SP on the way to me, got them from zedlabs in the UK. The background humm is extremely noticeable even on a stock GBA when using headphones.
Is it me or does the new mods give off a louder white noise than the original?
Man. Great channel. Glad it came up as a recommendation. Keep up the great work.
Thank you Ken 🙏! I will do my best! Cheers!
Your videos have really inspired me to do console modifications, did a GBC ips mod awhile ago along with shell swap, and just finished up a GBA mod including power cleaner, de humm de hiss, clean amp, rechargeable battery mod and IPS and shell swap. Next tackle will be a OG Xbox HDMI mod! Thanks for all the inspiration!
I love how i been seeing more GBA SP mods, can't wait for when they appear for the Micro.
As always, nice video Tito. You should be using MDfourier to compare audio signals. It’s the best tool out there for this kind of work.
Thank you so much 🙏! Awesome suggestion! I will definitely look into MDFourier! Cheers!
I'm really interested in how Helder's GBA mods compare to the likes of the CleanAmp, CleanPower, and the dehum/dehiss kits that are already available for the system
well, just by the looks of it, they're functionally identical, except you don't have to dodge daggers and solder sand-grain sized surface mount components with the helder kit. in terms of the SP, the Helder appears to do a much better job than the available dehum/hiss kit by retrosix
I love mine. i have 2 sp 101s a oem white and oem brown tab. with the helder mod on a stock system you can tell a big difference in audio filtering between the both. when you measure fidelity you measure background noise/filtering/output, sound at the ear/speaker and clean input. with the mod these still will never become hifi because the speaker used no matter the filtering but it does make a big difference for the over all. when people try to tell the difference in sound on a gba at volume you will never tell the difference because of the fidelity of the speaker it self. speaker upgrades are heard from the ear. the filter is there for only fidelity in silence for the output. the buzzing and white noise at 0 volume is what this mod approaches. it does a great job at that and I appreciate the mod very much.
Something like this would be a godsend for the OG GBA as they're quite loud from the headphone jack.
Thanks for bringing these upgrades to our attention
You’re most welcome Zach! Cheers buddy!
This video deserved a sub! Great Video!
Thank you Brandon!
I can tell there’s less high frequency hum but there’s still some low frequency hum going on. My tinnitus still gets set off by this :(
Edit that’s not to say I won’t be getting this mod. This by far is the best kit I’ve seen for cleaning up power in a gba.
Are your referring to my video or the GBA? There were some people who could hear a high frequency noise in my older videos but I think I have taken care of that.
@@MachoNachoProductions I’m referring to the gba lol. I have tried the handful of clean amp type mods and none of them so far have done any good at really getting rid of hum from gba audio. I developed tinnitus as a result of COVID (got super blocked with my sinuses and ear canals). And now whenever I play my gba I play it at a low volume. Or if I play a flight sim I have to turn off the cabin air and engine noise effects
Oh phew😅! Thank you for letting me know! Yeah the GBA has high frequency issues for sure. Sorry to hear about your tinnitus and getting COVID. Hopefully this could be a possible solution for you. Cheers buddy!
@@MachoNachoProductions Thanks man! I enjoy your content, keep making awesome vids! And I hope you’ve been able to get the issues with your Dreamcast figured out lol
Thank you railerswim! I’ll be working on the Dreamcast today. I bought a new motherboard and hope that resolves the issue. I’m thinking the dreampsu may have fried it. I want to release the video ASAP so fingers crossed this revolves it 🤞
Awesome video! I will actually be doing a similar test soon except for testing I will be getting MDFourier captures of my GBA before doing any mods and then installing them one by one and redoing the test. This takes your own ears out of the equation in regards to figuring out if the mods are worth it or not since the changes, or lack of changes, can be easily seen on an output chart.
And for me, when it comes to what I hear, my hope is that a lot of the static, popping and hissing that you hear in some games on scene transitions and in other areas are either reduced or removed. I know the GBA is famous for not having a real audio chip and that a lot of games also used extremely low quality samples for their music to save on space. So I know those issues won't be resolved. But if the static and popping you hear outside of those samples can be limited, then I'll be happy.
Thanks again for the video! I always love seeing stuff like this that I also enjoy doing, but presented in a way that interests people.
So did you ever do the tests?
That is a good mod definition :
- easy to install
- not expensive
- good result .
The GBA and GBA SP are some most of the coolest mod made, with IPS, new battery kit, ect. But even IPS are good, I still waiting for a OLED screen mod for both GBA and GBA SP. Sure that's overkill, but Oled pure black color and lower cost of power can be awesome with GBA 🤘.
That would be awesome! That will be the next phase, haha! Cheers!
You inspired me a couple nights ago to try my hand at disassembling my AGS-101 mainly to see if I could. After following your tutorial I was able to assemble after taking it apart. Excited to buy a GBA and put a ips panel with a usb-c battery mod and new shell. Long winded I know but just so happy I found a new hobby I think. I'm looking at parts to buy as I write this. Thanks for the content!
Tyler that is so awesome! Nothing makes me happier! So glad you’re picking up this hobby! It’s a blast and the community is fantastic! Cheers buddy!
Clipping the Capacitors off does actually work very well, although it stinks a bit, also be careful with the larger cap, press it down hard and don't break it off
I'm definitely getting my hands on these mods, I'm just waiting for the amp mod on the GBA to be available.
I think peace of mind is definitely more than enough of a justification for buying these, personally.
Also, would definitely love to see a video on the power switch replacement in the future.
Nice Dark Samus! I’m thinking I will do that in the future. There is definitely interest in seeing how to replace the power switch. Cheers buddy!
Love the vids. Very well put together.
Thank you Martell🙏! Very much appreciated! Cheers dude!
This is awesome! Good job! I need to do this to my older gba and gbc I modded.
It is pretty neat! Cheers Sojan!
I know I'm late, but as someone who has over 1,000 hours in Aria of Sorrow, I can say that there is most definitely a difference between the two(on SP, that's all I've ever owned). I really wish you had stepped into the foyer so we could've heard the tunes too, but like I said, I can already hear the difference.
Hey Tito just wanna say I really appreciate your content and you're very informative and your videos are well edited.
Thank you so much 🙏
Great video as always, thank you! Truly impressed with how aesthetically pleasing the graphics are and how much effort is put into them! One question: do these power cleaning mods improve battery life for consoles using IPS screens and flashcarts?
Thank you so much buddy🙏! As far as I know there is no impact to battery life, positive or negative. I hope Helder can chime in. This is a great questions. Sorry I couldn’t answer. Cheers buddy!
Really good video! And oh man, what music is playing for the whole GBA AGB segment? It’s lovely.
Definitely going to try this on my SP. I had no idea this was a thing until this video. I just got an SP and IPS modded it, and I was a little disappointed at how bad it sounded with headphones (I got the 3.5mm dongle adapter lol). I assumed that was just how it always sounded and my nostalgia was filling in the gaps, but maybe not!
I saw this vid last week and order the parts from helder, man he shipped them out fast! Seems nice and definitely reasonably priced, I can't wait to install them on my sp.
Yeah I can hear the difference, That hissing is gone from the moded console, incredible. Not sure if I care about a louder sound tho., from hearing it the louder the more distorted it gets. Good video.
Hi Tito!
1) Yes i would like to see how to change the power switch on a GBA SP. (It seems mine is at it's last days of life!!!!)
2) Nice mods but only for the audio noices?
3) Does these mods affects the battery life? Does it stay powered on longer with those mods?
4) I was waiting at the end to test those batteries :-(
Another great video overall. I love the jazz music when watching your skills on modding. It relaxes me so much.
Who is gonna wait now almost 1 week for your next video?????? It's like an addiction! Can't wait man!
Peace & love from Greece!!!!!!!!!!
These videos are so nice to just listen to
the soldering on the Flex GBA AMP has me rolling(The actualy resistors/chips on the amp itself). It looks like how I got a Pokemon Sapphire working after destroying some contacts lol
WOW I like these mod for GBA SP
I’ve known helder personally for a long time and have been using his mods forever. If anyone has done a lot of mods on the Game Boy then you’ll know how much of a pain it is to install the power cleaner and amp solutions that were on the market prior to these. Helder’s mods are always designed with the modder in mind. He tries to make things super simple and it’s greatly appreciated.
Regarding the audio noise, I’m super sensitive to noticing it. To me, it sounds like when you have a cellphone next to a speaker; you hear the radio interference. These mods are a blessing when it comes to eliminating that interference.
Excellent video and I love the production quality! You did a wonderful job showing how easy these are to install.
Thank you Corey! I couldn’t have said it better myself! The mods do take the end user into account and makes installation a breeze. Cheers buddy!
I have a GBA with an IPS screen. Between that and my EverDrive, good energizer batteries last about three hours before the low battery red light comes on. I just ordered the works from his site, hoping that all those mods and rechargeable battery makes this thing perform better and last longer
Also I would love to see the switches installed please! And a review on if they’re worth the upgrade from working original switches??
4:26
12:43 GBA SP
Very helpful! Thanks! 👍🏻
Honestly gonna hit up Helder for one of these for my SP. I notice a slight difference but the thing that has me sold is the welfare of my console. This just makes sense since these things are 20 years old.
I dont have any gba anymore but these mods are pretty sweet, i could hear the dif, would install if i got a gba again.
Got and installed the new caps, power filter and speaker and amp from Helder on my ITA original GBA. And damn, its a noticeable difference (I think he's also improved the kits since this video). The speaker is obviously louder, but also clearer when combined with the amp. And it cleaned the headphone noise right up, which I think is where the biggest sound benefit is. You could hear tons of noise from the electronics originally, but now the noise is very minor, if you hear anything at all. Very, very impressive. Not like the GBA was a beautiful sounding machine, but at least now it can perform to the best of its abilities. Definitely worth it for the relatively inexpensive price, especially since new caps will help the system be more stable as well.
Also, one note about removing the surface mount caps with Nacho's method. It works well. But electrolytic caps absolutely stink when they are opened so be prepared for a smell to linger for a bit lol.
I honestly feel like the GBA Amp added in a higher and more noticeable hum, but the SP content was top notch.
Personally been looking into Chiptune music, and this was a much appreciated video on my end.
Plus, I know there are issues with the Funny Playing IPS screen V1 (I use one for the aesthetic white screen border with metallic logo). And I wonder if the power cleaner may address some of the concerns people had with power issues.
Thanks for the info! :D
You’re welcome dude! I’m glad the video was helpful! Chip tune sounds like it could be a fun hobby! Cheers man!
Definitely doing this. I gotta get these mods
Yes. My GBA has a PAM8302A but it has some weird issues, and I want a headphone + speaker amp anyway instead. Love to see any and all audio mods.
Excellent video as usual Tito! I didn't see the recap kit on his website. Maybe it'll be in stock when the AGB-001 amp becomes available.
The Recap Kit is avalable in the listing for the GBA Power Cleaner, if you view the GBA Power Cleaner listing, the Recap Kit is listed in the options drop down menu.
@@MrSnaxzy Oh Thanks!
Hey Tito, thanks for this video, I wasn’t aware of these kits, they sound (xD) great. I’ll check them out since they seem a no brainer to install, cheers dude!
Probably won’t need this but definitely thank you for the comparison. Well done.
Funnily enough, I've just been looking at the exact same GBA original audio cleaning kit. My GBA had always had a bassy hum from new; the IPS mod may have increased this slightly but my ears aren't as good as they were back in the day. The hum comes from the speaker (or something in close proximity to it), it is present even when the volume is off and the hum level can be drowned out at mid-high volumes or with ambient noises such as the TV being on. It's only really annoying to me when playing in near zero ambient noise; usually when playing if I can't sleep or if I'm camping.
Tito, would you mind doing a short follow up video, recording the sound of no Gameboy running (ie your normal minimal ambient noise), a stock GBA running without sound and a Helder cleaned audio GBA without sound? Not a complaint at all; just a small suggestion to try to notice the subtleties that a mic might not fully pick up that a present ear would pick up more.
Your videos are brilliant, so keep up the good work!
One can also use earphones connected through a volume potentiometer, raising the console volume to max and controlling the volume with the potentiometer to reduce noise - poboy fashion. A vid demonstrating the respective switch replacements would be great as there are few quality demonstrations available, including the DS lite. Another helpful presentation would be for the GBA SP power port. Mahko has the only one I know of using a standard aftermarket port - a good demo showing a proper method of adjusting the cantact pins to the pads would be awesome as they don't come user friendly. Thanks for another great show - the gaming world needs more good teachers like yourself.
Thank you so much George 🙏! I’m always so happy hearing that my videos are helpful. I will definitely look into adding a video about switch and port replacement. So many videos I have to make. I wish there was more time in the day. Cheers buddy!
Thanks for the video Tito. I bought the SP mod and battery. IMO power mods are the most important because they (in theory) extend the life of the console. Don't sweat the pricing slip up too much. Prices are going to change in the future anyway.
You’re welcome dude! Agree, definitely gives a little piece of mind.
That’s true, price do change as time goes on. Appreciate it bud! Cheers!
Just came back from my mistakes and practicing alot and just finished them both gba now has ips dimming light amp and cleaner sp same but forgot to buy amp will be done this weekend. 👍
so the changes that the power cleaner provides are far more noticeable if you install the amp kit first. the unmodified speakers are not really loud enough for the hums and hisses to be heard. but if you only install an amp, the buzzing, hissing, and humming of the power delivery is very audible when the console is turned on, volume maxed but no sound is playing. (IE power on device with no game installed or use the castlevania save room)
the power cleaner removes that background noise generated by the hardware before it can get amplified. it's still present no matter what, but the kit filters out the vast majority of it.
I like this music. So relaxing 😌
I like this guys stuff. I made the minty pi. It was pretty easy.
I just took the leap an ordered my ips kit for my sp and the omega and red buttons to make a nes style button theme with black. Order one of those 850mah batts hope it's legit great video as always. : D
Another great video Tito. I couldn't hear any difference but I am digging the new batteries. Hope the Dreamcast build is going better now.
Thank you Gazilla! I’m going to be working on the Dreamcast this afternoon. I just received a new motherboard. I have a feeling the dreampsu may have fried the old one. I’m hoping this is it otherwise I’m totally at a loss. I tried reaching out to Dan to help with troubleshooting but haven’t heard back. Fingers crossed the new motherboard fixes it🤞
Good luck man! Fingers crossed it works. Did you have time to check out that new controller?
Thank man! Not yet, will have to get around to going that!
Every time I watch one of your videos, I think, what will they think of next? Love your videos. Keep it up.
Thank you Madblaster! Will do! Totally agree! So many creative people out there! Cheers!
@@MachoNachoProductions BTW check out my latest creation! I know it's simple but I'm still at it:
instagram.com/p/CLLGigfHvj0/
I will take a look into these mods, but my main problem with GBA's noise is coming from the audio jack, which I don't know if it should work.
Helder is the one who made the MintyPi, you should all check him out!
Totally agree!
these are some very nice mods, recommended for any GBA SPs!
Its refreshing to see mods I've never heard of ! Very cool, thought it sounded clearer totally worth it!
Thanks dude! So glad I’m able to show you something new! Great hearing from you man! Cheers!!
Yeah I can hear the difference. It's a small buzz/hum in the unmodded. Like compression artifacts almost.
I honestly can’t tell if the mods made it clearer or not, but damn the amp makes it loud 😅
Interesting cap removal technique. I use Dr. Carson's method, twisting the capacitor off its legs with a pair of pliers.
I've seen some popular UA-cam modders go in with a heat gun which seems highly unnecessary.
Very nice sir, but my question is: Can a better speaker be used to replaced the stock one? One that perhaps can take better advantage of the upgrades?
We love you Tito!
Great vid again! ♥️🤘 I'd love to see this switch replacement as well!
I think I have a couple consoles with some bad switches that need replacing.
I have a Helder SP battery in my SP and have tested it for months. Can confirm this is probably the best solution for a new battery and lasts much longer than a cheap knockoff brand you get from some popular sites.
only if you incapable of soldering 2 wires.
If you are, the best route is 603048 battery soldered to oem battery frame (it fits perfectly).
A very simple and effective mod. Those batteries cost only 2-3$ each and are rated at 900mah capacity).
Real capacity for SP will be a tad lower (like 700-800mah) because SP has relatively high voltage cut off.
I think it’s good for people who want a plug an play solution. I’m sure yours is good as well. Cheers Eugene!
Thanks for the heads up!
I prefer this CAP removal method to Retro Future's old method of just wobbling them back and forth lmao
Great video as always.
Thank you🙏! Cheers!
I'll definitely be doing one of these :D
Totally! Do it dude!
I think that cap kit is the real star of the show. I butchered my GBA last time I recapped it. Another good place to test the mod would just be on the EZ Flash Omega menu at full volume. With all my mods that menu would make an audible noise coming out of the speaker and head phones as the longer game names scrolled on the screen. Pitch of the noise would change with the brightness level of the IPS screen. Also constant 60hz hum.
I picked up a de-noise/hum kit from retrosix but never installed it. It's like this kit but freehand soldering all the tiny extra cap is place. 😨
The intro sounds like heaven 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤, love it
Even though I don't play Game Boy, I'd like to have the SP for modding as you do. Nice Tito!
Thanks Case Squirrel🙏! They’re great fun to tinker with. Highly recommended! Cheers buddy!
the point of the save room is to do nothing, you want to hear if the speakers make noise without any other noise. Not to imply that other sound effects dont help but you need both with time.
I know these vids are now older, but I wonder 8f using headphones can accentuate the difference between the before and after mod sound. Guess I'll try for myself and find out! 😁
Sometimes bad caps alone cause noise. If you buy an old gameboy, you might as well replace those if they weren't already.
Yep very true! Helder said the new caps do most of the cleaning. Cheers!
Hey Macho, are you getting one of the SP Unhinged shells from BoxyPixel? I want to see you review it before I buy :)
That Silver-Orange 2000 Prototype colors GBA 👌🏼❤️
Hope to start working on my GBA after such a busy week
Nice! It’s a great way to spend an afternoon after works and weekend. I’ll be doing some modding also😁
@@MachoNachoProductions Most definitely after a long day with patients then again have too many Hobbies lol