Hey everyone, it's Colin. How's it goin'?
Most Game Boy mods focus on appearance,
but this time, let's install one that's all about function.
[♪ Music - Intro ♪]
This is the variable clock module from Hand-Held Legend.
They sent it to me for review,
along with some other goodies, like a replacement Game Boy housing, buttons, and a screen backlight.
Let's get it installed, then we'll talk about what it does.
If you're familiar with modding a DMG, then you probably know the drill:
Remove the six tri-wing screws from the back,
then disconnect the ribbon cable between the two halves.
If you're not replacing the housing, then the back half can be set aside.
The board just needs to come out from the front housing, and it's just a bunch of Phillips head screws.
I was wondering why the sound wasn't working on this console.
I guess *this* explains it.
Two holes need to be drilled for the module's controls and I decided to use a step-bit.
It driills holes incrementally and works really well with materials like plastic.
I used a piece of tape to flag the quarter-inch mark on the bit, so I'd stop at the right size.
The kit includes a sticker to use as a guide, and it's important to position it correctly.
The two holes need to fall between these standoffs on the inside.
While it may be visually appealing to have one hole line up with the groove in the casing,
if you do that,
the drill bit will cut through both of the standoffs,
and that's no good.
I used a sixteenth (1/16th) inch bit to drill a couple of pilot holes,
then chucked up the step-bit.
It made quick work of the front panel's plastic, but didn't snag or tear it out in the process.
One of these holes will be visible when the mod is complete,
so getting a clean finish can be important.
Yes, I realized I drilled them a little crooked, but in the end, that's no big deal.
Okay, now some electrical stuff.
I tinned the through holes in the clock module,
then soldered in the three wires.
Next, I installed the module in the front housing and used the included washer and nut to hold it in place.
At this point, I continued on with some other mods.
I dropped in the replacement buttons,
added a backlight,
and soldered in a bivert chip for better contrast.
When all that was done, I reinstalled the board in the front housing.
With the clock module there, it's a bit of a tight fit, but it does work.
Then I grabbed the back half of the Game Boy to finish up the soldering.
The ground wire on the module gets soldered to the negative battery terminal here,
while the clock wire labeled "out" on the module goes to this point next to the copper shield.
Finally, the power wire labeled "VCC" goes to this five volt pin in the upper-right corner.
All that was left was to reconnect the ribbon cable, tuck in any stray wires, and close up the console.
...except it wouldn't close completely.
It turns out that the clock module was hitting the bivert chip.
I tried flipping the orientation of the module and even moving it, but neither of those helped.
Some careful trimming of the inside of the case, or moving the module to the far corner
may yield better results.
But in my case, there was no way I could get the housing to close with the bivert chip in there,
so I ended up taking it out.
If you really wanted to keep it, you could connect it with wires, like in the Game Boy Pocket.
I left the screen inverted because, well, it looked better that way.
Then I finished putting the console together.
These case screws can be a little tough on a new housing
because they're cutting their own threads in the standoffs.
The potentiometer for the clock module comes with a knob,
which sticks out a bit because of the nut.
The fit is tight enough that it's not really necessary,
so I removed it.
The knob itself secures with a simple flat head set screw.
The last thing to do was install a new glass screen cover,
which just sticks to the front panel,
no glue needed.
Unlike appearance mods, the effects of this clock module aren't immediately apparent.
Games play like they normally would,
until you press the switch and start turning the knob.
[Normal ♪ ►]
[Fast ♪ ►]
[Slower ♪ ►]
[Slow ♪ ►]
[Faster ♪ ►]
[Normal ♪ ►]
The module alters the speed the Game Boy runs at, so not only does the game run slower or faster,
so does the music.
It's commonly used by chiptune artists,
but it's also useful to speed up grinding through tedious parts of games, like in Pokémon,
or to slow down tricky sections to practice 'em.
I think this module is easy enough to install.
It's really just those two holes and three wires to solder,
and its price is reasonable too, at $15 US.
But the difficulty getting it to fit around a bivert module is a bit of a bummer.
And another gripe, though minor,
is that toggling the module on and off frequently can sometimes crash the Game Boy.
To be fair, I suspect this is an inherent limitation of the mod in general
and not this particular product.
Overall though, if it seems like it could be useful to you,
I still think it's worth the effort to install a variable clock module.
It's pretty straightforward and works well.
Just maybe consider installing it in a spare Game Boy.
Of course, a big thank you goes out to Hand-Held Legend
for sending the clock module and other parts my way.
I'll include links to 'em down in the description so you can check 'em out.
If you like this video, I'd appreciate a thumbs-up and be sure to subscribe.
You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram at thisdoesnotcomp, and as always, thanks for watching.