Hey everyone, it's Colin. How's it goin'?
If you play a Game Boy Advance frequently, you're probably used to swapping out batteries.
This time, let's check out an option that can end that swapping once and for all.
[♪ Music - Intro ♪]
This is the GBA rechargeable battery pack from Retro Modding, who sent it my way to review.
It's made up of a custom charge controller
and voltage regulator board,
with a 1,000 milliamp hour lithium polymer battery on the back.
I chose to install it in my custom backlit GBA, and it's a pretty straightforward process.
I took out the six tri-wing screws on the back,
and then the single Philips screw hiding in the battery compartment.
No changes need to be made to the front part of the console, so it can be set to the side.
The battery contacts need to be removed and when I looked
inside the back housing, I found a metal tab holding 'em in.
I used a small flat head screwdriver to push that tab down,
which released the contacts so they could be slid out.
Some plastic inside the battery compartment needed to be trimmed:
these parts that normally hold the double As in place.
I found that a pair of flush cutters worked really well for this,
as they cut cleanly,
though you could also use a craft knife.
I trimmed back this divider on the right side. I didn't remove it completely, just cut it about in half.
Then I removed the divider from the left side, making sure that the bottom was flush.
That's it for the rear housing, so I put it back in place and reinstalled the screws.
The battery simply drops in,
as it has contacts that work with the ones already in the Game Boy,
so there's nothing to solder.
The battery cover still fits properly, but as-is, it needs to be removed when it's time to recharge.
I decided to file away a notch in the cover, so the MicroUSB port is always accessible.
But this is totally optional.
Retro Modding offers pre-modded covers in case you don't wanna do this yourself.
Battery life is gonna vary, with 14 hours being advertised for stock consoles.
I found my own backlit GBA got a bit more than that while running a game demo loop,
and heavily modded consoles will of course, see less.
There are LEDs on the battery itself to indicate charging and capacity status,
though the console's own bicolor front LED still works properly.
Finally, you *can* charge the battery and use it at the same time,
which is nice, because the original GBA doesn't otherwise offer a power input jack.
The one thing that will give casual players of this console reason to pause is the battery's price.
It goes for $40 US plus shipping from Canada.
That kind of money could easily buy you quite a few rechargeable double As,
so those who don't play their GBA frequently are probably best off giving it a pass.
But to be fair, this battery pack is a custom product for one specific handheld.
It certainly works well, and it's pretty easy to install,
so between a solid run time and the convenience of USB charging,
dedicated GBA fans may very well find this battery to be appealing...
despite its cost.
I owe a thank you to Retro Modding for sending this battery my way to check out and review.
I'll include a link to it in the description if you're interested.
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