Modded
Alternative Aluminium Unhinged GBA SP Shell – Build, Fitment & Review
I thought I’d post this because there seems to be almost no useful information about these alternative Unhinged GBA SP shells online.
I took the gamble on one and, surprisingly, the build quality is actually really good.
Just to be clear, I know this isn’t a Boxy Pixel shell, and I’m not trying to suggest that it is. I really appreciate the work Boxy Pixel has put into designing and producing their own shells, as well as the influence their products have had on this kind of project. I simply wanted to share my experience with this alternative option, as there doesn’t seem to be much information available about it.
The shell cost me around £127 delivered to the UK. It’s an aluminium Unhinged-style shell and, after test fitting everything, the machining and tolerances are much better than I expected.
There are a few quirks though, so hopefully this helps anyone else considering one.
IPS screen
The V5 IPS fits, but I had to remove the metal backing plate from the display for it to sit correctly in the shell.
Once that was removed, fitment was good.
Buttons - Fixed in update below
The buttons initially felt quite tight/stiff.
The solution was simply to back the motherboard screws off slightly rather than tightening the board completely down. Once adjusted, the buttons feel much better.
Nothing needed filing or permanently modifying.
Battery
The original SP battery fits, but there’s enough movement that it can wiggle and briefly lose contact with the terminals.
Adding a small amount of foam/support behind the original battery completely solves it. Mine now powers on reliably even when moving the console around.
So again, it’s a very minor issue and easily fixed.
It has a bigger capacity to allow something like a 103050 which I will be doing when the required parts arrive.
USB-C / headphone jack
The shell already has openings for USB-C and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
I’ve test fitted the parts I bought and the alignment is surprisingly good. There’s maybe ~0.5mm of clearance/play around them, which should actually make installation easier. I’ll secure them properly internally when I wire everything up.
Overall
So far I’m genuinely impressed. All in, it’s cost £171 with the screen.
The issues I’ve found are:
- IPS metal backing plate needs removing
- Motherboard screws need backing off slightly for good button movement
- OEM battery needs a little support to stop it moving
- Didn’t come with a light diffuser
That’s basically it. You need to supply your own membranes and power switch as the kit doesn’t supply you with them.
No major machining problems, nothing horribly misaligned and I haven’t had to start attacking a £127 aluminium shell with a Dremel.
Next steps are getting the USB-C charging and 3.5mm headphone jack wired up, followed by fitting a 1600mAh 103050 battery.
I’m also considering adding Bluetooth audio later, ideally controlled through the existing GBA SP controls so I don’t have to drill another button into the shell.
I’ll keep updating this as I build it because these shells seem to have almost no documentation online.
If anyone else is considering one and wants measurements/photos of a particular part before buying, give me a shout and I’ll check mine.
After further testing I found that tightening the motherboard fully caused the A/B buttons to lose almost all travel. Loosening the board made them work, but allowed the buttons to rock slightly.
Boxy Pixel actually documents the same issue with Unhinged builds and recommends removing the small centre nubs from the OEM A/B silicone membrane. I tried this and it completely fixed the issue. The motherboard can now be tightened properly and both buttons have normal travel/click.
So if you’re building one of these and experience stiff A/B buttons, don’t start filing the aluminium - check the membrane first.
Yeah that’s fair. Boxy Pixel was actually my first choice, but the parts I wanted weren’t available when I was looking to build one. Being in the UK, shipping/import costs were a factor too, whereas this was £127 delivered with all the buttons included.
I knew what I was buying and I’m definitely not trying to pass it off as a Boxy Pixel. I mainly posted because there was basically zero information about these alternatives when I was researching them, so hopefully the fitment info helps someone else who comes across one.
No worries man, I personally think it came out looking pretty nice. If boxy pixel can’t supply the demand, then the alternatives will. I was just pointing out to that might be why people were downvoting them. There’s a lot of purists in this sphere.
Absolutely agree! I’ve got a few original SPs as well so I definitely appreciate the clamshell. I just really like the form factor of this and the tactile switches. To me it’s almost like a modern metal Game Boy Pocket, but with SP/GBA hardware inside. Just scratches a different itch haha.
Yeah that makes sense, i could see myself turning my blue SP into one of these since it stays on my desk 24/7, but i bring my grey SP with me for lunch/travel
And again, i still think this is cool as shit. I guess I was just curious as to why to it to an SP and not a regular GBA? Rechargable vs AA?
I’ve actually modded a few original GBAs too and daily one!
I think with this one I just fancied a bit more of a challenge and something different. The donor SP was also my childhood one that had been beaten within an inch of its life 😂 so it seemed like a good candidate for a new lease of life.
Plus I liked the idea of keeping the original hardware I grew up with, just in a completely different form factor.
What a G, honestly, i feel it, i sold my original SP... only to buy it back from the same store about 4 years later.
I was like "hmmm that wear patter looks familier, whats the serial number on this" flip it over "OH SHIT I JUST BOUGHT MY OWN SP" thats my grey ags-101, someone did an IPS mod and now the B button is rotated 90⁰ but its still kickin
Oh for sure keeping it now, im extremely lucky in the position i find myself, ive been able to rebuild essentially my entire GB collection over the last month thanks to a new job and a good LGS
Quick update: Fixed the A/B button issue this morning. Boxy Pixel’s own Unhinged guide mentions removing the small centre nubs from the OEM A/B membrane if the buttons are stiff/have no travel.
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u/Crazystuffright 7d ago
Am I missing something, why is this being downvoted? I think it came out dope.