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Game Boys – Metal and Resin Buttons

I’ve been following /r/Gameboy for a while and I wasn’t even sure why. For someone who has been heavily modding for nearly ten years, most of the posts would be pretty basic and most up-voted posts would be ‘look what I found in my attic’ with a beat up classic ‘grey boy’ with leaking ink screens and gunk around the dpad. I stopped subscribing.

But, this started to change over time. It feels like there’s never been a better time to pimp up handheld consoles. My first steps into modding gameboys started nearly ten years ago with looking up online and finding mostly only Thretris’ body of work, which wholly consisted of spray painted shells, backlights, custom buttons where necessary and chiptune mods.

Today it’s mostly possible to build your own colour screen from the ground up, with primary colours, translucent shells, glow in the dark plastic and pastel shades. So the subreddit for Game Boy really started to shine. Incredible, eye-popping GB’s started making an appearance in my timeline once I subscribed again. A huge output of products from China is making it possible to get replacement shells, buttons and screens in abundance.

A couple of mods recently caught my eye: A voltage output display on a Gameboy Advance that was polished down to a crystal clear glass looking shell. ‘Gibe Shrugs’ is a machinist who is polishing, sand and soda blasting shells, but also working Aluminium SP buttons.

I recently purchased a set of aluminium buttons and the quality is fantastic. They’re tiny but the level of work that’s been put into them is incredible. Now, despite the fact they do not use the silicone rubber, they almost defy what you’d expect by snapping perfectly back into place. These are incredibly tactile feeling buttons. I paid $15.00 (£11.46) for these and the only sting was in the ridiculous costs to ship internationally from the US to the UK these days.


My buttons nestled in my clear and red GBA SP

Secondly, I saw the work of Retro game EVO, who also mods, but their particular forte is casting custom resin buttons. I ordered a pair for my current Game Boy that I’m working on. I wanted a nuclear theme to go with a sort of toxic colour scheme.

View this post on Instagram

. Good morning! 😁 Since I’m still due to finish some new orders shall we have a second look in the buttons I’ve made this month? Big thanks to everyone that put an order recently! To name a few @g3odewd @drb_customs @chimmerchammer @andreburgoyne @pixel8eduk _________________________________________ Some of them still available, send me a dm if you’re interested. And I’m accepting custom orders for the next lot, starting in about 2 weeks time. ________________________________________ Linktr.ee in profile! You can check my eBay, direct PayPal link for Payment/donations and soon my Etsy store 🥰 ________________________________________ #gameboy #nintendo #gameboycolour #gameboyadvance #gameboymodding #gameboymods #gameboymacro #gameboymacrocustom #retromodding #retrogaming #retrogames #gamer #retrogamer #gaming #nintendolife #handheld #handheldgaming #gameboymod #gameboylife #gameboyart #gameboycustom #pokemon #pokémon #kingdomhearts #animalcrossing #metroid #dragonquest

A post shared by Retro game EVOLUTION (@retrogame.evo) on

The quality of these buttons is incredible. I ordered a set of two, as that’s the default price, but I am using one of these in my current Game Boy. The other will go with my spares for a backup. I toyed with the idea of one of them being an Acid smiley, but for now, keep it simple.

This set were £12.00 ($15.70) including postage and packaging but you may pay a little more if you’re buying from outside of the UK. Retro Game EVO do plenty of different types of buttons. Check them on Insta for a better idea of their range and devices. Better still, DM them for pricing. They will surprise you.

The finished articles
Inside the Game Boy itself

I can’t leave this article without an honourable mention. While I was on a button buying tip, I spotted these golden button sets from jellybelly customs. Until next time!

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Current state of the site

I felt like I’d been paying for hosting for so long on the site but not really been doing anything with it. In short, I built the site a few years ago to act as a capacity for people to springboard their projects, mostly with micromusic and electronics, but I’m really hot into minimalism, art and photography too. I was logging in nearly every day and tweeting content I thought was good and just got caught up in the daily grind of things and stopped doing this.

Recently the collapse of a quite large chiptune community group and label, there’s very clearly a change in the way the community wants to treat each other and expect to be treated. It’s unpleasant to watch, but it feels like a necessary metamorphosis for a better more level platform for marginalised people.

I’ve been busy modding in the background and on twitch, but I did read a tweet recently where someone was talking about documentation on an open source project being a bit vague to those learning and as I’m currently working through the project myself, it seemed like a good time to take more of an active interest in sharing those methods with other people.

So that’s it. It’s mostly just me pottering about on a dead platform muttering to myself.

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All Chiptune Tech

Chiptune Tech: Ep.7 – GBC and Chiptune Music

How’s it going everyone? We’re back with episode 7! In this episode Anthony talks about the Gameboy Color and how well it stacks up in the Gameboy lineup for making chiptune music with. Enjoy!

Links:
GBC Bass Mod and Noise Filtering Mod 

PISSbox

BennVenn

Retro Modding

Anthony’s other  podcasts:
Between Two Pixels
Reanimetor Pod

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Blogs Chiptune Tech Mods

Chiptune Tech: Ep.6 – DMG-01 and Chiptune Music

How’s it going everyone? In episode 6 of Chiptune Tech, Anthony talks about the pros and cons of the DMG-01 for making chiptune music. He will talk about the sound, ease of modifying, and the CPU limitations. Welcome to a new episode of Chiptune Tech!

Links
NeX’s Megatron DMG-01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6y3_B2kH7dY
Installing a Gameboy Pocket Screen in a DMG-01: http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/14000/solved-pocket-lcd-in-dmg/
Lithium Ion Battery
Kitsch-Bent: http://store.kitsch-bent.com
Nonfinite Electronics: http://nonelectronics.com
Retro Modding: https://www.retromodding.com
CM.o Forum: http://chipmusic.org
Contact us: mikee@ohmnohmnohm.com

Please leave us a comment on this video. Like this video if you enjoyed it, hit dislike if you did not. Subscribe to our youtube channel to be notified when new episodes are uploaded!

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Chiptune Tech: Ep.5 – Getting Started in LSDj

How’s it going everyone. Sorry for the long delay. We are proud to present episode 5 of Chiptune Tech. In this episode, Anthony talks about how to get started with LSDj. How to get the ROM and effective ways of dipping your toes in the water without breaking the bank. Bonus: For anyone attending Square Sounds Festival 2017 in Melbourne on March 3-4, come out and say hi! Anthony will be attending and is down to hang out.

Links: Ohm Nohm Nohm website: http://ohmnohmnohm.com
Little Sound Dj: http://www.littlesounddj.com/lsd/
BGB Emulator: http://bgb.bircd.org
Diedrik’s FAQ on BGB: http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/12730/bgb-gameboy-emulator-faq-thread/
Kitsch Bent: http://store.kitsch-bent.com
Nonfinite: http://nonelectronics.com
BennVenn: https://bennvenn.myshopify.com
Raphnet Adapters: http://raphnet.com

Contact us: mikee@ohmnohmnohm.com

Please leave us a comment on this video. Like this video if you enjoyed it, hit dislike if you did not. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified when new episodes are uploaded!

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Chiptune Tech

Chiptune Tech: Ep.3 – Gameboy Color Prosound

We are proud to present episode 3 of Chiptune Tech. In this episode, Anthony talks about the prosound mod for the Gameboy Color. Have you ever wanted to use a GBC for making chiptune music but found the output from the headphone jack really low? Have you ever wanted to know how many colors the Gameboy Color could produce? Find out all of that and more in this episode of Chiptune Tech!

Links:
Dat OG Low-Gain GBC prosound guide: http://lowgain-audio.com/GBCmod.htm
Dat OG Capcomposer GBC prosound guide: http://capcomposer.blogspot.com/2010/…
Audio connector guide: http://www.cablestogo.com/learning/co…

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Chiptune Tech: Ep.2 – DMG-01 Prosound

We are proud to present episode 2 of Chiptune Tech. In this episode, Anthony talks about the inner workings of the prosound mod for the DMG-01 Gameboy. What’s a pre-pot?! What’s a post-pot?! Find out in this episode of Chiptune Tech!

Links:
Dat OG Low-Gain DMG-01 prosound guide
Dat OG Xero DMG-01 prosound guide
Audio connector guide

Please leave us a comment on this video. Like this video if you enjoyed it, hit dislike if you did not. Subscribe to our youtube channel to be notified when new episodes are uploaded!

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Chiptune Tech: Ep. 1 – DMG-01 CPUs for Chiptune Music

So, it’s taken a while, but as promised, Anthony is all setup for recording. Our first audiocast is a nice byte-sized introduction to Chiptune Tech. Chiptune Tech is here to provide information on chiptune hardware, mods, accessories and innovations being brought to the world of chiptune music. We will be delving into the mechanics of LSDj and Nanoloop in future episodes. With you, the listener, we are interested to hear what topics you would like for us to discuss, so please let us know via email at mikee@ohmnohmnohm.com. Anthony starts our first episode talking about the difference between DMG-01 CPUs and how to choose the right one for making music with.


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Mods Music

New days of decay – An interview with Jack Rubinstein

jack

Jack Rubinstein is a Chiptune musician in Las Vegas who writes music under the name solo name De La Decay,  two piece Decaying Tigers and builds custom glitch equipment under the moniker Decaying Electronics. He can be seen posting on the Glitch Art Collective Facebook page

Michael Television: How did you start off with circuit-bending and modding electronics?

Jack Rubinstein: I make Chiptune music so the first thing I modded was my Game Boy. A few years ago I started with the pro sound mod then went to doing led backlights. The reason I did the mods because modified Game Boys on eBay were like  $90 easy. I’m cheap and I wanted to get my hands dirty so I performed the surgery myself.

nes

To compliment my chiptune music, I opened up a Nintendo NES. followed some instructions on how to get started on Casper Electronics web site and had real Glitch visuals for my shows. Before this I was using a GlitchNES cart from No Carrier. GlitchNES is a soft circuit bending tool. (It’s still one of my favorite visuals.) At this point I was happy with soldering and wanted more.

Were you part of the early era of console gaming? NES, Atari, Master System? When did you adopt that part of it. Do you consider yourself a gamer? Are you still a VHS / Laserdisk / Betamax purist? Did you formally study or is it something you’ve been into for a while?

Yes, I was a early Gamer. I was 5 when the NES came to the market. I got it for Christmas and loved it instantly. I’m an only child and having R.O.B the robot for help was awesome!! Although after a while I just use my feet for the second controller, it was faster. I like 2D side-scrollers and some RPG.
But when the Sega Genesis hit I really loved the speed of Sonic and NES took a back seat for a few years.
Video Games music and visuals have been the biggest part of my life so I can say I never adopted the 8-bit lifestyle it’s infused into my blood.

I don’t consider myself a gamer. I’m not up to date on the most recent games and consoles. I know a crap ton about retro gaming. I live in Las Vegas so we have great conventions. I Have attended everything from EVO to the Classic Gaming Expo.

I don’t game as much as I should because I’m too busy make Chiptune with LSDJ on a Game Boy; [takes me hours to create an original song.]

I do love the look of a VHS tape but I’m not a purist. I use DVDs and burn disks from Datamoshing to YouTube clips. I like using different video sources because they have different output looks after its Glitched.
I went to a Vocational High school for T.V. production. I’m glad I went because the equipment we used was very antiquated and it took up many rooms. By todays standards you can do all of it on your laptop. But my teacher was a stiff and didn’t like any of the experimenting we did. The rules of editing a commercial is so boring back then. We were doing what car commercials are doing today with fast cuts and Drum and Bass. But I was in the class of 98′ with equipment from 78′

What sort of projects are you working on in the future?

The projects I have now are with people in Las Vegas. I do visuals for a monthly live show in downtown call Friday Noise. I’m doing collaboration with 710 Visuals. He’s more of the hippy visuals and I’m more robotic. I’d like to collaborate with people all over the world if I could.

You produce glitch art, circuit bent equalizers, video mixers. Why don’t you talk a little bit about that…

I wanted to make video Glitch unit so I created the Glitch Zapper. It’s a dirty video mixer housed in a Nintendo Zapper. I started sell them on Etsy and sold 28 so far in a few months. The reason I started selling them is because i wanted people to have a legit Glitch tool for cheap. Under $50. The next Glitch tools are around $200-$700. So my product has a purpose.

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When I circuit bent my Videonics mx1 and posted it to social media no one has bent it yet and got some respect for my masters. So I circuit bent the Videonics titlemaker 2000 and got the Glitch Fx I was really looking for. And now I sell that one too I call it the Dream Crusher. $179
I found over 15 different Glitches on that unit.

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My mx1 unit is for sale but it’s hard to track down the proper board to bend. It’s called the Psytronic.

Glitch has been around a long time and still continues, like Chiptune, to remain wholly popular in some circles, but still kind of underground to mainstream counter culture. Give me some examples of the sort of chiptune and glitch art you really inspired and what kind of visual and musical work you’re trying to put out there?

…Glitch fucking art. I Don’t care for App Glitch art to start out. If you do it’s your life and time used. I have never left a negative comment on someone’s app art. But it is a pain in the ass to go through the Glitch Art Collective and find pixel porn after pixel porn. It’s just not what I like. I like O.G. rainbow feedback and real sync corruption. The Masters I follow and talk to are Portland’s own BPMC (glitchart.com) and Florida’s Tachyons+

A selection of works

13840554_1481559188536315_1125375138_o

13839718_1481561661869401_1160417905_o

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Links

Decaying Electronics on Etsy

Decaying Electronics on Facebook

Decaying Tigers on Facebook

De La Decay on Facebook

 

 

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Gameboy Processors and Chiptune

So, in keeping with our promise here’s a short piece on Gameboy Processors, by Anthony Hom

DMG CPU Revisions

“Over the course of the life of the DMG-01 Gameboy, there were a number of CPU revisions. Some people say you get the best sound out of a DMG-01, which I will get to in a later article, but not every DMG-01 came packing the same firepower.

If you are purchasing a pre-modded DMG-01 or a DMG-01 for modding and the ultimate goal for it is to produce music on it, you will want to skip the first few versions of the DMG-01.

In order to identify if your DMG-01 is a suitable version for producing music with, you have to pop off the battery cover and look inside your Gameboy. The battery cover has a clasping tab that clips into the DMG-01 chassis. If you shine a light inside that hole, you will be able to see what version DMG-01 you have.

You should see a printed portion of the circuit board which will read “CPU-0X.” X denoting a number value.

DMG-01 CPU revisions you should try and avoid: CPU-01, CPU-02 and CPU-03.

DMG-01 CPU revisions that are suitable for making music on: CPU-04 through CPU-08.

The problems you will run into with LSDj when using earlier versions of the DMG-01 CPU models are most noticeable in the WAV channel. Playback in the WAV channel will be inaccurate, inconsistent and generally frustrating.

I theorize that WAV playback will also be inaccurate in Nanoloop, however, I do not have a Nanoloop 1.X cart to test this.

Happy modding.”