The Voltage Regulator V2 (VRV2) is an in-house combined voltage regulator and digital brightness controller for Game Boy Advance AGS-101 mods. This compact board provides the appropriate voltage and current to the AGS-101 to produce a clear backlit image while giving you control over the brightness of your display.

In this tutorial, we walk you through how install the VRV2 in your Game Boy Advance, including instructions for how to prepare your LCD.

This tutorial requires basic soldering skills and knowledge of how clean surfaces before soldering.

Materials

• Retro Modding's VRV2
• AGS-101 LCD
• 32-pin or 40-pin ribbon cable adapter (no wire)
• Game Boy Advance
• Tri-Wing & Philips head screwdrivers
• Kapton tape
• 30 AWG Kynar solid-core wire
• 30 AWG silicone-coated stranded-core wire
• Wire cutters and wire strippers 
• X-Acto or hobby knife
• Soldering iron and solder
• Flux (optional but recommended)
• Q-tip
• Isopropyl alcohol

Note: Make sure you have a clean and safe environment to work in. Avoid soldering in areas with poor ventilation without the proper equipment.

Step 1: Prepare Your Wires

Cut your wires to the appropriate lengths. We've listed near-exact wire lengths, but beginner modders might want to cut their wires a bit longer.

While not necessary to use the same colors we did, doing so might make following this tutorial easier. 

Using wire strippers, remove around 1 mm of the silicone coating on both ends of all the wires. Now you're ready to get started!

Step 2: Solder Wires to VRV2 Board

Start by soldering the five silicon wires to each of the solder pads on the VRV2 board. See the chart in the previous step for the location of each wire on the board.

If using flux, make sure to carefully clean any excess flux from the board with a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol before moving on to the next step.

Step 3: Insulate VRV2 Board

Carefully cover the board with foam tape. Trim excess tape from the board.

Step 4: Place VRV2 Board on PCB

Once the board has been properly insulated, peel off the adhesive tape.

To assist with the installation, fold the yellow EN wire around to the top and the red Vin wire around the bottom.

Place the board on the right side of the downward-facing PCB right above the power switch (left side of the front-facing GBA). It’s designed to fit perfectly in this space.

Step 5: Solder EN and Vin to PCB

Solder the yellow EN wire to the top of capacitor C35. Solder the red Vin wire to the Bottom (+) side of capacitor CP1.

Step 6: Solder Brightness Control Inputs

Solder the three remaining solid Kynar wires to the VRV2 with yellow going to ST, red to DWN, and blue to UP. 

Carefully bend the wires and feed them one by one through the small opening in the PCB beside the cart connector clip. They need to be fed in from bottom to top in the following order:

• Yellow ST wire at the bottom
• Red DWN wire in the middle
• Blue UP wire on the top

Step 7: Solder Wires on PCB Front

On the front of the PCB, solder the wires as follows:

• Yellow to TP2 (Select)
• Red to TP7 (Down)
• Blue to TP6 (Up)
• Black (Ground) to battery

Note: Clean off any excess flux with a Q-tip dipped in isopropyl alcohol before moving on to the next step.

Step 8: Prepare AGS-101

At the back of the AGS-101 LCD, there are two ribbons soldered to each other. The top ribbon powers the backlight. It’s important to isolate this ribbon to prevent permanent damage to your AGS-101.

Carefully heat up both pads at the same time. While applying heat, separate the top ribbon from the one below.

Remove any excess solder from each of the four exposed pads. The need to be as clean and as flat as possible.

With the two parts still separated, apply a small piece of Kapton tape over the bottom ribbon so that it’s completely covered.

Apply another piece of Kapton tape over the top ribbon and place it back over the bottom ribbon so that the entire area is covered and held in place.

Carefully carve a hole on the topmost tape to reveal the solder pads from the top ribbon.

Step 9: Connect Ribbon Cable Adapter and Insert LCD

Connect the ribbon cable adapter to the ribbon on the LCD.

Note: We strongly recommend using a ribbon cable adapter without the wire. If yours has the red wire, we recommend removing it before performing the installation. Simply touch the soldering iron to the solder point and pull the wire off.

Carefully fold the ribbon in place and insert the LCD into your shell.

Note: Performing an AGS-101 mod on your Game Boy Advance requires a trimmed shell. We offer a shell trimming service with the sale of any of our GBA shells.

Once you set the PCB in place, your setup should look like this:

Step 10: Solder Brightness + and - to LCD

Solder the two remaining wires (BL+ and BL-) to the two solder pads on the back of the LCD. BL+ should be to the left of BL- when the GBA is in the proper orientation.

Cover the two solder pads and wires with Kapton tape to prevent shorts.

When using a OEM SP display with 3 pads, solder the wires in the same orientation ignoring the middle pad.

Step 11: Connect LCD to PCB

Insert the ribbon into the tab at the top of the GBA PCB. Depress the two tabs on either side of the slot to lock the ribbon in place.

And You’re Done!

The VRV2 is now installed, offering you greater brightness and improved control over your LCD’s backlight. Simply reassemble your unit and enjoy gaming no matter the light environment!

To adjust the brightness, hold the select button until the screen flashes white, then press the up or down arrows until you find the desired level. Press select again to lock the brightness. Your brightness setting will be saved even after you reboot the system.

If you need support with this product, please reach out to us on Facebook or by email. Happy modding!