GBA SP

Hey, all!  So, a while ago I purchased a Game Boy Advance SP online.  The reason?  Well, around when I was 6 or 7, I received one of these Game Boys for my birthday.  This single device started my love for technology.  I had the Game Boy for maybe a year or two, but then we gave it away to a friend when I got an iPod Touch.

Now, because I still think Game Boys are awesome, (I already currently own 3 - The Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy Color, and the Game Boy Advance SP which I just got) that's why I ordered the SP.  The Game Boy Advance SP (or GBA SP) made many changes from the original Game Boy Advance (or GBA).  And after all, it's one of the only Game Boys with a backlit screen!  So of course I ordered one of these bad boys!  I would be able to use a Game Boy similar to the one I owned years ago, and I would also be able to play all of my Game Boy games with a backlight!

So, yesterday this thing came in the mail.  I was super excited, and tried to power it on to only find that it was dead.  No problem though of course, as I had purchased a GBA SP with a charger.  The one problem was...it was the wrong charger.....

Since yesterday, I've been doing a little research about how I can charge a GBA SP without a charger.  There were no solutions on how to do this easily (well, without hacking open the back of the Game Boy and shoving a DS battery in there anyway).  So I came up with my own solution!

I found out that the removable GBA SP battery was 3.7 volts.  I also found out that a micro USB cable (the ones that charge Android phones) can charge any battery from 3.6 volts to around 4.7 volts.  This meant that the micro USB cable can charge the GBA SP battery, but won't fit.  What did I do to solve this?

Well, I cut open an end of the micro USB charger, found the positive and negative wires, plugged them into the ports on the GBA SP battery, and off it went!  The Game Boy Advance SP battery charged!  I'm actually still charging it more (after I quickly tested it - it worked) with this method so that the battery will be completely full for my camping trip (I'm leaving tomorrow).  Until my new GBA SP charger comes, this is how I'll charge my system!

Thanks for viewing Play The Keys!

Disclaimer: If you try this on your GBA SP and either break your battery, break your GBA SP, or get injured, I take NO responsibility for it.  Thanks!