Soldering Maniac

So, I finally got my Lik-Sang order yesterday: a replacement GBA Afterburner cover and a new Afterburner kit. During the process of re-installing the kit, I realized a few things:

  • I had accidentally left a protective sheet on before, this is why it looked grainy (but still had lots of bubbles).
  • Even if you’re very careful, you can still get bubbles in the film. I have two thumbtack-sized ones on the screen now. It’s still a lot less than before, but still noticeable.
  • The replacement cover’s holes were not pre-threaded, as I discovered as I completely ground out one of the screws, rendering the GBA unre-openable. The gamebit screws, which previously I could screw by cramming a small flathead screwdriver in, require more torque than I can deliver by this method, so I have to buy a gamebit screwdriver just to tighten the thing up.
  • I accidentally left a piece attached to the old cover, but didn’t realize it until I had ground the screw down as above. So now, I’ll have to deal with the fact that the power LED glows from within the GBA, and doesn’t appear as a dot on the cover.
  • With the brightness dial installed, the protective film not in there, and ignoring the bubbles… it looks SO NICE.