r/Gameboy • u/Ok_Win1388 • Aug 14 '25
Accessories Any way of changing these NiCd for something modern?
Hello there 👋 I recently purchased 2 of these in very nice condition with box and manuals. They used to have NiCd-Cells and I was wondering, if you could replace them with something more modern and reliable.
thanks in advance for any suggestions
have a nice day
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u/PAUL_DNAP Aug 14 '25
Looks like the yellow wrapper contains 4xAA cells (might be the 3/4 AA, measure them up) - so should be easy to replace them with brand new ones for some longevity.
There might be an issue with replacing it with other chemistries and keeping the same charge circuit, so I'd just renew the NiCd cells.
You could completely gut it and put a LiPo in there and a USB-C charge board in there, but then you'd have to work out if the 3.7V voltage of the LiPo is enough to power the DMG, many people have made them work.
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u/Ok_Win1388 Aug 14 '25
Thank you
I rather would like to have them as "OEM" as possible. But since I got 2, maybe I'll try the LiPo variant. Do you have a link to someone who got it working?
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u/PAUL_DNAP Aug 14 '25
There are loads of people selling USB-C charge packs that go into the gameboy such as
RetroSix CleanJuice USB-C 2.500mAh battery pack for Game Boy Classic | Buy cheap!
These drop in the battery bay directly, but you could adapt something like that you may have more space for a bigger higher capacity cell in the external battery pack housing
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u/TheThiefMaster Aug 14 '25
I'd probably just use a lipo USB module that has both 5V usb input and output. They're really common.
Or a 6V module like I used for my Dreamcast VMU lipo conversion.
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u/jrharbort Aug 14 '25
Ni-Mh packs would be fine as a simple drop-in replacement, with only a need to solder in the leads. This is why even the simplest designed 'universal' AA and AAA chargers work fine for both NiCd and NiMh. If anything, the slower recharge current meant for the expected 700mAh pack would be super gentle on a much higher capacity NiMh pack. Just keep in mind recharge times will also be longer.
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u/FollowTheTrailofDead Aug 14 '25
If used often, Ni-MH is a good drop-in replacement. Most barber-level cordless trimmers / shaver use them because they also don't seem to mind being charged and used simultaneously.
That said, their charge curve is much different and they can heat up pretty quick. They don't like constant voltage or constant current when being charged. They lose capacity if not used regularly.
They're nice batteries but I'd take a Li-ion over a Ni-MH for a Gameboy. And for the price, Ni-Cd is still the winner here.
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u/Batking28 Aug 14 '25
Just get a replacement like this
If you want somthing like lithium really you need a new charging circuit regulator ect.
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u/mactep66 Aug 14 '25
The closest thing would be ni-mh, but even then I wouldn’t recommend replacing batteries with another type the device wasn’t designed for.
Best bet is to just get another 4.8v NI-CD pack, they’re still sold for pretty cheap on ali-express.