We absolutely love seeing the spread of the One True Connector, USB-C! Its many advantages over previous connectors (Power Delivery, no orientation, flexibility in acting as either host or device) make it a great choice for retro-fitting to existing products. Game consoles have been a popular choice, and these awesome projects from GilTesa include USB-C mods for Wii U Gamepads, the Game Boy Micro, and even powering the original Wii console!
The designs are easy to retrofit for those with soldering experience. Each connector is mounted to a small board or flat flex cable, with the correct spots to solder perfectly aligned. Simply remove the old connector (remember to use lots of flux, and pick up some low melting temperature solder if you don’t have a vacuum desoldering pump!), clean the area, and then line up the new connector. Solder the aligned points, either surface mount or onto a right-angle pin header for the Game Boy Micro, and voila! You’ve got USB-C for your game pad or consoles!
This ensures that, as original power supplies die over time, it will be easy to keep original consoles alive with just a quality USB-C cable and a good USB power supply. GilTesa’s USB-C mods aren’t limited to these new ones, either — make sure to check out the full store for more mods for the original Game Boy, SNES, DS Lite, and even the PSP and PS Vita!
