Gp32 Blu - Crooked Screens, Dingy Whites


DaveC

Internal Development
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Mar 4, 2004
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After getting my BLU I noticed a few things. The whites looked kind of yellow, and the top and bottom of the screen was a bit cocked.

For the crooked screen: the fix is easy. Take the back off and look at the top section. Don't worry about getting dust in the screen as you can't, there is a double stick foam gasket sealing the LCD. You will see the plastic sockets where the shoulder buttons go into. Now below that you will see a metal piece that is the LCD assembly. Look at the front to determine which side is higher. Now take a small piece of square hobby type pine wood and shave it down, or use folded paper. Carefully wedge it between the shoulder button socket and the metal LCD frame on the side that is too high until the screen is level. The foam will give slightly and the LCD will be perfectly aligned.

If the screen is *too* far off and the wedging causes the case to push out you would need to pry off the LCD assembly up on one end and re-align it. Put the wood there as well to keep it from moving back out of position. This is obviously more involved and is more dangerous, pry up with too much force and you will bust the LCD. Only attempt this if you are mechanically skilled.


The dingy whites: The plastic screen that comes on the BLU is dingy yellow in color. It also makes the display look a little dark as well. The fix for this is put in a glass screen. You will notice the whiter whites and increased brightness! Just to see what the difference was hold the old plastic screen over half of the screen when it is on the "play, PC link" menu (alot of white there) to see the difference!
By the way the frame is much easier to take off on the BLUs, the double stick tape is not as strong.
 
The screens being crooked is almost certainly because they don't fit in the case - gamepark have smashed bits off them to make it fit. Real classy.

-Craig

www.gbax.com
 
ravuya posted on Jul 13 2004 at 07:28 PM said:
Glad I'm just buying the nice cheap non-lit unit.
haha... :D

you shouldn't be
 
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sebastian_insua posted on Jul 13 2004 at 06:44 PM said:
ravuya posted on Jul 13 2004 at 07:28 PM said:
Glad I'm just buying the nice cheap non-lit unit.
haha... :D

you shouldn't be


Couldn't have put that better myself :D

Seriously, with the very siginificant improvement, you'd be mad as a cut snake, finances permitting, if you didn't get a BLU.

Notwithstanding Gamepark's farcical method of getting the screen in, it seems to me that the buttons are of better quality, certainly they feel much better than my two FLU's.

Now I've got to start saving for a 180mhz 32 meg unit from GBAX. Craig, are you willing to give an indication of price?
 
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craigix posted on Jul 13 2004 at 06:22 PM said:
The screens being crooked is almost certainly because they don't fit in the case - gamepark have smashed bits off them to make it fit. Real classy.

-Craig

www.gbax.com
It is because they didn't line them up correctly when they put them in with the sticky foam tape gasket. I have already corrected one using the above method.

There is a lip on the bottom of the case that they are supposed to line the screen up with (but many times miss the mark).
 
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You know, at first this "crooked screen" stuff didn't bother me any, but the more I play it, the more magnified the problem seems to be. In my point of view, this topic deserves a second look by anybody that wasn't bothered at first but may be bothered now.
 
Whaddaya know? I just inspired a topic move! :D

Update: I just tried the crooked screen fix, only using folded paper (sound familiar? ;) ). Works like a charm! Just make sure you have enough layers folded to push the screen to a far enough position, and that you can jam it in there without ruining it's (the paper's) quality. With paper, you have to slide it in from the side, actually, and since it isn't rigid, you may have to use a small flathead screwdriver to help it along, or help push the screen down while you're jamming in the paper.
 
finty101 posted on Aug 25 2004 at 10:26 PM said:
Do most of the BLU's come like this?



Well do they? I am thinking of getting a blu but i want to know the chances of getting a crooked screen.
 
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It's really not a massive problem - in fact no one noticed it for over a week after the Blu was released even tho' a lot of them are affected. (we have Sam Fisher to thank for opening our eyes to this tragedy)

We're talking a tilt of only a degree or so if that! Like I said it wasn't until Sam posted that his screen was slightly tilted that a whole load of us suddenly realised he was right. One of the few people to have seen a whole load of Blu's together is Craig and he admits that a lot of them are crooked.

I think very few of us will actually be bothered to fix it so for God's sake don't base your life and death buying decisions on this - it is really minor I promise!
 
Here is the difference between glass and the BLU plastic screen. The pics below are as follows: the screen on the left is a spare glass one that I cut. The screen on the right is the one I took out of my BLU the day I got it.

It wasn't even used and as you can see it is very yellow. They are all like that too. The pic was not doctored at all except to cut the size down

glassplastic.jpg
 
My screen is crooked too but let's face it you don't notice when you're playing a game and as has already been said if Sam hadn't pointed it out the rest of us would have been oblivious to this minor flaw. :)

Not one person I have shown my GP32 to has ever said "The screen is crooked" They've all been too busy drooling over the games, emulators or GPcinema files.
 
Here is the difference between glass and the BLU plastic screen. The pics below are as follows: the screen on the left is a spare glass one that I cut. The screen on the right is the one I took out of my BLU the day I got it.

It wasn't even used and as you can see it is very yellow. They are all like that too. The pic was not doctored at all except to cut the size down

glassplastic.jpg

I'm not complaining (as I love gamepark) but didn't they start to think that this was a bit of a problem and then think..."let's not have a yellow screen".

I just don't see how any company could do this, it would be like a car company saying:
"Oh yeah, I guess we should've given that car windows" after about 10 deaths.


ok it's not THAT serious.
 
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Here is the difference between glass and the BLU plastic screen.  The pics below are as follows: the screen on the left is a spare glass one that I cut. The screen on the right is the one I took out of my BLU the day I got it.

It wasn't even used and as you can see it is very yellow. They are all like that too. The pic was not doctored at all except to cut the size down

glassplastic.jpg

I'm not complaining (as I love gamepark) but didn't they start to think that this was a bit of a problem and then think..."let's not have a yellow screen".

I just don't see how any company could do this, it would be like a car company saying:
"Oh yeah, I guess we should've given that car windows" after about 10 deaths.


ok it's not THAT serious.

The good news is that it is easy to fix. Just cut a piece of glass (or have one cut) to the right size and plop it in, problem solved.
 
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What Thickness/Length/width should the glass screen be DaveC....

I know I am a lazy bugger but I had a bad experience last time I opened a GP32 and don't want to have the same thing happen to me again (so only want to open up the GP32 once)...
Do you guys know the best place (in the UK) to get a glass screen?
 
What Thickness/Length/width should the glass screen be DaveC....

I know I am a lazy bugger but I had a bad experience last time I opened a GP32 and don't want to have the same thing happen to me again (so only want to open up the GP32 once)...
Do you guys know the best place (in the UK) to get a glass screen?
Did it...
You're right the BLU screen is immensely yellow, it's weird!

Edit: Fuck it, I smashed it while I was in the airport and have only just realised.
 
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