Original Innovation Installation

Original TV Installation

This page describes how to install the Innovation Game Boy Advance TV-out adapter into your GameBoy Advance system.  Please go back to the main GBA page if you’d like more information.

Let me just start by saying I DO NOT recommend this method at all.  It will produce a horrible quality picture and is pretty much a waste of time.  I’m only including these instructions, because the manual that comes with the adapter is so poorly written, that it would be easier to figure out if it were written in Egyptian hieroglyphs!!!  I strongly recommend that if you’re insistent upon doing a GBA video-out mod, that you skip this ribbon installation and use the direct-pin soldering method found in this link!!!

Anyway, here’s how to install the stock adapter:

  1. The first thing you’ll need to do is open your GBA and see if the LCD video cable is 32 or 40 pin (‘T’ for the tri-wing screws and ‘P’ for the Philips head one):

  2. If it’s a 40-pin, you can just buy the TV kit and use the adapter cable it comes with.  If it’s 32-pin, you need to buy the separate adapter kit along (search Google, Amazon and eBay for the adapter cable), along with the TV kit: 

  3. Line up the ribbon connector:  The stock ribbon cable (for 40-pin) only installs one way, but the adapter cable kit has a slot for both. Make sure that you use slot 1 with the 32-pin connector.  Once again, the stock 40-pin cable doesn’t have notches, it just installs one way.

  4. Then, push the connector on so it’s a tight connection.  Also, make sure the ribbon cable is run along the side of the cartridge input:

  5. Now, bolt everything back together using the new rear cover the TV kit came with and hook it up to your TV. 

If it’s not working correctly…it’s probably because the ribbon connector method sucks.  For info on getting RGB output, or to use the much better (but much harder) direct-solder method, please go back to the main GBA page.