I will share some information from GameBoy LCD modification experience just in case it is useful:
I have, on occasion, made irreversible changes to original GameBoys. There's a thriving market for inexpensive after market backlights that generally involve peeling off the reflective tape on a gameboy LCD, and then placing an led backlight with a thin foam diffuser behind it. I won't link a particular one to avoid endorsing but google will show a bunch. Some kits even add an inverter to invert the LCD logic circuit to reverse the image, and then you also flip the LCD polarization film, and this results in a higher contrast image. To be clear: I'm not sure if any of these are applicable to M100/200s, but it's an active community of backlight mod info from around the same era of display, so seemed perhaps useful. I'd probably vote for a clip on booklight as the best solution. -c On Tue, Oct 14, 2025 at 7:14 PM B9 <[email protected]> wrote: > I do not expect it would work too well as lighting just the edges may not > be diffuse enough. These beasts definitely prefer ambient light. > > Honestly, so far the best solution I've had for use without overhead > lights is to clip a book light onto my T200 and point it towards me, away > from the screen, so it is illuminated by the reflected light. 💻💡🙃 > > But definitely try the filaments and let us know. > > --b9 > > > On October 13, 2025 10:20:07 PM PDT, Scott McDonnell < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> I had this idea and was wondering if anyone else has already tried it. >> >> Flexible filament leds are usually around 1mm in diameter and provide even >> lighting along the filament. I have ordered a few to attempt a frontlight >> mod. I don't yet know what arrangement will work best but there should be >> room between the front case window and the LCD. I am kinda hoping that the >> reflection of the LEDs on the front case plastic will provide enough light >> into the LCD to light it up under low light. At the very worst, it should >> eliminate that "shadow" you get from the distance between the front plastic >> and the LCD which represents a good portion of my frustration with >> visibility. Unless a light is pretty much overhead, the case casts a shadow >> on the LCD which can make an entire row disappear. >> >> If this seems fruitful I may experiment with printing a translucent plastic >> frame spacer between the metal frame and case window in which the LEDs can >> be placed. This will evenly eliminate the shadows and also provide some >> level of lighting for the LCD. >> >> My 11 inch strip runs on 3V and draws about 100mA (max brightness). I have >> some 130mm strips on the way, so not sure what their power consumption will >> be. One of my planned mods is a beefier battery system, so I am not as >> concerned about this. But a final implementation will likely involve some >> form of switch control. >> >> >> Anyway, has anyone else already looked into this? >> >> >> Scott >> >>
