Mon, 20 Nov 2006

Leapster L-Max Hack Proposal

background

The Leapster L-Max is a gameboy-like game system with LCD screen, cartridge port, buttons, and a "TV Out". The "TV Out" port has a switch which detects the presence of an A/V cable and dumps the exact output of the LCD screen to the TV (the LCD also stays on), while muting the internal speaker. This is not exactly a great thing because you get all the neat "tricks" that make a crappy LCD look better on your television screen as well. Its exactly the same reason why you wouldn't want a TV Out on your Gameboy either.

But graphics aside, the "TV Out" switch has an even more sinister function -- enabling or disabling of special "TV Only" game mode. Sometimes the TV Only game mode is really the only thing worth playing to begin with.

Lets take the Dora The Explorer game cart for example. In portable mode, you get to play a lot of stupid little games that have nothing to do with the television show. However, connect to the TV, and you get to play THE ACTUAL SHOW. Yes, all the songs, speech, animation, the map, the backpack, even swiper comes by.

Unplug the AV cable midway during any of this adventure, and it all disapears. It goes back to the crappy portable game selection crippleware mode. It doesnt even say "adiós".

The Hack

I propose the following hack: Put a switch to complete the cable insert circuit when you want to go into "TV Mode", as well as solder bypass wires from the AV out pins to either the audio amplifer or the speakers directly.

A simpler, less destructive hack: A dummy 4 pole 1/8" jack and just wear the headphones

A hack that you can do right now: Drag around the 10' cable plugged in, and wear the headphones

[/hacks] permanent link