custom nintendo game boy features clear case and copper wires on transparent circuit board

copper wires and clear case for custom nintendo game boy

Natalie the Nerd creates a custom Nintendo Game Boy with copper wires on a transparent circuit board seen through the clear case. The design allows all internal components to be seen from the outside, from the circuit board to the clear buttons and the small screen.

The show stealer of the device lies inside, and it uses copper wiring traces printed on the circuit board. Under a closer look, users can see that the board is transparent, making the network of copper wires seemingly float. These long lines connect the main chip, memory, sound system, controls, and display, but they also double as the glistening design onto their transparent canvas.

all images courtesy of Natalie the Nerd

A fun art project for modder natalie the nerd

Modder Natalie the Nerd comments on her X account that she sources the transparent cartridge reader inside her custom Nintendo Game Boy from a Chinese-made clone of the same device. She adds that the transparent circuit board ‘is a flex’ and ‘kind of plastic.’  She had to solder it with low melt. During the modding, she took out the ground plane, or the large copper area used for electrical grounding, from the transparent circuit board. In this way, the users can see the details more clearly. It doesn’t cause any functional problems, she says, because the custom Nintendo Game Boy’s electronics are rather simple. They don’t need the same heavy ground, unlike other devices.

On the outside, the device faithfully follows the original style of the recognizable handheld console. The control buttons are below the screen. The D-pad is on the left, and the A and B buttons are on the right. The two smaller round buttons marked SELECT and START are still in the lower center. The difference between the original, even the purple variant, and the modded version is that users see the copper wires and patterns shine through the clear case as they hold the custom Nintendo Game Boy. So far, the modder says she has no plans to make the gadget available for purchase because ‘it’s not a practical device. It’s just a fun art project to show off my personal work’.

Natalie the Nerd creates a custom Nintendo Game Boy with copper wires on a transparent circuit board

rear view of the device with a clear case

detailed view of the screen

evidently, even the buttons are semi-transparent

transparent card slot and board in detail

as shown above, the network of copper wires seem to float because of the transparent circuit board

project info:

name: Transparent modded Nintendo Game Boy

modder: Natalie the Nerd | @natalie.thenerd