What Happens When You Install a GBA SP Battery Backwards? (It Blows Fuse F2)
Channel: makho
Date: 14/05/2020

If you've ever mistakenly connected the battery backwards in a Game Boy console, this issue has likely happened to you. On the GBA SP in particular, the fuse located at F2 (under the A button on the front of the board) is what blows. This part commits sudoku in order to prevent your battery from exploding and to prevent the CPU from melting down. It's a disgustingly cheap part and very easy to replace. DO NOT BYPASS IT OR JUST SHORT IT OUT! 

The replacement part you need is an 0603 surface mount fuse anywhere from 250mA to 1.25A. 250mA will work but on some consoles with a lot of mods (like an IPS screen), high brightness and a flash cart could potentially trip a fuse as low as 250mA just with normal use. 500mA or 750mA would be better. The stock fuse should be about 1.25mA. 

Check out this part as an example of what you need (may be cheaper on ebay/aliexpress/mouser/arrow/whatever): https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/bel-fuse-inc/0686F0500-01/507-2156-1-ND/7427708

Want to build your own mod SP battery? Check out this video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnONhSVvpA