gbpxl Enables Your Game Boy Camera to Work with Modern Thermal Printers
This adapter converts any ESC/POS printer with an RS232 interface into a Game Boy Printer.
The Game Boy Printer was released for the original handheld console back in 1998 and was meant to be used in conjunction with the Game Boy Camera, which enabled it to take real world and in-game pictures. Production ceased in 2003, and although you can still get a used printer, others have chosen to design interfaces that would allow the Game Boy to utilize other printing platforms, which is what Vaclav Mach (xx0x) did with his gbpxl (Game Boy Printer XL) adapter.
Vaclav describes his gbpxl as “a small device, which plugs directly into a point of sale printer and which simulates the original Game Boy Printer. Originally intended for Epson TM-T88 family, but after adding various modes, it should be now compatible with most of ESC/POS thermal printers with RS232 serial interface, with support for both 80mm and 58mm sizes.”
The gbpxl was developed using an ATmega4809 microcontroller that Vaclav programmed to work with several different ESC/POS printers, including the Epson TM-T88III, Epson TM-T88IV, Wincor Nixdorf TH230, and HPRT PPTII-A. An onboard DIP switch lets users engage those different printers by configuring the scale, cut, baud rate, and method for each of them.
Vaclav is currently offering the gbpxl in kit form on Tindie for $20, which comes with all the necessary parts to get up and running, including a custom PCB with preprogrammed ATmega4809 MCU, a power cable, and Game Boy link cable. He has also uploaded the schematics, code, and BOM on his GitHub page for those who would like to recreate his build.