I decided to change the main power LED from the standard orange to a white one. In my opinion, a bright white light looks way better and more modern on the black GameCube.
While doing so, I also replaced the hardwired battery with a battery socket and a fresh CR2032 battery. The batteries in GameCubes handle the internal clock and date settings and are depleted and stop working over time, and therefore I took care of this issue before it appeared.
Both mods are performed in the same area and are quite easy to do.
The mod is simple to perform. First remove the 4 (4.5 mm) gamebit screws. Lift the top of the GameCube and focus on the front panel of the console. This panel can be tilted forward and is held in place by clips on both sides but is easy to unclip.
After that, remove the ribbon cable and the 2 Phillips screws holding the PCB to the front plastic plate.
Desolder the 2 x 2 points where the LED and battery are mounted. Clean up the holes (I used desoldering wick) and mount the new LED and the battery holder. Remember to place the LED in the correct direction (long leg (+) towards the battery). Similarly, the direction of the battery holder does also matter, so remember to mount that as shown in the picture.
After soldering the LED and battery holder in place, add a CR2032 battery to the holder and reassemble the GameCube again.
