GB Test Lab is a diagnostic cartridge project for the original DMG-01 Game Boy. Its quick check runs memory, cartridge-slot, interrupt and system tests in under a minute, according to creator Marcel Pflug, and reports PASSED, FAILED or INCOMPLETE. It can help identify some faults, but it cannot certify the whole console: several important components are outside the software’s reach.
What GB Test Lab checks
The first public version was released in September 2026. Pflug describes it as a diagnostic cartridge that examines the console it is running on and displays measurements and findings. The project targets the original DMG-01 only; it is not intended for a Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance or later model.
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The quick check
The quick check runs memory, cartridge-slot, interrupt and system checks in sequence. Its three results distinguish a successful run from a failure and a test that did not run: INCOMPLETE means a check was not performed, not that it failed. Pflug says the run takes under a minute.
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Additional tests
The broader menu includes button contact-bounce measurements, more memory and sprite-transfer checks, interrupt tests, and named cartridge-slot address and data line checks. It can repeat slot testing while the user gently moves the cartridge, and it includes checks of a cartridge board’s mapper and memory. Other features include link-port tests, burn-in testing and visual display patterns.
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With two consoles connected by a link cable, a screen compares their crystal timing. Printer screens check communication and selected printer functions. Some checks produce measurements; display patterns and other interactive steps still require a person to inspect the screen or operate the hardware.
What you need to run it on a real Game Boy
Pflug specifies a flash cartridge that supports MBC5 and 256 KB. A cartridge with a more limited mapper or memory capacity may show a black screen. Check both specifications before using or buying a flash cartridge for this project; the source does not establish compatibility for a particular EverDrive model.
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The optional two-console cable test requires a second Game Boy, a link cable and a second copy of the cartridge. Printing reports requires a Game Boy Printer and thermal paper. That printing path is a legacy-hardware option rather than an easy default: Pflug notes that Game Boy Printer paper has not been manufactured since the turn of the century.
Using the browser version
The creator also offers a browser version and a downloadable ROM. The browser version can show the interface, but emulation cannot reproduce mechanical button contact bounce. Nor can it test a physical link port or printer when those devices are absent. An emulator result therefore says nothing about the condition of an original console’s physical inputs or ports.
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What a pass does—and does not—tell you
A PASSED quick check applies only to its four constituent tests. Pflug explicitly warns that a console may pass and still have problems such as a dead speaker or scratched screen. The DMG-01 does not give the software access to every condition a person may want to assess.
- The console has no analogue-to-digital converter for the program to read voltage.
- Software cannot read the contrast or volume wheels, and the console cannot read back the image it displays.
- The speaker, amplifier and headphone socket are beyond the software-reachable registers.
Display patterns and some interactive tests require human observation or input; treat those as observations, not automatically measured findings. The two-console crystal comparison is relative: it shows how the consoles’ timing differs, but cannot identify which one is out of specification without an additional reference.
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How to interpret the timing figures
The timing values below are figures reported by Pflug in the project article, not independent validation or general specifications for every Game Boy.
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|---|---|
| About 30 milliseconds | The button-bounce observation window described in the project’s methodology. |
| About 3.5 seconds | The timed interval used for the linked-console crystal comparison. |
| About 4 parts per million | Estimated timing uncertainty for that comparison. |
| About 100 parts per million | A possible difference between two healthy crystals of the same grade, as described in the article. |
| Under 200 parts per million | The comparison range the test labels as matched. |
Those figures explain the project’s own method; they do not turn the relative comparison into a calibration against an external time reference.
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