Red/White and Metal/Wood CNC SNESp's

[Life of Brian]

On FedEx vehicle for delivery

It's almost here! I ordered from Pololu again.

[hailrazer]

Buy a CNC machine you cheap Bastage

[Life of Brian]

Missed the delivery on Saturday, but it should be coming by today. In the meantime, check out my webcam on UStream

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/snesp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Life of Brian]

THE CASE IS HERE! YAY!

Also, I'm broadcasting building in on UStream: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/snesp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Screen cap:

[Donalbain619]

LOB I'm watching you right now...On Ustream, not through binoculars in your bushes. That's on Thursday. Is this one gonna have internal batteries?

[Life of Brian]

Yup, going to run off of four AA batteries

Webcam action is over for tonight. Now, to post a writeup of what I've done so far!

[Life of Brian]

So, FedEx originally tried delivering my package on a Saturday when I was working. The driver did not leave a signature slip for me to sign for the next time they came around, and there was no location in my area to place a hold on my delivery so that I could go and just pick it up. Frustrated, I had to wait until my package was to be delivered on Tuesday. In the meantime, I did some prep to get ready for when the case arrived.







It's important to take notes before removing stuff - you might need it later! Sharpie on the board works pretty well, and when you're soldering you don't have to go digging through your notes to know what goes where:


I was killing time anyway, so why not color code my speakers?


I stole a couple of things from my prototype black/white CNC SNES portable, including the screen and controller IC:


AEI Comp screen. They're great, but not worth the price difference between them and what you can get on DealExtreme or Amazon:


^You can just disconnect the video adjust board and the screen defaults to a pretty good setting. Check out Rekarp's excellent tutorial on rewiring the control board if you'd like to fine tune your picture and cut down on space: http://www.longhornengineer.com/DIY/LCDhacking" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll be powering this sucker with a Texas Instruments PTN04050CAD (PDF datasheet here) and using 4 NiMH rechargeable AA batteries. The maximum voltage that the TI regulator can take is 5.5v, so using four 1.2v rechargeables = around 4.8v and the regulator is then able to give me a steady 5v output with around 90% efficiency. I'm also including a bridge rectifier to prevent anyone using a power jack with reversed polarity. Wikipedia link, in case you're unaware of such electronics majiks.

In this picture I've attached the regulator to the SNES's board with just some stiff wires:


At long last my package finally arrived!


Put on something good to watch on Hulu and got to work!










It's two-tone engraving plastic, so the top side is white with a red core. Engraved letters are then red


Massive amounts of masking tape removed:


Lots of itty bitty pieces - I wanted to experiment with making my own buttons, much like Ben does.


The screw holes match a size 6 screw JUST right. Screw one in for the first time and it creates its own threads in the hole.


Cartridge jack and battery compartment side walls:


It's coming together...


I'm pretty proud of how the battery compartment worked out. 3/4" is just the right clearance for a AA battery holder. Just drilled a couple of holes for each holder and screwed it right in place:






A tab was glued to the cover and the other end of it just screws into place:




Snug!




The cartridge jack cover/holder thing holds onto cartridges really well. I could turn the thing upside down and it wouldn't slip out! Not to say that it's too tight - I'd say it was just right.


Yes the cartridge sticks up beyond the case - it had to be done to make room for batteries without increasing the case thickness. Design decision, live with it.


Screen mounted on a 1/4" clear acrylic riser:


Made some standoffs for my controller boards using the acrylic. Also, there's enough room in this case revision to fit some PSOne speakers. Those things are great, and I've got a ton of them.


Like I said before, I experimented with making my own buttons. These are the standoffs to keep the buttons from sticking out too far from the front of the case:


Interesting how clear buttons = red buttons once glued to red plastic:






Screen bezel mounted to the front of the case:


Engraving detail shot:


It may look thick here, but total height is only 1.5" - well below many of Ben's famous portables.








Just holding the case up to see what it looks like with buttons in it for the first time:


And there you have it - my massive post about something which I'm sure I've obsessed over far longer than is healthy. I know there were a ton of pictures, but I personally prefer posts with tons of pics and info. Ben Heckendorn once told me at MGC that people only seem to care about posts with the flashy finished product. That may be accurate for the majority of casual internet viewers, but for something like these forums that doesn't hold true. If you're diving into forums trying to learn how to build this stuff, how better to learn and be inspired than to go into the small details? It's how I got started - by reading and practically memorizing Ben's book and joining these forums.

[jdmlight]

Holy epic case there. It's so professional-looking.

[Metallica Man X]

That case single handedly brought smexy back!

[Life of Brian]

Aaaaaand back in action: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/snesp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bino Gas]

That's a fine case thar. It's so beautiful.
I'm interested in the battery life you'll get with 4 AAs.

[eagle5953]

Really great project! Looks awesome.

[Life of Brian]

Working working working http://www.ustream.tv/channel/snesp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Life of Brian]

Well now, what could this be?

[Pkmnjunky7]

Well now, what could this be?

METAL SNES PORTABLE?!?!!?!? HOLY HEART ATTACK BATMAN!!!