CRT-Based Portable.

warmachine · Post by **warmachine** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 2:40 am

Yes, you read right; I have decided to build a CRT portable. The idea hit me when I was repairing my Commodore SX-64, which uses a 5" color monitor that, get this, accepts S-Video (according to the SX's schematics). The CRT itself weighs a few pounds (probably eight or nine - the whole unit weighs twenty-five, and the chassis is aluminium, so that means it's the internal components that comprise most of that weight) so I figure it will be fairly heavy. This won't be so much a handheld portable as it will a built-in TV/System unit. I've opted for a SNES portable, but am open to suggestions. Actually, this would make a good poll: what system should I put in this thing?

+NES
+SNES
+Genesis
+N64
+PS2

I won't be using my SX-64's monitor (this SX is in near mint condition, and runs excellently now that it's been cleaned up/out), but instead will be purchasing another SX-64 off of eBay (preferably broken, which means it can be used for parts later). Also, due to power constraints, this thing will have it's own power supply that plugs in to a wall. Batteries would be a joke when used in conjunction with a CRT, so they are completely out of the question. And for those of you that doubt using a CRT this small, that little screen is crisp. I had Maniac Mansion and Flight Simulator running on it earlier and it's very clear, just slightly smaller than a normal television.

[EDIT] I won't be using the SX's old case; this thing will rest forever in a sleek, jet black, machine cut plastic case.

[EDIT] Removed PS1 from the above list. What was I thinking?

Felino · Post by **Felino** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:20 am

You will probably kill yourself in the process. Honestly, don't mess with crts.

Post by **bicostp** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 8:25 am

Messing with CRTs is perfectly save if you know what you're doing. If you don't care about it and just want the electronics (ie salvaging a broken TV), you can pull the board off the end of the tube and break the little tip. Wait a few minutes for air to fill the tube, and all the capacitance is gone. (Apparently the tube itself is the super-dangerous capacitor.) Don't hold me to this, it's just what we did with the neighbor's dead TV.

Isn't the SX64 big enough to put in several systems? I would definitely throw in a PS2; you can hide the disc tray behind one of the floppy drives. That will make adding a PSone idiotic... The other selections are up to you.

I'm not responsible if you screw up and kill yourself while playing with a CRT.

Edutainment · Post by **Edutainment** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:21 am

CRT capacitance wisdom:

http://www.afrotechmods.com/reallycheap/Jacob/jacob.htm

Anywho...

warmachine · Post by **warmachine** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:23 am

I do know what I'm doing with CRTs, and bicostp's right - it's safe if you know how to handle them. The SX-64's case is roughly (no tape on hand) 1.5' wide, 2' deep, and 5" tall. I want to reduce that to just the dimensions of the tube and console plus power supply. I'll post some pictures tomorrow of the tube so you can see its size in comparison with the unit as a whole.

dudex77 · Post by **dudex77** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 10:51 am

when i was 8 i tood a hammer and busted open a nice old 20 inch crt screen that i figured was being thrown away and i did not die so go me, but then the guy came out and started yelling at me and my friends claiming it was for charity but comeon who leaves a crappy probably broken old tv out next to their trash can for 3 days for charity

daguuy · Post by **daguuy** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 11:24 am

If you're going to use a CRT and wall plug, you may as well just hook up a console to a TV

Post by **Triton** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 12:43 pm

older sony watchmans are CRT based, about 2.2" viewable black and white, pretty damn nice picture quality tho

warmachine · Post by **warmachine** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:49 pm

Triton wrote:older sony watchmans are CRT based, about 2.2" viewable black and white, pretty damn nice picture quality tho

I briefly considered using a Watchman, for the sake of size and battery. I believe I still have one lying around here that I purchased ages ago at a swap meet - excellent picture quality, considering the age. I'll scan a sketch of my design in later this evening; I would now, but I have a choir performance to attend in Waco (a good hour and a half away) and I have to leave momentarily.

dudex77 · Post by **dudex77** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:56 pm

You know i think a couple of consoles were like sold like this, i know the dreamcast was.

ganonbanned · Post by **ganonbanned** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:15 pm

the hell's a CRT?

cathode ray tube?

Rekarp · Post by **Rekarp** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 3:23 pm

ganonbanned wrote:the hell's a CRT?

cathode ray tube?

yes.

Cool idea for a portable. Much like the Vectrex console back in the days. Only problem I see if power consumption. But never the less. Rock on.

Post by **Sparkfist** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:17 pm

Well it might be a nice idea, to be blunt, the SX is about as portable as the Osborne in my basement. Lugging around a system that requires a wall outlet really isn't a portable these days. I'm not saying that would look cool, cool like a modern remade of the Classic Macintosh. But not really a piratical portable.

warmachine · Post by **warmachine** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 4:33 am

Eh, I'm not really going for practicality here; more novelty than anything else. And I think I was a little hazy on detailing what I was doing: I'm not using the enormous SX case, just the monitor from inside it. The monitor will be housed in a much smaller, professionally cut plastic case. Above the monitor will probably go an SNES (unless I decide otherwise; when I do have a decision, a mod can move this thread over to the appropriate forum) and behind the monitor will go a power supply. Again, this is to portable gaming what the Osborne, Kaypro, Tandy 4P, and SX-64 were to portable computing - 25lb machines that were more novelty than purposeful. While the system will have A/V outputs on the back, I'm gearing it to run primarily off of the 5" screen. That's the talking point here, cramming a system, tube, and power supply into as small a case as possible, and sitting it on my coffee table. This is more an adventure in art than it is a gaming mod.

nightwheel · Post by **nightwheel** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:39 am

Don't CRT contain Mercry