The NEXT Bacteria project - The Interchangeable Multi-System

Limewater · Post by **Limewater** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:05 pm

How do you plan on handling trigger/shoulder buttons? Will you put them on the face as well, or will you go ahead and install the buttons as needed on your N64 and GBA bases?

Post by **Skyone** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:17 pm

Are you serious? You want to have the responsibility of charging every console base each time you want to play it instead of a universal battery? You also want to blow three or four times the money on separate cells?

I bid you good luck to an idea that has been revisited countless times, but I suggest you lay out your ideas more proficiently before you start.

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:14 pm

Skyone wrote:Are you serious? You want to have the responsibility of charging every console base each time you want to play it instead of a universal battery? You also want to blow three or four times the money on separate cells?

I bid you good luck to an idea that has been revisited countless times, but I suggest you lay out your ideas more proficiently before you start.

Skyone - You must have mis-read my post or only skim read the first part - I was saying about using two of the Li-ions in the system (c. 13,200mAh) and 7.2v which will run the screen and any of the systems I plug into it. This is universal battery power, so no console base will have any power needing recharge. I just need to be quite clever in my case making.

I will lay out my ideas in detail along with drawings and diagrams when I start the project properly, however if I do this at this stage I will get keen to start it before I finish my existing project; which I don't want to do, I want to finish my project in hand first before doing this new one.

Just because an idea has been visited countless times doesn't mean anything; just because people haven't made one to date doesn't mean one can't be made; sometimes it needs "thinking outside the box". I believe I can make one, have planned it in my head and believe I have the skills to finish this project, and I have in effect have laid my flag in the ground in stating the fact. Your skepticism will lighten when I start the project and you see how it progresses - I will give it my best shot anyway.

Limewater - The shoulder buttons will be part of the screen section, and universal, on the perspex (3mm thick) raising to house the console half.

I have all the components I need for this project first stage (inc N64): GameCube controllers so I can use the joystick on a third party N64 controller, perspex, tools, N64 memory cards, three spare N64's, flex, switches, several metres of wiring, PSone screen, fans, heatsinks, etc - all I need are the Li-ion cells and i'm ready.

kasar · Post by **kasar** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:36 pm

bacteria, some times I want to get your clever brain.

seriusly, nice work there.

for the moment I will be satisfied if my latopÂ´s batteries do not explode yet. ^^

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 2:20 am

kasar wrote:bacteria, some times I want to get your clever brain.

seriusly, nice work there.

for the moment I will be satisfied if my latopÂ´s batteries do not explode yet. ^^

Yes, I read your thread about the laptop batteries - may I suggest you test your laptop outside your house, just in case?? No one will thank you if your house goes up in flames!

kasar · Post by **kasar** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 9:58 am

bacteria wrote:I suggest you test your laptop outside your house, just in case?? No one will thank you if your house goes up in flames!

LOL

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:06 am

Arrgh, I knew this would happen, I really must be more focussed! I started to think about this project, and spent about 4 hours looking for batteries and mapping out how things will fit!

I will stop this now, I have to crack on with my GP2x project mod and get that done BEFORE doing my preparation work on this project!

Ok, thought these would be ideal:

I can get two of them in the system fine and will only stick out about 10mm or so from the back of the case (I will of course need to make them stick out of the system case part), the 10mm or so will provide a nice grip to remove them to recharge, and insert back.

I used a similar Li-ion cell I had, this one is taller, but same length and width than the ones I will get.

These cells are 7.4v and with two in parallel, 10,400mAh, and also lighter than my previous alternative by 100g, total 400g.

I can buy two chargers, they are cheap enough for it (so I can recharge both Li-ions at the same time).

Measurements: The pics below show I can get two of these Li-ions in the case (connector will be in the middle between them), N64 mobo, N64 controller, fan, N64 cart slot and half an N64 cart inside 210mm (I may make the case closer to 200mm BTW) and 240mm wide; I might be able to shave this down a bit too.

Anyway, you can see proof of concept. I just need to be very careful, and very flat and careful with my wiring, and careful in my planning. Other systems I make should be smaller than this, I started with the N64 one as this will be the most challenging of the systems.

I worked out, I will need a connector with 42 pins+ for all my connections. When I get to Maplins, I will have a look. The other alternative is to use a cart slot from the N64 (I have a spare one) for the connection and hack apart some crap N64 games for their connectors, wire this into the system case as the contacts - after all, the N64 cart slots easily into the cart slot, which is ideal (and cheap), and has many more than 42 connectors available!!

I will leave this now and get back to my GP2x mod now, otherwise I will divert....must try....

UPDATE (3rd Feb)

Ordered two of these batteries and a charger, I also ordered other parts needed for the project - 3mm and 2mm perspex (e-bay) and shrink tubing and other parts from Maplins.

I think I have all the bits I need now for this project, once they all arrive.

I might be able to start this in the next fortnight hopefully...

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:46 am

Ok, on schedule.

I have all the items I need for the project now, including the Li-ion camcorder cells. In process of charging them at the moment. I intend to use two in parallel; 7.4v, 4400mAh (they should have been 5200mAh as advertised, oh well - will give 8800mAh in total). I also got some fairly dark specked 160gsm paper for the project covering of this.

I have finished the GP2x project, and the shelving unit for my wife, so basically I just need to do some tidying up in my project room, then I can start work on this new project; tomorrow.

I will need to spend time working out diagrams, and I also need to experiment with using a GameCube controller on an N64 controller.

The Li-ions will stick out from the screen half and out of the system half; and anout 10mm further from the case (grip to remove it). The GameCube joystick will also stick out from the screen case into about 1/2 of the system case, I can't do much about this. Anyway, I need to spent preparation time on this project before I can get the dremel out.

When I start a new topic for this work, it will be in the N64 forum as my first project part will be for the N64, so please look out for it there. My first pics will be a template photo of my system design and an outline of what will do what in the universal cart pinout. It may not be until next week before I get to this stage, not sure yet. I intend to start the thread running, rather than at a very early stage.

After the screen and controls part is done, I will do the N64; then it is just a case of making new bolt-on systems; I will do a multi-game system, then the GBA & transverter system, then a SNES system and then MegaDrive. I have a MegaDrive and two games (had them for some time) and in process of getting some SNES games from e-bay - I just received a boxed version of Tetris Attack (one of my all-time favourites) and waiting for boxed version of Super Tennis; and I have some cart-only games of StarWing; there are others I intend to get - I will get a SNES or two from car boot sales, far cheaper than e-bay. I bought a Games Master adapter for Â£2 ($4) from a car boot sale last Sunday - allows for playing US and UK games; I bought it actually as it has a cart slot I can desolder and use for cart relocation.

I figured I can't start a new topic at this stage, too early (no pics/templates yet), but wanted you to know it is in hand and very much "systems go".

khaag · Post by **khaag** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:39 am

If I might make a few suggestions for the project:

I think instead of covering it all in paper after you are done, go for the glossy look. Before you start assembling the perspex with hotglue, spraypaint the back of the perspex. This way you will get that "ipod" look, and also, it won't scratch. For the screen section, mask off a 4"x3" square, and then paint it. Then, you won't have to cut anything out for the screen, and you'll have a built in screen protector.

Also, when you are doing the SNES portion, maybe use a FC Twin like I'm using in my SNESp project. That way you can kill 2 birds with one stone (SNES and NES) and it also uses less power than the SNES mini. Less power = more battery life.

Anyway, just a few thoughts. Good luck!

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:48 am

khaag -

It was me that did the reverse spray painting on perspex - my Nintendo 64 Advance!! That was my idea!!

I can't get an FC Twin cheaply, and the one linked to your topic is US, I need PAL. I'm not looking at NES, only SNES, so will probably just use a standard SNES console; nice and cheap if possible.

khaag wrote:If I might make a few suggestions for the project:

I think instead of covering it all in paper after you are done, go for the glossy look. Before you start assembling the perspex with hotglue, spraypaint the back of the perspex. This way you will get that "ipod" look, and also, it won't scratch. For the screen section, mask off a 4"x3" square, and then paint it. Then, you won't have to cut anything out for the screen, and you'll have a built in screen protector.

Also, when you are doing the SNES portion, maybe use a FC Twin like I'm using in my SNESp project. That way you can kill 2 birds with one stone (SNES and NES) and it also uses less power than the SNES mini. Less power = more battery life.

Anyway, just a few thoughts. Good luck!

khaag · Post by **khaag** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:59 am

Well I think you should do the reverse spray painting

It will look 10x better than just paper.

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:28 am

Interesting - I have both systems - textured coloured paper and the reverse spray painted perspex - the paper covered version looks far far better. I could make it either way, I prefer the paper method; it just means I need to varnish it before using, to resist fingermarks. As with my GP2x project, I would keep the screen under perspex to protect it - although I haven't decided if I should have the screen outside the casing (the paper will cover the silver edges of the screen). The screen would look nice either way. I need to decide!

I bought a PSone screen which didn't boot up; I figured if I short the fuse it might bring it back to life, (if not, I have a spare screen if one fails), otherwise I have 2 more unmodded PSone screens, I would use one of these for my project. I will have to experiment when I have time.

Tomorrow I will have some time for project thinking, after that it will me Monday.

Negative_Creep · Post by **Negative_Creep** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 12:53 pm

This is such a great idea

khaag · Post by **khaag** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:14 pm

I just got another idea. What if you did your paper design, but you could just do it on regualar white paper so you could print it on your inkjet printer, then spray a *light* coat of spray adhesive on the front of the design (the side with the picture on it) and then put that behind the perspex. This way you can have a printed design, with any color and graphics for the background, and fuse it with the glossy ipod look. Instant win. I did this on my MAME arcade cabinet for the marquee; the spray adhesive dries clear and it holds it really well.

bacteria · Post by **bacteria** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:56 pm

khaag - Yes, that would work but there is a good chance that some areas of the paper would be darker than others from the glue - trade-off between having enough spray glue on a surface to stick firmly but not too much to leave residue. It would be far more critical on a case as you are looking directly at it at short range, rather than a marquee on an arcade cabinet, where it is decor at a further distance. Appreciate the thought anyway.

I still prefer the paper outside; and this way I can have the paper covering the tact switches directly, invisibly - works really well on the GP2x shoulder buttons on my project mod - discreet, easy to press.