Making my first portable!

Spazmonkey · Post by **Spazmonkey** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:48 pm

So, I just signed up today after finding out about the book that sparked it all. Amazing community you guys have here, and I can't wait to get started making things car ride compatible.

Now that introductions are out of the way, I want to make my friend a portable SNES for a birthday present, as it would be unique, and totally rad. So, I was looking around, and I saw the retro duo, and deemed it worthy, as the boards are small, and I theoretically could have both slots and enable NES and SNES capabilities.

So, if someone could point me towards a guide that utilizes this console, or could tell a console that is better suited to making portable, I would truly appreciate it. Thanks guys!

mothatrucka · Post by **mothatrucka** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:52 pm

I'd recommend Lovablechevy's work log. She hasn't finished the case, but the electronics were pretty much done. She's also willing to answer any questions you may have.

http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?t=23372

Spazmonkey · Post by **Spazmonkey** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 10:00 pm

Okay, a preliminary look at the "guide", I looked at the case that was used.

http://www.polycase.com/item/zn-40.html

May seem like a dumb question, but do I get the flush/textured, or the smooth/recessed version?

mothatrucka · Post by **mothatrucka** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 10:05 pm

Whatever you want. It's a matter of personal preference. You'd be cutting out a lot of that area for the screen anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

lovablechevy · Post by **lovablechevy** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:42 pm

just so you know, the reason i haven't finished is cuz it's way hard to get everything to fit in this case. just make sure you know what all is going in it before you order your case. i'm gonna have to do some amazing trickery to get it all to work. but, i have finally figured out how. also, the zn-40 case requires a lot of work to get it to look nice.

just thought you might like to know!

and if you do go with the zn-40, get the flush/textured case.

Spazmonkey · Post by **Spazmonkey** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 11:16 am

Hmm, is there a slightly bigger case that could be used, one that would require a little less, fanagling to get to work? Or do you think that if I follow your work log close enough I could get it to work out fine?

mothatrucka · Post by **mothatrucka** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 11:39 am

I believe the next size up is the ZN-45. Here's the page for it...

http://www.polycase.com/item/zn-45.html

Only size difference is that this one is thicker.

Spazmonkey · Post by **Spazmonkey** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 11:54 am

Wow, okay, that ones looks like it would mitigate any problems chevy was having, unless they were lengthwise problems. Thanks for the help. Hopefully I can finish this before school starts up.

lovablechevy · Post by **lovablechevy** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:26 pm

Spazmonkey wrote:Wow, okay, that ones looks like it would mitigate any problems chevy was having, unless they were lengthwise problems. Thanks for the help. Hopefully I can finish this before school starts up.

yeah, the only problem is thickness. i need about 1/4-1/2" more room. but, i got it figured out. after the contest, i'll finish it up and post what i did.

good luck! remember to take lots of wip pics!

Spazmonkey · Post by **Spazmonkey** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:37 pm

Yeah, I read your guide, so I'm going to go with the bigger one that was mentioned. It's thicker, so that snes cart will fit right in there. Also, I can do this with just the retro duo right? I noticed you switched the SNES side with an FC dual/duo or whatever.

lovablechevy · Post by **lovablechevy** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:43 pm

Spazmonkey wrote:Yeah, I read your guide, so I'm going to go with the bigger one that was mentioned. It's thicker, so that snes cart will fit right in there. Also, I can do this with just the retro duo right? I noticed you switched the SNES side with an FC dual/duo or whatever.

well, i only switched the cart slot. and the only reason i did that is cuz i accidentally broke the retro duo's snes cart slot when desoldering it. i relocated it 2 times and it wouldn't work. i must have snapped some pins. that's why i changed it to the fc twin's slot. the boards are only retro duo. you can do it with any of the 3: retro duo, fc twin, or fc dual. i would recommend the retro duo, tho, since it seems to have the best compatibility.

don't hesitate to ask any questions! glad to see my unfinished wip is helping someone else. all i ask is you don't call it the handyduo!

Spazmonkey · Post by **Spazmonkey** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:48 pm

I dunno if it will have a name, I just wanna get it done. I don't think I'm going to be as case picky either. I think my friend will flip over the sheer fact I made a SNES portable, much less a SNES and an NES. Also, I will pretty much be following your guide to the letter, as I really have no clue how to go about a project like this. Thanks for all the help!

palmertech · Post by **palmertech** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:22 pm

I don't know how much you normally spend on birthday presents... But something to keep in mind is that making a portable SNES is going to cost quite a bit of money.

Absolute bare minimum prices (These assume that you get the lowest price that is even possible on every single one of the parts, a lot of the time you can expect to spend nearly double, normal prices in quotes, including shipping)

Case: Free sample ($12)
SNES clone: $40 ($50)
Screen: $22 ($45)
Batteries: $24 ($35)
Charger: $9 ($16)
Assorted bits and bobs: $20 ($30 to $300, depending on the bits.

)
Time to build: Priceless ($0 if you are doing it yourself)

A lot of people assume that an SNES portable or NES portable is going to be cheap due to how old the game console is, but expect to spend at least $150 for parts on this. More if you break stuff.

Lovablechevy, your WIP is also helping me. I started an SNES/NES portable, and the help your guide gives is indispensable.

Spazmonkey · Post by **Spazmonkey** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:31 pm

Yup, sounds about right, I wanna spend close to 200 bucks, so 150 plus some games would be perfect.

Post by **Triton** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 8:38 pm

well, i only switched the cart slot. and the only reason i did that is cuz i accidentally broke the retro duo's snes cart slot when desoldering it

the retro duo slot isnt worth a crap anyway, i replaced it because it sucked so much, it was so hard to get the carts out after you put them in i was concerned about damaging my wiring etc in the portable from having to apply undue force to the system to remove the games! plus i already had a slot wired up to use lol

if you have any questions and want to talk about portables you can feel free to contact me on AIM or MSN messenger, my contact links are right here