ok so ive been working on this for about a month now and got some good progress. after 2 fried N64 boards i finally got it all wired up. just working on building my case now.
here is the cartridge slot wired up and the bare board
power regulator wired up
slimmed down the controller ports a bit
my arcade joystick
hooked up power input
hooked up A/V input
Led modded Zenith screen
everything hooked up and working
currently working on top part of laptop to hold screen
all thats left to do is build bottom part of case and mount it all inside
Need shades to look at that! Was the paint still wet in those pictures? Using darker, glossier colors shows flaws badly so I hope it isn't quite that shiny when finished. Looks great though! Have you started the bottom yet?
Current projects:
Ultimate N64 Guide
N64 Portable (x2)
NES Portable
i used car paint so its really gonna shine, and hard =) and yeh im building the bottom now, out of aluminum, should be ready for paint in a few days, after i cut out all my holes for buttons, switches, etc...
To me, the main point of making a system with a fold-down screen (can't call it a laptop as there is no keyboard) is not only to protect the screen and have a nice closeable lid but also to have a much bigger screen. Having the two sections basically makes the system twice the size after all, so having the screen in such a large surround makes the screen look small.
You could make the screen fold-down top 160 x 140mm to take the screen section (1/2" thick) and the system base the same size to take the N64 mobo and controls and make it handheld. Everything would fit nicely and be literally half the size of your system.
bacteria wrote:...(can't call it a laptop as there is no keyboard)...
I have to disagree: Having a keyboard or not doesn't make it a laptop or not. It sits on top of your lap. Therefore (By logical deducing), its a laptop. If you're saying that a keyboard is what defines it, then you could theoretically say that a handheld with a built in mini-keyboard would be a laptop. Its a laptop-style case. Thus: It is a laptop.
This is a great start, newguy. I got to pretty much the point you are now before running out of cash (And I just recently found out that some damages happened to my cartslot relocation from moving the project around. I need to start completely over.). Good luck.
Having the two sections basically makes the system twice the size after all, so having the screen in such a large surround makes the screen look small
i couldnt find any 4:3 ratio screens that were thin enough to use for this project and cost under $100, im on a budget here. all i can find for LCD screens were 16:9 ratio. and a 8" 16:9 is about the same size as a 5" if you have a 4:3 picture coming from it, jst with more wasted space or a stretched image. only larger screens i found were over $100 and to me not worth it.
nice progress , what battery packs you will use?
im using a 7.4v 4400mah li-ion. should get me about 3 1/2 hours, i think.
and the point, to me, in making it a "laptop" portable is because i want arcade controls on it. i wanted my portable to be a little bit different than the others. i like to set myself apart, but thats just me.
bacteria wrote:To me, the main point of making a system with a fold-down screen (can't call it a laptop as there is no keyboard) is not only to protect the screen and have a nice closeable lid but also to have a much bigger screen. Having the two sections basically makes the system twice the size after all, so having the screen in such a large surround makes the screen look small.
Perhaps if its not a laptop then it should be called a clamshell?
I have to agree with you about the point of making a laptop style portable after making one myself. I would also say that you should make a laptop style portable when the parts would make the portable too heavy to carry e.g. xbox 360 and PS3. With a laptop the portable can rest on your knees instead of having to be supported by your hands.
One great thing about a laptop is the ability to easily use external controllers without having to prop up your portable on anything. That said when I redo my N64p its not going to be a laptop/clamshell but a regular handheld with a vacuum formed case.
Clamshell seems accurate as a description. If the definition of a laptop was something that sits on your lap, then "lap dancers" would be called "laptops" and so would hundreds of other things too, like a dinner tray.
I wasn't suggesting getting a big screen (unless you had one), just making the casing much smaller so the PSone screen appears bigger by having a smaller surround. It should be possible to make a design where the two halves of the clamshell are 160 x 140mm.
Have a look on e-bay for "dvd portable faulty" or "dvd portable spares" for one with a big screen (8" or 9" or 10") and 4:3 aspect (there are some); and take composite input. You should get one for about the cost of a PSone screen ($20-$50); and half of the clamshell is already made for you!
and so would hundreds of other things too, like a dinner tray.
Need shades to look at that! Was the paint still wet in those pictures? Using darker, glossier colors shows flaws badly so I hope it isn't quite that shiny when finished. Looks great though! Have you started the bottom yet?
, what battery packs you will use?
