NDS lcd & touchscreen outputs? I work with disabled...

sam fisher · Post by **sam fisher** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 3:59 pm

thats just tv out. They still need big touch screen too

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 4:01 pm

x24 wrote:Somehow nintendo has done it at the nintendostore in nyc (they have two tv screens above playable ds') so its possible somehow..

Obviously it's possible for Nintendo, because it's their stuff. It's just that you can't do it without extensive knowledge of the product, and reverse engineering.

djdoc · Post by **djdoc** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:22 pm

Thanks for all the suggestions. And the nice things you said. It's a really fun job. I wish I had a rehab engineering dept like I had back when I was training at Michigan. I have an engineering background, but it's EE/CS, and I'm not really a soldering iron kind of guy unless it's REALLY baic.

I was looking at the problem from a multiple standpoints just doing basic web searches, hoping that somebody might have already taken apart the DS, and I've really only seen Lik San site with the pics of the guts open.

The approaches I thought about were:

1) intercept signal to LCD and output it to a blackbox component in some other consumer electronic device that normally outputs RF to TV or outputs video. I figured that some other consumer electronic device might exist that uses same display (e.g. a small camcorder), that processes a signal going to LCD and goes to video out. Maybe there's even something off the shelf... Actually for all I know, maybe the device already has an RF signal produced, then converts it back for the display (given that the top display at least supposedly gives off noise that can interfere with a monitor, maybe that is the case, does somebody here know how that hardware is set up in the DS?)

For the touch screen to the DS, there must be some stage in the NDS at which the touchpad (analog) output is converted to an X voltage and Y voltage... (I don't know much about touchpads), and that I could take a larger touchpad (or even digitizer tablet) to produce an X and Y voltage that could be scaled down (or something).

2) Emulator option... don't know what's out there.

3) Cheat the program by putting a camera on the display and projecting it, then you only have to solve the touch screen half of the problem...

4) Isn't there a DEVELOPER platform for this somewhere? Don't they license out some sort of development platform? Something must exist somewhere.

I was hoping that somebody had dissected one of these bad boys and knew exactly what comes out of the graphics memory... What other consumer electronics device uses that same graphics controller?

We've got two identical screens, the mention that I read that some DS's interfere with monitors or TVs gave me a glimmer of hope that there is a drive signal in there somewhere that could drive a monitor... There has to be somebody who's taken these apart completely...

I'll try to contact Nintendo about this (and about the idea of having them on the Oncology ward, because I really think that kids would benefit from having "virtual pet therapy", especially because when their immune counts are low, they can't have regular "pet therapy"...)

I'm not sure who to contact directly. If anybody has any ideas, much appreciated.

-Duk
rehabdoc@gmail.com

djdoc · Post by **djdoc** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:28 pm

x24 wrote:Somehow nintendo has done it at the nintendostore in nyc (they have two tv screens above playable ds') so its possible somehow..

Thanks.

I'm thinking that probably means that the hardware to do it is probably off the shelf and relatively easy, as I suspected. The touch screen part has GOT to be basic, because ultimately the hardware A/D somewhere must take an analog voltage or something.

After hearing everything here, I think it's got to be easy for people who know the basics about the hardware.

I still need to contact Nintendo regardless, about virtual pet therapy.

-Duk
rehabdoc@gmail.com

madc0w · Post by **madc0w** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 5:39 pm

i remember something on hackaday showing how a ds disrupts screens and will desplay its output on one of those casio screens. hmmmm....

vb_master · Post by **vb_master** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 6:01 pm

The top screen emits UHF, you could try to get that to work out in your advantage.

*o* · Post by ***o*** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 6:01 pm

maybe oyu could use an emulator and a full sized computer touch screen?

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 6:10 pm

Like I said, contact Nintendo head office, and request contact information for the head of R&D, and their head of public relations.

Also, Nintendo got the DS onto big screen with a specially made AV adaptor, which they created.

If you try doing this yourself, the hardware won't be cheap, plus there is a high chance of making a mistake and messing up the DS, which means that this will get extremely expensive. If you can talk Nintendo into doing this, they will probably give the center some free systems, in exchange for telling people that they did it for you. Like I mentioned, large companies like Nintendo love opertunities like this to get more public recognition.

*o* wrote:maybe oyu could use an emulator and a full sized computer touch screen?

There's no properly working DS emulators yet.

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 6:11 pm

Edit:

NiN^_^NiN · Post by **NiN^_^NiN** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 6:55 am

Hey Dr Doc

What you should look at is touchscreen games for the PC and the like

Over at www.arcadecontrols.com forum we were building a arcade controller for a disabled person (we lost contact with him but the design is there) and we actually expanded the idea of disabled people and have created 1 button games etc.

here is a link to uing then namco in 1 machines for a disabled person

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=31232.0

Also for emulators u can use mame and snes and nes and use the touchscreen for gun games

Anygame that requires the mouse to be moved and pushed can be used in a touchscreen like a wach-a-mole game or a light gun game

Also check out

http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/

If u need any help with setting up a game for a disabled person or anything im happy to help

Also for the people with deformed arms but with good motor skills u can use the DDR dance mats with a playstation

Or for people who can't use their legs for DDR u can try games like kongo bongo etc (drum games)

Harshboy · Post by **Harshboy** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 1:40 pm

if u take a cable cable and put it on the back of the ds, it sends a signal to the tv...and smart boards are cool! You should ask nintendo themselves about the lcd thing, its for a good cause so i dont see why they wouldnt tell you or help.

O yeah, ur a good person!

Reaperman@home · Post by **Reaperman@home** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 1:57 pm

I'm positive nintendo itself made 'more accessable' options for NES and SNES--even going as far as a hands-free unit, they may have continued this and already have something. I also doubt their dev kits are hand held since the suicide rate among developers is low, so even if they don't have a handicapped solution, they probably already have something larger.

third party options seem to end with N64.

otherwise you will be interpreting digital RGB signals and the touch grid, which will be hardware intensive. Your local tech school may have an electronic technician or engineering class that's up to the job--and it will probably take the whole class.

as for contacting NOA:

Nintendo of America
PO Box 957
Redmond, WA 98073

it's really NOJ that you need, but they may be able to help.