Newbie wants some supply info to get started

[mrstaplez]

Hello awesome modding people,

I'm getting ready to start my first portable project, a portable N64, I'm trying to make sure I have all the materials together before I rip my beloved piece of hardware apart. I've been looking on this forum, bacteria's guide, and other places; but I still have some questions, here they are:

1. I plan on using a Gamecube Screen as opposed to the standard PS1 because I have it lying around, will the wiring be terribly different? I also believe its 12v to power (because a post on this forum said so) yet I also heard someone say in a different thread they used a less voltage battery to power it (7.4). Is that possible? (I haven't had a chance to take an electronics class, so plz forgive dumb questions.) I ask this because I'd like to use a 9.6 standard rechargeable racecar battery for my old x wing remote controled car. Do I need a different battery? If thats so, any suggestions? Or am I getting the voltage wrong? Do I have to take apart the screen and get out a multimeter, before I have an idea about batteries? Or does lower voltage matter?
2. My other problem apart from batteries is deciding on the case. I may go with the thick ZN-45, as everyone says its easy and I just want something decent I can bring to the airport and mess around with on the couch. I also thought about using an old data switcher. The thing is, its metal. So my question is, weight aside, is a metal case not a good idea because of heat? And is the ZN-45 too big, or would it make a decent portable for me to PLAY and not really show off?
3. What kind of wiring should I get? I've heard to grab a couple different colors, but are their different types, and a specific kind I should use? I'm planning on getting IDE-type ribbon cable to finish up my MAME arcade cabinet (awesome project to try btw, mines not completely MAME like others because I wanted all legal ROM's, so I used freeware games plus the legal ones MAME supplies on their site). Do I know what IDE type ribbon cable is? No. I have an idea, because I've seen how the keyboard hack I'm going to be doing works. I'm hoping Mr. Radioshack man will know the rest until I gain some more experience with hardware. Will this wire work for my N64 portable too, after I complete the keyboard hack and gain some experience in soddering?
4. LASTLY (man, I'm longwinded) What the heck is the deal with memory cards on this thing? I've heard people use chips instead of the memory cards that used to plug into the controlers. Will I be needing to buy something for this purpose? or can i incorporate my old memory cards in?

Thanks for helping the newbie, people on the Playstation homebrew and modding forums usually just kick us to the curb

~Mrstaplez

[GeckoLink]

yes you probity can use a GameCube screen but you would have to do a bit of screen hacking. Also dont worry about the mem card thing just use the regular one.

[Basement_Modder]

I recently have experimented with an intec gamecube screen I got for a mere $6.00, and have found it runs happily on 7.4v

[mrstaplez]

thanks, thats helpful. Should I run it directly off the battery or through a converter? and, what wires do i connect the positive and negative wires from the battery to? Taking a look at the circuit board, I'd take a guess at the blue and black ones, as the rest are vid and audio and the last one too thin.

[Basement_Modder]

Yes, the blue and black ones.

[mrstaplez]

In Bacteria's video log, he used a multi port from the PS1 screen to hook up a DC plug and recharge the batteries. Any idea how I could do something simular? My batteries are 9.6v NiCd battery packs. How should I try to recharge them if they're wired to the system?

The NiCd batteries I'm planning on using is just the standard RC battery- the kind wrapped in red/blue plastic (looks kinda like a hunk of 6 aa's wrapped together) with one red and one black wire coming out into a white plug, which in turn i can plug into a DC adapter into the wall. Would red be postive and black be negative btw? do I just have to take the plastic plug off and wire those where they need to go?

Thanks again,

~mrstaplez