Game Boy Zero - Gaboze Pocaio

[Helder]

Time is the killer in most of these projects, my plate is already full and to add more means things will be delayed that is currently on a late schedule already. The other factor is getting parts shipped to us after a week of fabrication and then shipping it to the other person for them test as well.

The mintyPi project took me a few iterations and not to mention a few hundred dollars in parts and boards during prototyping and that took a few weeks to a month of playing the waiting game.

[32teeth]

ooh nice one. if poss, can you trim off as much superfluous board from the bottom below the start select buttons so I can get 2 copies on a 100x100mm panel? (a height of about 48/49 mm would be perfect. enough to fit some mousebites between them)

Hey,
apologies for the delay.

Finally had some time and updated the files in my https://github.com/32teeth/GameboyZeroPocket

[RxBrad]

Nice. I'm tempted to do a project with this instead of the GBA one I'd been thinking of...

I'm curious what the micro USB port is for. Connection to the Pi? Power? Are there solder points if you don't want to use the port?

EDIT: I bet it's for programming the Arduino, isn't it? That's a nice idea.

[abrugsch]

Finally had some time and updated the files in my https://github.com/32teeth/GameboyZeroPocket

Awesome!
though I'm not entirely sure, but it looks like your button landing zones don't have holes in the soldermask...

[32teeth]

Finally had some time and updated the files in my https://github.com/32teeth/GameboyZeroPocket

Awesome!
though I'm not entirely sure, but it looks like your button landing zones don't have holes in the soldermask...

If you mean for the 'x' and 'y' button, correct.
I've only finished the hand routing this morning ;P

reference

gameboypocket.jpeg (1.26 MiB) Viewed 5859 times

in the file above, you will notice that by adding the x and y buttons, you will lose the cartridge connection

[abrugsch]

no, i meant the main D-pad and A,B



I love the curved traces on the original PCB. really suggests it was hand "drawn"

[32teeth]

no, i meant the main D-pad and A,B

I love the curved traces on the original PCB. really suggests it was hand "drawn"

Indeed.
I removed a few of them, will put them back (they are the mounts from the inside of the battery pack (doh)

[32teeth]

Maybe once the mintyPi stuff cools down I can revisit this since I already have a plain PCB for buttons but I don't want to hog all the work that 32teeth has already put into it. Competition and choices for the community is always a good thing and I didn't forget about abrugsch who plans to do a board as well.

Hog away, as much help / suggestion / collaboration is more than welcome.
I'd love to work with both Helder and Kite for their insights and learning and maybe, maybe one day a SAIO for the GBP!

[32teeth]

Quick question for the folks out there
I added a solder mask with the break out sections identified

They are:

• shoulder buttons (L1/2 and R1/2)
  USB native
  USB breakout
  Additional Analog Pins (usable if you need to do something else

Your feedback

Would you like to see

• Analog Breakout for Analog sticks?
  USB breakout with D+/- or Green/White (wire color instead of intent)

Let me know your thoughts

GBZP.jpg (507.74 KiB) Viewed 6423 times

GitHub updated as well

[goosewerks]

That looks great! All those features in a PCB would make it much easier to cram into the smaller shell. I was hoping for just a generic button PCB.