Tutorial 3 - q & my 2 cents

[yaniv]

Just finished up part 3, thanks for another great tut!

General question:
- What are the ideal settings for the screen ( I guess it's user pref, but i mean in terms of battery life etc) for brightness, color etc etc?

Few things I thought I'd mention based on what I did:
- couldn't find anything close to that mounting plate so just got a metal plate from home depot that I dremel'ed down to size (def protect your eyes here!)
- Instead of perf board, I used my pet supermarket card haha - it's not pretty but hey it worked! attached the pic for some laughs.
- definitely make sure you have a compatible sd - I originally used my win 10 IOT card and nothing loaded (i assume the pi zero cant handle it), then I used a retro pi sd and all was well
- make sure you put the ribbon the right way around, after mounting it all, I put it back in the wrong way around = no power on screen
- didnt have any of the 'regular' buttons for the perf board, so went with the longer tactile ones like at the back of the case.. they work but each push increments the numbers by a few, not just one or two - i can live with that
- metal plate was a little thicker so had to cut down the plastic pill things to like 3ish mm, hope that still works out with the screws (waiting for the epoxy to dry).

[Kilren]

Just finished up part 3, thanks for another great tut!

General question:
- What are the ideal settings for the screen ( I guess it's user pref, but i mean in terms of battery life etc) for brightness, color etc etc?

Few things I thought I'd mention based on what I did:
- couldn't find anything close to that mounting plate so just got a metal plate from home depot that I dremel'ed down to size (def protect your eyes here!)
- Instead of perf board, I used my pet supermarket card haha - it's not pretty but hey it worked! attached the pic for some laughs.
- definitely make sure you have a compatible sd - I originally used my win 10 IOT card and nothing loaded (i assume the pi zero cant handle it), then I used a retro pi sd and all was well
- make sure you put the ribbon the right way around, after mounting it all, I put it back in the wrong way around = no power on screen
- didnt have any of the 'regular' buttons for the perf board, so went with the longer tactile ones like at the back of the case.. they work but each push increments the numbers by a few, not just one or two - i can live with that
- metal plate was a little thicker so had to cut down the plastic pill things to like 3ish mm, hope that still works out with the screws (waiting for the epoxy to dry).

Ha! I love the petco-like card. You use what works! It's looking really good. Question for you, do you foresee any problems with space issues with the longer tactile buttons? I was contemplating buying really short ones at the local electronic store, but if it doesn't make a difference, I'll use the same ones that I used for my L/R bumpers.

[yaniv]

Ha! I love the petco-like card. You use what works! It's looking really good. Question for you, do you foresee any problems with space issues with the longer tactile buttons? I was contemplating buying really short ones at the local electronic store, but if it doesn't make a difference, I'll use the same ones that I used for my L/R bumpers.

Thanks! Hmm I'm not really sure what the grand master has planned for the location of all the parts, but I think it will be ok. I got a pack of like 100 of these things so I decided to experiment a little with cutting them shorter. In the attached pic the first one is the untouched button, the second is a functioning shortened one and the third one is no longer functioning because I cut it too short. I wouldn't recommend doing this unless you have a bunch to play with. PRO TIP: shorten them before you glue them down

[Thijs852]

windows 10 IOT version only works on the pi 2 or 3.

I have been trying different screen brightness and i noticed that in some game lower brightness gives better readability, while in the emulator station a higher brightness makes everything more readable. So I think I have to change the brightness for different games and menus.

[Kilren]

Interesting idea for cutting them down yaniv. Thankfully I have a local electronics where I can get the 3mm tactiles for pennies. I'll have to cross that bridge when I get there. Still waiting for parts before I start planning

windows 10 IOT version only works on the pi 2 or 3.

I have been trying different screen brightness and i noticed that in some game lower brightness gives better readability, while in the emulator station a higher brightness makes everything more readable. So I think I have to change the brightness for different games and menus.

Might be better for a different forum subject, but have you noticed any difficulty reading? How do the old GB and GBA games look for reading? Is it just dealing with the native TV resolutions that is making it hard?

[yaniv]

windows 10 IOT version only works on the pi 2 or 3.

I have been trying different screen brightness and i noticed that in some game lower brightness gives better readability, while in the emulator station a higher brightness makes everything more readable. So I think I have to change the brightness for different games and menus.

Yeah, I should have figured but I think all the solder smoke got to my head Hmm that is going to be frustrating. Maybe once it's all done if there is enough space we could expose the buttons somewhere I guess.

Might be better for a different forum subject

Yup, I agree. I just threw all my ramblings in one post. Let's definitely start another subject about this.

[wermy]

Very nice, thanks for sharing!

If the screw posts are raised up by 3mm, requiring you to cut them down to 3mm, you may have to trim your screws, too.

Also by using the long tactile switches you may have to put them off to the side in the battery compartment rather than behind the battery.

Just a couple things to watch out for.

[yaniv]

Very nice, thanks for sharing!

If the screw posts are raised up by 3mm, requiring you to cut them down to 3mm, you may have to trim your screws, too.

Also by using the long tactile switches you may have to put them off to the side in the battery compartment rather than behind the battery.

Just a couple things to watch out for.

Thanks for the info! eh, maybe I'll take the actual buttons that came with the screen, off, as you suggested in the vid. Will play it by ear as the rest of the great tuts come out

[Thijs852]

Might be better for a different forum subject, but have you noticed any difficulty reading? How do the old GB and GBA games look for reading? Is it just dealing with the native TV resolutions that is making it hard?

Some examples for higher and lower brightness for the menu and a gba game. It is a little but different from real life because of the camera but i hope ypu can see the difference.

The menus I think are in a higher resolution while the games are in a lower resolution which make them more readeble. I am still looking for the best settings maybe there is someone who found the best settings?

[Kilren]

Some examples for higher and lower brightness for the menu and a gba game. It is a little but different from real life because of the camera but i hope ypu can see the difference.

The menus I think are in a higher resolution while the games are in a lower resolution which makes them more readable. I am still looking for the best settings maybe there is someone who found the best settings?

Well, there is your problem! Your screen is sideways, no wonder you can't read them. Ha, just playing. Those still look way better than anything back in the day. Might be a pain if you try playing any text-heavy game such as an rpg though.