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Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 6:51 pm
by 80sRetro
I was able to successfully put the Raspberry Pi Zero in a Gameboy Color Cartridge and it works.

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Re: Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:18 am
by Kilren
80sRetro wrote:I was able to successfully put the Raspberry Pi Zero in a Gameboy Color Cartridge and it works.
That is pretty cool! Good job.

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 1:40 am
by Robots86
Quality work 80s Retro!
Question.... Is the colour cartridge the same size as an original cart? Are all the groves the same and does it slide in ok? I was considering going clear and using a clear gbc cart to go with it...

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 10:20 am
by day
hi !

nice work ! so the advantage of such thing is gain of space ? besides that you still have the 'effect' of using the cartridge in and out and sd card on top of the cartridge, right ?

can you explain a bit more how/what you did ?

thanks !!

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 2:53 pm
by 80sRetro
Robots86 wrote:Quality work 80s Retro!
Question.... Is the colour cartridge the same size as an original cart? Are all the groves the same and does it slide in ok? I was considering going clear and using a clear gbc cart to go with it...
Robot86, Yes they are the same size.

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 3:02 pm
by 80sRetro
day wrote:hi !

nice work ! so the advantage of such thing is gain of space ? besides that you still have the 'effect' of using the cartridge in and out and sd card on top of the cartridge, right ?

can you explain a bit more how/what you did ?

thanks !!
Yes, more space. One less thing to try and fit. I just cut the game PCB to fit along side the Pi in the cartridge and wired everything. Removed some things in cartridge like the lip on the top piece around the Pi and the screw hole was raised so I removed that as well then just cut top where the SD card goes. Then I removed the top of the slot where the PI will go when inserted so it will fit properly. It holds well and the pins still make proper contact.

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 3:16 pm
by skrapps914
@80sRetro awesome work! looks like you and I think alike! I put up a thread the other day, about using the cartridge for something more than an SD slot, and thought about shoving the teensy in there with the slot, to save space in the main case.

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 11:10 am
by statikeffeck
Very cool idea! I think I would want to do either this or put the battery in the cartridge. My question is though, It looks like only the Composite (TV) and some GPIO pins are connected.
What about HDMI or USB ports?

I wonder if anyone ever made an "extended length" game boy cartridge that would allow the entire length of the zero to fit inside, then we can use all the cartridge reader pins.

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2016 8:22 am
by RetroGamingNow
This is awesome! Any chance there is write up for how to make it work (ie: wiring etc) to the rest of the hardware inside the gameboy assuming this is a removable cartridge?

Re: Raspberry Pi Zero in the Cartridge

Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 1:45 pm
by Clearmoon247
I would assume that the same principle applies to this as the original GBZ project does with the sd card. You would have the GPIO pins connected to the lines on the cart. Then on the cart reader, run the pins to the various components. That way, you can easily upgrade/replace the Pi Zero with a newer model by re-soldering the connections in the cart or making a new cart.