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Sparkle GBZ with Custom Soft Tactile Shoulder Buttons

Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:02 pm
by infinitLoop
This is almost, not quite, done, but I think it's in a show-off-able place, and I wanted to share these buttons that I made, because I think they turned out pretty neat, especially for my first-ish 3d design (not counting a few super simple brackets and stuff). They are definitely my favorite shoulder buttons I've done yet, hands-down.
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I did two custom builds that I had to shelve because I couldn't fit the case together in the end, and end up breaking connections loose and generally messing them up trying to get the case together, so I wanted to do one I thought I had a reasonable chance having enough space in. So, all-in-one it is, but I still had to "challenge" myself so decided to make some rear buttons to go with the soft-tactile buttons mounted on the screen bracket. I gotta say, they feel incredible, so I'll share my stl file if anyone else wants to go this route. I originally was going to design a button well instead for the original dmg style, but went this way with a solid button and using the pegs in the case as a guide.

the buttons sit straight, and don't protrude past the case, so you can set the gameboy down without hitting the buttons. The basically feel like dmg buttons, I think. I gave mine a light sanding and coated in clear coat, and they feel super nice. I just used the original screw holes as guides, and a step-up hole drill to get to the same diamter as the dmg buttons.
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here is the build - i did have some extra leds in this first pic, in the cart, but i removed them since the one built onto the power supply looked good just shining through the case, once I had it together. these are also early version of the buttons
opened upShow
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parts list
aftermarket sparkle case from retromodding.com
a and b buttons are 2-piece from handheldlegend.com with black inner and clear outer
x and y are just standard dmg buttons
white (pads) and black (start/select) silicone from retromodding.com
glass screen protector from handhellegend.com
all-in-one board from glitchdgaming.com which was great (assuming i get the audio going)
gearbest composite screen
generic power supply
helder's 4500mah battery
8ohm 2w speaker and some ferrite beads
power switch, barrel jack, audio pot and usb port
soft and regular tactile buttons (safe shutdown on top is a "clicky" button)

i printed all the parts with some sparkly plastic i got for it.

i'm not sure which stl i used for the screen, but I think it's one in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=58&t=4981

the power switch and barrel plug bracket is off of thingiverse

i used the original external connector cover, and clipped the tabs a bit to fit a usb port.

more pics:
side stuff (rear buttons in these are early, not final)Show
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back of the caseShow
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buttons from the inside / rearShow
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batteryShow
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For some reason that I haven't discovered, the audio isn't working yet on this build, so that might suck to figure out. I also just got some waterslide decals that I am going to start messing with, and hopefully I can add an "x" and "y" on here along with a couple other embellishments, however, in order not to ruin this one, I need to do a little practice first since I have not used those decals yet, but they sure do look good from what I have seen. I'm also still tweaking a custom splashscreen to match the sparkle and make it really personal.
soft shoulder well buttons.stl
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Re: Sparkle GBZ with Custom Soft Tactile Shoulder Buttons

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 6:55 pm
by infinitLoop
updated the button design a bit for better stability:
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soft shoulder well buttons w guides.stl
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Re: Sparkle GBZ with Custom Soft Tactile Shoulder Buttons

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:12 pm
by correia5022
Very nice and clean, congratz

Re: Sparkle GBZ with Custom Soft Tactile Shoulder Buttons

Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2019 7:44 pm
by infinitLoop
Here's the final inside layout, with everything working (great!) and most of the waterslide decals I was going to put on there. I have one more i want to put on the back, but I'm going to have to do the drawing for what I want there, so maybe this weekend.

all in all I really like this guy. The sparkly thing isn't really my style preference - it was a request from my wife - but it was pretty fun, and I really love how these shoulder buttons turned out. With the soft tactile buttons, they feel just like real gameboy buttons, with really satisfying action. Next I think I'll adapt the design to snap in dmg buttons for one of the custom builds I need to rework to get to fit.
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backShow
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opened up, inside - tidy, minimal hot glueShow
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back of the buttonShow
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Re: Sparkle GBZ with Custom Soft Tactile Shoulder Buttons

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 10:08 am
by Robochris
Very well done. Nice and clean! It’s always nice to see something other than classic/snes/sfc/black and white builds. Haha.

Re: Sparkle GBZ with Custom Soft Tactile Shoulder Buttons

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2020 7:27 pm
by Troff
Looks great!