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Where's the best place to start with this project?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 3:02 pm
by Vman
Hello!! I am really interested in doing a project like this, but I'm not really sure where to start and what to invest in.
Some Questions I have are:

Which is better to use a Rasberry Pi 3 or a Rasberry Pi Zero?

Which electric board in the market do you prefer, and also supports analog joystick and L and R buttons?

How long did it take you?

Thanks again for the support!! :D

Re: Where's the best place to start with this project?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 5:56 pm
by Mario.Semiglia
If you are talking about making a Game Boy Zero, I would recomend you to use the Raspberry pi W, that would save you the problem of the wifi, I would not try doing a GBZ with a pi 3 if you dont feel confortable with sodering, inside of the case you dont have much space, thats why I would also not try building analog sticks, in the market you can find 3d printed parts for making a L and R Bracet, every printed part would make your build cleaner, try not using too much hot glue. You can get 4000 mah batteries on ebay, there are some treads on this forum where you can find it. Check on the Wikia of this website, there are lists of the stuff you need... Dont get a bad Sodering machine, or Cheap Soder, it will make everything much easier...
By the way I started this projects months ago,... there is always something new to learn, thats the cool thing about it. Good Luck!

Re: Where's the best place to start with this project?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:29 pm
by DieselDummy
And do lots of reading. I found the answer to almost every question I had from browsing the forum. And don't forget to have fun

Re: Where's the best place to start with this project?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:28 pm
by rodocop
Yeah. Before I even started my first gbz I watched all of wermys vids a bunch of times and browsed the forum daily (I still check daily). You can pretty much find anything you need on the forums, wiki, and build videos.

The search function is helpful, and so it typing sudomod after a question on a Google search. (It'll bring up forum posts)

Also. I'd say use a pi zero W. Pi 3s are much more advanced and like mentioned above require a lot of desoldering. (I've still not done a pi3 build and I'm working on my 10 and 11th gbz currently)

As for L and R check the forsale/trade section for erik_gees shoulder brackets. Those are my favorite L and R ones. You can buy his bracket or DIY it with some perf board. (I've done both).

One other thing. I lean toward is buying cheap parts in bulk from China(eBay, Ali, banggood, gearbest), rather than adafruit etc...saves money, but shipping can be slow. All those Chinese parts work the same, just cost less.

Re: Where's the best place to start with this project?

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:50 pm
by tinkerBOY
Vman wrote:
Wed Feb 21, 2018 3:02 pm
Hello!! I am really interested in doing a project like this, but I'm not really sure where to start and what to invest in.
Some Questions I have are:

Which is better to use a Rasberry Pi 3 or a Rasberry Pi Zero?

Which electric board in the market do you prefer, and also supports analog joystick and L and R buttons?

How long did it take you?

Thanks again for the support!! :D
For starters I also recommend the Pi Zero W. Very much easier to build than a Pi3.

When I started my first GBZ build, it took me a month to get all the parts i needed and completed it within 2-3 days. The idea is to have fun and take your time. I learned everything from here and eventually made my own controller boards.

Re: Where's the best place to start with this project?

Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:18 pm
by Vman
Thanks for all the advice so far everyone!! I still wanna try to find a way to put an analog stick on it someway... Thanks for all the advice!!

Re: Where's the best place to start with this project?

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 7:17 am
by tinkerBOY
Vman wrote:
Thu Feb 22, 2018 5:18 pm
Thanks for all the advice so far everyone!! I still wanna try to find a way to put an analog stick on it someway... Thanks for all the advice!!
You need a Pro Micro in order to have an analog stick.