Bubble's 1st GBZ

[Bubble]

Hello SudoMod community,

Before I started this project I wasn't sure I could manage to do it, but until now everything is going smooth, so it's time to share

First I thought, I would buy a cheap GB DMG in order to do this build, but thanks to the community, no GameBoy will be harmed in the making of this unit.
However, please note my microSD card will stay in the Raspberry (it will not be deported), since I'll put the battery in the cartridge area.

Here is the list of parts I'm using in my GBZ :

Main parts
Raspberry Pi Zero 1.2
Adafruit 3.5" NTSC/PAL TFT Display
GB DMG replacement shell

Power
Adafruit PowerBoost 1000 Charger
Adafruit USB Micro-B Breakout Board
Adafruit Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 2500mAh

Gracefull shutdown (Thanks to Popcorn)
Pololu Mini MOSFET Slide Switch LV
2N3904 transistor
47k resistor

Controller
Teensy-LC
Common ground dmg button pcb (A/B/X/Y version)
GB DMG membrane set
Cheap SNES controller

Audio
Sabrent USB External Stereo Sound Adapter
Adafruit Mono 2.5W Class D Audio Amplifier (not 100% sure I will need it)
B103 10K Ohm 5-Pin Dual Linear Dial Wheel Potentiometer 16mmx2mm
Adafruit Mini Metal Speaker

Other stuff
Flexible USB 2.0 Hub 4 Port
16GB microSD card
On-Off slide switch
6mm pushbuttons - 5mm deep x4
6mm pushbuttons - 9,5mm deep x2
Soldering strips grid & universal matrix boards
Wires
TP-LINK TL-WN725N Wireless N Nano USB-adapter (optional)

Of course, some tools are also needed, but I won't list them in this post. If something special is really helpfull, I'll try to mention it in my future posts.
To end this first chapter (Parts), here is where the magic take place :

Without filters

[Bubble]

[Under construction]

This post will regroup the guides and topics I found really usefull.

[Bubble]

First modification on the shell : Drilling holes for X and Y

Tools :



First I drilled a 6mm hole.
Then I used tool #1 to enlarge the hole (approx. 10mm), until tool #2 coud be used.
Tool #2 is 10,5mm wide, wich is the size of my buttons, but I needed a bit of extra space for tolerance. So, I made some boggie woogie to enlarge the hole.
Tool #3 is then used to create a bezel.
Tool #4 was used inside the case to remove the rest of the plastic screwtube after breaking it.


X hole looks a bit off-centered, but it's just from the picture point of view.


This is the buttons holder from the SNES controller. It had to be modified a bit in order to have same button level as A and B.


End result

Warning : I also tried a 10,5mm HSS drill bit on a piece of plastic and it was big mess. I couldn't get a hole without craking everything, even with a 6mm pre-hole.

[Bubble]

2nd shell modification : cutting the screen area


Pillar drill modificication, in order to have a guide.


Close-up while grinding.


Fitting test.


End result.
Don't know yet, if I will leave it like that (retro style) or if I should cut three of the corners straight ?


"Here we go"

[MauroS]

looking great!

[Robvp]

Looking good, love the bench drill mount, I have horrible hand pulse and could really use something like that, not sure how straight my cuts will be

[Bubble]

looking great!

Thanks Mauros

Looking good, love the bench drill mount, I have horrible hand pulse and could really use something like that, not sure how straight my cuts will be

Thank you Robvp ! I wanted to make this modification for a long time and the GBZ project gave me the impulse. If I had done this freehand, it would have been a disaster

[Bubble]

3rd shell modification : power supply


Micro-usb hole


I had to cut this area in the cartridge support, else the 2500mah battery wouldn't fit with the cardrige cover on top of it. On this picture, the cover is in place, but i still need to cut the cartridge back cover (picture to come).


I will use the shielding plate to tight everyting. The top part of it still need to be cut where the micro-usb breakout will sit.

My goal is to free some space in the build and still have the battery accessible without unscrewing everything.
Most of the battery compartement should be preserved and the powerboost will be placed in it in order to have access to the battery connector.
I realize that the GBZ won't be well balanced (most of the weight being in the top/middle area), so I plan to add enough lead in the bottom to counterbalance