3rd (and probably final) Build

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jakejm79
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3rd (and probably final) Build

Post by jakejm79 » Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:43 pm

So I figured I'd use up the last (well last of the big) spare parts I had and knock out a final build.
The highlights:
3.5" BW Screen (composite, 5V modded)
3000mAH Galaxy S2 battery
Pi Zero non W (was building with a W but it died during assembly)
I2S Audio with volume control in original location
Common ground PCB to GPIO for input
Auto low power shutdown (with on screen low battery warning)
On, charging and charged status lights
Contrast slot for mSD card access
Full sized USB port in Ext spot
DC charging socket in original spot.

The goal for the build was to use minimal hot glue (or at least visible and other than a little for some wire management I think that was achieved).
To have as few a wires as possible between the two halves, there are just 3, 2 for power and one for the auto shutdown/battery warning.
And to keep the outside looking as stock as possible.

Pics - if I ever do another one I will likely modify some of the GPIO pins used for the controls to tidy up the wiring a little bit.
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Thanks to HoolyHoo for the screen bracket STL, TinkerBOY for his GPIO input script and Djbriane for the auto shutdown script (and Rodocop for pointing it out to me) oh and YaYa for his tweaks and cart sticker PNG that I will be using to wrap this up. Oh and also AJRedfern for the splash video.
Last edited by jakejm79 on Thu Jan 11, 2018 7:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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VeteranGamer
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Re: 3rd (and probably final) Build

Post by VeteranGamer » Wed Jan 10, 2018 1:34 pm

jakejm79 wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:43 pm

The goal for the build was to use minimal hot glue (or at least visible and other than a little for some wire management I think that was achieved).
very nice work.....

all your builds have actually been really well built.....

great work


(and probably final) :(



.

jakejm79
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Re: 3rd (and probably final) Build

Post by jakejm79 » Wed Jan 10, 2018 2:21 pm

Thanks, that means a lot coming from you.
Well never say never, I would like to do an HDMI build, maybe if a 640x480 screen turns up that easily fits inside the case and isn't too expensive.
I have toyed with the idea of doing kind of a DIY AIO/common ground board concept, sort of like a standard common ground PCB but with traces and headers on to directly solder a Pi, amp, headphone jack and speaker too. Shouldn't be too expensive to produce since its would just be a bare PCB and then people can add their own components.

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Re: 3rd (and probably final) Build

Post by VeteranGamer » Thu Jan 11, 2018 4:05 am

jakejm79 wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 2:21 pm
Thanks, that means a lot coming from you.
Well never say never, I would like to do an HDMI build, maybe if a 640x480 screen turns up that easily fits inside the case and isn't too expensive.
I have toyed with the idea of doing kind of a DIY AIO/common ground board concept, sort of like a standard common ground PCB but with traces and headers on to directly solder a Pi, amp, headphone jack and speaker too. Shouldn't be too expensive to produce since its would just be a bare PCB and then people can add their own components.
no probs, there great builds....

the HDMI screen is ok, but its a bit of crap shoot these days to get the right screen (without the need of modifying the actual screen)
the 640x480 VGA is just too much (you cant find it for less than $65), especially for the amount of work it requires to fit
(and every build i've seen with it looks a bit sloppy, IMHO)

i would like to try the DPI screen (the same as Kite uses, and also attempted by TinkerBoy and Razor.93)
its a bit disappointing that a simpler solution to wiring it hasnt really come to fruition

this member came up with some designs (based off the adafruit 40pin tft connector)
but then decided not to.....
https://www.sudomod.com/forum/viewtopic ... 381#p48400

its a shame......

if i werent so budget conscious, i would really like to make the Wii U controller build like BanjoKazooie (for me personally, its the best on the site... No1 by a country mile)
but the parts for it start to rack up, especially trying to find a cheap Wii U controller)


if your interested in doing a PCB/AIO, it might be an idea to get in contact with SgGeek, he was doing a design and i think his end goal isnt to sell it..... so you may actually get some help from him (if needed)


.

jakejm79
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Re: 3rd (and probably final) Build

Post by jakejm79 » Thu Jan 11, 2018 9:36 am

Yes hard to justify that kind of money just on a screen, when the composite ones aren't bad, I could see if it was a Pi3 build but most of the games the zero runs weren't a high resolution natively anyway.
I toyed with a game gear build, but there aren't any repro shells so I'd be starting off with a used one and I'd like it to look new when done.
Maybe I will contact him, not sure if I will get the time to do it, was just thinking it would be nice to have something that bridged the gap between common ground PCB and full on AIO board, where you could minimize wires running all over the place but not have to spend a bunch of money on a full on loaded PCB.

Anyway I wrapped it up now, well apart from the cart sticker.
Charging/charged/power status lights all work and so does the low battery indicator (you have 3 mins from when the icon shows till it performs a safe shut down).
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Overall pretty happy with it, few things I'd change/improve:
1. Add a safe shutdown board (I didn't want to wait on ordering one and was also working to a budget, plus with the safe auto shutdown on low battery you aren't likely to be caught unaware by a sudden power off), but it would be nice to have the full appliance feeling, especially now I have status lights/lower battery warning.
2. Reorder the GPIO pins for input a little, just so the wiring is a little cleaner at the Pi.
3. Tweak the STL file for the frame bracket to make the standoffs for the shoulder buttons work without having to add material.
4. Maybe change the cartridge color to yellow, but I think the DK/Pokemon yellow cartridge is a different shade to the case.
5. Use a battery that doesn't require any modification to the battery compartment, but $7 for 3000mAH is hard to pass up especially for local shipping.

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Spinlok
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Re: 3rd (and probably final) Build

Post by Spinlok » Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:15 pm

Love this build, jakejm79! Looks like HoolyHoo's bracket, but did you add 3D printed posts for volume wheel and USB? Is there an STL available for this?
jakejm79 wrote:
Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:43 pm
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Thanks!


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Spinlok
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Re: 3rd (and probably final) Build

Post by Spinlok » Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:09 am

Thanks!

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Re: 3rd (and probably final) Build

Post by jhk1976 » Sat Feb 17, 2018 9:32 am

I'm gathering the parts to do my first GBZ build, and I have to say that I love low cleanly this turned out. I'm using yours as a go-to reference for mine, as I'd love for it to be just as tidy. :-)

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Re: 3rd (and probably final) Build

Post by jhk1976 » Sun Mar 18, 2018 1:14 pm

May I ask where you got the barrel jack for this build? I have an Adafruit jack, and while I was able to get it to work, it's longer than the one you used. Yours seems to fit much better.

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