Finally, after having made three SNES portables, I am able to make a work log for this one.

I got the SNES desoldered, ready to rock. The cartridge slot is rewired, near ready to be reattached to the board, just waiting for some things -- which I need help with http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=40757--. DONE!

The board and cartridge slot


This is the front of my first vacuum form case and first time using ABS (1/16 inch) as the material. It works, but the sides ended up too thin because I had too deep a draw, so I reworked the mold.


The orientation of the SNES (once I cut up the board)


Tests of the vacuum forming the new molds; I used styrene this time because it was free and quick. Front and back of case.


How the cartridges are positioned.


Basic thickness of the case will be, at its thickest point, two inches.



Cheers!
-ae

Looks good, I like your work in general. Keep up the pace!

Hey, thanks! Didn't know anyone followed my work

You have worked with the Retro Duo, I see. I am looking to shrink down the SNES, as seen in my pictures. Would I be able to get the Retro Duo to be smaller than the mini SNES as such? Also, how is the SNES compatibility? I've seen they can be sketchy.

-ae

Looks good! It kinda reminds me of a big belt buckle

What are you using for a mold, might I ask?

Eh, you can get the Snes Mini down to the size of the Retro Duo, but it takes a lot of work. The retro duo is pretty small to begin with, I didn't do any board trimming for my portable, I just relocated a few caps and the cart slot. As far as compatibility, I own maybe 30 SNES games and they all work on the retro duo, even the FX games like Star Fox and Doom.

If you want a really small SNES mobo try the FC-16 Go http://stoneagegamer.com/fc16goportablesnes.aspx

Every so often, Stoneagegamer will put defective ones up for sale on the forum so you'd be able to pick up one even cheaper.

There are two revisions of the FC 16 Go. The main changes between the two are improved controls and such, and the second model has stereo sound whereas the first only has mono. This is the cheapest I've found them.

http://www.dascheap.com/fc16-go-super-n ... color.html

http://www.dascheap.com/fc16-go-model-2 ... rcoal.html

If you decide to go with this, I have a diagram that allows you to get rid of the daughterboard inside and just use the very small board inside.

There's technically 3 revisions of the FC-16 Go: v1, v2, & v2.1.

v2.1 is basically same as 2, but its screen protector was changed because v2 has problems with the screen protector being crooked. Because of this change its been awhile since I have posted any defective units on this site.

@Metallica Man X:
The mold as in the form for the case is wooden, but the mold as in the case is ABS plastic.

@Pkmnjunky7, DK, ToastBucket, and StoneAgeGamer:
Thanks for the info guys, I'll have to keep it in mind for the future. I got my board cut down to the size I need, so I won't be needing another for this one.


I'll be updating more sometime this week, I hope. College is CRAZY right now; nearly time for finals.

-ae

Ok, I'm having some major issues...well, ok, really just one. I got most of the holes cut in the case and a bunch of the stuff attached. I am trying to rewire everything 1) to ensure that it all works, and 2) to ensure that the controls line up correctly. I'm stuck on step one.

I had to cut down the SNES motherboard, again, to get it to fit in the case right. Previous to cutting it the second time, it worked perfectly, but not after. I can get audio, no problem, and some video. The video is displayed all choppy. Words, for instance looks like jumbled letters. All graphics are that way; everything is jumbled. I went back to the U7 chip and tested it directly from that, but get the same thing (only in grayscale).

I really need this done for tomorrow, so any help as to what is causing this would be GREAT.

So, I went and got a new SNES, so I am basically back to square one with that...

Anyhow, pictures and update to come later tonight.
Wrapping presents tonight

Finally, an update!

Here are some pics of my molds:

These are test molds, using polystyrene





These are the real molds, with 1/16" ABS





Using the PS for figuring the holes



Here are the molds with holes and slots cut for buttons, the screen, and cartridge



This one has added pieces around the inside edge to interlock front and back molds.



Getting the cart. slot ready



Here, I was beginning to cut the board apart by hand, but decided against it. (I ended up using a dremel - works wonders)



Attaching the cartridge slot







After the board was dremeled, checking for fit





Readying the controller for wiring



The finished product (Sorry I don't have any internal pics, I ran out of time and had to get it done)















That's all I got, hope you enjoy!

I'll have a better work log next time. (I plan to work on my first Gamecube portable sometime in the next few months.)

-ae

I love it. You did a great job integrating the shape of the psone screen mobo into your design. A lot of people kind of fail to do that. The shape overall is great. You did a good job design wise as well as creating something functional!

Neat. Hope to see the internals soon.

Nice work! It looks really nice. That mold must have taken a bit of sanding to make the round part lol.