Starting my first SNESp. Help getting started?

[glassjoe92]

Hello everyone, today I bought this bundle off of craigslist for just $5.00. I figure it's good for something, especially because it came with a SNES! BUT, it happens to be just a SNES, not one of those mini-SNES'. So what I was wondering before I went off and purchased an LCD screen and case and all of the extra things I need if I could even consider using a SNES at full size. Also, I plan on doing the project in an AG-85 from polycase.com.

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/tag/1207589774.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have Ben's book, but it only uses the mini-SNES...

A few other things!

-Does anyone know where to find those PUSTOM screens? I've looked all over google and can't manage to find a single one!
-For batteries, my dad happens to have a cheap source to get batteries at 6V4.5AH, would these even work for the SNESp?
-Should I / Could I use the N64 controller's analog stick as opposed to a D-Pad?
-Can I fit the non-mini-SNES in the polycase.com AG-85 case?
-What about a 7" screen?

I'm pretty sure that about covers most of it!

Thanks guys, I'm really excited to get started on my first Portable for a Summer project. I'm tight on money, so this will probably be pretty poor to start out with. No one will hire a poor 16 year-old in these parts of Florida.

[glassjoe92]

Also, it just occurred to me that I have a set of crappy Polaroid DVD player screens, 7" if I recall. Could I rip one apart and use it? It is the secondary screen, it receives audio and video via 1/8 phono jacks. Also has built in speakers and such. Would this work?

http://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-PDM-2727 ... B000LVN38Y" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


This is exactly what I have.

[Life of Brian]

Also, it just occurred to me that I have a set of crappy Polaroid DVD player screens, 7" if I recall. Could I rip one apart and use it? It is the secondary screen, it receives audio and video via 1/8 phono jacks. Also has built in speakers and such. Would this work?

Any screen will work so long as it has a video input.

A 6v battery might work for the SNES if you use some sort of switching regulator, but that might be a bit advanced for a beginner. What is the physical size of the batteries you mentioned? If they're big and bulky they might not be worth bothering with.

[glassjoe92]

The mentioned battery is probably about 3x2x1 inches. Give or take. It's a bit long, and kind of chunky. I don't have any physical case sitting in front of me, so I don't really know. There's a place called BatteriesPlus right down the street from here, maybe if I could figure out what the best maH and voltage of the SNES is, I could figure this out. I'm pretty new to all of this, as far as amps, watts, and voltage goes.

[Life of Brian]

The most commonly used method for power the SNES is to use some higher voltage than what the system needs (such as 7.4v, a common voltage for li-ion batteries or 9v, what you get with 6 AA's tied in series) and then use a linear regulator (such as the 7805 linear regulator found on the SNES's circuit board) to drop the voltage down to a regulated 5v. Read the book some more and you'll understand what I mean.

If you're using an original SNES, I'd recommend batteries that are at the very least 2000mAh, preferably higher.

[glassjoe92]

Well if the battery says 4.5 aH, then that means that it's appx. 4500 amps right? So the milliamp factor is reasonable with this battery, but what I need is a higher voltage? Roughly 7.2 Volts? So what about the screen, should that use a separate battery, or can I use one going at (this is by guesstimating) 7.2V 4500 maH to power both?

Sorry, I'm a real newbie at all of this stuff.

[Life of Brian]

Assuming your screen can run off of 7.2v (it probably can) then yes - you can use 7.2v to power your whole system. Just put the 7.2v into the screen and your voltage regulator, and take the 5v output from the regulator to power your SNES. Make sense?

Yes, 4500 milliamp-hours (not amps) is very good for an SNES portable's battery.

[Basement_Modder]

To answer that "other" question, you cannot use a first-party N64 joystick to replace the d-pad, for it doesn't use potentiometers to detect movement. You can use any pot-based joystick or a 4-direction tact switch with a joystick on top to do the job, though.

[glassjoe92]

Alright, thanks for the help guys. I'm planning on getting started soon. LOB, I noticed 2 of your SNES projects use the AG-85 Case. Will that house a SNES at full size, or have you tried yet? I read on one of your threads that it was kind of a tight fit, so I wasn't sure if you were using a mini or not.

The type of battery is a RHINO brand. It's dimensions are roughly 3.75"x2.75"x1.75"

I will admit, it's a bit of a bulky battery, in most cases it would be external. Still debating what to do.

[ABCinc]

Alright, thanks for the help guys. I'm planning on getting started soon. LOB, I noticed 2 of your SNES projects use the AG-85 Case. Will that house a SNES at full size, or have you tried yet? I read on one of your threads that it was kind of a tight fit, so I wasn't sure if you were using a mini or not.

The type of battery is a RHINO brand. It's dimensions are roughly 3.75"x2.75"x1.75"

I will admit, it's a bit of a bulky battery, in most cases it would be external. Still debating what to do.

for the AG-85, he used a retro duo i believe, im not sure an original SNES would fit in there, i used an original SNES for my first project, and it was way to bulky, i was plannning to use the ZN-45 for my first project, but it wouldn't fit in there. So just make sure you make tons of measurements before you buy that case, and if you already have, i don't think it will fit.

[XCVG]

Hello everyone, today I bought this bundle off of craigslist for just $5.00. I figure it's good for something, especially because it came with a SNES! BUT, it happens to be just a SNES, not one of those mini-SNES'. So what I was wondering before I went off and purchased an LCD screen and case and all of the extra things I need if I could even consider using a SNES at full size. Also, I plan on doing the project in an AG-85 from polycase.com.

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/tag/1207589774.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have Ben's book, but it only uses the mini-SNES...

A few other things!

-Does anyone know where to find those PUSTOM screens? I've looked all over google and can't manage to find a single one!
-For batteries, my dad happens to have a cheap source to get batteries at 6V4.5AH, would these even work for the SNESp?
-Should I / Could I use the N64 controller's analog stick as opposed to a D-Pad?
-Can I fit the non-mini-SNES in the polycase.com AG-85 case?
-What about a 7" screen?

I'm pretty sure that about covers most of it!

Thanks guys, I'm really excited to get started on my first Portable for a Summer project. I'm tight on money, so this will probably be pretty poor to start out with. No one will hire a poor 16 year-old in these parts of Florida.

Okay, a full-size SNES can be used, but it's big. If you are lucky you have the "small board" version, which is a little bit smaller. Info here: http://wocares.com/modding/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

An AG-85 is way to small for this. A big SNES will NOT FIT IN A CASE THAT SMALL. Get a ZN-40 or ZN-45, it should fit, but maybe not.

You can find pustom screens at DealExtreme, just search for "lcd screen".

You cannot use a first-party analog stick as a dpad. You can use any 3rd party or potentiometer based stick like a PS2 stick. A lot of people ask this with the misconception that it will give you analog control. This is not true. The way it works is after you push the stick a certain distance out, it trips and the dpad is now full that way. It sucks, trust me, stick with a dpad.

See above, AG-85 no fit.

A 7" screen, if it has inputs, will work. It'll be too big for any of those cases, but it would make a pretty sweet laptop. Screen on the top, system and flip-up controls on the bottom.

Have fun! My summer project is an N64p, but I can't get a cheap N64 or screen.

[glassjoe92]

Okay, a full-size SNES can be used, but it's big. If you are lucky you have the "small board" version, which is a little bit smaller. Info here: http://wocares.com/modding/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

An AG-85 is way to small for this. A big SNES will NOT FIT IN A CASE THAT SMALL. Get a ZN-40 or ZN-45, it should fit, but maybe not.

You can find pustom screens at DealExtreme, just search for "lcd screen".

You cannot use a first-party analog stick as a dpad. You can use any 3rd party or potentiometer based stick like a PS2 stick. A lot of people ask this with the misconception that it will give you analog control. This is not true. The way it works is after you push the stick a certain distance out, it trips and the dpad is now full that way. It sucks, trust me, stick with a dpad.

See above, AG-85 no fit.

A 7" screen, if it has inputs, will work. It'll be too big for any of those cases, but it would make a pretty sweet laptop. Screen on the top, system and flip-up controls on the bottom.

Have fun! My summer project is an N64p, but I can't get a cheap N64 or screen.

Alright, thanks for the help man, unfortunately, I have the larger of the two! Does anyone know if the expansion slot on the bottom of the MOBO can be removed? Anyways, I THINK I'm going to go and build a vacuum former and make the case through that. Thanks for the help, and I'll stick with a DPAD

[XCVG]

The big one, ouch. That kinda sucks. Try trading it with an idiot who has a small board one. Better yet try trading it for a mini. Actually you can probably use it, but it'll end up big so you should probably make it a laptop or something like that. And you can remove the slot. Just desolder. In any case ask yourself a few questions:

Where am I planning on playing this?
Will I play it with friends?
How do I like to hold it?
How much battery life do I want?
Am I clumsy and drop stuff a lot?
Am I good at electronics?
Am I good at building stuff?

For me and my Hypothetical64P, the answers are:
In the car mostly, sometimes at home or school.
Yes, a little.
With enough portable to grip, but not a hugely thick area.
A few hours.
Yes.
Yes.
Not really.

[gamerjr]

Quick question, how big is the DVD player motherboard, if its too big then problems will arise, also look around the casing and see how much voltage it takes to run.