(ZCP) A few questions for my Portable GC set 3

[Gamerlolwind51649]

Hay guys,
Gamerlolwind,
thanx for helping me with my set 2 problems

now im deeper into the gcp idea. more focused, well hought ideas and it's all starting to take form.

so, my questions now are these:

1) For the volts the psone screen needs is 7.5V. and im thinking of using a 14.8v battery,
if the battery used is above 7.5v that the psone screen it can fry within a mintue
it needs 7.5v everytime it turns on,
(i'll do the 5v mod with a switch so when i push the switch it turns on or off at will.
i found this mod here: http://kyorune.com/modding/article.php?id=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

so, i read about using a regulator,
a 7.5v fixed regulator, 7805 or 7808 i think?

but i can't seem to find this regulator, and once i find it where do or how do i place it on my psone screen and what wires to attach and where?

2) For battery, i'll go with 14.8v, (Li ion or Li Po)?

i read bactteria's notes on battery types on his site, he said that li ions are better than li po's because they aren't as prone to probelms as li po which they are slimmer than li ions.

so which type do i go for, is best. Li ions or Li po's?

and about battery life, i have zenoc's calculated gc amps, and the psone screen takes 7.5v, amps? im also going to use two way switches wich have 250w each.

i saw zenloc's n64 rev's (1/2/3) on youtube that he built for commissioners and i noticed that for each he used a li ion battery that gave him up to 4Hours!
then i saw the 4 cells x battery,

so if i got a 14.8v li ion oner 4500mah x 4, the mah's would add up and give the total amount of mah i want in hours?

um, 4 cells of the same battery mah add up to give the desired amount?

4 cells 0f 14.8v lions 6600 mah = 4 Hours?

if so, what way should i align them in, (series or parallels)?

3) for a case, this one really bothered me a lot,
but thank to bacteria's helpful guides, i found i good way to build my zcp case,
with tupperware.
he said about using a 2L for best method and working.
so when i get my tupperware case i can work on it with his helpful guide.
thanx dude

4) for the air vents, i noticed on the gc that the air goes in one way the fan blows the air across the heatsink and out the other vent.

i've made two diagrams of my air vent air in/out circulation:



and



and to extend the fan's wire's the black is negative, grey is positive?

5) the dc jack, the conntor next to the fan's is the red/black concetor to the regulator,
um, do i need this connector between the dc jack and regulator?
and if i want to connect the connector from the regulator power to the screen or the battery?

[killersquirel11]

You don't want a linear regulator. 14.5 down to 7.5 will get you about 50% efficiency if the regulator can even source enough current to drive the screen.
A quick ebay gives this for five bucks (free S&H). It can source up to 2A and has an adjustable output voltage to get you exactly 7.5V with probably at least 80% efficiency
If you need 5V, the OKI-78SR series is a decent one

2) get some sort of dedicated charger for whatever type of battery you choose to go with. Just giving a battery straight voltages is a great way to reduce its lifespan. Also, never hook up lipo batteries directly in parallel. Unless you are lucky, bad things will probably happen. Use a balancer charger circuit or something like that to make it work.

4)Black is almost certainly ground, but it doesn't matter which is which if you're extending it, just match the colors.

5)Not sure I follow you here

[Gamerlolwind51649]

You don't want a linear regulator. 14.5 down to 7.5 will get you about 50% efficiency if the regulator can even source enough current to drive the screen.
A quick ebay gives this for five bucks (free S&H). It can source up to 2A and has an adjustable output voltage to get you exactly 7.5V with probably at least 80% efficiency
If you need 5V, the OKI-78SR series is a decent one

2) get some sort of dedicated charger for whatever type of battery you choose to go with. Just giving a battery straight voltages is a great way to reduce its lifespan. Also, never hook up lipo batteries directly in parallel. Unless you are lucky, bad things will probably happen. Use a balancer charger circuit or something like that to make it work.

4)Black is almost certainly ground, but it doesn't matter which is which if you're extending it, just match the colors.

5)Not sure I follow you here

so that adjustable regulator in the link will work for the psone 7.5v?
um, okay, but it's says that you need a heatsink for it? so if i don't buy an addition heatsink for this reg, it will overheat and have problems.
but doesn't the adjustable regulator actually take up more power to work than the fixed spefic regulators?
um the 5v thing is just an emulation for the psone screen to turn on each time,
i still need the additional "specify" 7.5v power to power the screen.
but, good to know

um, so series is better than papallel? Li ions or li po?

is a 14.8v li ion, 6600 mah x 4 packs okay?
or too much?

so when i soldering extending wires to points i just use the same colour wire as the point wires?
i.e red positive wire and black negitive wire with mine soldered red to red and black to black?

oh okay this makes it a lot easer, thanx

[killersquirel11]

I'm far from an expert on liion batteries, but I know that you have to be careful (although not nearly as careful as you need to be with lipo batteries)

Here's a couple links to read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_battery - especially of interest is the charging section, and the safety section
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/sho ... l-Charging
Hailrazer's lipo charging tutorial - should also mostly apply to liions...
And a charger that might work
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Charger ... B001CU9IN2


About that ebay part, the way I read it is that it only needs a heatsink if you're pulling more than 2A... It approaches 92% efficiency, so assuming it gets ~80% wouldn't be too big of a jump. If you're only pulling 1A at 7.5V, that's .5A at 14.8, so .5*14.8*(100-80)/100 = 1.48W, which a board that size should have no power dissipating alone.

Oh, and about whether the adjustable is more or less efficient: The adjustable is a switching regulator, the fixed (7805 etc) are linear regulators. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_re ... regulators

If you found a switching regulator which was designed to produce the right (fixed) output voltage, that would probably be the most efficient, although at 7.5V, that probably isn't gonna happen

[killersquirel11]

um, so series is better than papallel? Li ions or li po?

is a 14.8v li ion, 6600 mah x 4 packs okay?
or too much?

so when i soldering extending wires to points i just use the same colour wire as the point wires?
i.e red positive wire and black negitive wire with mine soldered red to red and black to black?

Since you have 14.8V packs (if i'm reading this correctly), then parallel would be better. Lipo tends to be more space/weight efficient, but also more dangerous and more difficult to charge

6600mAhx4@14.8V will get you a LOOOONG play-time, but it will also make for a fairly heavy/bulky portable

Yes basically, all that really matters is that the endpoints are connected the way they were before. Electrons tend not to care what color the insulation is around them... The only reason we use colored wires is to make life easier for us.

[Gamerlolwind51649]

um, so series is better than papallel? Li ions or li po?

is a 14.8v li ion, 6600 mah x 4 packs okay?
or too much?

so when i soldering extending wires to points i just use the same colour wire as the point wires?
i.e red positive wire and black negitive wire with mine soldered red to red and black to black?

Since you have 14.8V packs (if i'm reading this correctly), then parallel would be better. Lipo tends to be more space/weight efficient, but also more dangerous and more difficult to charge

6600mAhx4@14.8V will get you a LOOOONG play-time, but it will also make for a fairly heavy/bulky portable

Yes basically, all that really matters is that the endpoints are connected the way they were before. Electrons tend not to care what color the insulation is around them... The only reason we use colored wires is to make life easier for us.

li ions, parallel, less space/more efficent.
sounds good

um, maybe not that much mah, maybe 5000 mah but the total mah will be the original mah,
let's say

5000 mah x 4 Cellls = 20.000 mah

6600 mah x 4 Cells = 26.400 mah

4700 mah x 4 cells = 18.800 mah

[killersquirel11]

5000 mah x 4 Cellls = 20.000 mah

6600 mah x 4 Cells = 26.400 mah

4700 mah x 4 cells = 18.800 mah

In parallel, yes (assuming that on the right side you meant to use Ah, not mAh). If you're using the four cells in series, then the mah stays the same and the voltage goes up.

So for example:

|1.5V 100mAh] |1.5V 100mAh] |1.5V 100mAh] |1.5V 100mAh]

will get you 100mAh at 6V

but
___________
|1.5V 100mAh]
___________
|1.5V 100mAh]
___________
|1.5V 100mAh]
___________
|1.5V 100mAh]

will get you 400mAh at 1.5V

Basically energy is measured in Joules, which is a battery's actual capacity. Here's some basic physics for you:
Power (Watts) = Volts * Current (Amps) ---- (P=VI)
Work (Joules) = Power (Watts) / Time (s) ---- (W=P/t)
mAh is miliAmp Hours and is how many miliamps the battery can supply for one hour (I/t)
So if you multiply the mAh times the voltage (VI/T = P/t) you get the amount of miliJoules in the battery (Ah times V gives Joules in the system)
If you calculate the Joules in each individual battery then add it all up, it should match the Joules calculated for the entire pack.

Just to make sure you're perfectly clear

Also, there's no point in going above 14.5. Higher voltages will just mean more work for the regulators... as long as your batteries are in the same neighborhood as everything else, you won't have to worry about line loss (that'd really only be a problem if you had a backpack with a long (~>5ft) cable between the batteries and the cube)

[Gamerlolwind51649]

5000 mah x 4 Cellls = 20.000 mah

6600 mah x 4 Cells = 26.400 mah

4700 mah x 4 cells = 18.800 mah

In parallel, yes (assuming that on the right side you meant to use Ah, not mAh). If you're using the four cells in series, then the mah stays the same and the voltage goes up.

So for example:

|1.5V 100mAh] |1.5V 100mAh] |1.5V 100mAh] |1.5V 100mAh]

will get you 100mAh at 6V

but
___________
|1.5V 100mAh]
___________
|1.5V 100mAh]
___________
|1.5V 100mAh]
___________
|1.5V 100mAh]

will get you 400mAh at 1.5V

Basically energy is measured in Joules, which is a battery's actual capacity. Here's some basic physics for you:
Power (Watts) = Volts * Current (Amps) ---- (P=VI)
Work (Joules) = Power (Watts) / Time (s) ---- (W=P/t)
mAh is miliAmp Hours and is how many miliamps the battery can supply for one hour (I/t)
So if you multiply the mAh times the voltage (VI/T = P/t) you get the amount of miliJoules in the battery (Ah times V gives Joules in the system)
If you calculate the Joules in each individual battery then add it all up, it should match the Joules calculated for the entire pack.

Just to make sure you're perfectly clear

Also, there's no point in going above 14.5. Higher voltages will just mean more work for the regulators... as long as your batteries are in the same neighborhood as everything else, you won't have to worry about line loss (that'd really only be a problem if you had a backpack with a long (~>5ft) cable between the batteries and the cube)

ah, okay,
um 5ft cable connecting the batteries to the cube?
so you mean that a 14.8v battery would be too much for the one regulator for the psone screen, because if i use the psone screen, i need one regulator for it
so 14.8v > 7.5v
and the gc takes 12v?
well it's dc does.

so if i use a reg for the psone screen, i don't need one for the cube because the rest of the volts left go to the cube which are more than 12v?
adjustable not linear?
and if i adjust it once to 7.5v for psone, then i don't have to adjust again.

[killersquirel11]

ah, okay,
um 5ft cable connecting the batteries to the cube?
so you mean that a 14.8v battery would be too much for the one regulator for the psone screen, because if i use the psone screen, i need one regulator for it
so 14.8v > 7.5v
and the gc takes 12v?
well it's dc does.

the 5ft was just an example of when you'd really need to worry about voltage drop across the length of the wire (since the wire does have some internal resistance, as the wire gets longer, the resistance at high current might cause enough voltage drop to cause issues. You will not run into that problem)
That ebay regulator takes a voltage up to 40V (low of around 8V, I think...), so that isn't a problem
The gamecube's internal power supply has been testedat up to 20V (and as low as 10.2V) with no problems.
The screen can only take ~8V max (6.8V-8V, exceed that and it goes boom), so the switching regulator is needed to drop the 14.8V from the battery down to 7.5V
If you look at the picture of the regulator you can see a blue box with a screwy thing on top. Spinning that screwy thing adjusts the voltage, and once it is set, the voltage won't shift (even if the input voltage is changed, although a very large current draw might cause issues)

[Gamerlolwind51649]

ah, okay,
um 5ft cable connecting the batteries to the cube?
so you mean that a 14.8v battery would be too much for the one regulator for the psone screen, because if i use the psone screen, i need one regulator for it
so 14.8v > 7.5v
and the gc takes 12v?
well it's dc does.

the 5ft was just an example of when you'd really need to worry about voltage drop across the length of the wire (since the wire does have some internal resistance, as the wire gets longer, the resistance at high current might cause enough voltage drop to cause issues. You will not run into that problem)
That ebay regulator takes a voltage up to 40V (low of around 8V, I think...), so that isn't a problem
The gamecube's internal power supply has been testedat up to 20V (and as low as 10.2V) with no problems.
The screen can only take ~8V max (6.8V-8V, exceed that and it goes boom), so the switching regulator is needed to drop the 14.8V from the battery down to 7.5V
If you look at the picture of the regulator you can see a blue box with a screwy thing on top. Spinning that screwy thing adjusts the voltage, and once it is set, the voltage won't shift (even if the input voltage is changed, although a very large current draw might cause issues)

yeah, so you say as the wire length extends, it can be good or not?
so if i use long wires than short, that might/may cause a problem later on?
yeah, thanx for showing me that regulator, switching is much better than linear,
i'll go to an electronic store close to my neibourhood tomorrow and get a switching regulator.
the man who runs the shop's nice,
he has a lot of the things i needed,
i made a list of the electronic things i needed and my dad got most of the tools/materials today from him,
a awesome magnifying glass for the tiny connections on the gc, now i can clearly see what im doing very accurately

um, the specs for the reg, i should get are the ones you showed me in the ebay reg?
and i'll get my 14.8v Li ion battery 6600 mah x 2, not 4
i sent my friend, kasar a pm on some questions i had, he told me that 4 of 6600 mah's will give me a lot of battery life but also take time to charge and be huge in weight,
so he said that 2 of 6600 mah will give me 4 Hours.

um, i have a question?

this part, do i need it?



on the dc connector?
im thinking of using the dc connector, and im going to create a switch so that i can use batteries and also wallpower, so do i create a circuit from my switch to my dc board and the batteries?

hay, did you see Unicycler17's Finished gcp?
it's awesome bravo for him, that great news
check it out, it's cool
i can't wait to have mine done.

also, my psone screen i've ordered is coming tomorrow, so i can work on with the guide on it from http://kyorune.com/modding/article.php?id=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
alos, im getting a gc from america for the slot a part and the disk case opening plastic part so i can use these on mine.
um, when i got rid of my slot a, the side a parts were removed, so do i remove the pins from it's side b so when i solder the new slot a mem port to fit through the holes?

[killersquirel11]

1)yeah, so you say as the wire length extends, it can be good or not?
so if i use long wires than short, that might/may cause a problem later on?

yeah, thanx for showing me that regulator, switching is much better than linear,
i'll go to an electronic store close to my neibourhood tomorrow and get a switching regulator.
the man who runs the shop's nice,
he has a lot of the things i needed,
i made a list of the electronic things i needed and my dad got most of the tools/materials today from him,
a awesome magnifying glass for the tiny connections on the gc, now i can clearly see what im doing very accurately

2) um, the specs for the reg, i should get are the ones you showed me in the ebay reg?
and i'll get my 14.8v Li ion battery 6600 mah x 2, not 4
i sent my friend, kasar a pm on some questions i had, he told me that 4 of 6600 mah's will give me a lot of battery life but also take time to charge and be huge in weight,
so he said that 2 of 6600 mah will give me 4 Hours.

um, i have a question?

3)this part, do i need it?



on the dc connector?
im thinking of using the dc connector, and im going to create a switch so that i can use batteries and also wallpower, so do i create a circuit from my switch to my dc board and the batteries?

hay, did you see Unicycler17's Finished gcp?
it's awesome bravo for him, that great news
check it out, it's cool
i can't wait to have mine done.

also, my psone screen i've ordered is coming tomorrow, so i can work on with the guide on it from http://kyorune.com/modding/article.php?id=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
alos, im getting a gc from america for the slot a part and the disk case opening plastic part so i can use these on mine.
um, when i got rid of my slot a, the side a parts were removed, so do i remove the pins from it's side b so when i solder the new slot a mem port to fit through the holes?

1)Wire extending really isn't a problem in a portable
2)Needs to have input 12-16V, capable of 7.5V@1A output
3)That's just a switch (I believe) and can be done away with as long as you route it correctly

[Gamerlolwind51649]

1)yeah, so you say as the wire length extends, it can be good or not?
so if i use long wires than short, that might/may cause a problem later on?

yeah, thanx for showing me that regulator, switching is much better than linear,
i'll go to an electronic store close to my neibourhood tomorrow and get a switching regulator.
the man who runs the shop's nice,
he has a lot of the things i needed,
i made a list of the electronic things i needed and my dad got most of the tools/materials today from him,
a awesome magnifying glass for the tiny connections on the gc, now i can clearly see what im doing very accurately

2) um, the specs for the reg, i should get are the ones you showed me in the ebay reg?
and i'll get my 14.8v Li ion battery 6600 mah x 2, not 4
i sent my friend, kasar a pm on some questions i had, he told me that 4 of 6600 mah's will give me a lot of battery life but also take time to charge and be huge in weight,
so he said that 2 of 6600 mah will give me 4 Hours.

um, i have a question?

3)this part, do i need it?



on the dc connector?
im thinking of using the dc connector, and im going to create a switch so that i can use batteries and also wallpower, so do i create a circuit from my switch to my dc board and the batteries?

hay, did you see Unicycler17's Finished gcp?
it's awesome bravo for him, that great news
check it out, it's cool
i can't wait to have mine done.

also, my psone screen i've ordered is coming tomorrow, so i can work on with the guide on it from http://kyorune.com/modding/article.php?id=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
alos, im getting a gc from america for the slot a part and the disk case opening plastic part so i can use these on mine.
um, when i got rid of my slot a, the side a parts were removed, so do i remove the pins from it's side b so when i solder the new slot a mem port to fit through the holes?

1)Wire extending really isn't a problem in a portable
2)Needs to have input 12-16V, capable of 7.5V@1A output
3)That's just a switch (I believe) and can be done away with as long as you route it correctly

cool, that's awesome, no worries there
sweet, i'll order that one.
um, the +/- connector for the 12v line connecting to the gc power board,
so you mean i can remove it and create a circuit between the dc to switch to batteries?

so if i desolder that connector, then do i solder in it's place the wire coming from my switch?

something like this?
: http://kyorune.com/modding/article.php?id=2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

also, can i create a connection or something so when i press the disk lid switch, to open the disk cover, im using the game's cover case, so it opens?
the plastic that causes the cover to open, i have lost it, so what can i wire to the switch from the two holes of the cover so it can open when i press the switch?

um, if im using the psone speakers do i need an audio amp?

and for the headphone/speakers do i need to install a switch
because the psone screen has the connections for what points to wire for headphones/speakers so i do/don't need a switch?
: http://kyorune.com/modding/article.php?id=17" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[killersquirel11]

That circuit looks right. I'm away from my project until wednesday, so you might want to check continuity with a multimeter to make sure that that's all that that switch from the GC does.



See that connector with 2 blue wires?

Put a momentary switch between them to detect when the door is opened. (shorted=closed, i think)

No amp needed, I'm pretty sure that's what the 12V is for on the board

Not sure about the switch. At this point you'd probably be best off asking someone who's used one of those screens. I think it depends on what headphone jack you use....

[Gamerlolwind51649]

That circuit looks right. I'm away from my project until wednesday, so you might want to check continuity with a multimeter to make sure that that's all that that switch from the GC does.



See that connector with 2 blue wires?

Put a momentary switch between them to detect when the door is opened. (shorted=closed, i think)

No amp needed, I'm pretty sure that's what the 12V is for on the board

Not sure about the switch. At this point you'd probably be best off asking someone who's used one of those screens. I think it depends on what headphone jack you use....

yeah, i'll do that, extend the wires with light blue ones and a switch.
that's good that i don't need an amp for the speakers of the psone screen.
um, i was wondering, if i can use the psone screen hinges that come with it and can bend when the screen it closed or open
like screw them to gc disk cover case holes and use that manually, not automatic open the disk cover when i press the disk lid switch to stop the disk running and want to change.

also, on the disk drive, you've seen my trimming of it in my worklog?
: http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab17 ... 010737.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

um, before i trimmed it it had three soft shock sponge things to prevent force feedback, i think.
i removed these, so in my portable when i tape the dd on the back of my case with Electrical tape (PVC)
there is no shock feedback vibration?

also, about wring player 2 socket, what cables do i use the same for the internal controller, or solder wires?
oh and the controller small black connector thing, do i need it or can i remove it?

the top pins of the power panel on the gc mobo, i left them on when i removed the bottom black connector, um do i get rid of these or keep them and solder on the wires to them?
and when kasar said about "bridging" these points and then wiring them up to said point, how do you do it, add solder or wire them together?

for the controls, and case, i got a plexiglass of 3mm, i was going to use it for the disk case, but um,
is it better if i use perspex (2mm for the controls) and (2 x 3mm) for the front/back of the case

or i can use plexiglass for the front/back case,

it plexiglass harder to cut and make smooth than perspex?
because bacteria used perspex for his intro64 front/back case and he said it works great but hard on tools,
it's plastic, not glass like plexiglass is

which is better? for front/back of the case?

um, now that i've opened my psone screen, i tested it out in my case, it fits, no need to trim, my gc mobo fits, dd drive fits, controls fit.
um, for the psone screen, do i need the anti-glare step or keep the screen as it is?

http://kyorune.com/modding/article.php?id=21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

what are the Advantages/Disadvantages to Anti-glare removal
and the no anti-glare removal?

um, to cut the plexiglass/perspex what do i need to use to cut a perfect circle for the disk cover lid etc?

[killersquirel11]

also, on the disk drive, you've seen my trimming of it in my worklog?
: http://i861.photobucket.com/albums/ab17 ... 010737.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nope hadn't seen that yet

um, before i trimmed it it had three soft shock sponge things to prevent force feedback, i think.
i removed these, so in my portable when i tape the dd on the back of my case with Electrical tape (PVC)
there is no shock feedback vibration?

There isn't too much dampening we can do, we just have to be careful when the cube is running

also, about wring player 2 socket, what cables do i use the same for the internal controller, or solder wires?
oh and the controller small black connector thing, do i need it or can i remove it?

I forgot where but someone had the pinouts from the motherboard to the controller. The black connector would still be needed (although you could just cut out one of the ports if you just want player 2...)

the top pins of the power panel on the gc mobo, i left them on when i removed the bottom black connector, um do i get rid of these or keep them and solder on the wires to them?

If you mean the pins in the same corner as the a/v connector (opposite of the disc drive connector) then I personally would remove the connector and solder directly to the pads.

and when kasar said about "bridging" these points and then wiring them up to said point, how do you do it, add solder or wire them together?

Bridging can be done either by connecting the points with solder or soldering an end of a piece of wire wire to each point

for the controls, and case, i got a plexiglass of 3mm, i was going to use it for the disk case, but um,
is it better if i use perspex (2mm for the controls) and (2 x 3mm) for the front/back of the case

or i can use plexiglass for the front/back case,

it plexiglass harder to cut and make smooth than perspex?
because bacteria used perspex for his intro64 front/back case and he said it works great but hard on tools,
it's plastic, not glass like plexiglass is

which is better? for front/back of the case?

Sorry case construction is not at all my strong point. I have no idea how any of the above would hold up

um, now that i've opened my psone screen, i tested it out in my case, it fits, no need to trim, my gc mobo fits, dd drive fits, controls fit.
um, for the psone screen, do i need the anti-glare step or keep the screen as it is?

http://kyorune.com/modding/article.php?id=21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

what are the Advantages/Disadvantages to Anti-glare removal
and the no anti-glare removal?

That is not necessary. You can do that if you want a slightly sharper image or if you dinged up the surface of the screen a bit during the build.

um, to cut the plexiglass/perspex what do i need to use to cut a perfect circle for the disk cover lid etc?

I'd trace a circle with something, then use a simple coping saw or band saw or some other cutting implement that's able to turn when sawing and saw slightly bigger than the circle and sand it to size.