My first not dead portable DONE!

[bicostp]

Um...

ANY PSone portable is at least as big as the original, man!

[atkafighter]

Ouch!
Well how would you use analog sticks if they weren't "popping" out. I used all of the original controller parts to make it feel as original as possible.

Um...

ANY PSone portable is at least as big as the original, man!

Thanks Bicostp.
You see Psone portables can't possibly be any smaller than a Psone, because the motherboard is almost exactly the size of the case. Not to mention the CD reader adds a lot of thickness, and worrying about CD clearance makes this project all the more difficult. Also, not many Psone portables use the Psone screen because its really big. Ben uses pocket tv screens on his CNC one, and the handbuilt (which does use a Psone screen) is larger than the original unit.
True, I could have done better, but realize that I built this portable completely from spare things I had laying around. With the exception of the extra controller I had to buy at Gamestop ($4) everything I had to work with was a one shot deal. I have just enough tools for this kind of hobby. For this portable I used: soldering iron, desoldering iron, an xacto knife, a pair of nibblers, and a pair of needle nose pliers (that's right no dremel tool, ABS plastic is very hard to cut with an xacto knife). I was also on a budget of about $35. All I bought for this project was bondo, sandpaper, paint, superglue, and a hotglue gun. That brings my total to *cha-ching* $39! Ben's portables from the book are about $175. I built this portable on my free time (from 17 credit hours) in about 3 weeks.
All things considered I COULD have done better if I had $225 or more, more time, better tools, and a CNC machine.
I'm not flamming anyone here, but your opinion is your own. I do find it a bit unsupported. I built this portable for the love of my old Psone games not to impress you. Check out my first post. I was thanking people for their help, and I was showing them the result of their help. And I wasn't saying that my portable is better than Ben's. I used Ben's for comparison because I was guessing that you were basing your opinion on his Psone portables.

[Weebl]

Well if it makes you feel any better, I still think you made an awesome portable. I'm sure the guy who posted that has no idea how hard it is to make a portable (neither do I, but I can imagine how hard), so he wouldn't know much work goes into them and how tricky they can be to get right. Again, congrats on a good job, and forget what that other guy said.

[lpjunior999]

Now is it absolutely necessary to put in analog sticks if you're not going to play Ape Escape? I'm assesing whether to make something like this or not, and quite frankly I don't need the stick for Metal Gear Solid or Gundam Battle Assault 2.

[daguuy]

you need them for lots of RPGs and stuff. there's also a way to make an analog stick in the form of a D-pad using resistors

[lpjunior999]

I don't really see myself playing any RPG outside of Final Fantasy VII or Chronicles, so I might skip that if I go the PSOne route.

[kade]

that is cool. i am going to do one just like it

[lpjunior999]

How'd you go about carving out the buttons? I read Xacto knife, but I image that had to be some rough cutting.

[demonofaj]

If the control board is out there, why are the buttons in there , and thanks for the pm help btw.

[Harshboy]

Wow! And also off topic: u have the same bed thing i do.......with the red dragons and symobols and stuff.......coolnes..........um thats abouut it.

[lpjunior999]

Okay, I probably phrased that wrong; what's the best way to go about cutting wholes in the PSOne case to fit the buttons? I was thinking of maybe drilling the Shape buttons, but I'd rather for the shoulder and D-pad it was like a pumpkin.

[demonofaj]

For circles a drill, but for shoulder, trace the button, then carve it out with a knife.

[atkafighter]

Wow! Bunch of questions here. I'll do my best to answer all of them.
1) No the analog sticks are not necesscary, but its pretty funny to see other PSP's experience stick envy.
2) Yeah I cut out the buttons, with an xacto knife and pliers. Once you get deep enough, or have one corner out you can bend out the rest with pliers. It works best on ABS plastic. PPE plastic, or the kind used in tackleboxes, and videotape enclosures is horrible to work with, and this technique will not work.
3) I used to have tactile switches wired to the board long enough so that the control board could sneak out the back. Once I found out how to fit it all in the case the mile of wire made it bulge too much. That is why I went in and changed it to original boards. I took another controller, and cut it up for the D-pad and the face buttons, wired it up, glued it in place, and voila original controls.
4) I have heard that only the most awesome people in the world have this bed.
5) The best way to get the controls in the corner of the PSone is to do what I did. I mutilated a controller, and made it fit in some holes I cut out of the PSone casing. I need to get a hold of a camera to show how I did the back. Basically, I cut the shoulder buttons off a controller completely, and cleverly affixed them to the bottom of the PSone.
Whew! Thanks for the comments guys.

[lpjunior999]

Thanks for the answers, I'm looking forward to finding a PSOne and trying this out.

So does the technique you talk about on the site reflect this then? On your site you talk about using two controllers.

[toby dawg]

How hard was that? it really PRO