Newbie Question

[Psy]

Hi,

I'm really new to this sort of thing (barring a school electronics project ten years ago involving a ZX Spectrum and a NES case) and I have a few questions regarding my first portable project.

The reason I'm undertaking this project is that I want to give my 4 year old console mad son something completely special and unique for Christmas this year and want it to be something I've worked hard on rather than just lazily bought from a shop.

As this is my first project I'm trying to decide on which console is best to convert. I've had various ideas but am finding it a little difficult to decide. I want to do either a NES, SNES or PSone and am finding it hard to weigh up the potential benefits and drawbacks of each system.

NES: Obviously the whole NOAC idea means I can dedicate a lot of time to the actual aesthetics of the console, however the size of it(due to cartridges) may cause problems due to it being a little too bulky for a 4 year olds hands. Plus the games, whilst nostalgic for me, would probably be a little outdated for him and hard to get hold of as there are no specialist retro places where I live.

SNES: Games are readily available for this beast and the little monster loves playing on my snes at home. Not sure about the size of the PCB though however Bens looked relatively small with the only problem being the cart sticking out the back.

PSOne: Games easy to get hold of, however PCB is huge, and I would rather not have to use the original case as that would make it ridiculously large. Plus side is that Cart size obviously doesn't have to be taken into account and I've got a few elegant idea's for covering the spinning disc whilst in use(obviously a good idea when being used by a child!!).

So which console do people think would be my best bet, considering my relative newbie-ness and kids age? And if SNES then is there any way to get around the vertically mounted cart situation?

Also, can I use a PSOne or Gamecube screen for all of these, or would I have to try and get hold of a Casio TV or something?

One final question, are there any really good guides on how to do this with it being my first project and all?

Sorry this is so long winded but I needed to get it all out of my head so I didn't forget.

Many thanks in advance for your assistance with my queries.

Psy

[SpongeBuell]

Hi,

I'm really new to this sort of thing (barring a school electronics project ten years ago involving a ZX Spectrum and a NES case) and I have a few questions regarding my first portable project.

The reason I'm undertaking this project is that I want to give my 4 year old console mad son something completely special and unique for Christmas this year and want it to be something I've worked hard on rather than just lazily bought from a shop.

As this is my first project I'm trying to decide on which console is best to convert. I've had various ideas but am finding it a little difficult to decide. I want to do either a NES, SNES or PSone and am finding it hard to weigh up the potential benefits and drawbacks of each system.

NES: Obviously the whole NOAC idea means I can dedicate a lot of time to the actual aesthetics of the console, however the size of it(due to cartridges) may cause problems due to it being a little too bulky for a 4 year olds hands. Plus the games, whilst nostalgic for me, would probably be a little outdated for him and hard to get hold of as there are no specialist retro places where I live.

SNES: Games are readily available for this beast and the little monster loves playing on my snes at home. Not sure about the size of the PCB though however Bens looked relatively small with the only problem being the cart sticking out the back.

PSOne: Games easy to get hold of, however PCB is huge, and I would rather not have to use the original case as that would make it ridiculously large. Plus side is that Cart size obviously doesn't have to be taken into account and I've got a few elegant idea's for covering the spinning disc whilst in use(obviously a good idea when being used by a child!!).

So which console do people think would be my best bet, considering my relative newbie-ness and kids age? And if SNES then is there any way to get around the vertically mounted cart situation?

I'd go with the NES with a NOAC, but that's just my opinion. The SNES cart slot can be remounted, but it can be a pain in the butt to do. The reason the SNES was so small is because he used the little known SNES version 2, which is smaller.

Also, can I use a PSOne or Gamecube screen for all of these, or would I have to try and get hold of a Casio TV or something?

All three of those would work. In fact, I'd use the PSOne screen.

One final question, are there any really good guides on how to do this with it being my first project and all?

There aren't many step-by-step how-to's, but check out this site for more info.

Sorry this is so long winded but I needed to get it all out of my head so I didn't forget.

Many thanks in advance for your assistance with my queries.

Psy

No problem

Hope that helps

[gannon]

hmmm...if I remember right, psone and snes rev. 2 boards are about the same size. With the snes you have a cartridge port problem unless you want to relocate it, and with the psone you have the whole moving parts problem.
I'd go with the snes rev. 2 board just because I like the snes better, and the lack of moving parts means that less things can break if he drops it.

But size wise the nesp made with a noac would be by far the smallest, even if the cartridges are large.

[vb_master]

I wonder if a NOAC can fit in an official NES controller?

[Link89]

I'd personally go with the playstation I'm building one right now and they're not to bad the snes version 2 is not exactly cheap or really easy to find but from what I here it's not to bad. I wouldn't recommend the noac because you'll need to do a good amount of soldering and figuring out some connections. I would say the playstation would be best because they still make games for it and they're really easy to get games for and you can make some really neat cases for them, but then again that's my opinion. Also I'd worry a little bit about thw weight if it's for a 4 year old so you definitley want to make sure the systems light. You should try building a charger for the system so he can just plug it in to let it charge. Good luck with it.

[···Agent EQzE···]

I wonder if a NOAC can fit in an official NES controller?

Well, the chip itself, yes. But you'd need some way to mount a cartridge, and then a screen would look nice to fill up the space in front of the cartridge... and you've essentially got a NESp there anyway. But the chip (and board) itself seem to be small enough, yes.

[cennar]

you know what the other night i had one of those thinghs where your all thinking and things um mushrooms any way i figured out if i modify my usless half a power glove i can make it hav a noac and a sony tv screen in it so i will now have to buy a noac but do i want to divert money from my dreamcast fund? but i would like NES on a glove

[Psy]

Thanks for all your answers, I've got one more question though!

Was the SNES rev 2 pcb used in UK SNES's and what year was it used from? The thing is there are plenty of shops where I can pick up a SNES for about £8-£10 so this would make it the most cost effective one I could build.

[Sparkfist]

About the SNES being UK PAL I dont know (most likely yes though) Nintendo release the v2 console late like last 2 years, they supported the SNES.

[gannon]

hmmmm..... I'm not sure if the snes rev. 2 was released in pal format.
If that's the case a playstation might be easier to create.

If it's an option, you might be able to do a region mod to a u.s. rev. 2 snes, but I'm not sure if that would work right.

[Guest]

yeah they got the snes 2 there too as the snes jr the same name the japanise got. but realy its the snes 003 cus it there third board change
and the first case change

[Psy]

Was this the SNES with the smaller pcb? If so then this is a US/Jap console only, I may just have to go with the NES or playstation, I think a SNES with built in PAL convertor may be a little difficult for a first attempt.

[SpongeBuell]

yup, that's the SNES rev. 2