gamecube advance

[kaito]

ok, for my first console project and portable, I have decided to portafy my nintendo Gamecube.
being the cheap and impatient <choice curse word here> that I am, rather than order/buy the gamebit to take off the case the right way, I just slaughtered the holes so I wouldn't have to worry about the rest of that. I have the plastic sitting off to the side, as I am currently leaning towards melting down the excess case plastic and using it to make the new case.

so far, I am using/planning on using the following parts:
Intec GCN screen
GCN console
official GCN wired controller


I need help on deciding on cheap batteries, alternate case possibilities (note: I MAY be able to gain access to a 3D printer, and if I can, I'm going to use that. it's way simpler than creating molds and melting down the original case.), mod chips, and how to remove unnecessary things-- the digital av out, the high speed port, and the serial ports.

I'll post pictures as I feel the need.

please ignore the above information in concern with current events of the project. most of the above information is purely a history of my thought process on the day I posted it. the rest of this post is decently relevant, though.

progress so far:
-disassembled the GCN
-disassembled the screen (and discovered it to be partly broken...)
-disassembled official controller
-disassembled the 2nd GCN
-disassembled the 3rd party controller (datel. piece of [choice curseword here] if you ask me. has turbo, though, which is what I needed for epic button spamming. not that I couldn't ALREADY cause a stale move ratio of over nine thousand with a combo counter of 999 in melee.)

edit: reason for the name: current case design (in my head) is in the shape of a gameboy advance. the original one, the one with the screen in the middle.
edit #2: my ac adapter is dead, so if any of you can help me to restore/replace it, that'd be great. PROBLEM SOLVED
edit #3: everything is fine except the ac adapter and the controller ports. the controller portion MIGHT still work... a little. need to disassemble my wavebird to figure out why the @#$% it doesn't stop sending motion signals to the receiver even when I've stopped pushing a direction. it moves as if I was moving on ice.
in other news, check the 3rd post to see my rough project log. I will upload my complete and detailed log in a zip file with pictures and summarized how-to's, lists of everything I used, and any videos I took that I didn't upload to youtube once the project is completed. if you/your thread has put forth a contribution of any sort (informative, mostly, but the occaisional donations of parts and resources, if I get any from you net'ies, will top the list) I'll make sure to give you the thanks where they're due and spread the word about where I got my know-how.

this post will now serve the purpose of being a generalized summary of progress.

[Zeflis]

While the Intec screen isn't the highest quality you can get, i suppose its bearable. I've heard that with some games the screen can get a little blurry at times, but is generally ok.
Plus if you've already got it and disassembled it then i'd go with it anyway.

Keep us updated

[kaito]

I can definitely confirm the "blurry" aspect of the screen. one game that I know of is Animal Crossing- while playing any of the nes games, you have to turn the brightness all the way down, or else you won't even be able to see what's going on, and even then it's a bit blurry.
SSBM has the same problem, but the deflicker option helps fix it.
anyways...
_______________
project status updates
________________
probably going to have to borrow an ac adapter from a friend until I can get the batteries problem worked out. if there's a thread on here that would help me to figure out a method of using batteries for the gamecube, they would be much appreciated.
got an order of cables for moving the optical drive on the way, so that'll be a huge help.
I may end up replacing the screen with something more suitable (and functional) after all, so I'll be on the lookout for cheap screens/old systems with decent screens to slaughter. if I can find my ds lite, I may salvage it for parts-- the top screen is messed up, the L and R buttons don't work sometimes, but still work more often than the L and R on my DSi, and the casing is pretty bad, but the contents of the system are still useful.

if you guys have any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions, feel free to post them! I'm open to new ideas, and definitely need some...

if I can, I'm going to install several hard mods-- mostly just so I can run action replay from a usb or sd.

Ideas and necessary actions so far
-SD card slot (if I can find a mod to use it)
-replace regulator (mine got [choice curse word]ed by my ancient ac adaptor...)
-use speakers from old walkie-talkie (the speakers themselves are high quality, despite how crappy the WT sounds when you use it.)
-a/v out? would be nice for multiplayer games.
-will probably end up using poly-lith batteries, even though they cost an arm and a leg.

update [9/07/10]
okay, I have two people I know who are willing to sell me their gcns, and I'm going to buy both of them :3
prices: one is for under $30 (b/c that's how much he bought it for) and the other is between $10 and $50, but is likely to be around 25.
I have to keep the casing intact for the $30 one, b/c my seller wants to use the case as a lunch box (yes, I'll post pictures of that when he's done, just for those who are interested.), so I'm going to have to wait on my personal order monkey to order the toolkit off of thinkgeek listed here, but I don't believe the toolkit to be complete, as the Gamebit required for the gamecube is not listed... I will attempt to ransack wal-mart, home depot, and lowes as soon as I can. not sure if they'll have it, but I can just carry the screw with me now that I have 4 of them out of my own gcn's casing.
I must warn all that wish to make portables in the future: trying to get into the cube by destroying the casing is like trying to get to florida by driving north from south carolina-- it can be done, but only if you have a diesel engine, oxygen mask and tank, and a crap load of time on your hands.
for me, I used what I call the "dragonforce" method-- I hacked at the casing through the fire and flames.
using a lighter, a flat head screwdriver, a knife, and a woodburning tool (soldering irons get even hotter than this, so it would have burned the plastic even more), I heated up the casing and the cutting tool of choice, and then sliced in like a hot knife through warm butter-- plastic, in this case.

anyways, once I get my hands on the innards of one or the other of the new gcns, I'm going to swap in and out circuit boards from the old one until I figure out what works and what doesn't. I have a hinting suspicion that this may damage the new cube, which is why I'm getting two, not to mention spare parts.
I will explore ideas of hardware acceleration and other insanities since I will have doubles of all but what's broken.

I have found a new source of interest for the screen and a/v out oportunities-- the V.Smile Pocket.
limitations: the screen is puny. less than 4"; the A/V out line only has left audio out and video out, so no stereo sound w/o modification. I already have one on hand (my sister outgrew it) that I can disassemble, but if I find that I can't use it easily (which I most likely will, given the screen size), I'll just borrow how the A/V out works and use my current a/v in cable (via intec screen) and GCN analog out cable to assemble my own a/v out ports.
ah, the wonders that childhood electronics can work on a portablizing project.
I have decided on the orientation of most of the innards of the GCA, and am now at the point of laying it out with my useless hardware so I can calculate a bare minimum size (no batteries, no modchips, just the gcn circuit boards, the unusable screen, and the things necessary to attach and power all of that.)
anyways... until next time!
PS: I'm getting GCN #2 tomorrow, the one that I can slaughter.

[9/9/10]
ok, I'm a total idiot. the only thing that was dead (somehow) was the controller circuit board... I must have dropped a live wire on it from my connection or something... the only resistor on the board is shot, the bulb is fried, and other such nonsensities.
anyways, the new gcn is a post-2008 model, which makes me thankful that my original is still (almost) completely functional, if I end up needing composite.
oh, and the ac adapter (my original) is definitely 100% nonfunctional for producing energy, though it still works up quite a bit of heat if I plug it in-- apparently the AC side is still functional.
the new one works just great, but it looks a little funny compared to how I'm used to them looking... nintendo changed what materials they were using between when I got mine (christmas '03) and when my friend got his (post 2008)
I have completely discarded the idea of using the v-smile. screen's too small. I have a better source: a polaroid portable DVD player. too bad this thing doesn't have a battery pack... oh, and the screen's about the height of the gamecube, and the length is around that from the front of the gamecube to the furthest end of the handle. it's meant for widescreening, apparently.
gained the assistance of my father, an electrical engineer 8D
he's helping me out with the calculations for powering via batteries and other circuit calculations. hardware is up to me ;_;
oh, man. the prices of batteries... anyways, emo moment over.
PS: yes, I worked on this on labor day. I'm such a bad person >8D

I'll upload pictures as soon as I can find a decent camera-- my phone's 2.0 megapixel camera just isn't going to cut it for me.

[Zeflis]

If you're thinking about using your DS screen, keep in mind your need to keep the DS hardware intact(with the exception of by-passed switches and such) while using the Game Boy Advance TV Tuner.

Do some searching in the reference sub-forums and you'll find some info on this.

Also, if you do end up using the DS screen, I would advise that you remove the cartridge slot, power adaptor, headphone jack, and volume control. Some of these parts can even be rewired elsewhere and can be very nice features in the final product

[predue]

I can't believe what I'm reading xD
My next portable should look exact the same like yours... I have some sketches and this things.
Where are you from? For the battery-problem: here is a link for some good ones in America:
http://forums.benheck.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=34576

I am from Germany and it is not so easy to find such accus... But ebay is on our side =) here are some, I will use in my next portable:
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 1440wt_911

I'm waiting for your first pics =) Hope you will do it fine.

[kaito]

Hahah, oh dear, it seems the goddess of Irony has followed me, for all of the gca project people-- gca sp, gca, and one who's gcp will look like a gba-- have posted in one place.
anyways, as for locale, I'm a US resident. I'm getting one of my friends to order me all the parts I need.

from now on, essential updates will be made as edits to my 2nd post, for ease of viewing.

as for the battery issue, I'm off to go ransack my old RC cars and check their voltages, and I'm going to scour the forums to find detailed accounts of how to hook up batteries to the gamecube.

thanks for the info, Zeflis. I'll keep that in mind. in all actuality, I don't plan to use the ds screen, but if I can find it, I may use some of the buttons, to save space and to keep that traditional gameboy look. in the end, if I want the true gameboy look, I'll probably end up molding my own buttons in the proper size for the system.
still, I'm a master of trivial information, so the things that I may never need to know often seem like the coolest stuff to me :3

[kaito]

STATUS UPDATE!!!
ok, ordered PSone screen (and psone and all that goes with them) for 99 cents(no idea. don't ask. no one paid any attention to it, I guess.) bought two new gamecubes off of some friends (total gcn count:3. type 1 gamecubes: 1 type 3 gamecubes: 2) ordered the optical cable extension stuff off of digikey, and am researching various ways to output video from the gamecube
I will be making my first portable with the first gamecube, probably, though I will have to replace the light... it's apparently the only thing that died. I currently have the two model 3 gcns sitting in a gamecube box-- the original packaging, mind you.

I discovered this on one of my model 3's-- the optical drive's two cables are different. one of them is soldered directly onto the board and into the drive. this means that there is a 115% chance that I will be using the OD and board from my original GCN, if nothing else.

quick question: is it possible to wire current directly into the gcn's lines, or is it mandatory that I go through a regulator?

note for posterity: POLAROID PORTABLE DVD PLAYERS TAKE WEIRD AUDIO AND VIDEO INPUT, AND AS SUCH WILL REQUIRE HARDWARE MODIFICATIONS TO USE THE SCREEN. thank you.

[Zeflis]

The rev A gamecubes need the regulator or you'll fry the main board. Unless you have exact voltages going in(which I highly doubt) to the correct pins.
Even if you did manage to pull that off, I would recommend against it, as battery don't output constant voltages. That's why the regulator PCB has capacitors

The rev C gamecubes have the regulator board built directly into the main PCB which makes it easier to make portable

Either way, I would suggest Attaching the power to the already existing power lines.

[kaito]

ah, thank you, zeflis. I figured as much... the only problem with the rev c boards is that there's no digital a/v out... oh, and I'm making a note of all the different model numbers of each part of the gcns in my project log that I'll be typing up and releasing along with the final pictures whenever I finish the project. anyways, as for the rev c with the regulator already on the board, that makes it kind of hard to solder the 5v and the 12v lines together so the gcn can be run off of 5v.

at the moment, I'm attempting to use 6v lantern batteries to run my portable, but when I hook up two lantern batteries in series to the gcn through a modified power cable (stolen from my intec screen's plugs >.>), it won't run. the fan turns on, the MB gets power, the controller board's light turns on, but I hear a bunch of clicking from one of the mb's chips. beyond powering the non-essential elements, using 12v's worth of lantern batteries isn't doing anything. what am I doing wrong?
is it just that the capacitors only work with pulsed dc? or can it not draw enough current out of them?

[Zeflis]

What is the mah rating of the batteries?

And are they the same battery types? That can affect things sometimes.

[kaito]

11000 mah rating. both are 6 volt lantern batteries, but one is an eveready super heavy duty and the other is a rayovac... I will look up any differences and report back to you.

soon, I will have to begin soldering things... my hands aren't very steady-- in fact, I have a chronic disorder of some sort that makes my hands always shake. amount varies by level of stress type things. anyways, I'll probably get some assistance or rig up some mad scientist contraption to keep my hand steady while soldering.
I have a screwdriver shaped soldering tool... exchangeable soldering bits, but I only have one bit for some reason. anyways.

list off all things that need to be done still:
-choose wires to connect regulator to mb
-pull off the connection things on the mb and regulator
-solder wires between reg and mb
-obtain optical cables and extend distance between OD and drive board
-obtain PSone screen and modify as needed
-obtain gcn component cable and modify for psone screen use
-optionally create switch for choosing ac/dc converter from wall power and battery.
-create analog out to female composite video/right/left audio cable
-decide on/if modchips.
-decide whether or not to use gbplayer (would be hillarious, would it not?)
-decide on which controller to use (official wired controller, or ****** datel controller with turbo and slow)
-finish paying off my two new gamecubes and all the crap I'm getting my friend to order so I'm not in debt to them for the rest of my highschool life (let's see... $10 left for one, unknown value less than 40 ish for the other, ~22 for the cables, 99 cents for the psone stuff, and I think $20 for the component cable... so between 63 and 93 dollars left. dang.)
-decide how to make the case, and then make it. (I'll probably make a rough mold for all the flat pieces out of thin metal sheets and then just set the amount of gamecube casing I'll need to melt to get that piece in it and set it on the stove until it melts, then use acryllic modeling glue or epoxy glue to hold them together until I can get skilled enough making molds to make shafts for screws to hold it together. that, or I'll make a design in AutoCAD and send it off to my school's extension campus to have them make it with their 3D printer. that would be the most efficient (not to mention aesthetic) method.)
-assemble everything all together
-take pictures, type up my project log, scan in my concept drawings, make my thanks, and all that stuff, and then put them all in a zip file, upload it, and give all you lovely followers a link. don't worry, I'll include an extensive how-to written in a way that it would be extremely hard NOT to understand, and a rather large list of things that you should NEVER do that I did, or found that someone ELSE did, that screwed up some part of their gamecube/stuff for the gamecube(portable)
-transcend portable making so that all my systems immediately become portables the instant I touch them--shot--

we are sorry to inform you that your portable making human has been erased for the attempt to defy reality and modify objects upon contact.
-- Reality Enforcement Team

anyways. if you know something that I don't/something that could be helpful to my project in ANY way, please feel free to post it. I will definitely appreciate it.


edit: scratch the analog out-> female RLA/CV cable, I just remembered I have something better! ahh, thank god I have such an extensive collection of useless electronics! anyways, I'll just be making a standard single jack audio/video out port on the system and then using a modification of my intec screen's a/v in cable to make it work the other way around.
on a side note, I just looked at my GBA, and I realized how wide the screen is! it's about 2.5" wide by a little over 1.5" tall. it's going to be hard to make this proportional, if not impossible!! anyways, I'm scratching the proportional thing, though I may end up stealing some parts (buttons and switches and stuff.) from my gba just for authenticity. nothin like a blown up scale model of a portable system to increase your geek cred, eh?

[The Smooth]

Didn't one of the first n64ps use a gba screen?
Like said before, it is possible to use a gba screen but you will probably have to keep the whole gba intact.

[mako321]

No n64p that I know of used a GBA screen, but you'll need to find a video in thing to use it. (Damn impossible to find)

[kaito]

no, no, not the gba screen. 16 bit screen + 128 bit system=no. can't be done without killing any/all useful functionality. anyways, I was just going to steal buttons from the gba. the shoulder switches and start and select button, if nothing else. oh, and I have two gba SPs that I still have to open up so I can see if their shoulder buttons can replace the ones in my dsi (they're dieing fast. the dsi shoulder buttons are minuscule tact switches, the buttons being about 1mm in diameter.)
thank god I have such an extensive collection of ancient and/or useless technology! I have everything (minus screen) that I will need to build the gca, save the things that would make it a hell of a lot easier (aka, vacuum form table, molding clay, a triwing screwdriver, a gamebit screw driver, and other things that aren't "needed" but would definitely speed up the process.)

speaking of, melting down the plastic of the case is a lot more annoying than first thought. I'm definitely going to need to up my mold making level if I want this to be of any decent quality... I'm planning on making one large sheet of plastic out of all the excess gcn plastic that I have and cutting it into the sizes that I need, heating it up and twisting it as needed. all the excess from that will be melted down into a smaller sheet, or possibly a long cylinder which I would cut off sizes needed and melt the proper phillips head screw into to make something to hold it together, then melt the other end of it into the case. If I did the smaller sheets, I would make clips to hold the case together from the outside. might end up something like the latches on plastic toolboxes, only I would put small screws through the end of it to hold it closed so it wouldn't just fall open all of a sudden, as said toolboxes are prone to do. unless I can find a proper empty metal cylinder that I can peel open, I'll probably end up making the latches and using metal rods for the pivotal center. I have a large supply for these, so I'll be fine.

I've decided not to extend the optical drive cables, as that would throw off my design. it's going to make a rather large bulge in the back, though, but it's not the part you hold, so it should be somewhat fine. maybe.
I'm attempting to make my prototype case using my old erector set, but it's not going so well... I don't have any of the right shapes... I may end up just doing the lazy man/ poor man's portable case for my prototype (wood and/or wood glue) or sacrificing one of my large tuperware boxes-- I have a few that are just the right size, but just the wrong shape for my final case. plus I want to recycle my original gcn case. I'm not a waster if I can avoid it. the only exception to this being time. I love wasting that

still haven't solved the battery problem yet. working on it, though.
down to 41-71 dollars of debt now that I've decided against extending the optical drive cables. will try to negotiate it down to 41-51 dollars, since it seems that gamestop is selling used gamecubes for $30.

until you next hear from me.

[Bush]

Hey kaito, I sent you a PM regarding that PSone. Also, if you cant find a case, try polycase.com (you can sometimes get free samples) or If you would like a custom case, Im starting to vacuum form and could make a case for you. Good look with your portable! You too zeflis!(sorry about the battery situation, but hopefully you see now that you need at least 3cells.)