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    Pi Zero W GBA [BUILD]

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    pi zero wgbascreenbuildwip
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    • T
      TechieAndroid
      last edited by

      @obsidianspider said in Pi Zero W GBA Display Options:

      I'm working with a 3.2" Sainsmart/Waveshare clone that seems to fit pretty well with trimming.

      Interesting... So you have data and power going through the GPIO pins. How does it look? Are there any side effects, artifacts or quality degradation, slow fps or anything like that? Would you say it looks superior to the original screen in the GBA?

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        TechieAndroid
        last edited by

        I posted mt thread over on gbatemp https://gbatemp.net/threads/pi-zero-w-gba-wip.483236/

        DeoNaught Recommended I use a ili9341 screen.

        It looks like everything I want except some say it has bad screen tearing. TBH I don't know... will it look bad for simple games such as GB, GBC, GBA, NES or SNES? Maybe it can be corrected. I'll research it more.

        mooseprM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • mooseprM
          moosepr @TechieAndroid
          last edited by

          @techieandroid I'm a firm advocate of the ili9341. It does suffer slightly with tearing but you only really notice on fast changes of full screen colours. There is a guide in my signature if you want to grab a screen to play with. A 2.8 screen should be ok, but they do go up to 3.2 inches

          want to get a tft into your project, look no further than here https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/7464/ili9341-tft-screen-guide

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          • T
            TechieAndroid @moosepr
            last edited by

            @moosepr
            Looks good enough to me. Thanks for the video, I really couldn't see it tearing, if it does I doubt it's that bad and I doubt my games will be fast enough to make it tear.

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            • T
              TechieAndroid
              last edited by

              I a PowerBoost 1000 and a Li-Po 3.7V 2500 mAh battery because it's small, will last long and it went well with the PowerBoost.
              I also got this screen: 3.2" TFT LCD SSD1289 ILI9341 and this MicroSD which is OP: SanDisk Extreme Pro 16GB MicroSDHC UHS-1.
              So... I believe I have everything ordered now, I just have to wait for everything to arrive and the assemble.

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              • HexH
                Hex
                last edited by

                Dont but adafruit displays. you can get a 3.5 inch lcd on ebay for ~15$. These are easily converted to 5v displays. I currently have 2 that work well

                Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

                T spruce_m00seS 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • T
                  TechieAndroid @Hex
                  last edited by

                  @hex
                  3.5" is too big for my build.

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                  • T
                    TechieAndroid
                    last edited by

                    //Cost & Parts

                    These are my totals which includes tax and shipping (I rounded up).

                    $0 GBA (I've had this for some time)

                    $12 Raspberry Pi Zero W

                    $16 Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 2500mAh

                    $17 SanDisk Extreme Pro 16GB MicroSDHC UHS-1

                    $20 PowerBoost 1000 Charger - Rechargeable 5V Lipo USB Boost @ 1A - 1000C

                    $25 3.2" TFT LCD SSD1289 ILI9341

                    Total = $90

                    Cost of Freeplay Zero ≃ $125 give or take

                    Saved ~ $35

                    I think my build will be better quality than a Freeplay Zero because of the battery and some other factors.

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                    • HexH
                      Hex
                      last edited by

                      @techieandroid Here is my build. The total cost turned out to be 65$

                      http://imgur.com/a/aQD0M

                      Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                      Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                      ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

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                      • T
                        TechieAndroid @Hex
                        last edited by TechieAndroid

                        @hex
                        Well... I'm making a GBA (or at least using it as my case to fix the parts into) not a GB/GBC. I would be careful with electronic components that heat up inside that cardboard if I were you. Why did you use cardboard? Just curious.

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                        • HexH
                          Hex
                          last edited by

                          Cardboard allowed a lot of flexibility while making the case and it was zero cost too.

                          That makes my case unique among all other GBZ. I get questions every time I travel.

                          Sent from 20,000 leagues under the sea.

                          Powersaver Emulation station : https://github.com/hex007/EmulationStation
                          ES dev script : https://github.com/hex007/es-dev/blob/master/es-tests.sh

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                          • A
                            AluLagoa @TechieAndroid
                            last edited by

                            @techieandroid $25 for the ili9341? I got mine for less than $10 from AliExpress.

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                            • T
                              TechieAndroid @AluLagoa
                              last edited by TechieAndroid

                              @alulagoa
                              Meh. I don't really care. I don't buy from there. I'm saving over $35 already on my project.

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                              • T
                                TechieAndroid
                                last edited by

                                Got my Pi Zero W and the PowerBoost 1000. Time to build it! :)

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                                • T
                                  TechieAndroid
                                  last edited by

                                  @moosepr
                                  I have the ili9341 3.2" version and it has been confusing trying to find the video signal pin on it. I have looked at the documentation and searched online but nobody has posted the connection they used on theirs to the Pi. I probably can figure it out on my own but quicker help would be appreciated greatly.

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                                  • T
                                    TechieAndroid
                                    last edited by

                                    This is the most info I've found on it. Doc
                                    LCD Pin Description

                                    PIN NO. SYMBOL DESCRIPTION FUNCTION
                                    1 5V 5V power supply When powered from 5V supply,
                                    Pin 1 & Pin 2 as power input,
                                    Pin 33 & Pin 34 provide 3.3V output.
                                    2 GND Ground GND
                                    3 D0 Data pin
                                    D0-D15
                                    4 D1
                                    5 D2
                                    6 D3
                                    7 D4
                                    8 D5
                                    9 D6
                                    10 D7
                                    11 D8
                                    12 D9
                                    13 D10
                                    14 D11
                                    15 D12
                                    16 D13
                                    17 D14
                                    18 D15
                                    19 CS LCD chip select Low active
                                    20 RS Instruction/Data
                                    register selection
                                    RS = 1 : Data Register
                                    RS = 0 : Instruction Register
                                    21 WR Write WR = 0,RD = 1
                                    22 RD Read WR = 1,RD = 0
                                    23 RESET Reset the
                                    controller chip
                                    Low active
                                    24 NC Not connect Not connect
                                    25 BLVCC 5V or 3.3V Backlight VCC
                                    26 BLGND Ground Backlight GND
                                    27 BLCNT Backlight
                                    brightness
                                    adjustment
                                    Control the backlight brightness via PWM
                                    28 TP_IRQ Touch screen
                                    interrupt Low level while the touch screen detects pressing
                                    29 TP_CS Touch screen
                                    chip select
                                    Low active
                                    30 TP_SCK Touch screen SPI
                                    clock
                                    connects to SPI SCK
                                    31 TP_SI Touch screen
                                    data input
                                    connects to SPI MOSI
                                    32 TP_SO Touch screen
                                    data output
                                    connects to SPI MISO
                                    33 3.3V 3.3V power
                                    supply
                                    When powered from 3.3V supply,
                                    Pin 33 & Pin 34 as power input,
                                    Pin 1 & Pin 2 keep NC.
                                    34 GND Ground

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                                    • T
                                      TechieAndroid
                                      last edited by

                                      @moosepr
                                      This is the exact pinout of my model img

                                      mooseprM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • A
                                        AluLagoa
                                        last edited by

                                        http://www.instructables.com/id/Breadboard-RetroPie/

                                        Here you can find the connections needed and driver for the screen to work.

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                                        • mooseprM
                                          moosepr @TechieAndroid
                                          last edited by

                                          @techieandroid that is not a pinout I have come across. It does look like that screen is geared more towards the parallel data connection, but it may still work. If you use the guide in my signature, there may just be the odd pin that has a different name. Are you sure it's ili9341?

                                          want to get a tft into your project, look no further than here https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/7464/ili9341-tft-screen-guide

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                                          • T
                                            TechieAndroid @AluLagoa
                                            last edited by

                                            @alulagoa
                                            That is not my screen and that link doesn't have the information I needed. I figured it out on my own though.

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