My First RetroPie Project: NES R2-D2
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Hello Everyone,
I would like to share my year long project I've been working on for my brother-in-law (whose a huge Star Wars fan). It was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears but its finished and delivered! The outstanding paint job was done by CustomNesGuy while laser cut acrylics were done by Pololu.com. Also, thanks to the awesome RetroPie developers, emulator developers, and community for keeping RetroPie thriving. Your work is so very appreciated! If anyone has any questions about my build, ask away!
Some Goals:
-Utilize the cartridge drive with the cartridge containing a SSD hard drive
-Incorporate R2-D2 front and rear logic lights in front and back of the unit
-Have the unit play sounds when plugged in, power is turned on, reset is pressed, every 10 to 15 mins, and when power is turned off
-Have a bi-color led to flicker whenever there is pi activity or when R2-D2 plays a sound
-Swap out the controller ports for usb....to also allow charging of the controllers or play while plugged in
-Have a volume knob to turn down the sound if too loudBuild Log:
My build log encompasses the parts that I worked on in order to put this unit together. See end of the build log for completed project.Design:
The folks at astromech.com had plethora of materials that I utilized to start my design. I had also came across the Teeces logic lights for the front and real logic displays. I wanted to incorporate these lights into the NES housing. With that in mind I needed to nail down a NES design I liked. After scouring the internet for hours....I came across Edward Zarick's most excellent PS4 R2-D2 Playbook. Looking at the various pictures of his PS4 I had a game plan on what I wanted to incorporate in design and the medium to do so. I had to also take in consideration that I do not have access to a 3-D printer, therefore; majority of the parts would have to be fabricated by me. Using Photoshop, I had played around with the various components and came up with the following:http://i.imgur.com/GAtD0Yc.jpg
NES Housing:
Using a broken NES that I acquired, I started to plan for the layout of the components in the inside and outside of the unit. Some of the existing stand-offs needed to be cut from the bottom unit. The four stand-offs to hold the case, power and reset switches, A/V jacks, back plate, and cartridge loader were kept. The placement of components was the hardest part of the entire build as I didnt have much space to begin with (with the cartridge slot consuming majority of the space) and wanted to provide some air to the electronic components so they do not overheat. This was a trial by error process and came together as the build came along. There were many times where I had planned a layout and parts would just not fit together nicely. This was the most frustrating part, however; like every problem, its solvable....just needs time and thought.Stand-offs Cut:
http://i.imgur.com/r7iKBMa.jpgFront and Rear Logic (FLD / RLD) Lights:
Had to cut holes in both upper and bottom halves of the NES using a Dremel and then cleaning up the cuts with file and metal ruler. The holes would be covered with LCD Bezels I found on Digikey.com. Circuit board holders were glued to keep the FLD and RLD displays in place.Once the Teeces light kit arrived in the mail, it was time to solder all the components. Took a bit of time but well worth it. FLD not shown assembled below:
Cutting the RLD Hole:
http://i.imgur.com/8pJObY4.jpgRLD Hole Dremel Cut:
http://i.imgur.com/oU3Njf3.jpgRLD Hole w/ Filing:
http://i.imgur.com/tCXTEPr.jpgRLD Hole w/ Bezel:
http://i.imgur.com/3TLSVdd.jpgFLD Hole w/ Filing:
http://i.imgur.com/N5a8qAt.jpgFLD Hole w/ Bezel:
http://i.imgur.com/uSG14UX.jpgTeeces Light Kit RLD (not all components soldered):
http://i.imgur.com/QKzpY48.jpgTest Fit of RLD:
http://i.imgur.com/UnJGNbU.jpgPower:
To power everything inside the NES, I went with a buck converter that had adjustable output to accommodate any voltage drops that components would cause, thus preventing the dreaded lightning bolt. This would feed a USB hub to power the Pi and provide the needed power to run the SSD hard drive and charge two controllers. A master rocker switch was installed to cut power to the buck converter / USB hub when the NES was connected to power but not in use. (Photos of these components are towards the end of the build)Sound Board, Speaker, and Volume Knob:
Playing the sounds with different events happening was a different animal in itself. It took me four iterations of designing my circuit board before I was able to nail down the finalized schematics and submit for fabrication. This board handles the R2-D2 sounds when power is applied to the unit, when power button is pressed on or off, when reset button is pressed, and five additional channels that can be tied to the Pi GPIO for specific events. I have used one of these channels to play the R2-D2 sounds at 15 min using a crontab job. For the actual sounds, I am using an Adafruit's Audio FX board that is hooked to a 2 watt speaker.The 2W speaker would be mounted on the top half of the NES unit under the ribbed section using two acrylic pieces.
The volume knob was placed on the front of the unit to control the R2-D2 sound. A hole had to be drilled into the black plastic and NES top half above the controller ports to accommodate the logarithmic audio taper (don't have much pics of this step).
Prototype WAV Circuit Board:
http://i.imgur.com/zquiGQ9.jpgFirst Iteration of WAV Circuit Board:
http://i.imgur.com/gernhiz.jpgFinal Iteration of WAV Circuit Board:
http://i.imgur.com/XihHCSV.jpgAdafruit FX with 2W speaker and Logarithmic Audio Taper:
http://i.imgur.com/bsZcbO2.jpgKnob:
http://i.imgur.com/fStoecJ.jpgSpeaker Holder:
http://i.imgur.com/a1fvF3S.jpgCopper Hoses, Screw, Vent, Coin Return, and Coin Slots:
I wanted to simulate the copper hoses on the legs of an R2-D2 unit, therefore; I had purchased some copper braiding and rubber tubing. 22 gauge solid core wire was used to make the hoses somewhat stiff and durable. I found some metal and knurled knobs at a local hardware store that would dress up the ends of the hoses. The knobs and metal piece were glued using gorilla glue. Holes had to be made in the top half of the NES for the hoses.On the left side of the unit, I wanted to capture some of the features found on the R2-D2 arm. Due to lack of space, I decided to use a screw, screw jackets, and some acrylic. The screw would then be recessed into acrylic and the NES housing.
The vent and coin return were features I wanted to capture, however; actual size of these were too large for the top half of the NES unit. I had decided to build them from acrylics.
Lastly, a friend had some leftover resin coin slots he made from a mold that I used on the right side of the unit:
http://i.imgur.com/YWnFNaN.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/fyFLmf3.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HLxUxoL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Dqvd9dG.jpg
Wall-plate and A/V Jack:
I used a keystone wall-plate that would align perfectly with the back of the NES. The wall-plate would house the HDMI jack, CAT6 jack, and DC input jack. Unfortunately, I would need to cut the wall-plate and also cut the existing NES backside holes in the back. To make the cuts perfectly square, I used a metal ruler and some files to file the plastic. The wall-plate would be secured using a couple of screws. My wall-plate went through two iterations during this process as I messed up on the first one.The A/V jack chassis had to be cut from the main board to accommodate the wall plate. These jacks were originally going to be utilized for the A/V port on the side of the Pi, however; due to space constraints, I am using them purely for aesthetics.
Wall-plate:
http://i.imgur.com/ohOWGiQ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/7ovefoS.jpg
NES Backside:
http://i.imgur.com/SPd0clw.jpgA/V Jacks:
http://i.imgur.com/Uqd5X7b.jpgFront USB Ports:
To incorporate the front USB ports, I decided to solder some USB jacks to some perf board and screw this board into an acrylic piece. I also needed to glue down some circuit board holders that would accommodate and hold the USB board. I also had to cut the plastic around the old controller ports to accept my new built USB port board.Front USB Ports W/ Holders:
http://i.imgur.com/PfSJIJT.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/OyeiGTn.jpg
Front Lights and Power / Reset Switches:
In order to capture the blue and red LED of R2-D2, I used a bi-color LED that's soldered to perfboard. These are wired to the Pi GPIO.The reset and power switches are wired up to my WAV sound circuit board to trigger a sound event when these buttons are pressed. These switches are also wired to a mausberry circuit board.
http://i.imgur.com/yix8Szr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/caU3qgK.jpg
Circuit Board Tray:
Circuit board tray that I created out of acrylic that holds the Pi, my WAV circuit board, and Adafruit FX board.http://i.imgur.com/0PUGfP5.jpg
Cartridge and Cartridge Loader:
Using a broken Top Gun cartridge, I de-soldered all the components on the circuit board and traced the connectors to the pads where Ill be splicing a SATA to USB cable into. The rest of the circuit board had to be cut to accommodate space for the SSD hard drive and SATA connector. I then found a Star Wars NES cartridge shell from a seller to fit the circuit board into.
I utilized a USB breakout board and soldered pin headers to each respective line on the cartridge loader connector. These headers were then soldered to the USB breakout board. At first, the orientation of the breakout board would not allow the loader to fit back in the NES. I had to desolder this board and flip its orientation to get it to fit (I didnt take pictures of the new orientation).
Cartridge Circuit Board:
http://i.imgur.com/Aih6a0t.jpgDesoldered Components From Circuit Board:
http://i.imgur.com/lQN8sNC.jpgCircuit Board Cut:
http://i.imgur.com/J1BsC1h.jpgEverything Assembled in Cartridge:
http://i.imgur.com/aIN5u39.jpgCartridge Loader w/ USB Breakout Board (Incorrect orientation shown):
http://i.imgur.com/hX3ySsk.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/mm0mJgp.jpg
Acrylics and Outside Parts
These pics detail the test fitting and orientation of acrylics and outside parts. Acrylics are and outside parts are mounted using car adhesive tape.http://i.imgur.com/b9JRBuC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LYeP2NT.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Sx49i4D.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/il7a2Hq.jpg
Assembling All Components Together With Case Painted:
Wall-Plate and Master Power Switch Installed:
http://i.imgur.com/6c7He1p.jpgBuck Converter, LED and Power / Reset Switch, FLD, USB Ports, USB Hub, and WAV Circuit Board Installed:
http://i.imgur.com/fYI8TEe.jpgPi w/ Fan, Mausberry, and Wiring:
http://i.imgur.com/qvEcBky.jpgAlmost There:
http://i.imgur.com/16ggMdF.jpgFinal Product!
http://i.imgur.com/t6XIjHh.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/THs38A1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/muLYnpl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/JpIUIaa.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8X5VLks.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/07H6yIe.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/0krlJFB.jpg
With Lights:
http://i.imgur.com/PliuqkL.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/zTh9A8O.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rtEXK1G.jpg
Controllers:
http://i.imgur.com/uyxOxZx.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/gzmTQUA.jpg
Video:
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That's just awesome! :-) love it.
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Good god. This is amazing.
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@iggy this is freaking amazing! As an nes and star wars fan you just put my two loves together. Super jealous!!
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Completely dazzled! Awesome job! Way better than my NesPi. :(
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Holy shit! that is one of the coolest things I have EVER seen on this forum. Good Job
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Nice job!
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Wow 😮
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Holy cannoli! That thing is amazing!
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this rules! watching the video and it just keeps getting better and better!
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Wow on so many levels!! It's one thing to gut NES with retroPie, but you made it very cool and fun! Thanks for sharing!
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Just an amazing build!
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Above and beyond! Top class!
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Thanks everyone for the comments! They are very much appreciated! The funny thing is now I have two mad women in my life at this present moment: the wife who is mad about me scratching her kitchen table.....and my sister-in-law that cant pry her son and husband (my brother-in-law) from the system. Cant win.....lol!
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awesome job! simply amazing
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