PSPi Version 3 - Custom PCB Prototype

edmaul69

@adamspc awesome job! Is the analog functional?

adamspc

@edmaul69 Not quite yet. The first analog to digital converter ended up cooking. I think a couple pins got switched around on the schematic. Those things aren't cheap, so I made some breakout boards and I'm going to troubleshoot it when they arrive. Should be here before the weekend.

@markyh444 Soon. Very soon. Working on prototype #2 now.

DirtyRob

@adamspc Ack ... always scares me to see a metal shield slapped over a freshly soldered power connection without putting some Kapton tape down first. Cool build though. Im still smazed you were able to make it all fit!

moosepr

@adamspc good effort dude!! what are you using to design your board with? and the purple boards look oshpark like :)

adamspc

@DirtyRob Lol. Nothing bad ever happened from shorting a pair of lithium batteries that are wired in parallel.

@moosepr Using Eagle for the design and Oshpark for the prototypes.

There have been a lot of changes since I posted this video. More stuff has been integrated, the mounting position is better, and everything fits better. Months of work so far and probably another month at least before I have it ready.

Dochartaigh

@adamspc

Let us know when they're 100% and hopefully available for purchase! I've been waiting for a cool project like this to work on, but always saw the DIY route to just be extremely messy with the wires everywhere (plus I've soldered a ton...but always larger gauge stuff so I've been kinda afraid to work with things as small as this) - I love the board you designed and hope you get it working!

adamspc

Prototype 2 has been ordered. I'm quite excited. Celebrate with me by joining the giveaway for a 1000.2.1 kit.

moosepr

@adamspc looking good!!! i bet that PCB wasnt cheap!!

Dochartaigh

I searched around....but what version of the PSP will this fit? There seems to be like 6 different versions through the years...

adamspc

@Dochartaigh Original 1000 series. If this kit sells well enough to pay for the 6 months of work I did, I might do a board for the 2000 and 3000 series.

iggy

@adamspc Gr8t job on the board! Cant wait to see howbit all turns out with ur final version of the board. I know how much time it takes to design a pcb and optimize the placement of components, etc. When I was designing mine for the NES R2-D2 I was working on, I was like, "glad its finished" and sumbitted to the board fabricator only to realize that I could design it better and go smaller. 4 versions later, I still could go smaller by utilizing SMD components instead of through-hole components. Guess im old school when it comes to using though-hole components. Nevertheless, its a great learning experience for anyone wanting to design his/her own boards.

adamspc

@iggy Yeah I'll never be satisfied. I keep wanting to add features or make improvements.

I just got the second prototype in and I'm running some tests.
http://othermod.com/pspi-version-3/

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moosepr

@adamspc looking good! Is that all hand soldered?

I take it you are using a row of headers to attach the pi to the board?

markyh444

@adamspc Genuinely excited about this. Can't wait for you to start shipping these to the UK!

adamspc

@moosepr
Yes, all hand-soldered. I use a mixture of stencil/solder paste for the bulk of it and a soldering iron for final details.

I did use headers to attach it, then cut off the excess. The SD card pads are soldered directly to it using 6 holes in the board.

@markyh444
I'm excited too. Won't be much longer.

FlyingTomahawk

Fantastic work! Keep it up. (twothumbsup)

Morph-X

First of all, what an amazing job! This is high level stuff if you ask me. Awesome!!

One might ask, why go through all this trouble, when there already are emulators available for the PSP OS? But, after taking a close look, emulation on the PSP (1000, 3000, PSP Go and even on the PS Vita) isn't on par with ES on a Raspi Zero. Games run slow, are laggy and there are still a lot of sound issues as well.

So i'm getting really excited about a handheld RetroPie system. Unfortunately, i'm not all that technical so i'm wondering how this would work in my case. Maybe you could elaborate?

I should buy a PSP 1000, a Raspi Zero and a PSP kit and an LCD screen via your website. Then solder everything, making sure all is connected and mounted properly. But that can't be it right? How about software configurations for the shut down process, the buttons etc.

I'm trying to figure out whether or not i'd be experienced enough to go for a build like this. Thank you in advance and keep up the great work!

adamspc

@Morph-X I'll put guides together to help with the wiring and the software once I release the board. The software part takes a little work, but it's not too difficult.

Morph-X

Excellent! Thank you in advance, i'll be checking for updates and good luck with further development!

Dochartaigh

@adamspc

Guess who bought a used PSP 1001? I actually might wait until the Zero is updated if that ever happens though. I'm getting lag even on some Nintendo games on that slow processor...(having fun with jailbreaking the PSP though - plays PS1 games great!)