Famicom (not Mini) build (WIP)

[FlyingTomahawk]

@edmaul69

Will do.

[spruce_m00se]

@FlyingTomahawk Im actually in Dubai, so hopefully a little cheaper.

[FlyingTomahawk]

@edmaul69 @spruce_m00se

Here the shipping quotes I got for the Famicom only (No AC adapter and no TV cable).
The Famicom itself is 637g + 100g for packing material = around 737g

Colorado (registered Airmail) = 1820 Yen ($16)
Dubai (registered Airmail) = 1820 Yen ($16)

@spruce_m00se if you want to have a decent looking one then the prices rise quickly.
There are mint condition Famicoms around sometimes even with original Box and all but they are very expensive.

What I bought is "junk" it came with nothing just the body with the 2 controllers and no AC and no TV cable.
I didn't mind since I use it as a Pi project. $15 for a good condition one is most likely not possible to find.

I will keep my eyes open and if I find a few good ones I let you guys know but don't hold your breath.
If you don't mind a discolored or not so mint condition like mine then I can sure get one again sooner.

@edmaul69

Here pictures of the controllers.
I took one with flash so that you can see the scars better.

[obsidianspider]

Awesome!

I look forward to seeing your progress.

Whenever I look at eBay for various video game "stuff" I am amazed at how many listings are from Japan. While I've never been there I have visions of every town having a shop like Super Potato stuffed with obsolete video game parts.

[FlyingTomahawk]

@obsidianspider said in Famicom (not Mini) build (WIP):

Awesome!

I look forward to seeing your progress.

Whenever I look at eBay for various video game "stuff" I am amazed at how many listings are from Japan. While I've never been there I have visions of every town having a shop like Super Potato stuffed with obsolete video game parts.

Super Potato is a must visit for all retro game fans! I have been there a couple of times it's like going for a treasure hunt soooooo many cartridges laying around from very rare and expensive behind glass to regular stuff decorating all the walls and even the ceiling.
The problem is that the Japanese ain't stupid they now exactly what is rare and valuable and what not. So finding a rare game for a decent price is a hard task.

[obsidianspider]

@FlyingTomahawk I would definitely never say that the Japanese are stupid, but for someone like me, something being a Japanese exclusive item in and of itself is a really cool factor. My Super Famicom was $30, including shipping from Japan, but because they were never made for the US market, that's neat to me. Ironically, the controllers are all over the place over here and I ended up getting those from a place in Colorado.

There are some items I'd love to find for inexpensive, but I don't see me going to Japan any time soon, so I keep my eyes on eBay.

[FlyingTomahawk]

Curious, can I plug in a bluetooth dongle into my Pi Zero and connect 2 8bitdo controllers?

[obsidianspider]

@FlyingTomahawk You could, or you could get the new Pi Zero W with built-in Bluetooth. ;)

Also, the Zero is slow as poo. Go with a 3 since you have tons of room in that Famicom.

[FlyingTomahawk]

Ah, for Christ sake! I just got my Zero 1.3 not even 1 month ago and now they have already a new one with WiFi and Bluetooth???!!
They could tell me that! I bought a Wifi dongle for $10 + $5 Pi Zero that's already more than the Pi Zero W cost.

Regarding the speed, to be honest I never had any issues thus far. I have NES, SNES, MegaDrive and Gameboy Advance on it and everything runs smooth and nice.
I could not recreate the issues others have mentioned in this forum.
I need to Pi3 for my Arcade Fighting stuff (FBA, NeoGeo, CPS...)
A bluetooth solution would help avoid drill larger holes to the case. I would only need a HDMI out put and a microUSB output if using a Pi Zero.

[obsidianspider]

@FlyingTomahawk If you're going with the FC 30s, then definitely Bluetooth sounds like a good option (I haven't tried a Bluetooth controller yet, but it's on my "one day" list.

Don't feel bad about the Zero W. It was just released yesterday. I'm still debating if I want to get one for my Burger King Gameboy Color project or if I'll be able to get by with no wifi in it. I'm thinking I won't need connectivity once it's built, but I do have a few other projects that a wireless Zero would be great for: AirPlay speakers and a multiple I2C display World Clock that syncs to NTP servers. :)

[FlyingTomahawk]

You read my mind. Yeah, I want to buy the FC30 Combo controller set which has the I and II stamped on it. And from the picture I think they might even fit in the same spot where the originals are.
If you ever decide to get a Pi Zero then definitely get the one with WiFi and Bluetooth. I had had a hard time at first to get it setup with 1 USB port, transfer all the roms and theme and so on.
Read more here: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/8272/install-themes-into-pi-zero/1
But you're also right once setup you won't need it anymore. One bluetooth dongle should suffice to connect anything, like keyboard or controller.

[obsidianspider]

I don't know that you'd have to go crazy with making holes.

I assume you'll be using some sort of soft shutdown, like a Mausberry, so I'd say go with a micro USB cable that has a female end on it and have that in the AC Adapter hole. For the HDMI, you can get a short male to female cable (Not saying buy from them, but it's an example) and just open up the TV <> Game hole a bit.

I'm just throwing ideas out there. I've not really looked at a dissected Famicom to know what kind of things are in the way inside, but like you, I think you should try to keep the outside as intact as possible.

[obsidianspider]

@FlyingTomahawk I have four Zeroes actually. Only one in use (as a Pi-Hole hardwired to a USB hub that has Ethernet). I have one that I soldered a full size female USB port and GPIO header to so I can test things with, and also use it to load things on since it's usually connected to a USB hub with a Wifi dongle plugged in. I have two more that were originally destined for my Burger King Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advance projects, but I'm now trying to see if I can strip down a Pi 3 board and cut about 1cm off the end to fit it in the GBA.

[MadRikXIV]

Looks a similar size to my Mega Drive 2 alteration, the Fami was a second option, if I had located a cheap one...

But, I want a Famicom case as well now, damn it.

Can already see it in my head, another HDMI, Power, Netwok extension cable.

Some nice already square holes, would probably extend the power to the TV game, the HDMI to the AC adapter, network to the RF switch, and a spare USB in the CH1 CH2 port.

Then a Mayflash hidden inside, and a couple of replica USB controllers in the back.

Then somewhere to hide a couple of USB ports...

Best not check eBay for any UK ones, Must avoid making another, SWMBO won't be too pleased :(

[obsidianspider]

@MadRikXIV said in Famicom (not Mini) build (WIP):

I want a Famicom case as well now, damn it.

Haha, me too. I'm on eBay as we speak.

[MadRikXIV]

@obsidianspider Hate having a shared eBay account, can I accidentally watch and buy one say at £5...

[obsidianspider]

@MadRikXIV Haha. I have a few grey Gameboy Pockets that I'm watching, but I've not impulse bought anything yet.

[FlyingTomahawk]

I am not sure yet as to were I cut holes, if I have to cut. (HDMI and power)
I would love to keep the looks of it as original as possible even the rear part.
I want to use the FC30 Bluetooth controllers which might fit inside the current original controller slots on the side of the body, that would be awesome.
As theme I would go with the Famicom Mini Theme by ruckage, that one would be a perfect match.
It would be nice if I could use the original power slide/button to power up the Pi...need to do some reading regarding that. I saw a couple of PSX and SNES builds that included something like that.

Man I can't wait to get started. Tomorrow I will try to teardown the Famicom and see what is inside.

[obsidianspider]

@FlyingTomahawk Please post lots of photos of the teardown. You'll have no shortage of opinions on what you should do with the build around here…

[MadRikXIV]

@FlyingTomahawk Its a case ripe for keeping the look, the only slightly tricky altereation that would look out of place would be extra USB ports.

That could be remedied if just had a single one on the rear with a splitter when needed.

Added one to my watch list now, I enjoyed altering the Mega Drive case, I want another :D

Until I practice my soldering, squeezing a zero into a Gameboy is on hold for a while.