Super Famicom / SNES build

ruckage · 17 Jul 2017, 22:55

After my complete failure to secure a pre-order for the SNES mini I've given up and decided my next project will be Super Famicom build.

I've bought a Super famicom from ebay, I would have bought an SNES but the SFC for some reason is considerably cheaper to buy in the UK and apart from the logo text looks identical. I was very lucky as I managed to get one in really nice condition with only very minor yellowing near the controller ports (most people wouldn't even notice).

I've also bought 2 controller extension leads. My plan is to cut and splice these with a USB extension lead so I can use the controller ports on the console. The ports themselves will be wired to a USB cable that will plug into the PI. Essentially the controller ports will just be big USB ports.

For my controller I'm going to use the Pokken pro pads which are really nice controllers and ideal for snes. I looked at Buffalo pads but there seems to be problems with ghost button presses on a lot of them which would really annoy me, I think they have also been discontinued as they have increased in price quite a bit (around £20 each).

Just need to wait for my security screwdriver which I've ordered to arrive - I forgot the SNES was secured with those damn security screws.

Heres's a picture of what I have so far. I'll keep this updated with progress - I guess I'll need to make a SNES theme now :) .

lostless · 18 Jul 2017, 04:34

@ruckage said in Super Famicom / SNES build:

guess I'll need to make a SNES theme now :) .

Now let's hold up. We should wait and we and see what Nintendo does, and then we copy it. Plus you still need to finish the Nes mini theme. Lol 😝 But good luck with the build.

ruckage · 18 Jul 2017, 15:31

My security screwdriver arrived so I've just dismantled the console. And wow (☉_☉) , seriously impressed by the construction of these. I never had the need to open one up before, it's just so well made and incredibly modular - I wasn't expecting so many individual pieces. Having seen the inside now it's very clear that it has suffered barely any yellowing which is very lucky where the SNES is concerned. Everything is very dusty though (not surprising for a 20+ year old console) so it's time to give all the plastic parts a good clean now. I hope I remember how to put it back together again :D

A Former User · 18 Jul 2017, 16:11

Marking to follow along.

felleg · 18 Jul 2017, 17:13

The Pokken controller is a great pick. I don't think you will regret it.

ruckage · 18 Jul 2017, 19:05

@felleg said in Super Famicom / SNES build:

The Pokken controller is a great pick. I don't think you will regret it.

It certainly seems really good quality (It's made by Hori though so I expected it to be good). I had a quick play with it and and the Dpad is really nice and responsive. The buttons take a little while to get used to as they are slightly bigger than most controllers so feel different but it's not a problem. They do look different to a snes controller but functionality wise you couldn't have a controller better suited to SNES than these - and I'm positive they will be far better quality than any of the third party SNES lookalike controllers available.

The only other controller I really considered was the 8-bitdo snes controllers but after buying the NES30 for my NES build I wouldn't buy 8bitdo controllers again unless there were some design changes. They aren't all they're hyped up to be as the most important part - the dpad - is flawed resulting in overly sensitive diagonals (they copied everything else so why not the d-pad design as well).

It's also ridiculously easy to accidentally un-pair the bluetooth (hold select for 2 seconds) which means you then have to re-pair the controller again - really annoying. 8bitdo must be aware of these complaints but chooses to ignore them and has in fact now closed their forums so I guess they don't really care.

Going back to Pokken, have you played Pokken Tournament? It's one of the few Wii U exclusives I don't have but I'm not sure if it's worth buying as it's pretty expensive at £40.

space cadet · 18 Jul 2017, 19:15

Excited to see how this turns out! Love the snes

felleg · 18 Jul 2017, 20:59

@ruckage I have not tried Pokken, no. Bought the controller solely for emulation purposes. ;)The game doesn't look like my cup of tea, so personally I'm not all that interested in it, especially at that price. To each their own, though!

ruckage · 18 Jul 2017, 21:30

@felleg
Yeah, I'm not entirely convinced by it myself especially at £40 and I've never been a pokemon fan but I have that nagging 'Gotta catch 'em all ' mentality as I have most of the Wii U exclusives. I'm still a little sad that the Wii U wasn't more successful as it really is a great system with some genuinely great games, it's a shame it was overlooked by so many people.

Danorak1981 · 19 Jul 2017, 06:21

That is an annoying aspect of the 8Bitdo SFC30 pad. Sometimes I have a brain freeze and inadvertently end up with my finger on the select button which unpaired. Pain in the backside. NES30 Pro on the other hand I've never had an issue with. I get why people dislike aspects but I'm ok with them, especially as I've built a custom storage option for them-they've got to stay!

The Famicom is cheaper in the UK because it needs a different power supply (i believe genuine Megadrive power blocks have the correct voltage, but not the UK SNES ones). It's region locked too, so you have to physically mod the wiring to get it to play UK carts, and the 50/60hz display issue too.

I had a Famicom because it was a cheaper way of getting better titles (Jap Megaman/Zelda/Mario Allstars) are much cheaper. But, I can't read Japanese so figured it was a waste of time, more-so as Zelda has a lot of text in it! Then I discovered the Pi and the rest is history...

I do like seeing console builds, and given the quality of your NES and the accompanying theme, looking forward to seeing how this one pans out. I'm not sure if you have seen it before, but you should check out @obsidianspider Famicom build, the best i've ever seen-the cart is a stroke of genius!

AndersHP · 19 Jul 2017, 06:33

This looks really cool, and I can see myself rebuilding a console in the future, but I can't help thinking it's a bit sad to sacrifice an original console in order to make a mod-kit like a RPi console... Is it only me?

Sorry, no intent to spread negative vibes, maybe I'm not aware of the number of original consoles there's still out there... They just don't make em anymore, y'know..?

Darksavior · 19 Jul 2017, 06:45

@andershp The console and the games have been preserved in emulation form, so I don't see it that way. I also put a pi inside an sfc. It satisfies my nostalgia. To complete the look, I'm using a usb stick inside a cart, power/reset buttons work, hot glued a microsd slot underneath the sfc expansion slot, and the controller ports work with real sfc/snes pads.

AndersHP · 19 Jul 2017, 07:07

@darksavior It's cool and all, I can really see the work you do to keep it as original as possible, and again, I could totally see myself do it in the future... But in 20 years, which do you think will be worth most on eBay.. The original hardware or the emulation-one?

I would feel a bit heartbroken to toss the original hardware in the trash, if it's not defective...?

Darksavior · 19 Jul 2017, 10:23

@andershp You can buy non working consoles. They're cheaper and calms your conscience.

ruckage · 19 Jul 2017, 10:55

@danorak1981 said in Super Famicom / SNES build:

I'm not sure if you have seen it before, but you should check out @obsidianspider Famicom build, the best i've ever seen-the cart is a stroke of genius!

Is that that one with a screen in the cartridge? I won't be doing that myself but it is an amazing idea. I am looking at what others have done before as it's good to get ideas - especially for how to fit everything inside the case.

@andershp said in Super Famicom / SNES build:

This looks really cool, and I can see myself rebuilding a console in the future, but I can't help thinking it's a bit sad to sacrifice an original console in order to make a mod-kit like a RPi console... Is it only me?

Sorry, no intent to spread negative vibes, maybe I'm not aware of the number of original consoles there's still out there... They just don't make em anymore, y'know..?

It's cool and all, I can really see the work you do to keep it as original as possible, and again, I could totally see myself do it in the future... But in 20 years, which do you think will be worth most on eBay.. The original hardware or the emulation-one?

I would feel a bit heartbroken to toss the original hardware in the trash, if it's not defective...?

No, I get where you're coming from. Given the choice I would use a faulty machine but the faulty machines I found were in bad cosmetic condition and were actually more expensive so it made zero sense to buy them.

Put it in perspective though, millions of these were sold (the Super Famicom alone sold 17 million units. Worldwide 49 million were sold) and the chances are a large number of those still exist - probably gathering dust in peoples attics. Even if every single raspberry pi that has been sold to date (about 12.5 million) were put into a SNES there would still be 10s of millions left - and the reality is this is still a pretty niche thing to be doing so that is incredibly unlikely (understatement).

Sure the original un-damaged hardware will be worth more than modded hardware in the future but I think that will be in the very distant future before they are worth any real value. And i'm really not worried about making money from it - the enjoyment I will get from it is worth far more to me.

FlyingTomahawk · 19 Jul 2017, 11:28

I see this is gonna be another ruckage style started as build ending as theme thread. :-)

I am looking forward to the menu/theme for this build, wonder what it'll look like.
...and don't forget the other projects... neogeo"cough" cps"cough"... :-D

AndersHP · 19 Jul 2017, 11:29

@ruckage said in Super Famicom / SNES build:

Even if every single raspberry pi that has been sold to date (about 12.5 million) were put into a SNES there would still be 10s of millions left

Thanks for the perspective - I will relax on the fanaticism and let you get on with your project :)

obsidianspider · 19 Jul 2017, 11:56

@danorak1981 said in Super Famicom / SNES build:

the best i've ever seen-the cart is a stroke of genius!

Wow, thanks. :)

obsidianspider · 19 Jul 2017, 12:01

@ruckage If you have access to a 3D Printer, check out the power plate that my friend designed for me on my build. Using keystone jacks cleaned up the build quite a bit for me.

ruckage · 19 Jul 2017, 12:36

@obsidianspider said in Super Famicom / SNES build:

@ruckage If you have access to a 3D Printer, check out the power plate that my friend designed for me on my build. Using keystone jacks cleaned up the build quite a bit for me.

Yeah, I saw that and would like to do the same but unfortunately I don't have access to a 3D printer. Not sure how much it would cost to have something like that 3d printed but want to keep costs down as much as possible.

At the moment I'm seeing how I can re-purpose the original backplate and still make it look neat - the original power socket can be re-used as I will wire it up to a mini USB (same as I've done on my other projects). The hdmi is more tricky but I think I can fit a panel mount hdmi connector in the multiout area without making it look a mess.

Your build really is great and I will undoubtedly be using it as inspiration - I may even do the cart screen at a later date - I'm trying to make sure that I can make addition to this at a later date if I decide to.