Sega USB hub build - UP Core PC Board

praetorian55

I got some great inspiration from the previous Sega USB hub builds with RPIs and wanted to share my Sega USB hub build with a twist.

Getting started:
I started this before some of the new retroarch enhancements came out with the "runahead" lag reduction feature - I was disappointed with the built-in "extra" frame of lag in the RPI GL video driver and saw that KMS mode in Linux/PC environments could shave that off. After some research I settled on the UP Core Board with an Atom CPU, built in storage and memory. It's actually smaller than an RPI and arguable much more powerful.

Build:
I borrowed heavily from the previous excellently documented Sega USB hub builds, so I don't have much to add as far as ideas go, but I will say that the Up Core board made some things much easier. specifically:

built in USB header on board
built-in power switch functionality
Built-in FAN power header (used for LED)
Built-in Wifi connector (purchased a small antenna)

These saved space and made some things easier. I was able to purchase the right connector to interface with the boards power/reset switch and also solder the USB header connector right to the provided USB hub on the board. I was also able to use the built-in 5v fan header to power the LED on the Sega Hub to make it come on/go off when its powered up/powered down.

I also used a dremel to cut out the "cartridge" area on the top of the hub and used some perforated plastic/fan covering to hide the heatsink a bit, similar to one of the RPI build I saw in the form here - I think it looks pretty sharp!

As it stands, a simple push on the power switch will turn on/boot the device, and a slight push/hold will power it down. The LED will light up upon power-on and turn off on power-down. Wi-fi works, I'm able to emulate NES/SNES/Genesis all with Runahead latency mitigation set to 3 frames using KMS video mode in Ubuntu Linux. I'm quite pleased with the build and hope the pics help out if someone was interested in a similar build.

PICs:
Again, most of the "design" borrowed heavily from previous Sega hub builds, with modifications as required to use the features above on the Up Core board.

Stand offs for board - hot glued.
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Cutouts for connectors
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Fit in the hub case/Mounted. The UP Core board fits PERFECTLY within the "dome" of the cartridge/logo area of the top half of the USB hub. I spaced the standoffs to fit within that part of the dome due to the heatsink being a bit tall.
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