Pi 3 in a PS1 w/hard drive, usb hub and miles of wire

terboed

First off, this is my first Pi custom enclosure and it was a blast to build.

Project objectives -
*Lots of storage
*Use PS1/PS2 controllers
*Use PS1 power cable
*Functioning PS1 power button
*Functioning PS1 RCA's
*Extra USB's

I went through several iterations of build design before i settled on what became the final. Space became limited after adding all the project objectives.

I acquired a PS1 at a garage sale for $10. Turns out the optics were bad so it was a perfect project candidate. Unfortunately I did not take build pics and only took pictures of the final product.

PlayStation was gutted except for the plug section of the power supply, video and controller/memory card inputs. Used a dremel with a cutoff wheel to take down all the board standouts and other provisions. The hot glue gun was my friend during the build. Its a great insulator and tool to hold things in place. Just be ready to take some flack from the wife when asking to use her glue gun.

My parts list -

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB Portable External Hard Drive with Mobile Device Backup USB 3.0 (Blue) STDR2000102
https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Backup-Portable-External-STDR2000100/dp/B00FRHTTIU?th=1

PLUGABLE USB 2.0 4-PORT HUB WITH 12.5W POWER ADAPTER WITH BC 1.2 CHARGING
http://plugable.com/products/usb2-hub4bc/

PS PS2 USB Dual Controller to PC Adapter Converter
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GB8YQ6E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

MINATURE PUSH-BUTTON: SPST ON-OFF
http://www.frys.com/product/2874614?source=google&gclid=CjwKEAiA2OzDBRCdqIyIqYaaqQoSJABeJZdi7d9yYIR95DsSt2M3T_eiOYrjcAulD22Lav8zTrkttxoCnMbw_wcB

Linrose B2112A5 Glo-Dot Miniature Indicator Light Neon Green, 105-125VAC
http://www.frys.com/search?search_type=regular&sqxts=1&cat=&query_string=b2112a5

6in USB 2.0 Extension Adapter Cable A to A - M/F
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E5CYW8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

8inch 28AWG High Speed Male to Female HDMI
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C4XR00/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Various hardware, wire, solder, shrink tube, lovely pink hot glue gun and 2 part epoxy.

The above USB hub works with the Pi 3, some other brands did not.

3.5mm Mini Aux stereo to RCA cable i had laying around from an old Sony HandyCam. The right side audio (red in my case) RCA ended up being the video feed, not the typical yellow RCA. I tried this unit from amazon, but it did not function at all. All RCA's gave a static blurred version of the video feed. These types of cables use a common ground. The unit from amazon uses the 4th pole (if the tip of the 3.5mm jack is pole 1 and the pole closest to the wire is pole 4). The working cable uses the 3rd pole as the ground. So take your volt meter to the electronics store and test before you buy. For reference, RCA's outer ring is the ground.

Not all PS to USB controller converters work with the Pi. I guess the single adapter did work in some sense. It just presented two joypads to the Pi and only let you configure player 2 leaving player 1 un-configurable. The above converter works. I took it apart and soldered wires from the converter board to the pin-outs behind the PS controller ports. Then used liberal amounts of hot glue to immobilize the wire at the solder joint.

I placed a female USB in each of the memory card slots and one out back in the Serial I/O location. HDMI sits in the AV Multi Out slot while the RCA's are, well the RCA's. Some PSX units did not ship with RCA's. If you have them, use them.

The on/off switch above is perfect for this application (just a power switch). The PS power button has a working depth of 0.15 inches. This switch requires ~0.14 inches to switch and reset. The set nut for the switch was epoxied underneath the PS power button. The standout off the PS power button itself was trimmed to give the correct clearance. Power comes off PS power in and is carried to the switch via 18awg wire. Switched power feeds the two power supplies (Pi and USB hub) and the 110v neon indicator light.

I placed washers under the reset button and snapped it back into place and trimmed the under side for clearance. It is inoperable.

The hard drive is mounted under the disc lid with Velcro.

One thing I wish I had done was trim the micro usb power supply cable going to the Pi. Its a Vilros unit and is way too long for this application. The mini usb to usb that connects to the hub to the Pi is also too long. A lot of room was wasted because I did not trim these two cables.

Also, I could of used one of the usb hub ports to backcharge the Pi, eliminating one of the power supplies. But I did not want to risk a low power situation.

Anyway, I thought I would post this here to share with others the problems I had to overcome.

space cadet

Nice build