RetroPie forum home
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Home
    • Docs
    • Register
    • Login

    Famicom (not Mini) build (WIP)

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Projects and Themes
    famicomfamicom minines
    264 Posts 11 Posters 158.6k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • FlyingTomahawkF
      FlyingTomahawk @edmaul69
      last edited by

      @edmaul69

      Roger that. I'll keep that in mind.
      They are not that good looking though I can take pics later and post them so you can see.
      They had 3 other Famicoms and they all had better looking controllers but the body looked all yellowish and not so clean like this one.
      So I had to decide good looking controllers or good looking body.

      edmaul69E 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • edmaul69E
        edmaul69 @FlyingTomahawk
        last edited by

        @FlyingTomahawk i still would have interest. I couldnt get myself to shell out the price for one when all i wanted was the controllers. I am stoked to see someone is going to put a pi in one. I actually took a red and white nintendo wii and made my wii color schemed like a famicom. I wanted to get a famicom and remove the big bubble decal on it and put it on my wii but i never found a famicom with a good decal for a decent price. I need to find someone who can print one for me. I was going to buy a white mechanical keyboard and buy the keys in the color scheme of a famicom keyboard. But i forget who made the keyboard and keys. Then i color schemed the wiimotes in red and black like the controllers and was going to use a gold skin on them but decalgirl stopped selling the skins by the time i was going to get them.

        FlyingTomahawkF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • FlyingTomahawkF
          FlyingTomahawk @edmaul69
          last edited by FlyingTomahawk

          @edmaul69

          "big bubble decal" ...explain more please.
          Do you have a picture of it?

          I am stoked to see someone is going to put a pi in one.

          They had 4 of em in the junk corner so I thought for $5-6 why not. Junk means here that they haven't tested if it still runs or not or if all buttons work on the controllers, doesn't include AC adapter and no TV cable.
          It does kinda hurt to think about cutting into it though. It looks kinda nice in good condition and all.
          But I think I can get Famicoms anytime again over here if something should go wrong.

          edmaul69E 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • edmaul69E
            edmaul69 @FlyingTomahawk
            last edited by

            @FlyingTomahawk the sticker that says family computer on it. For $5-6 if you can get them that cheap i really would be interested. And you could add a little for yourself on top.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • spruce_m00seS
              spruce_m00se
              last edited by

              I would buy one if you can get it for around 15 usd. if it had both controllers and was in reasonable nick, I dont have one in my collection yet.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • FlyingTomahawkF
                FlyingTomahawk
                last edited by FlyingTomahawk

                To get them is not a problem, the condition is one problem the other problem is shipping.
                I think shipping is what is gonna kill this for you guys. Japan -> US

                edmaul69E spruce_m00seS 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • edmaul69E
                  edmaul69 @FlyingTomahawk
                  last edited by

                  @FlyingTomahawk i have ordered several items from japan shipping was never too crazy to the us for me. I am in colorado usa if you can get an estimate so i have an idea that would be great.

                  FlyingTomahawkF 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • FlyingTomahawkF
                    FlyingTomahawk @edmaul69
                    last edited by

                    @edmaul69

                    Will do.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • spruce_m00seS
                      spruce_m00se @FlyingTomahawk
                      last edited by

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

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • FlyingTomahawkF
                        FlyingTomahawk @edmaul69
                        last edited by 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.

                        alt text
                        alt text

                        MadRikXIVM spruce_m00seS 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • obsidianspiderO
                          obsidianspider
                          last edited by 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.

                          📷 @obsidianspider

                          FlyingTomahawkF 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • FlyingTomahawkF
                            FlyingTomahawk @obsidianspider
                            last edited by 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.

                            obsidianspiderO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • obsidianspiderO
                              obsidianspider @FlyingTomahawk
                              last edited by

                              @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.

                              📷 @obsidianspider

                              edmaul69E 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • FlyingTomahawkF
                                FlyingTomahawk
                                last edited by

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

                                obsidianspiderO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • obsidianspiderO
                                  obsidianspider @FlyingTomahawk
                                  last edited by

                                  @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.

                                  📷 @obsidianspider

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                  • FlyingTomahawkF
                                    FlyingTomahawk
                                    last edited by

                                    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.

                                    obsidianspiderO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • obsidianspiderO
                                      obsidianspider @FlyingTomahawk
                                      last edited by

                                      @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. :)

                                      📷 @obsidianspider

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • FlyingTomahawkF
                                        FlyingTomahawk
                                        last edited by 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.

                                        obsidianspiderO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • obsidianspiderO
                                          obsidianspider
                                          last edited by

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

                                          alt text

                                          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

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • obsidianspiderO
                                            obsidianspider @FlyingTomahawk
                                            last edited by

                                            @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.

                                            0_1488380992030_test-zero.jpg

                                            📷 @obsidianspider

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • First post
                                              Last post

                                            Contributions to the project are always appreciated, so if you would like to support us with a donation you can do so here.

                                            Hosting provided by Mythic-Beasts. See the Hosting Information page for more information.