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    Famicom (not Mini) build (WIP)

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Projects and Themes
    famicomfamicom minines
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    • 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
                                        • MadRikXIVM
                                          MadRikXIV
                                          last edited by

                                          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 :(

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

                                            @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.

                                            📷 @obsidianspider

                                            MadRikXIVM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
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