PiSP Pocket

TheLuthier

@Pifan - Haha I'm thrilled that you're calling this project an inspiration to you! Thanks for the comment :)

The only thing I would want to see different with this is a slightly larger screen, as other people have already mentioned. I suppose that's easy to say as I'm not the one with a gameboy pocket shell sat in front of me trying to work out how to make it all fit.

I'm already drawing up plans and buying parts for a new and improved version - One part being a 2.8" display! It's sooo close to fitting in the stock screen hole - my hopes are high for making it fit without cutting a sliver out of the sides. Also I'm keen to try some epoxy putty magic to swap the stock buttons for 3DS buttons and analog sticks. I played around with one recently and the analog stick is leagues better than the PSP one. Anyhoo, here's a screenshot of the design so far:

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Velocireed

@TheLuthier

Nice design! It looks like something nintendo would make!

Do you think the pi 3 would work in a gameboy advance?

TheLuthier

Nice design! It looks like something nintendo would make!

Hey thanks! Quite a compliment :)

Do you think the pi 3 would work in a gameboy advance?

Based on the dimensions of the GBA and rpi3, yes I think it would work.

Pifan

@TheLuthier - The design is convincing, should make for another great portable. Assuming you will, how are you going to implement shoulder buttons on this one, on the back or sides?

Also I'm keen to try some epoxy putty magic to swap the stock buttons for 3DS buttons and analog sticks.

Do you mean like the kind of 'Frankencasing' technique that is quite popular over on the ModRetro forums?

I played around with one recently and the analog stick is leagues better than the PSP one.

That's interesting, I haven't owned or played a PSP before, nor do I own a DS. I did spend a while playing on a DS in a shop one time, before realising there was a small queue of disappointed children forming behind me. I have to say that the DS sliders seemed very good, quite durable too, although I have heard that Smash Bros DS is a good analog stick wrecker.

TheLuthier

Assuming you will, how are you going to implement shoulder buttons on this one, on the back or sides?

I purchased a busted Wii remote for the buttons and pads that I'll use for the shoulder buttons - The small buttons like the home and power buttons. So same basic concept as this first black version, as in they'll be on the sides, but I'd like to try and move them higher. I think it'd be difficult to push buttons on the backside since it requires opposite pressure from my thumbs on the front side.

Do you mean like the kind of 'Frankencasing' technique that is quite popular over on the ModRetro forums?

Yes indeed, that's what I mean. I keep reading how much work and patience it takes, but I can't help but want to try it. I feel that's the "next step" in my modding journey ;P

before realising there was a small queue of disappointed children forming behind me...

XD

I have to say that the DS sliders seemed very good, quite durable too, although I have heard that Smash Bros DS is a good analog stick wrecker.

Yikes, that's good to know. Ironically I'm not much of a gamer, so hopefully I wouldn't have to worry about playing to the point of wrecking. But if I do, I suppose fixing it would be easy enough since I'm building the thing.

@Pifan - What portable are you currently working on?

Pifan

@TheLuthier - Well I'm looking forwards to seeing how this one turns out, especially with the new analog sticks, they seem ideal.

Do you mean like the kind of 'Frankencasing' technique that is quite popular over on the ModRetro forums?
.
Yes indeed, that's what I mean. I keep reading how much work and patience it takes, but I can't help but want to try it. I feel that's the "next step" in my modding journey ;P

Agreed, to make it look good you need to spend quite a bit of time sanding I think. And then if you wanted it completely seamless you may want to paint it too which also adds an extra step.

Ironically I'm not much of a gamer, so hopefully I wouldn't have to worry about playing to the point of wrecking.

As it happens, I hadn't played games for about 10 years. I decided that I wanted to get into electronics after watching Ben Heck in my lunch breaks. Since playing around with portable building I found Retropie so much fun that I have been getting increasingly back into gaming.

What portable are you currently working on?

I'm currently working on a fairly standard DMG Original Gameboy type build. It's going to have a GBA button configuration - A,B,L,R,Start,Select. Since there will be lots of space in the case I think I will mount the shoulder buttons at the back in the battery compartment as that's where my fingers tend to fall when holding it. Seeing as I only have a replica shell and no internal workings I intend to etch my own circuit board to go inside. I don't know how well this will turn out in practice as I have never done one before. Currently, I don't have any pictures of anything I have worked on online, I hope to get some uploaded soon.

EDIT - I finally got some pictures up from my first project, you can take a look here if you did feel like checking it out. How is your new project coming along, have you done any frankencasing yet?

Darksavior

Edit: I'm a dummy and didn't notice adafruit sells the kits so that answered most of my questions except for one...was that 2.8in screen from adafruit? If so, did you ever get it to fit on the pocket? If not, I might be tempted to go with a regular gameboy.

TheLuthier

@Darksavior I'm making slower progress on this next one and haven't quite gotten to the display installation. But I'm 99% it will fit fine, if that helps.

thedudester80

You may have been asked this but I'm having trouble getting my psp joystick to work on my teensy LC along with button presses for a project I'm working on currently. Any idea of where I can get code to get this working correctly. I seem to only find one or the other. For my button presses I'm using Wermys Gameboy zero code he put out but I do not know how to combine the two to get them properly working the way I want.

crazychemist

Help! I would like to know what type of battery you used because I bought the powerboost and I would like to know a type of battery that definitely works! please help!