Project Plan: Unportable Game Boy
by Zacharias @ http://inexactitu.de . June 20, 2010 . 2:53PM
As a dude who owns five of the first six Game Boy major revisions made until the introduction to the Nintendo DS – I was on ebay looking for a cheap one to complete the collection. I found one for $2 with a broken LCD. Buying it immediately, I then found how damned expensive the LCD replacements are ($30?!). I figure, hey, since I have to take this apart, I might as well turn it into an all-in-one games console.
I’ve been interested in the hacking movement to portabalize classic (and not-so-classic) games consoles that are reincarnated into huge handhelds. Since I am really interested in making an all-in-one system, and have been for a while, I’m going to recase this Game Boy Advance SP into something like a alarm clock case and also wire it for external control, internal amplified speakers, and fabricate a really neat controller to work the whole thing.
So, the plan goes something like this:
Step 1: Buy all the junk I need to make it. (sources and status noted)
- Game Boy Advance SP (ebay, purchased)
- Replacement LCD screen for GBASP (ebay, not purchased)
- Junky Computer Speaker (thrift store, not purchased)
- AC/DC power converter (thrift store, not purchased)
- Wires (ide/ribbon/rainbow cabling, maybe a DB25 cable)
- Interfaces – controller plug (thinking a DB25 connector), power, headphone (Radioshack, not purchased)
- Nylon wire braided sleeve (for controller) (Digikey, not yet)
- Heat shrink tubing (always need more than you think, amirite) (purchased)
- Tact switches (haven’t sourced them yet)
- Poly enclosure for controller (Polycase, not purchased)
- Solder (have)
- Bondo, Paint, Sandpaper, cut glass for casing. (Autozone/Hardware stores, not purchased)
Step 2: Create a wiring schematic for the project
- Need to keep power, video, audio and control wires in mind.
- Should have a good idea of the power needs by that point.
- Unit test wiring schematic against parts in hand (is every connection accounted for?)
Step 4: Wire the Game Boy and associated parts to work together
- Power for all devices
- Extend the ribbon cable for GBA screen to front of device (hardest part I can forsee)
- control wires for each GBA button
Step 4: Fabricate the enclosures for the project
- Make a list of ports
- Source all wire grommets/interfaces needed
- Roughs of the controller tested and working 100%
- Roughs of the GBA/audio/video case working 100%
- Bondo and sand and sand and sand and sand
- Paint and sand and sand and sand
So, that should cover the whole thing. This plan will probably change over time as I ask various online communities for input as I go.
If this goes really well, the next step would be to create something I’ve been dreaming about for days now: a portrait Game Boy Advance.
Outta be fun! I’m shooting for an August 1st ship date!