Underwhelming GCp Update

It's been awhile since I've posted an update about the GameCube Portable (GCp) project. As you'll recall, this is my son JediBoy's project in which we are attempting to turn a Nintendo GameCube into a handheld ganing device. A spin-off benefit is that we get to spend a little together-time learning about really effective swear words to hurl at inanimate objects when they seem to misbehave.

So, where are we? We've pretty much figured out the electronics. Since the last update, we've a done some simplifications to the power circuits so that we can safely play the device off battery or A/C and still ensure that the recharging circuit takes care of the battery properly. After those changes, we kind of took a break to disguise our trepidation about tackling the actual case design.

We've had a general idea about the case for months now, but there have been some specifics that we have elected to ignore since they are tricky. Number 1 on that list of tricky bits: What do we do about triggers?

Anyone who ever picked up a GameCube controller knows that there are left and right triggers on the underside of the controller unit - placed so they can be comfortably reached with your Index fingers while enabling your Thumbs to find the buttons and sticks on the topside of the controller.

We have the same considerations with the GCp case. We plan to use a GameCube controller motherboard mounted just under the top of the GCp case so that we can easily(?) mount and support all the required buttons and sticks. But the triggers present a problem. Avoiding the gross details, the trigger controls on the controller motherboard cannot be used as-is because they were not designed for the dimensions of our GCp case.

To solve the problem, we have to construct a new mechanical trigger mechanisms that can be mounted on the underside of the GCp case and still be wired into the controller motherboard. We basicaly cribbed a solution that a few other Modders have used. It involves:

• trigger mechanisms from an old Quantum Fighter Pad ($2 on eBay)
• trigger ends from an old Dreamcast controller ($5 on eBay)
• re-use of trigger potentiometers from a GameCube controller motherboard
• Tact(ile) switches ($0.50 from DigeKey)

It's been fussy work putting this all together, but so far they seem to function properly in testing. The photo below shows our 2 new Frankenstein triggers. The one in the foreground is complete while the one in the background is just waiting for some epoxy to harden the trigger end onto the rest of the mechanism (hence the shims holding things in place).

 

Once this step is declared 'complete' we'll begin more serious efforts towards putting the case together. It feels like we're in the home stretch, but I suspect we'll encounter some 'gotchas', yet.

Alive! It's Alive!

If there's any excuse for not posting very much in the last few months, here it is. Those that know me in meat-space and the hundreds of loyal listeners of the now-dormant cult podcast, All Your Basecast, know that I've been working on a Very Special Project these past few months. But I've not blogged about it before because it's really not my project. I'm just a volunteer - an extra pair of hands when the need arises.

The Project: dismantle a Nintendo GameCube and turn it into a usable, handheld portable. Essentially, the goal is to create a GameBoy out of a GameCube - the GameCube Portable or 'GCp' for short. For this project, the GameCube will be stuffed inside the case from an old toy. It will be mated with an old PSOne screen, some batteries, and a few other doodads to make it a handheld gaming device (we hope).

The Owner: my son - aka JediBoy aka The Quiet Legend. A number of months back, he encountered a cabal of hobbyists on the Innertubes who make it their goal to transform all manner of video-game consoles into portable devices. It's one of those endeavours that One does 'just because'. JediBoy has spent hours working on this project - it's all his. My role (other than bragging) is to help with design ideas and lend a hand when things seem to be going the wrong way.

I won't go on (too much) about the audacity of it all. Taking on a GCp project requires all sorts of skills that JediBoy and I don't really have in large supply. But with a LOT of patience, a decent soldering iron, some Bondo, and a very patient Internet community of helpful geeks, we've made some progress.

The GCp effort really has 2 parts: the case and the mechanism. Each part has it's own difficulties, but we decided to tackle the mechanism first. That is, we have built up all the circuitry, the screen, the controls, etc. as one big mess laid out on a workbench to prove that the GCp would, at least, 'work'. With a working GCp, the next step would be to stuff it all inside an attractive and functional case.

We've had our share of false starts and failures, which I'll share in a later post. But today I want to unveil what I think is a significant milestone on what has been (and will yet be) a long road. We have 90% of the mechanism completed and working! While we still need to install the batteries and associated circuitry, we've at least proven that our GCp is functional!

Follow the pictures and prepare to be surprised (I know I was).

 

The whole mess laid out on a table and waiting for lightening to strike.

 

Mainboard wih heat-sink. To the left is a bundle

of wires that lead to the controller mechanisms.

Wiring to the dissambled controller. Pieces of the original

controller casing will (hopefully) be integrated into the 

GCp case for a comfortable gaming experience.

GameCube disk player and daughterboard. The ribbon cables on

each side of the player were extended (originals are quite short) 

in order to give us flexibility in where the player is placed inside

the GCp case (likely to be on the underside of the GCp).

The screen: a re-purposed PSOne screen with integrated

speakers. This will also give us a screen brightness control, 

speaker volume control, and headphone jack wiring.

But now for the best part so far - The Test.