New here: How hard would it be to make a portable PS1?

[Pumpkinbot]

I have some electronics experience, but only the basics (Electronics 1 in high school). I was actually thinking last night about how hard it would be and it seems the only hard thing would be the plastic shell (where the Heck could I get something like that?!), the battery, and the screen.

'Cause all it really is is putting a PS1 inside a smaller case, right? I can mount the buttons on the shell and solder the plug and socket (where you plug the controller in) together (or Heck, leave it together and just plug it in!). The screen would work similarly: solder the video and audio cords to the screen in the appropriate place. As for the battery, I dunno how I'd do that, especially with the transformer. Same with the disc drive. How could I do THAT?! Making it like the Wii where it slides in would be great, but probably not cost effective.

Also, how could I make a light indicator to tell when the battery is dying? It could even be something like the GameBoy Pocket where the power light would just fade.

I have a PS1, but I dunno if it would be worth it to take apart, considering I might not be able to do it. And how much would this probably run me? I don't have a lot of money, so I hope it wouldn't be too expensive.

On an unrelated note, the emote is amazing.

 

[HardcoreLewscher]

haha i just came on to post this exact thread haha, (that is a great emote lol)
all id need is a basic guide if anything =/ and id use the smaller psone for mainly size =/ =D

 

[Tibia]

I'd like to just point out this article. Both are very small, once you do away with the extra hardware. The biggest difference is that the phat does need a second voltage line. That can be done with some small components, though.

If you're patient and look hard, you can get the PS or Zenith (same thing) screen for around $20. I'd budget about $40-50 for batteries, depending on what exactly you want. Aside from that, the case can be made from whatever you have. It's going to be a huge investment of time to get something that looks pretty, though.

 

[Pumpkinbot]

haha i just came on to post this exact thread haha, (that is a great emote lol)
all id need is a basic guide if anything =/ and id use the smaller psone for mainly size =/ =D

I know, right? Portable Crash Bandicoot 2 ftw!

I'd like to just point out this article. Both are very small, once you do away with the extra hardware.

Oh, snap, forgot about the PSOne. Well, I already have an original PlayStation (PS1, as opposed to PSOne), and I don't want to have to buy something extra if I don't need to. Besides, we're playing our PS1 games on our PS2, so nobody would miss the old PS1.

The biggest difference is that the phat does need a second voltage line. That can be done with some small components, though.

As in...the voltage leads to two different places? It's been a while since my Electronics class. ^_^; Can you...refresh my memory?

If you're patient and look hard, you can get the PS or Zenith (same thing) screen for around $20. I'd budget about $40-50 for batteries, depending on what exactly you want.

Cheap screen: yay. Batteries: What type should I look for? And I'd like it to be rechargable, rather than requiring AAs or something. (Though that'd be a Heck of a lot of batteries...) And how could I do the battery meter, the thing to show how much juice is left? If I get an LED and wire it directly to the battery (BAT----LED----PS1) (after taking the necessary precautions that it won't blow up...XD), the light would diminish as it gets weaker, right? Then couldn't that work? Like how the old GameBoy Pockets were?

from that, the case can be made from whatever you have. It's going to be a huge investment of time to get something that looks pretty, though.

How does I made case? That's what I want to know. If I was going to put the buttons in and the disc drive (speaking of which, how could I do that?!), then what am I supposed to do for the case? I doiubt I could just waltz into a supermarket and find a case that would fit a PS2 controller, a screen, and a disc drive big enough for the PS1's.

 

[Tibia]

As in...the voltage leads to two different places? It's been a while since my Electronics class. ^_^; Can you...refresh my memory?

The board needs 3.5V to one spot, and 7.4 to 8V to a second spot. It's easy, though. Have two wires coming off your batteries, (7.4V batteries are perfect) one will go right to the 7.4V spot, one will have a regulator of some sort on it and go to the 3.5V spot.

Li-ion or Li-Po batteries are rechargeable, slim, and come in some pretty good capacities for long play time. They require protection circuits and special chargers, but you can get those off e-Bay or the site you buy your batteries from. They're very easy to get 7.4V with, the only warning is they have been known to explode, but if you wire them properly, and take your time, you shouldn't have any problems.

There are a few different low-battery indicator circuits posted here in the forum. Daftmike designed one that's green when the battery is strong, and turns red when it weakens. Mario did a revised version that has fewer parts. A led comes on when the battery gets weak.

I doiubt I could just waltz into a supermarket and find a case that would fit a PS2 controller, a screen, and a disc drive big enough for the PS1's.

You'd be surprised, actually. Mario used an iPod Touch case because he could fit everything in it. He's also used other generic plastic boxes to make some awesome cases. Other people prefer vacuum forming plastic over a mold they make. Another technique is "frankencasing", which consists of chopping up other stuff and gluing it together to make what you need.

The best advice I can give you for casemaking is to read through worklogs. See how different people approach doing it, and be prepared for hours of sanding and tweaking. It's easy to do a half-assed job, it's time-consuming to make it look right.

 

[Pumpkinbot]

As in...the voltage leads to two different places? It's been a while since my Electronics class. ^_^; Can you...refresh my memory?

The board needs 3.5V to one spot, and 7.4 to 8V to a second spot. It's easy, though. Have two wires coming off your batteries, (7.4V batteries are perfect) one will go right to the 7.4V spot, one will have a regulator of some sort on it and go to the 3.5V spot.

...Uhh...I don't think we went over regulators in my electronics class. D:> How does I used regulator?

Li-ion or Li-Po batteries are rechargeable, slim, and come in some pretty good capacities for long play time. They require protection circuits and special chargers, but you can get those off e-Bay or the site you buy your batteries from. They're very easy to get 7.4V with, the only warning is they have been known to explode, but if you wire them properly, and take your time, you shouldn't have any problems.

*points up* No, I don't think I know how to wire it properly. :<

There are a few different low-battery indicator circuits posted here in the forum. Daftmike designed one that's green when the battery is strong, and turns red when it weakens. Mario did a revised version that has fewer parts. A led comes on when the battery gets weak.

Niiiiice! I'll probably use the second one. Less pieces=smaller=win!

I doiubt I could just waltz into a supermarket and find a case that would fit a PS2 controller, a screen, and a disc drive big enough for the PS1's.

You'd be surprised, actually. Mario used an iPod Touch case because he could fit everything in it. He's also used other generic plastic boxes to make some awesome cases. Other people prefer vacuum forming plastic over a mold they make. Another technique is "frankencasing", which consists of chopping up other stuff and gluing it together to make what you need.

Derp. I just figured out what you meant when I was away from the computer. (Perfect opportunity for that emote, eh?) Anyway, I was actually thinking about using the original PS1 case for it, buuuuut after feeling around for where I'd put the controls, I figured that the shoulder buttons would get in the way of the fans on the bottom. Also, I doubt I'd be able to mount a working screen to the top of the disc drive lid. xDBut srsly, I guess I just gotta look around. I might try Frankencasing, but I don't think I could do it and make it look good. So probably not.

How big would the case have to be to house the screen, controller, and the console itself, anyway? That article you referred me to has the PSOne's dimensions, but not the PS1...

The best advice I can give you for casemaking is to read through worklogs. See how different people approach doing it, and be prepared for hours of sanding and tweaking. It's easy to do a half-assed job, it's time-consuming to make it look right.

I think I might need to find my case, first, and then design it. I'm actually thinking about something...Obviously it'll have a controller built in (and probably attached via the 1P port), but what about multiplayer games? I think I should leave the 2P port on the console and make it so someone could plug in a second controller to the console and...well, play.

EDIT: Moar stupid questions! How would the power switch work? I'm assuming it's just a switch that cuts power to everything, but how would it work if there's two voltage lines? Shiiiit, I can't remember nothing about switches...DPST is to switch between two things, right? And SPST is one to cut power. So, I'm assuming that's what I need. But how can one switch control two areas?
Also, I...er...lost the AV plugs...Do I need those> Would it complicate things? And I can just plug the (disassembled) controller in the P1 slot (inside the case) and it'd work, right? No splicing wires? Speaking of which, how can I essentially split the controller in half (left and right side, think of the GBA and NDS) and get it working? And what about the disc drive? How can I do THAT?! D: *panics*

 

[lovablechevy]

have you even looked at any other threads around here...? all of your questions are easily answered by doing a little research.

 

[Pumpkinbot]

have you even looked at any other threads around here...? all of your questions are easily answered by doing a little research.

D: Soooorry. Well, fine, I'll look around a bit...