Portable Gamecube - "Name TBD"

[wesley762]

Hello Lovely folk,

Here i will be updating and keeping up a worklog for my first Portable Gamecube. ( Name TBD)
This project will be a WIP next to me 2nd Portable 64.
After finishing my first portable The Purple Haze 64 i wanted to see if i can tackle the next generation aswell.
Im sure it will be a larger challange as the internals/wiring seems to be alot more complicated then a 64 but thats the challange.

At this moment the project is in its very early stages but i will be updating this thread as work/parts come allong.
I do know i want to try to run it off a SD with games and leave the CD Drive out.
Not sure yet how this works but il find out

Parts collected so far :

Screen 7" LCD 12v - with alot of inputs i picked up on a flea market few months back, it even has a deticated board for the contrast etc !
and it also seems to work fine as low as 7v ! which is great news imo
12v Battery pack YSD-998 - im not sure yet about this one i read ALOT of bad stories about this battery pack... but who knows.
Stereo Pot Potentiometer - had these laying around from a yardsale box i bought up. seems they come in handy now.
Silver Gamecube DOL-001(EUR) DEF10668375 - And last but not least the Victim !
im waiting on some Gamebit screwdrivers so until then im not sure what Motherboard it contains. (or can you tell by the coding?)
I know some Rare ones have a nice regulated board build in that can run of 7.4v aswell ?

I am still looking for :
a nice 3th party controller... (or original ?)
Definite Batteries
Casing
Audio amps are on they're way.

Besides that regulators and such im not sure about.. have some looking up to do.
If you have any suggestions/tips/trick feel free to share them with me

Cheers !
Wesley762

 

[Blargaman91]

Since your GameCube is a DOL-001 model, it looks something like this:

It does not have a regular built into the board like the DOL-101 model.

I know some Rare ones have a nice regulated board build in that can run of 7.4v aswell ?

Unfortunately, no, there is no GameCube with stock hardware that can run off 7.4v. To do that, you will need to built a set of custom regulators. Luckily your motherboard is the right kind to easily run off custom built regulators.

 

[vince]

it is said here that there is such a motherboard but there's no picture:
http://www.bacman.co.uk/home/gamecube-voltages/
not sure if he means on the motherboard or on the regulator though

The generic 3rd party controllers have bad analog sticks but if you're going to replace them then i guess it doesn't matter.

 

[wesley762]

Alright thanks for the info

i might aswell go with a first party controller then.
i figured there would be something to win like with the N64 first party controllers which have a crappy joystick you cannot replace with a diffrent one.

Il start researching into those custom regulators then and get my parts.
but if i understand correctly il need to supply each line with its own voltage.

the bacteria link seems to be non responding atm,
but i do recall it requiring alot of diffrent voltages like 1.9/3.4/5.0 and 7.4 ? (Roughly)
and that especially the lower voltages required Alot of Amps.
Which would call for some beefy regulators with heatsinks am i right ?

Cheers

 

[chairsgotoschool]

Certain cubes, the latest model which have less ports and only 2 connections on back, power and video/audio have built I regulators. It still requires 12v. And can still use custom regulators.

There is a thread I the stickie about custom regulators and has the specific ones needed listed. The GC can run off 5v but sound may have issues so its best to use the highest voltage possible for sound.

 

[DuHasst0]

Re: Portable Gamecube - "Name TBD"

Wesley762, before you go tearing into that cube, read the stickies. You don't want to fry that cube by giving it the wrong voltages. Zenloc did a great deal of research on regulators, and they aren't cheap for the 2 or 3 you may need.

3rd party controllers are fine, and I would recommend using 3ds sliders to replace the analog sticks. Also building the controller stuff from trimmed hardware is a fun adventure.

Visit badassconsoles.com to get some of your parts as well. Many options to get that sd loading done an easier way.

Good luck, the gc is a challenge, I am hoping to have something done very soon.

 

[Blargaman91]

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=2844

 

[wesley762]

http://forums.modretro.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=2844

Thank i read that topic earlier il be sure to follow that

as for badassconsoles.com, i will be sure to check it out and it seems they do have a wide array of parts i always thought the shipping would be insane to the netherlands but 18 dollars aint bad at all compared to some charge (im looking at you Polycase.com 70$ )

Il update once i i have some of these things done.

 

[megalomaniac]

i always thought the shipping would be insane to the netherlands but 18 dollars aint bad at all compared to some charge (im looking at you Polycase.com 70$ )

also, keep in mind that 18$ quote is generated by a very stupid shipping calculator that (usually) over charges for international shipping....so any difference between actual shipping cost and estimated shipping cost will be refunded...

 

[wesley762]

yeah im not sure i will take my chances though..
il find other ways to make cases etc.

i did have a idea from a other thread on this forum earlier @ N64.
who is building a N64 into a Wii U gamepad..
now how you get your hands on one of those and then actually tear it apart (they are quite expensive) is not a option for me.

However i do see these HARD plastic protective cases on ebay..
if i can fill up the holes with Bondo etc that might work out !
i can attach a bit of plastic @ the back to create more room.
Ebay Add Case

what do you guys think ?

 

[chairsgotoschool]

as long as you are okay with with lots of frankencasing then yeah. just look at this beauty made by Bush.

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=13021&start=0

 

[wesley762]

yeah that should not be problem.
it will be my first time using bondo etc on anything else then my car but we will see.
i have no means to create my own case with vacuum etc so this will give a very nice grip and layout for portable

 

[wesley762]

Hello Lovely Folk,

i was wondering with reading about custom regulators i was wondering about the regulator board in the gamecube ?

Why can't we use that in a portable besides it taking up room and only running on 12v and taking up a bit more amps.
or am i missing something here that really Requires the custom regulators if its only for testing purposes durning the making of the portable.

 

[DuHasst0]

It doesn't require a custom regulator, but is recommended. The battery you would need is a bit heavier because you'll need more cells.

 

[naimlessone]

Here. They have these actual hardcases on ebay (they're not the protective outer shells):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121463503473?_t ... rmvSB=true

If you were thinking of building into a Wii U pad. They are quite thin though and would still need some frankencasing done. I picked one up to do just that. Not bad either and I believe you can use buttons out of a Wii U pro controller, but I'm not sure. They look like they would fit the Wii U Pad layout. Does anyone know about this?