The GT64

[Frozener]

Hey Everybody,

So I figured I might as well post this since it been like 5 months since I've worked on it. I don't have the ability to work on it here at school, so I can only work during breaks. It an N64p, about 90% done, everything is complete except wiring everything. It features a 3.5" lcd, gamecube stick, chopped mobo, relocated cart slot and expansion pack, and 4000 mAh li-ion batteries. I remember I was having trouble fitting everything in the case so I'll probably need a thinner heatsink when I work on it over the summer. Here is a link to the case: http://www.boxenclosures.com/category/category_product.html?cats__id=665, although I bought it from a different supplier. All of the holes are custom drilled (no frankencasing) and I think everything looks reasonably straight for a first attempt. Anyway, here it is:

Sorry for the crappy picture, it's the only one I have here at school.

 

[Bush]

Re: The GT64 *tentative name*

Oooh I love this. It looks quite retro.

 

[Frozener]

Re: The GT64 *tentative name*

Yeah its kinda like a big DMG gameboy. I was surprised at how nice the case turned out. I thought my first portable would look like total crap . I wish I had some more pictures of the sides and back, but I will probably get some up in the next couple of weeks.

 

[unicycler17]

Re: The GT64 *tentative name*

This looks great. Well done. It seems like the less frankencasing there is on a portable, the better it turns out. At least in my limited experience.

 

[Frozener]

Re: The GT64 *tentative name*

Thanks for your compliments guys. Some people like Hailrazer (among others) can get amazing results frankencasing. I tried going that route a while back and it just didn't work out for me. As long as you take your time with measurements and are precise, you can get great results cutting your own button holes. Obviously there are pros and cons to each method but I just chose what worked best for me.

 

[Frozener]

Re: The GT64 *tentative name*

Sorry for the double post. But I'm home this weekend and made some progress on the case, adding in various buttons, switches, and ports. Here are some more pictures of the case.

All that final case needs is a cover for the exposed cart slot. In other news, I found a configuration that allows all the components to fit inside properly so, if all goes well, this should finally be finished within the next few weeks.

 

[Stranger491]

It is looking good so far. Keep up the good work.

 

[J.D]

Oooh, nice. Can't wait to see it completed.

 

[unicycler17]

interesting cart placement

 

[Frozener]

Yeah, that's really the only place it would fit. It doesn't work higher because of the curvature of the case and there's no room for it to be internal. The current placement works really well for comfort and the triggers are still easy to access, so it doesn't really bother me.

 

[ToastBucket]

Wow that's awesome. I thought meh at the first picture, but once I saw the back, I loved that little curvy thing. Reminds me of an Arcade Cabby.

 

[Frozener]

So I got everything wired up, I flip the switch and the led turns on, but unfortunately no video is displayed on screen. Now I'm sure everything is getting power but the problem could be my expansion pack relocation (likely), my cart slot slot relocation (unlikely because I've done five without any problems), or a bad solder joint somewhere. Also, it could be a grounding problem because I was a little unsure of the best place to ground on a trimmed board. I won't be able to troubleshoot until later this week but does anyone else have any common problems that I should be looking for?

 

[bentendo64]

Have you tried hooking the N64 up to a tv? Because I once bought a 3.5" screen, and it would not display video from my N64, but it worked with a PS2.

 

[Frozener]

Nah the screen works fine. I left it alone for like a week and everything works now. N64s are so finicky and stupid lol. This should be done in the next few days if I can figure out how to wire my fricken' joystick!!! It's worked before, but I forgot to write down the pinout and now I can only get down and left work (or up and right to function as down and left). If anyone can help the board looks like this:

O X
O
O Y
O

There are two pins for X axis and two pins for Y axis, similar to the controller in bentomo's guide. I've tried that configuration and about every other one I can think of. Any idea what may be wrong? (I'm using a regular GC analog BTW).