it looks a bit hard but ive wanted to make one of these for a loooong time now, think i am going to have to give it a go again. this is by far the most detailed post i have come across, especially when it comes to the controls, this is what i have struggled on in the past!
Is there a way to do this without using the original gameboy board.Curious because i saw a few gameboy DMG-01 shells for about 6 bucks.Just curious if there is a way to do it without?
I was going to use that as a fallback because it was taking forever to get the Adafruit screen (what I originally intended to use). The adafruit one finally showed up between when I filmed this and when I started the next part.
so its pointless to use this lcd ? Or i have to search an other one? My problem is its easy to make it works for 5v? I see in adfruit lcd you remove 1 regulator Its possible to do for this lcd? till adfruit comes to me ?
Which screen do you have exactly? You can't go by just the LCD itself, you need to know what driver board it has. Feel free to stop by the forums at sudomod.com/forum for more help - tons of folks active on there. Also check out the wiki at sudomod.com/wiki - you may be able to find your screen there.
Tengo un problema y es que despues de montarlo todo me pide el programa retropie la configuracion para poder usar la pantalla LCD3.5 y no consigo hacerlo. Lo normal es conectar la raspberry a la television por HDMI pero no tengo el cable ni el conocimiento para configurarlo. Alguien tendría el programa (retropie) con la configuracion para la LCD ya montado en formato IMG?? Me ayudaría muchisimo
I'm wondering if you can do this without the game boy internals. There are lots of ebay sellers that sell just the case and buttons... That said I think the gameboy pcb being the perfect size and and alignment makes your way probably the best way!
How u did the scratch on the paths without messing up everything? I did and I see the copper behind, but the "tin" doesn't attach to the copper. I tried and tried but nothing.
im curious why you used a teensy instead of the raspberry pi gpio. also a psp1000 joystick makes for alot of fun on the first person games they have for retropie.
+wermy As we all eagerly await for the next video, do you have any recommendations for a replacement to the video screen as I see the constant (out of stock) at adafruit is going to be a huge problem for people.
Instead of using the Teensy, you could use GPIO for the inputs (since you seem to be using composite video anyway). Theres' a tool that's out now called "GPioneer" that makes it dirt simple to do inputs via GPIO. It converts buttons to keyboard presses. It works perfectly in my Lynx-Pi. (I also used a BH (?) screen that didn't match any of the ones on the blog, but it was fairly easy to inject 5v into it. :D
just wondering how you went about adding in the second set of face buttons, what kind of mod did you do to get the buttons to have the right avtion when pressing them? did you somehow add new button wells for the buttons to sit in?
Thanks so much for the vid. I did like your last video better though. The fast forwarding in this makes it a little hectic. But I guess if your on a laptop you can set the speed down during those parts.
Where did you get the screen from. I have looked at the original link from your first video that links to the screen on adafruit. I have looked at all their distributors and cant find one in stock in the United States. I have the one on adafruit on email notification upon restock but cannot seem to get a hold of the screen. Any help would be awesome. Thanks in advance.
+wermy i have a question. from where do you get the Parts for the pi zero? i mean with that the Screen the Control pcb and the other stuff? greetings From Singen Hohentwiel Germany :)
if anyone could help me. i would like to learn how to do things like this. like soldering, rewiring, and more that you can do with cool projects. were do i go for things like this?
+Ninjaflip I'm sure there are a lot of great resources out there, but a good starting point would be on the forums on sudomod.com/forums -- lots of helpful folks (including myself!) there. :)
Wow that was a fast response and cool thanks I'm following your build cuz I tried doing my own with a different model of Raspberry Pi and it's not turning out the way I wanted it to so keep up the good work your videos hasve been really helpful...
its too bad the controls are so complex, im fine with the soldering and everything but you have to buy an ardiuno just to program the other board? is there not an easier way to ad controls? maybe something through the pi's usb or other interfaces
+1234garrett1993 You can add controls through the GPIO, but that requires more configuration than just adding a Teensy board. The Teensy actually is hooked up through USB, and shows up as a keyboard (in our case).
+1234garrett1993 Kitsch bent sells a pcb with the A/B/X/Y button posts on it that fits a DMG case for this project specifically. Removes most if not all of this step
@wermy Can you share with us your Teensy code? I've been struggling with it for a couple hours now and can't seem to hash out adding additional buttons to my current code.
Yep, check out the link in the description to the accompanying written guide -- the code is posted there! I'll be doing a little update at some point with code for it to show up as a joypad in stead of a keyboard as well (had several people ask for that).
ok so I really have no experience whatsoever with electronics/sautering and things like that. I've been trying to carefully trying to follow along with these videos and not just do what he does but also try to learn while doing so. are there any resources that anyone could recommend for a start in learning some of the basics of electronics? I would really like to build up to this point.
You can just buy Gameboy empty case from China. Go to Taobao.com and search "gameboy 機殻". Actually, Raspberry Pi3 B is only 85.6mm x 56.5mm x 17mm, while Gameboy Classic is 146mm x 90mm x 32mm. I think it is possible to completely replace the top screen section with a Raspberry Pi 3B+screen kit. Then just 3D print part of the top section of backcover, as well as 3D print a Black/or Grey color plastic piece to cover up the screen area. Install a tiny recargable power bar(plug directly the microUSB on screen(which also supplies power to Pi3), the lower section install a keypad/buttom PCB module.
possibly. you wouldn't want to use a Pi zero though, as the power supply and the specs aren't good enough. instead you should try a Pi 3. although even then I doubt itd play Xbox games as I haven't seen any Xbox emulation so far. if it's the original Xbox then at an enormous push you may be able to emulate it. for the best bets you'd get a PC, but those are more expensive than an Xbox however.
I cannot for the life of me solder to the board, the leads are exposed and I've got the wires tinned, but they just refuse to stick. Anyone have any suggestions?
store.kitsch-bent.com/product/common-ground-dmg-button-pcb Could something like this be used instead of moding the original dmg buttons? Or what about just picking up a SNES controller PCB instead?
yes, that motherboard is perfect for this as it requires a single ground wire. a SNES mobo would be too big and not correctly shaped for a Gameboy case
Keith Jordan possibly not. My plan is to use the control board I sent alone as I have no need for additional buttons as I don't need to play SNES . Your best bet is to use the original board and chop off the A B button pads or do what the wermy did in the video but with the newer control board as it has much easier solder points and is all round neater
+Josh Wilson no. Assuming you already have the tools that's the total. But you can get a cheap Dremel online for 25 bucks. Soldiering iron for 10. Soldier and desoldiering wick for around 15.
+DE4THRE4P3R yeah, tools do bump up the total cost a bit... But once you get into this hobby it's hard to stop, so you'll likely get your money's worth out of them. ;)
the amount of games depends on the SD card size. it runs retropie so it can play Gameboy (original, colour, advance) NES, SNES, N64, PS1 and various other retro consoles like the atari and even old PCs like an apple
Josh Wilson yes. However it will never be 100% perfect. The N64, PS1 and GBA emulation required over clocking at a minimum, and that unfortunately reduces the life span of any PC or device. I haven't gotten my Pi Zero running yet, however an example of imperfection is on my Pi B. SNES runs smoothly with no problems at all, yet running NES has major lagging and horrible sound glitches.
+Okky Martrio It will be this coming week some time. Adafruit finally (briefly) had the screen in stock, so mine is on its way so I can get started on the next video. :)
@wermy Instead of using the original controller board, would this board work and follow the same steps as far as hookup? sudomod.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28
+Chris Panton it really just depends on what you want to emulate. For anything up through GBA and some arcade games (even a few N64 games) the zero is fine (it's also much easier to fit in there and much more friendly towards battery life).
Elson23 yeh they sell for between 250-300 on eBay. Could build one yourself for around £100 and you'll get more satisfaction or anger building it yourself depending how it goes. I'm already doing my price list to build one of these bad boys! Already have a crusty old faulty gameboy so that's a start.
If you could copy the NES and SNES ROMs from your PC or MAC, that would be nice. If I were to do this myself, I'd copy my NES and SNES ROMs from my PC into it.
Did this with an Xbox controller to make an arcadestick once, it was a nightmare, I would very much rather build it from scratch the next time I'll build a controller for something.
reusing the button board from the gameboy gave me endless headaches. those traces are so small and hard to solder to. especially since the gameboy i purchased had leaked battery corrosion inside
Another great tutorial. I just bought a broken Gameboy original for 19 bucks so I can't wait to follow along with the videos!
it looks a bit hard but ive wanted to make one of these for a loooong time now, think i am going to have to give it a go again.
this is by far the most detailed post i have come across, especially when it comes to the controls, this is what i have struggled on in the past!
Is there a way to do this without using the original gameboy board.Curious because i saw a few gameboy DMG-01 shells for about 6 bucks.Just curious if there is a way to do it without?
Your guides are great! Please keep on doing this!
1st video: Fuck yeah I can cut up a GB, no sweat let's g-
2nd video: oh
i used an snes controller for the controller, the wired it to the raspberry pi and place the l and r buttons on the back just like you did
thanks for these videos really instructive, can't wait for the other episodes, I'm thinking of building a gba one myself.
Quick question to anyone who knows (will post in the forums as well) Can you add a second set of L/R buttons on the Teensy as well?
Do u think u could make a game pad on a breadboard using teensy lc thanx can’t find a good tutorial for teensy lc game pads
which version of the teensy board is it?
Awesome videos! Thank you so much for sharing the process with us!
1 question at 7:30 i have the same lcd but i dont know how to make it works for 5volt can you help me?
thanx alot
I show that in part 3. :)
in part 3 you are use the adfruit lcd
but in 7:30 i see lcd screen like mine...
I was going to use that as a fallback because it was taking forever to get the Adafruit screen (what I originally intended to use). The adafruit one finally showed up between when I filmed this and when I started the next part.
so its pointless to use this lcd ?
Or i have to search an other one?
My problem is its easy to make it works for 5v?
I see in adfruit lcd you remove 1 regulator
Its possible to do for this lcd? till adfruit comes to me ?
Which screen do you have exactly? You can't go by just the LCD itself, you need to know what driver board it has. Feel free to stop by the forums at sudomod.com/forum for more help - tons of folks active on there. Also check out the wiki at sudomod.com/wiki - you may be able to find your screen there.
Tengo un problema y es que despues de montarlo todo me pide el programa retropie la configuracion para poder usar la pantalla LCD3.5 y no consigo hacerlo. Lo normal es conectar la raspberry a la television por HDMI pero no tengo el cable ni el conocimiento para configurarlo. Alguien tendría el programa (retropie) con la configuracion para la LCD ya montado en formato IMG?? Me ayudaría muchisimo
I'm wondering if you can do this without the game boy internals. There are lots of ebay sellers that sell just the case and buttons...
That said I think the gameboy pcb being the perfect size and and alignment makes your way probably the best way!
You
when soldering wires to traces like that, try having the wires follow the traces. also try not exposing that much wire.
This looks quite tough! But I can't wait to try it!
Why cant we use the original speaker in the gameboy?
I wonder if a touch screen could be added to it(that would work with that 3.5" screen)since the tech for it does exist!
what's the name of that pink little ball Dremel piece he keeps using to cut the small parts of plastic?
How u did the scratch on the paths without messing up everything? I did and I see the copper behind, but the "tin" doesn't attach to the copper. I tried and tried but nothing.
Amazing build Thank you for sharing!
im curious why you used a teensy instead of the raspberry pi gpio. also a psp1000 joystick makes for alot of fun on the first person games they have for retropie.
How come you didn't use the GPIO for control input? You can save power and space without the teensy.
If only I could get one of these! ...great project.
Can you use a common ground control pcb instead of cutting the original game boy board up?
also does it need to be a teensy lc board, there seems to be a lot of other teensys available?
How long did each step take ? and what about total amount of hours from beginning to end ?
sorry, I have a question. Can you do that without a tensy board? and just wire everything to the pi zero? thanks
+wermy As we all eagerly await for the next video, do you have any recommendations for a replacement to the video screen as I see the constant (out of stock) at adafruit is going to be a huge problem for people.
Instead of using the Teensy, you could use GPIO for the inputs (since you seem to be using composite video anyway). Theres' a tool that's out now called "GPioneer" that makes it dirt simple to do inputs via GPIO. It converts buttons to keyboard presses. It works perfectly in my Lynx-Pi. (I also used a BH (?) screen that didn't match any of the ones on the blog, but it was fairly easy to inject 5v into it. :D
I'd rather make controls board form scratch...
+Marcin Janik look into the SuperGameGirl
+Marcin Janik Found one on oshpark
oshpark.com/shared_projects/XYtRdvHF
+Martin Samuelsson kitsch bent makes one now specifically for the dmg shell that is perfect for this project and has break outs for rear buttons
yeah me too
Maybe I missed it, where’s the link on programming the Adrino board?
just wondering how you went about adding in the second set of face buttons, what kind of mod did you do to get the buttons to have the right avtion when pressing them? did you somehow add new button wells for the buttons to sit in?
Thanks so much for the vid. I did like your last video better though. The fast forwarding in this makes it a little hectic. But I guess if your on a laptop you can set the speed down during those parts.
Why didn't you use the common ground dmg controls pcb from kitsch bent?
That's what I was wondering until I bought one and realized they don't have a x or y connection, only a and b. Fuck I can't do anything right.
+sweaty guy steve thats right. Didnt figure it out until the last video...
+lorecast 162 (lorecast162) yep, the 4-button one didn't exist until after this. ;) sorry I missed your comment before!
I don't know what I'm doing wrong I'm trying to set up my Teensy 2.0 it says select Arduino folder and I can't select anything???
Where did you get the screen from. I have looked at the original link from your first video that links to the screen on adafruit. I have looked at all their distributors and cant find one in stock in the United States. I have the one on adafruit on email notification upon restock but cannot seem to get a hold of the screen. Any help would be awesome. Thanks in advance.
+wermy i have a question. from where do you get the Parts for the pi zero? i mean with that the Screen the Control pcb and the other stuff? greetings From Singen Hohentwiel Germany :)
thnx a lot. in few days im going to start working on one :)
Doing this now is seemingly impossible. Some of the parts are sold out and I think even the pcb is unavailable
if anyone could help me. i would like to learn how to do things like this. like soldering, rewiring, and more that you can do with cool projects. were do i go for things like this?
+Ninjaflip I'm sure there are a lot of great resources out there, but a good starting point would be on the forums on sudomod.com/forums -- lots of helpful folks (including myself!) there. :)
+wermy thanks bro! i feel like this is something i could really get into. ill check out the site later!
I have a Teensy 2.0 board will that work with this?
+Danny Rouse Yep it should work fine. Only reason I recommend the LC is because it's the cheapest (LC actually stands for Low Cost)
Wow that was a fast response and cool thanks I'm following your build cuz I tried doing my own with a different model of Raspberry Pi and it's not turning out the way I wanted it to so keep up the good work your videos hasve been really helpful...
Where's the info to program the teensy LC?
I still haven’t finished it 🤙
Just curious, are you still running the contest at all?
thank you very much, your teensy arduino code got mine finished! i owe you a beer!
Bit of a noob question but is it possible to add another two shoulder buttons (L2 & R2) to make it possible to run a PS1 emulator??
Thanks
its too bad the controls are so complex, im fine with the soldering and everything but you have to buy an ardiuno just to program the other board? is there not an easier way to ad controls? maybe something through the pi's usb or other interfaces
+1234garrett1993 You can add controls through the GPIO, but that requires more configuration than just adding a Teensy board. The Teensy actually is hooked up through USB, and shows up as a keyboard (in our case).
wermy ohh i see, thanks
wermy
if you are ever interested in selling one i would love to know lol
+1234garrett1993 Kitsch bent sells a pcb with the A/B/X/Y button posts on it that fits a DMG case for this project specifically. Removes most if not all of this step
Nick Jennings Yeah I put the link in the comments
@wermy Can you share with us your Teensy code? I've been struggling with it for a couple hours now and can't seem to hash out adding additional buttons to my current code.
Yep, check out the link in the description to the accompanying written guide -- the code is posted there! I'll be doing a little update at some point with code for it to show up as a joypad in stead of a keyboard as well (had several people ask for that).
ok so I really have no experience whatsoever with electronics/sautering and things like that. I've been trying to carefully trying to follow along with these videos and not just do what he does but also try to learn while doing so. are there any resources that anyone could recommend for a start in learning some of the basics of electronics? I would really like to build up to this point.
You can just buy Gameboy empty case from China. Go to Taobao.com and search "gameboy 機殻". Actually, Raspberry Pi3 B is only 85.6mm x 56.5mm x 17mm, while Gameboy Classic is 146mm x 90mm x 32mm. I think it is possible to completely replace the top screen section with a Raspberry Pi 3B+screen kit. Then just 3D print part of the top section of backcover, as well as 3D print a Black/or Grey color plastic piece to cover up the screen area. Install a tiny recargable power bar(plug directly the microUSB on screen(which also supplies power to Pi3), the lower section install a keypad/buttom PCB module.
Do you need the extra buttons?
so, the teensy works as a programmer for buttons?
I can use a snes controller board for the buttons?
what gauge wire are you using? Also, where did you get the L/R buttons. Thanks
+HUg0005 yeah I managed to find them on adafruit.
I dont suppose you build and sell these as fully built units, do you?
@wermy how much would you sell a fully functioning one for?
+wermy do you think it would be possible to do this but for an xbox case? and have it emulate all the console games?
possibly. you wouldn't want to use a Pi zero though, as the power supply and the specs aren't good enough. instead you should try a Pi 3. although even then I doubt itd play Xbox games as I haven't seen any Xbox emulation so far. if it's the original Xbox then at an enormous push you may be able to emulate it. for the best bets you'd get a PC, but those are more expensive than an Xbox however.
New to doing any of this stuff
What kind of wires are you using
Is it a specific size or type ?
I cannot for the life of me solder to the board, the leads are exposed and I've got the wires tinned, but they just refuse to stick. Anyone have any suggestions?
The company should be hired to this guy!😊
Adafruit got the lcds back in.
Just need pi zeros
store.kitsch-bent.com/product/common-ground-dmg-button-pcb
Could something like this be used instead of moding the original dmg buttons? Or what about just picking up a SNES controller PCB instead?
yes, that motherboard is perfect for this as it requires a single ground wire. a SNES mobo would be too big and not correctly shaped for a Gameboy case
+12raeve j Awesome, save on that real intricate soldering stuff. All you would then have to do is add the 2 extra buttons
+Alex Chipman that control board looks awesome, but would you have space to be able to fit the buttons on top?
Keith Jordan possibly not. My plan is to use the control board I sent alone as I have no need for additional buttons as I don't need to play SNES .
Your best bet is to use the original board and chop off the A B button pads or do what the wermy did in the video but with the newer control board as it has much easier solder points and is all round neater
What lcd screen are you going to sue a link would be helpful
How can I learn all this stuff? I mean I just wanne build electrical stuff too !
Damn this is great, just need to start getting the materials then the tools. I'm backing up your tutorials just in case. Greetings from México
What soldering iron model do you use?
Hello anyone knows if the file .Ino teensy also works with version 3.1 or 3.2?
what an average cost for the entire system?
I added it up. It's going to be around 160ish bucks for all. The parts. More or less depending on how much you pay for the system and shipping costs
+DE4THRE4P3R does that include tools?
+Josh Wilson no. Assuming you already have the tools that's the total. But you can get a cheap Dremel online for 25 bucks. Soldiering iron for 10. Soldier and desoldiering wick for around 15.
+DE4THRE4P3R yeah, tools do bump up the total cost a bit... But once you get into this hobby it's hard to stop, so you'll likely get your money's worth out of them. ;)
+wermy you should make a blog post about the tools and what you think are best for this kind of hobby lol cause honestluy im at a lose at what to buy
I just became subscriber number 5,071!
Thanks for doing these. Is there any chance you could upload ones without speeding up the important guide bits? Thanks :)
Can you use a Gameboy color motherboard?
Can I use solder instead of sodder?
+James Cree Solder for the circuit wiring? Also I think he pronounced solder wrong. You can use solder though
Thanks for your guide!
Do you think a Raspberry pi 3 fits inside the gameboy? Or just raspberry pi zero works?
Me podrían ayudar al configurar los puertos gpio como mando
How many games can it hold? and what consoles can it emulate/
the amount of games depends on the SD card size. it runs retropie so it can play Gameboy (original, colour, advance) NES, SNES, N64, PS1 and various other retro consoles like the atari and even old PCs like an apple
you can play all those on this game boy zero?
Josh Wilson yes. However it will never be 100% perfect. The N64, PS1 and GBA emulation required over clocking at a minimum, and that unfortunately reduces the life span of any PC or device. I haven't gotten my Pi Zero running yet, however an example of imperfection is on my Pi B. SNES runs smoothly with no problems at all, yet running NES has major lagging and horrible sound glitches.
Could you hack a snes button board instead?
Yeah, there are guides for that, too.
Can I just buy one from you? I will pay well. That's a dream machine.
What a diameter have your cable?
What screen are you using?
when you going to upload next video part 3? im so thirsty!!!!!
+Okky Martrio It will be this coming week some time. Adafruit finally (briefly) had the screen in stock, so mine is on its way so I can get started on the next video. :)
+wermy umm iam feel sorry my pals, im lil bit too rush you. keep my notification on your channel 😁. id love your job.
Is it time yet?!?
+Ryan Siegel for part 3? It's done! I was literally in the middle of uploading it and my internet dropped out. ಠ_ಠ it'll be up tomorrow!
Which arduino do you use?
Any Arduino with a ATMega32U4 or ATMega328P should do it.
awesome work, love it.
@wermy Instead of using the original controller board, would this board work and follow the same steps as far as hookup?
sudomod.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28
Yep. That's actually my site. :) That board was made specifically to make this part of the guide easy, definitely worth getting one!
+wermy awesome! Would you recommend one of the new pi's as they're more powerful? Or pi zero is sufficient for emulators
+Chris Panton it really just depends on what you want to emulate. For anything up through GBA and some arcade games (even a few N64 games) the zero is fine (it's also much easier to fit in there and much more friendly towards battery life).
ya GBA, NES, SNES is probably what I'll want to do
Would the setup/guide be the same for a pi 3 model b or any pi variant? how is the performance of the zero? any lag or issues with games?
I'd love to do this project but I have ZERO experience when it comes to circuit boards and soldering and what not. ):
Can I buy one from you?
looks great.
I have an entire box of broken gameboys, so I think I will do this :)
gopobre
got any spare? ;)
he said doing the cases is the hardest part of the whole project :D
God damn you are good ! :O So impressed ! Keep up the good work !
Can I just buy one??? :)
Elson23 yeh they sell for between 250-300 on eBay. Could build one yourself for around £100 and you'll get more satisfaction or anger building it yourself depending how it goes. I'm already doing my price list to build one of these bad boys! Already have a crusty old faulty gameboy so that's a start.
why do people keep putting raspberry pi's in old consoles? i don't get it.
That's because you're old
Part 3 please :(
If you could copy the NES and SNES ROMs from your PC or MAC, that would be nice. If I were to do this myself, I'd copy my NES and SNES ROMs from my PC into it.
Holy moly I wish I could do all of this but it looks like too much lol
Thanks!!!!
Now I know where all these extra gameboy parts are from online...
You are the best man, I swear :)
Wonderful
Did this with an Xbox controller to make an arcadestick once, it was a nightmare, I would very much rather build it from scratch the next time I'll build a controller for something.
I think I'll just use a common ground gameboy button board
+Somebody Else they definitely make it easier! The ones with X/y buttons didn't exist when I did mine though. :)
+wermy Hold up! How did you mount the X and Y buttons on the front half, without the moldings holding it in position?
They actually stay in place just fine for me without those. They stick out far enough that they stay in place. :)
+wermy could I buy one from you? I don't have the materials to make one, mostly a computer. lol
reusing the button board from the gameboy gave me endless headaches. those traces are so small and hard to solder to. especially since the gameboy i purchased had leaked battery corrosion inside
Too cool man!