VOGONS


First post, by JmanP

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Hey Vogons forum,

As you guys can see from the title above me and my son want to start a project together where we are going to build an Emulator console from scratch using some old broken consoles for cases, which in all honesty I didn't know it was a possibility until he shown me a video on YouTube, awesome stuff. As of the outside casing, I'm going to use an old Nintendo 64 that hasn't worked for years, I knew it would come in handy. I pretty much have the casing covered on how it's going to look when it's finished as I have been watching quite a few videos since my son opened my eyes! My real problem is going to be the insides. I'm not much of an electrician but it doesn't look too technical from what I have seen online. The unfortunate side is when watching the videos they speak about "Raspberry PI" which I can find online like here http://www.used.forsale/canada/montreal/raspberry-pi and other components that I have no clue what they are or how they come into use.

What would be awesome is if some of you guys could help me out on how to get the insides working, starting with what components I will need to complete the task and a video on how to put it all together if there is one you know of on YouTube, please. I am really looking forward to getting started with my boy on this project and I think he's more excited than me.

Cheers everyone
This is the kind of idea we have in mind below
FWVKKDXHJ1WWK8M.jpg

Last edited by JmanP on 2017-04-21, 01:41. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 2 of 11, by Jorpho

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JmanP wrote:

The unfortunate side is when watching the videos they speak about "Raspberry PI" And other components that I have no clue what they are.

Um... I'm not quite clear on why you're asking this here? Are you having problems locating more appropriate resources?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi

JmanP wrote:

Sorry about the eye saw of a picture, that is madness..... How do I make it smaller???

You would have to download the image, resize it, and then re-upload it somewhere else.

It would be much more appropriate to simply link to the page where you found it, so we all have a better idea of your starting point.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Portable-Rasp … lation-Machine/

The page in question appears to have links regarding where to obtain each component. Is there something specific you are failing to understand? Because it would be a waste of time for all concerned if we were to add further commentary that you would likewise not comprehend.

Reply 3 of 11, by gdjacobs

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There are several different options for what you want to do. The Raspberry Pi platform has been around for a few years now and has a strong developer following. It's essentially a compact all in one motherboard providing HDMI out, an ethernet connection, usb connections, and a multi purpose 40 pin header with a programmable input/output interface (for lights, pushbuttons, and serial connections amongs other things). It's inexpensive and low power, uses SD Card memory for flexibility, and has prebuilt images for this sort of work (as well as other things) which can be copied straight to the memory card then run. All in all, it's a very strong candidate.

As much is already prepared for you, you can buy a Raspberry Pi board (probably a Pi 3) and begin testing software quickly. You may wish to only modify the case to fit the hardware but still provide a full suite of USB and ethernet jacks, or perhaps you want to fully stealth the build so it's operable with the controllers and existing case buttons and looks totally stock. Both software and hardware is very accessible, there's not too much it can't do or be made to do within the performance limits of the CPU.

There's other options you may wish to try including compact Windows motherboards, but the price to begin with a Pi 3 is so low and the versatility so high, I think it's worth investigating at least before choosing something else.

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder

Reply 4 of 11, by JmanP

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gdjacobs wrote:

There are several different options for what you want to do. The Raspberry Pi platform has been around for a few years now and has a strong developer following. It's essentially a compact all in one motherboard providing HDMI out, an ethernet connection, usb connections, and a multi purpose 40 pin header with a programmable input/output interface (for lights, pushbuttons, and serial connections amongs other things). It's inexpensive and low power, uses SD Card memory for flexibility, and has prebuilt images for this sort of work (as well as other things) which can be copied straight to the memory card then run. All in all, it's a very strong candidate.

As much is already prepared for you, you can buy a Raspberry Pi board (probably a Pi 3) and begin testing software quickly. You may wish to only modify the case to fit the hardware but still provide a full suite of USB and ethernet jacks, or perhaps you want to fully stealth the build so it's operable with the controllers and existing case buttons and looks totally stock. Both software and hardware is very accessible, there's not too much it can't do or be made to do within the performance limits of the CPU.

There's other options you may wish to try including compact Windows motherboards, but the price to begin with a Pi 3 is so low and the versatility so high, I think it's worth investigating at least before choosing something else.

This is more along the lines of what we are looking for, thanks for the detailed explanation. My son and I are going to get ordering the Raspberry Pi platform to make a start on this project. For a beginner this seems like the safest/best choice and loads of fun at the same time. After the parts turn up and we have finished the plans for the casing, we will take some pictures and post them up.

Thanks for the replies guys

Reply 5 of 11, by gdjacobs

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For what you're doing, I'd go with the Pi 3 platform so you have the most CPU capability on hand and aren't hamstrung that way.

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder

Reply 6 of 11, by JmanP

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The Pi 3 platform has officially been ordered and should be here in the morning, excited is an understatement. Me and my boy will make a start on the casing at the weekend once we have the measurements for the Pi board. Pictures up soon.

Reply 8 of 11, by Jorpho

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JmanP wrote:

the measurements for the Pi board.

I would expect such specifications to be thoroughly documented in multiple places. This is hardly an obscure piece of equipment.

Last edited by Jorpho on 2017-04-19, 13:30. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 9 of 11, by gdjacobs

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2D schematic:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/har … atics/README.md

3D model for CAD work:
https://grabcad.com/library/raspberry-pi-3-re … -raspberry-pi-2

All hail the Great Capacitor Brand Finder

Reply 11 of 11, by GabrielKnight123

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If you cant build your Raspberry Pi project I recommend buying an original Xbox and soft modding it which will emulate SNES, NES, Commodore, PS1, Sega mega drive, arcade, Nintendo 64 and many more have a look at www.xbox-hq.com or look in youtube for xbox soft mod or I can send you a complete doc of instructions just PM me