Forum - Recent Threads

N64 Portable PSone LED screen displaying static

dataguru1111 — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 15:31:26 GMT

I've been having continuous issues with my N64 portable console after a short happened on one of the cells. Before that shortage situation the batteries charged perfectly + the LED screen showed zero static (when charged). I believe that the short also caused the LED screen to display static continuously, but I can't seem to solve this issue. These are the steps I attempted to solve the issue:

I measured the voltage of the 2 cells (with a multimeter) [when the system is on & off] and they were both measured at around 3.9v, but while charging the charger reads that Cell #1 is 3.97v & Cell #2 is 4.10v.

I replaced the majority of the wires connected to the batteries banking on maybe the wires became damaged after the short, thus causing the screen to show static & causing an error with the charger
I replaced the LED screen with a new one, but still no difference, the screen still shows up with static

I think that the issue is that for some reason the screen static is indicating that something isn't able to draw enough current off your batteries or something.

I'm out of ideas as to what could be the cause for the screen static.. Can anyone assist me with what might be the issue?

Giant Game boy Color - Ayuda-help

soyen3d — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 16:00:42 GMT

Hola, estoy en un proyecto el cual deseo crear un game boy color gigante y mi idea es lograr usar una placa de game boy color original.

realice un diseño en fusion 360 y con mi impresora 3d ( tiene buen tamaño) y lo estoy imprimiendo de a partes.

quiero lograr que adentro contenga una placa original de game boy color para no recurrir a emuladores ni raspberry pi . etc.

he leido que necesito una placa FPGA para lograrlo. pero aun asi no consigo ningun manual que me indique los pines de salida de video de la game boy color ( si hay de game boy comun) .

queria consultares si este tipo de placa serviria para el proyecto:

https://es.aliexpress.com/item/32997339391.html

Mis conocimientos en electrónica son Básicos.

se acepta cualqueir tipo de ayuda.

les comparto una foto como va el proyecto.

Saludos

i would like to make a computer using an xbox,will,and xbox1 and make them all compatable, into one huge gaming computer.

rudolph245 — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 20:35:44 GMT

Hi my name is Ricky, and i would like to build my own gaming computer combing four systems. I have an xbox 360, xbox origional, a wii, and a origional nintendo.

what can i do. i am new to doing this and want to make an awesome gaming system, with outragious lights, and sound effects when playing.

anyone have any experience, and or know what i can do.

Yobo Nes Portable

zjc922 — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 14:55:26 GMT

Hi everyone,

New poster but long time listener and watcher of the Ben Heck show. I recently thought that I wanted to make something similar to the Yobo Nes Portable that Ben had made in the video. I saw that he posted the Ilustrator file but I’m still not great at modeling my own 3D prints. I was wondering if anyone had made their own STL file for this or could lend some help to a newbie like me!

Any Info or help would be really appreciated!

Zach

More Engine Management

jack.chaney56 — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 13:49:36 GMT

In the previous discussion, I presented a base system for engine management. The problem with what was created is, it only runs in steady state. Steady state for an engine is constant rpm and load, no acceleration, and no change to demand. The software components of the system have been intentionally designed to be independent of hardware processor. The specific platform is the Arduino Nano and the 328p processor. The choice was as an exercise to see if it could be done, and to force a level of discipline for the programming model. The other item of note from the previous discussion is, I am a software person primarily, with a working knowledge of electronic hardware. I am happy to admit to shortcomings in any circuits that I present, and encourage correction.

This second section will deal with making improvements to the basic software to manage the asynchronous events. Some items will make reference to the previous discussion, so please review for a full description. If something was left out, I am happy to fill in the detail. Jumping in to the first item which is a one time event. The engine start. When the engine is cranking, before ignition timing is captured, fuel is being input, and not burned. To correct the state, once the engine starts, the acceleration is raised temporarily to "burn off" the excess fuel. This is done by adjusting the advance, first increasing, then reducing back to steady state. Also, during crank (before ignition capture), the advance is reduced to almost zero. Because the advance goes from near zero to a large angle, a measured transition is needed. This is called the ramp in rate. Also, the recovery from the large angle to the steady state angle, is again a measured value. This is called the decay. The startup sequence then becomes a small state operation. Crank > Ramp to max > Decay to steady > Steady State. In each of the states a value is combined as part of the total advance.

The ramp in and decay are governed by the RPM of the motor, so a counter tied to the cam signal is implemented. The four states are monitored with a simple switch operation. The values for ramp in and decay are defined in calibration, as well as the values for max and minimum advance. The other part is to implement a counter of some sort that is updated during the cam signal detect (same place as setting cam detected flag). The sequence works sort of like this:

Engine off - Retrieve from calibration values for min, max, ramp, and decay.
Crank to start - Set advance to minimum until ignition is detected, also set counter to ramp in value when ignition is detected change state.
Ramp in - Adjust advance from minimum to maximum with a slope = counter / ramp until max is reached then set counter to decay and change state
Decay out - Adjust advance from max to steady state with a slope = counter / decay until steady state is reached then change state
Steady State - watch for engine stop

SWord updateStartupTrim(SWord t) {
 static SWord ramp;
 static SWord min = 0;
 static SWord max = 0;
 static UByte stState = 0;
 switch(stState) {
 case 0:  // engine off, crank to start
  min = getIgnStartupAdjustment() - t; ramp = getIgnStartupRampIn(); if (ramp == 0) { ramp = 1; }
  ignStTrim = getRpm() > 0 ? min : 0;
  if (getRpm() > getIgnRpmMinRun()) { camTrimCt = ramp; stState = 1; }
  break;
 case 1:  // ramp in
  max = getIgnStartupTrim();
  if (camTrimCt > 0) { ignStTrim = max - (SWord)((SLong)camTrimCt * (SLong)(max - min) / (SLong)ramp); }
  else { ignStTrim = max; ramp = getIgnStartupDecay(); if (ramp == 0) { ramp = 1; } camTrimCt = ramp; stState = 2; }
  break;
 case 2:  // decay
  if (camTrimCt > 0) { ignStTrim = (SWord)((SLong)max * (SLong)camTrimCt / (SLong)ramp); }
  else { ignStTrim = 0; stState = 3; }
  break;
 default: // running
  ignStTrim = 0;
  if (isEngStopped()) { stState = 0; }
  break;
 }
 return ignStTrim;
}

The variable camTrimCt is the counter which gets decremented on each cam.

Good news is, there are lots of exception and asynchronous activities to manage, so there will be lots offered here

Jack

pi 3 HELP

ramjit*8 — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 19:42:10 GMT

I would like to get some help, Please I assembled my Pi 3 it works but I would like to upgrade, By adding audio board, More RAM, Amplifier board, And a audio recording system. I am very new at this.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Bhim

foot pedals used with hand

diabolik99876 — Fri, 06 Jul 2018 23:43:54 GMT

Hello! I'm Paul and I was born with a locomotory disability: basically I cannot use my legs normal. I want to ask u guys if u can help me with a mod for a cheap driving wheel like Logitech GT Gaming Wheel to make foot pedals can be used with 1 hand. I would appreciate very much if you could help me. I think this is a pretty cool idea and can generate a lot of views on the channel. Have a great day!

ideas to improve my Gamecube jewel mod

janneman84 — Fri, 02 Mar 2018 16:19:51 GMT

Hey guys,

Over a decade ago I did some serious modding to my Gamecube. I added two big fans on the sides and I put LEDs all over the place, making my Gamecube a true Christmas decoration .

Now the main attraction is the jewel, which is fully backlit. You can print out any design you want on transparent overhead sheets and stick it in. You can change it on the fly, pretty neet. It's hard to make a photo that's truly representative of how nice it actually looks, but anyway:

For this mod I created a backlight disc by using an 80mm white ring CCFL with sanded acrylic glass, paper and alu tape. This is suspended with rubber bands to the lid, which allows you to easily swap logo cards:

Now this approach works pretty well, but is a bit crude. I'm planning on doing some more of these mods and I'm looking for better ways to do this:

I've been looking into using backlights from smartphones. However I can't seem to find one of the right size, and I don't quite know how to connect one.
Also I'm looking for ideas for better mounting.
Even more fancy would be to use an LCD screen with a Raspberry Pi or something to make the jewel an actual working screen .

So do you guys have any suggestions? Thanks!

Xbox Gaming Universal

spearmania — Sat, 10 Feb 2018 22:37:10 GMT

Hi, My name is Michael Jaikaran, and I love gaming, especially on my Xbox One S. However, Most games that I want to play on the Xbox One S, are for the Xbox 360, so, I want to know if there is a way you can add a game reader for the Xbox 360 into the Xbox One S, so I can play Xbox 360 games to my Xbox One S, because I am technically inexperienced, and my friend suggested that I suggest this build. If you already have this build on your youtube channel, can you pls e-mail me this link. Pls, E-Mail on if you will do it or not.

Nintendo ROB Sensors and how they work

emperorcaeli — Sat, 06 Jan 2018 03:13:01 GMT

I would like to make a request for a future Ben Heck episode. Ive recently purchased a Nintendo R.O.B. and would love to know how the light flashes of Gyromite and Stack-Up make him move. I cant find any information online on it.

Nintendo Switch joycon/pro controller single handed operation

midnightmechanic — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 01:56:45 GMT

Found post on the Facebook Nintendo Switch Fan Community group that a user is having difficulty playing games with one hand. Perhaps a 3D printed joycon adapter or a unique joycon or pro controller mod would work the best? I love seeing these projects and I think it would be super awesome!

Photo manager

paulb1947 — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 01:43:17 GMT

I would like to use my Raspberry Pi 3 to deliver photos from a USB (or HDD via network or wifi) to a video screen (not a TV), sort of a changing picture. There are commercial models available but I have a surplus large screen with DVI, RJ45 and HDMI inputs. I plan to mount the screen in a picture frame. I would appreciate any thoughts on software etc

Restoring a PS One (Audio issues)

xkeita — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 01:28:49 GMT

Hello everyone

With a hit of nostalgia I just brought back from the death my PS One (SCPH-101)

After powering it on, I have video and audio, the Sony logo effect plays nicely on boot, in-game fmv also plays nice but all the

in-game music/sound effects (title screen, menu effects, background music) are partially working, it sounds more like an echo in the far background.

Any recommendation for something that I should look for in the motherboard? Maybe it's a bad contact against the metal shield*?

* The shield is partially painted black with some unpainted sides for making contact with the motherboard

** Motherboard pic for reference

Attachments:

DIY game controller from scratch

nezvers — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 06:23:19 GMT

I would like to know what's needed and preferably some instructions for registering buttons and PC recognizing it as gamepad plug-n-play.

I threw idea to mod NES usb controller with tactile buttons so they work every time Instead of flimsy feel. And friend who got his DIY 3D printer said he could make custom controller body and I could get PCB and electronic apartment done for it. Only problem is I couldn't find any instructions or information except using arduino which doesn't get recognized as gamepad and it's bulky as cow crap.

It would be grate for future projects if I could get joysticks working for it too.

SNES Classic

makerkaren — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 21:38:40 GMT

With the Super Glue Gun, Mini Pinball Kit, and Hex Game, we've been a little preoccupied as of late. This week, we're finally going to crack open one of the elusive SNES Classics. As you can see, I've also brought in an old school SNES in case Ben gets the hankering to pry that one open too and show off the differences between the two units. What would you like to know about the SNES or the SNES Classic? What would you like to see Ben do in this teardown episode? Let us know in the comments below!

Build suggestion: A pool table converted to a CNC Router

yotosama — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 01:29:40 GMT

I don't know if that has been done already, or if it's even possible. I would however be interested to see it. Thank you.

Build suggestion: Artist display tablet (wacom + laptop lcd)

f5kn — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 16:24:20 GMT

It's been done before (I've seen it years ago), but maybe Ben could make something more refined and add some ideas of his own.

But, basically, you would have a stand or box in which you could attach your ordinary graphics tablet to, that would have an LCD screen upcycled from a broken laptop with a sheet of glass or polycarbonate on top of that. The stand would make it easy to remove the tablet if needed, and would also allow for different angled positions for the artist to use it more comfortably.

The glass/polycarbonate sheet should be somewhat thin in order to minimize the parallax effect.

I'm thinking of something built out of wood (lasered, maybe?), sintra or acrylic rather than 3D printed because the stand would have to "stand" some weight when the artist rests his arms on top of the tablet.

As a bonus, it could have a handle to be carried around.

SNES won't power on... chance for recovery?

Former Member — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 19:07:00 GMT

Hi everyone,

I posted this in /r/SNES and got no useful help, so I figured I'd come here because I'm assuming people in this forum know at least a little more about electronics...

Anyways, I bought two SNES units for the low low price of $20. One of them worked mostly fine while the other wouldn't read carts at all (fixed later with some good ol' isopropyl alcohol). I was cleaning them both up just to get them in as best condition as I could, and in my process I decided to clean the cart slot of the mostly working unit. I had the board out of the case at this point, and after I cleaned it I wanted to test that it still worked. So I went over to my TV, plopped the SNES down on my carpeted floor (I think this was my mistake), plugged in the power and POP! I saw a spark form the board towards the back where the power is. I attempted switching the unit on and nothing happened; no power LED, no video out, nothing. The fuse isn't blown (I think - I did a rudimentary continuity test my using the power button leads on my computer motherboard and the PC turned on when I contacted either side of the fuse with some cables), so I'm assuming something in the power delivery mechanism got fried.

How can I diagnose exactly what's wrong with my SNES, and would I be able to fix it? Thanks in advance for any responses!

Edit: Just to clarify, I did use the official power supply, so I don't think it was that. I'm guessing there was a short somewhere else on the board besides the fuse. Also, I attached pictures of the board.

Attachments:

"Instant-on/off" retro emulator on the Pi. Feasible?

f5kn — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 09:54:26 GMT

Long boot times have always bothered me. Having to wait for shut downs is also very annoying.

So I was thinking if it would be possible to make an instant-on emulator on the Pi, so that the experience would be exactly like turning on (and off) an old gaming console.

But in order to do that, it could be necessary to both have a Pi hat with an EEPROM containing said emulator and it shouldn't ever try to write anything in your storage device, so no save states. Games would be loaded as usual via an SD card.

Would that be possible?

And if possible, could it be demonstrated on the show?

Custom Project

mod-controls7 — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 15:28:05 GMT

Hi, just wondering, if its possible to male, from scratch a dual-screen vita-like gaming console. Basically in the shape of a vita, but not truly a vita. I'm looking to make something I. That shape that is essentially a gaming laptop, in terms of speed and graphics processing.

*it's not an emulator*

I'm thinking I would need to buy a touch screen with a digitizer, a phone screen might work. The top screen would probably be more difficult to source, I assume.

Then I need to decide on analog stick, and what kind of potentiometer it's attached to.

Action Buttons and d-pad.

Left and right game triggers and their sensors

Shoulder buttons.

Graphics card.

Mother board that can handle it.

Cpu.

RAM

Media ports: hdmi and micro USB(unless there's a more durable port for the cable going into it, I don't have problem with the ports, but micro USB cables are always breaking on me, the cable connector get bent, but the port is fine).

Solid state hard drive, external storage,

False cart or variation of compact disk.

Build suggestion: A better Master System controller.

f5kn — Sat, 01 Jul 2017 00:04:42 GMT

This could be very straight forward, I'm not sure how far you could take a controller redesign for the Master System, but one thing that it should be made is to add a pause button. The system has one on its console, could that functionality be transfered over to the controller?

The d-pad could be made into a cross... Or maybe something like the Neo-Geo joypad, that one's pretty cool. And that clickety-click sound, hnnnng!

And the rectangular case... Could be faceted like the console (so you'd keep the overall aesthetic), but it just begs to be more ergonomic.

The Ben Heck Show Power Glove Code

olddos — Sat, 17 Jun 2017 22:53:10 GMT

Hello.

Does anyone have the code that Ben wrote in the episode where he tore down the Nintendo Power Glove. This code puts all the analog data coming from the power glove into the serial monitor.

Thanks.

P.S. The code is going to be used on an Arduino Uno but the code was written for a Teensy 2.0. Is there any modifications that I would have to make to the code or the circuit to accommodate for this.

Gameboy color backlight screen

kai0777 — Sat, 20 May 2017 04:51:39 GMT

Hi guys my gameboy screen just went out and I was looking at getting it replaced but playing it in this day and age with that screen is hard to go bad too.

i was looking at video on your gbc backlight and saw it was a big problem a lot of ppl want fix

link to the video: https://youtu.be/wzuaoRB2iQc

i wonder if. End would take a crack at it and maybe get someone so pointers on how to do it so we all can get a backlight screen..

The Drone

leafs444 — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 01:32:34 GMT

A drone that picks up any thing in its path.

HACK-BOY 3000

snappdragon — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 21:17:54 GMT

Build something akin to Fallout 4's Pip-Boy 3000 using 3D printing and a Raspberry Pi (3 or Zero W).