Game Boy PC

Steve X2 · 29-01-2012 4:32am #1

I've started getting the parts ready for my Game Boy PC if anyone's interested in seeing how I get on.
As I've said before this will be a Linux PC built into a Game Boy DMG-01 using the new Raspberry Pi board. It'll be used to run XBMC and various emulators.

http://www.retrovia.ie/showthread.php/8491-Game-Boy-PC-%28Raspberry-Pi%29

The case is ready(as is a possible mini screen that doesn't use the HDMI port and will be wired onto the board):

Edit:
Here's a 3D model to get an idea as to what I want to do.
The board will probably have to sit higher in the Game Boy than it is in the animation if I want to keep the battery compartment intact.
I haven't fully decided yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPPku_xbMZQ

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pdbhp · 29-01-2012 12:03pm

Nice idea Steve, gonna be great even though you're killing a Gameboy.

What program did you use to make the animation? was it Sketch up?

Pyongyang · 29-01-2012 12:15pm

Nice project but blimey mate, that music! Sounds like a skin flick! :rolleyes:

Myrddin · 29-01-2012 1:46pm

pdbhp wrote: »

even though you're killing a Gameboy

Automatic entry onto Pdbhp's Wanted Dead Or Alive list

Steve X2 · 29-01-2012 2:37pm

The music is some of that audio replacement tunes from YouTube. Bloody buggy as hell and takes hours to be removed :0( there was no audio on the vid so I tried out some on Youtube and cant remove it now.

Anyway, don't worry guys the game boy was already a faulty one and I got it free from a seller on eBay as he sent me a replacement and said keep the faulty one. I've still got all the guts stored away safe as it was just a faulty screen.

I did this particular animation in sketchup pro.

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Dale Parish · 29-01-2012 3:42pm

I take it that pinout near the top is for a screen?

Steve X2 · 29-01-2012 4:02pm

Dale Parish wrote: »

I take it that pinout near the top is for a screen?

They're actually GPIO connectors. There are some DSI connections just above SD Card connector that can drive a display.

The GPIO connections can be used for whatever you need, hence the name(General Purpose Input Output). So you could hook up some sensors or whatever you like to them.

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Steve X2 · 29-01-2012 4:37pm

Some high resolution pictures of the board.
There may be some small design differences from this image and the actual final board.

Click the pics for high res versions.

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Myrddin · 29-01-2012 4:43pm

I hope your planning to run a Gameboy emulator on it

Spacedog · 29-01-2012 4:52pm

I wonder if it would be possible to preserve the buttons/screen functionality using a controller board.

you can look up the eeepc mods for details on breaking out the connectors to ports on the external case using jumper wires.

Steve X2 · 29-01-2012 5:03pm

EnterNow wrote: »

I hope your planning to run a Gameboy emulator on it

But of course

weeder · 29-01-2012 10:14pm

when are you expecting to be able to get your hands on those boards?

Steve X2 · 29-01-2012 10:21pm

weeder wrote: »

when are you expecting to be able to get your hands on those boards?

A week or two is the current estimate from the guys making them.
Only 10,000 in the first batch so they will sell out fast I'd say.

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CathalDublin · 01-02-2012 10:15pm

Deadly, will be keeping an eye on this

The Last Bandit · 02-02-2012 10:26am

Looking forward to seeing this progress

Steve X2 · 02-02-2012 5:18pm

Hopefully they release the board soon and I can get to work on it.

I just got a new 7" screen today that runs at 800 x 480 to go in my second mod(something larger than a Game Boy, maybe a NES or something along those lines).

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Doge · 02-02-2012 11:15pm

Steve SI wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPPku_xbMZQ

Ah well...

That's enough porn for me for tonight....

Steve X2 · 02-02-2012 11:35pm

waveform wrote: »

Ah well...

That's enough porn for me for tonight....

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Doge · 04-02-2012 1:04am

http://www.raspberrypi.org/forum/general-discussion/perfect-case-for-everyone-born-in-the-80s/page-2

ToastyTwo wrote:

MakerBot…? Now you've made me jealous…

Oh....if he only knew the half of it!

Steve X2 · 04-02-2012 2:32am

waveform wrote: »

http://www.raspberrypi.org/forum/general-discussion/perfect-case-for-everyone-born-in-the-80s/page-2

Oh....if he only knew the half of it!

Steve X2 · 07-02-2012 5:19am

I managed to get a version of MAME compiled and running on an accurate RaspPi virtual machine(connected via localhost vnc to a Qemu machine running arm debian emulating the correct arm architecture running in a virtualbox machine on my pc).

A pain to get it to work but I'm getting there. The version of mame I've got working is the very old 0.35 Beta 3 which was released in feb 1999. So its not great and running very slowly with all the loop holes I have to jump through to get it to work.

Anyway, it can be done and once I have my hands on the real hardware I can hopefully get a more modern and more stable version working and have a look at getting other emulators running.

I mean I cant have a Game Boy computer that doesn't run a Game Boy emulator :rolleyes:

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Steve X2 · 20-02-2012 9:02pm

Right, the Raspberry Pi should be with us next week according to the website

Here's a revised video of the 3D model I'm using to plan everything(old model was 1.3mm to short in length and 1.3mm to wide for some reason). Also, music is better in the one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq3SMVh_CEo

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K.O.Kiki · 21-02-2012 12:23pm

Question: how are you going to make the buttons/dpad work?

Steve X2 · 21-02-2012 6:33pm

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Question: how are you going to make the buttons/dpad work?

That's undecided as of yet. I might wire them up to a very small mini keyboard(which would be stripped down to the bare essentials) and use the dpad as cursor keys and the rest of the buttons as maybe Escape, Enter, etc etc.

Or I might not use them as buttons at all. It all depends on how the whole thing turns out.

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Doge · 21-02-2012 7:01pm

Question:

Are you pissed off that you cannot buy 2 during the first batch?

Myrddin · 21-02-2012 7:07pm

waveform wrote: »

Question:

Are you pissed off that you cannot buy 2 during the first batch?

I doubt it, if anything, he bought the whole batch

Steve X2 · 21-02-2012 7:11pm

waveform wrote: »

Question:

Are you pissed off that you cannot buy 2 during the first batch?

Maybe, although my brother, mother, neighbour and my girlfriends workplace might get an interest in Raspberry Pi boards if I really want more than one

I'll probably stick to the one board though, as they'll have more in march and I probably wont have any time to spend on the mod before then anyway.

I'm heading away for a few weeks shortly and hope I dont miss it when they go on sale. It'd really piss me off to be on a plane for 11 hours and for them to go on sale then.
They'll sell out very fast.

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CiDeRmAn · 21-02-2012 7:47pm

I'm wondering, is there any chance, if the first gen of the Gameboy PC works out, would you be willing to build some for A&R regulars?
I would be very interested in a GB-PC capable of running some emulators right off the bat.
All I'd be looking to do would be to load my legally owned Public Domain roms on it, of course!
I'm guessing that one would be limited to the 8-bit systems as there aren't enough buttons for later consoles....

I wonder if it would work in a PSP? No, too slim

A Lynx on the other hand....

Myrddin · 21-02-2012 7:50pm

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I wonder if it would work in a PSP? No, too slim
A Lynx on the other hand....

A PSP with the UMD drive stripped out might house one...& at least then you'd have the extra buttons & a 16:9 screen

CiDeRmAn · 21-02-2012 7:58pm

The possibilities!
Only thing is, running the screen and buttons, you'd have to get driver software for the controls in there, it sounds like a considerable job.
Would be most cool though!

Myrddin · 21-02-2012 8:04pm

I can see Sir Heck doing some quality mods with this raspberry thing

Game Boy PC

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