jam
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south of london

Hi!
So I've been working on a custom GBC case and I should be printing a prototype of the front half in 3 weeks' time. The case will be designed to house an internal arduinoboy, li-on battery and 1/4" jack.
I don't have an arduinoboy yet- will hopefully be building one in a months' time- so I haven't figured out the internal design of the rear half of the case. Which is why you can't see any ports on this mockup; I've just extruded it. If anyone has built one with a shield from lowtoy and would be willing to send me measurements of a finished arduinoboy it'd be really appreciated.
I'm going to be printing the prototype in PLA. I've never printed anything before so not much of an idea about how it'll look finished.

So, just wondering, is this something others would be interested in? Any thoughts on the design? I've removed the LED. Because.

egr
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Abandoned on Fire

I'm definitely interested in custom gbc shells.  That mockup looks very thick, tho.  What outer dimensions are you using at the moment?

Last edited by egr (Aug 23, 2015 7:45 pm)

jam
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south of london
egr wrote:

I definitely interested in custom gbc shells.  That mockup looks very thick, tho.  What outer dimensions are you using at the moment?

It'll hopefully be thinner; thickness is a guess of about 35mm, no idea at the moment about how much space the arduinoboy is likely to take up.
Extra 10mm on the top and bottom of the case for M3 securing screws because the case is significantly thicker, can't find brass pressfit inserts smaller than M3 for a reasonable price. Same width as the original shell.

If anyone knows anything about 3d printing master patterns for urethane casting I would really like to chat with you!

jam
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south of london

Filleted the edges a tiny bit more. I've designed a thinner back for a version without an internal arduinoboy. Will still be making the chunkier version.
You can see on the right that the current design has an extra 10mm at the top and bottom of the case for M3 press-fit screws. At the moment, this would break compatability with weird shaped carts like the gameboy camera. Will be changing things around to try and cut the 10mm off the top and bottom; should be able to use the original M1.8 screws without any problems. Will make designing the holes for the ports a lot simpler as well which I'll aim to finish today/tomorrow
Not rendering the case with the screen and buttons for now, KeyShot is pretty awkward for lining up multiple parts.

Any thoughts on this render? This definitely work in progress, any suggestions welcome. Aiming to send the design for printing on the 14th of September so I've got a while to finish things up. Looking forward to getting the basic design completed over the next week so I can lock myself in the basement with a vernier gauge and obsessively remeasure everything over and over again until then.

egr
Offline
Abandoned on Fire

That's really nice, honestly.

Some things to look into:

I'll find a link to the arduinoboy mini, it fits in a standard dmg case I believe so it might be an easier option for you.

Also, consider using the (now getting more common) 1/8th inch plug to midi plug adapters to save even more space. Like on the korg sample pads and the beatstep.

Just some thoughts. smile

Last edited by egr (Aug 24, 2015 5:43 pm)

jam
Offline
south of london
egr wrote:

That's really nice, honestly.

Some things to look into:

I'll find a link to the arduinoboy mini, it fits in a standard dmg case I believe so it might be an easier option for you.

Also, consider using the (now getting more common) 1/8th inch plug to midi plug adapters to save even more space. Like on the korg sample pads and the beatstep.

Just some thoughts. smile

Great ideas, thanks!

Def intending to use an arduino mini, never made an arduinoboy though.
Never considered using anything other than DIN but I'll check it out; seen MIDI over RCA but not sure where to look to figure out how to do midi over 1/8". Time for some research!

egr
Offline
Abandoned on Fire

Oh! Forgot to ask if you're also making custom screen covers or if you'll have it so original covers will fit?

jam
Offline
south of london
egr wrote:

Oh! Forgot to ask if you're also making custom screen covers or if you'll have it so original covers will fit?

I'll be making custom screen covers, currently thinking 1mm perspex. Should be fine to cut myself. Glass would be nice but not sure how much it'd cost; maybe if I can afford it by the time I've finished the shells!

thursdaycustoms
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Cleveland, OH


I love this!

herr_prof
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Unsubscribe

Midi needs three pins so rca wouldnt work:

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/9651/gcpmidiout.gif

loudaslife
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Kansas

A nice touch would be to make sure a frontlight kit will fit without any modification to the case.

egr
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Abandoned on Fire
loudaslife wrote:

A nice touch would be to make sure a frontlight kit will fit without any modification to the case.

Excellent idea.

MaxDolensky
Offline
Alabama

Why not jump straight for the GBASP? I have been meaning to design a chocolate bar styled case for it (think flat GBC).

loudaslife
Offline
Kansas
MaxDolensky wrote:

Why not jump straight for the GBASP? I have been meaning to design a chocolate bar styled case for it (think flat GBC).

That's really not a bad idea. Shoulder buttons could end up pretty awkward without careful planning, and might need off-board switches. Charging and link ports would probably need to be relocated (good excuse for a proper headphone jack while you're at it). I really wish I had the technical skills to help with a project like this.

MaxDolensky
Offline
Alabama

I've thought about it for months. Hardest thing would be making a few breakout boards so stuff like shoulder buttons, etc would happen. Do go for the GBC case as it is still a huge step!

DropMontage
Offline
Connecticut

Just a thought, what if instead of adding depth, you added width for the extra components and jacks? With a slightly more ergonomic feel, almost a cross between GBC and GBA, more so rooted to the GBC design. Also what are you using for 3d modeling, and who are you getting your quotes from? Earlier this year I found a Maker Space near me which is about $50 a month, but gives me access to laser cutting and 3d printing. Worth looking into, if not for mass production at least prototype runs for 3d prints and pcb design. I realize this could be an entirely new project altogether, and in no way mean to diffuse your project, as it is looking pretty good so far.