LPs Gaboze Pocaio - COMPLETE

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Lphillimore
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LPs Gaboze Pocaio - COMPLETE

Post by Lphillimore » Mon Jun 18, 2018 11:36 pm

[UPDATE]

This is now complete!

This was a really fun build and I've been really enjoying playing this on my commute these last few days :D
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I did however have a couple of challenges along the way most of which were caused by:

1) Using a non-standard volume wheel (my recommended ones seem lost in the post so have ordered from another seller)

2) Poor quality aftermarket button membranes / early version of PCB


To elaborate on the above, my first issue of sorts was caused by me using a non standard volume pot and opting for a B103 with a thicker wheel. So my own fault you might say :mrgreen: This caused 2 problems.

A) A few extra case modifications to house the large and thicker wheel. No real issue there.

B) This meant that the Pi was angled higher than advised which therefore meant space inside the shell was reduced, specifically where the game cart and battery should go.


To get around this I simply modified a cart shell (removed most of the body) which still covered the external area and looked nice.

As for the battery, my only option was to cut away parts of the original battery bay at the bottom of the shell. Some back and forth with the Dremel, scalpel etc. was needed to get the fit just right. I also removed the JST connector and the Pi USB ports as these got in the way.
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My second issue was caused by, what turns out to be really poor quality button membranes and an early version of the PCB (since updated by Eugene on his GitHub).

Essentially I had my PCBs fabbed with an early revision of the button pads whereby there are 2 distinct sides as opposed to fingers which intertwine. Given that the Start / Select membrane has 2 individual conductive pads which do not bridge, the signal was never going to acknowledge.

This is easily rectified by removing the 2x smaller conductive pads from each side of the Start /Select membrane (4 in total) and replacing with one large conductive pad taken from a spare D-Pad membrane. This replacement pad is large enough to touch both sides of the button pad and register the input. As with most aftermarket parts however not all are born equal and thus, my first attempt at this failed as the pads we poor.

A dab of Super Glue is all that is needed however be sure not to use too much as this can get messy and cover the conductive surface of pad. Also, let it fully dry as Super Glue fumes will 100% find their way onto your screen, surrounding areas and in some cases taint permanently.
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You'll also note the larger white, DMG buttons on this build. Definitely guilty of using my step-up drill bit in auto pilot thinking I was modding a DMG case for a GBZ. I like the look however but will be sure to drill correctly next time :lol:

I've ordered some glass screen lens' too as the plastic ones scratch easy and some even arrived scratched under the film. Again...poor quality.

I know that Eugene is currently working on a perfect fit 2.6' screen version but using the 2.4' as I currently am I carefully cut some black electrical tape and measured / aligned on the screen lens to block out the 'gap'

Finally, I never ordered the surface mount LEDs opting to using some 3mm ones from my stock. Trimming the legs, removing most of the shell LED well and sanding down the LEDs dome meant this fitted fine. Wouldn't recommend this though...just order the ones Eugene advises 8-)
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Despite these issues...I really love the final outcome. Its a small, lightweight unit and I'm currently doing a battery test to see what the absence of a boost module gives in terms of battery life etc. Will look to incorporate a battery monitor at some point and maybe elements of Hoolyhoos script for safe shutdown etc.
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Having been keeping tabs on Eugene's awesome work around the Gaboze Pocaio for some time I decided to take the plunge ahead of the AIO board release.

The Gaboze Pocaio is an awesome drop in solution for the Game Boy Pocket shell - see: https://sudomod.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5792

I decided not to wait for the AIO release to practice my soldering of 0603 components and such...plus I'm an impatient kid.

This is very much a work in progress / build log but I'm hoping to complete my first build over the next few days so I'll be sure to post pictures as I go.

First thing I'd like to say on this is a massive thanks to Eugene (32teeth). Eugene is all about the open source nature and community interaction and I know I speak for others when I say it's much appreciated. We've been spoiled with The Game Boy Zero Handheld previously and now this. Not to mention other ventures such as his USB Hub (currently a side project for me) etc. Eugene is also always happy to help answer questions and does a great job on his tutorial videos so be sure to check them out if you're on the fence about this project!

Going back to where I started with this build.... I initially did a run of PCBs using AllPCB - The Gerbers can be found on Eugene's GitHub.
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These came quickly and I was lucky to get sent 11 for the price of 5. Always a winner.


The components you'll need to add for this build are again listed on Eugene's GitHub (https://github.com/GameboyZero/GabozePocaio)

I used DigiKey as recommended and a pre-filled cart has been made for you which was awesome. I had to lift and shift this to the Australian DigiKey which was easy enough. Unfortunately one capacitor was out of stock. I simply found an alternative brand of the same spec and ordered that so no issues there.

Shipping is pricey (ish) but fast and it becomes FREE one you spend $60 so I ordered a few more spares.

Ironically I FORGOT to order the 100k resistors so I'm currently waiting on them to arrive. (Some people!) :roll: :lol:

All other parts were from AliExpress - Shells, batteries, volume pots etc. Only waiting on the volume pots from that side of things.

As yet I haven't done any case mods - I'll start those once I have added the Pi and done a test boot to make sure all is good.

The hardest part I have found to date was removing the GPIO header...it took me ages and never wiggled off as I'd hoped it would. The soldering was pretty uneventful and easy enough. Just follow the videos and or GitHub / Markings on the PCB itself for guidance.

Oh, and prepare your workstation, use tweezers, birght lights and take your time. Nobody wants to be looking for one of these resistors if it goes flying!

Here's where I am currently at (note R3 is missing :oops:) and here's hoping I get home to a delivery of volume pots :mrgreen: ....
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crealdocsnyder
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Re: LPs Gaboze Pocaio - WIP

Post by crealdocsnyder » Tue Jun 19, 2018 5:31 am

Wow, this post triggered me hard.
I ordered the 5 PCBs from AllPCB and 5 screens from aliexpress already during the last hour.
Now I wait for the PCBs and will order the rest over the next weeks :D

I'll be following your progress closely :)

spacemishka
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Re: LPs Gaboze Pocaio - COMPLETE

Post by spacemishka » Wed Aug 22, 2018 12:21 am

Funny,... i am facing the same issues with the volume wheel and silicon pads. :)
I think, i will go for soft buttons, as one other mentioned in this forum.

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