Tamasco´s GBZ: A Series of Unfortunate Events

[Tamasco]

Almost everyone here has his own build thread, so here is my unfortunate build.

I started thinking about building the GBZ when I first saw the PiGRRL from Adafruit, but not having a 3d printer for the case, I thought about building it on a OEM Gameboy case. I removed completely the battery compartment.

[spoiler="OEM Gameboy Case"]

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[/spoiler]

As at the time Pi0 was almost impossible to get at a resonable price (shipping cost to Spain was from 20€ to 30€ to Spain), I first started with Pi2. Nothing happened, I wasn´t able to get the screen to work. Weeks went by and I started receiving some of the parts I ordered for the proyect. It was then when I was able to get my hands into a Pi0 from Piromoni (5€+7.5€ shipping costs).

[spoiler="3.5 TFT LCD"]

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[/spoiler]

As I couldn´t get an image in the screen, I thought it might not work without mod, so I wanted to make it work with 12v. Bad choice. I didn´t know that what I was going to make was frying/burning my Pi0 with this setup:

[spoiler="Ruining a Pi0"]

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[/spoiler]

[Tamasco]

Ok, I burned a Pi0 with 12v, so now what? Ordered a new Pi0, and go on with it, no problem.
[spoiler="Two Pi0"]

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[/spoiler]

While I was waiting for the new Raspberry to arrive, I started again with my other Pi2 testing the screen, seeing what could be the problem on setting it up to work.

[spoiler="Pi2 Tests"]

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[/spoiler]

Nothing worked, so in Discord chat I was adviced to try modding it, by first putting a jumper wired (still not worked) and then by removing the chip. My inexperience in this things, and maybe my bad tools, maked this:

[spoiler="Pi2 Tests"]

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[/spoiler]

A break from breaking things.

My workshop:
[spoiler="Workshop"]

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[/spoiler]

[Tamasco]

Well, I got my second Pi0, and as I did not have another screen yet to play with, I started testing a USB Hub I had laying around. However, it was so old and bad quality, that while removing the wires from the USB Cable, the traces lifted:

[spoiler="USB Hub is shit"]

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[/spoiler]

I repair it by scratching the traces and soldering there. I also hot glued it for making it stronger. I tested it in the Pi0, and nothing happened. The Hub didn´t seem to work with Pi0. Apparently Pi0 is very weirdo with Hubs.

[spoiler="Trying to fix it"]

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[/spoiler]

I started to received things:

[spoiler="More parts"]

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[/spoiler]

[Tamasco]

A week ago I thought that the Aliexpress screen I purchaed wasn´t gonna arrived, so in the morning at work I ordered one from eBay UK. When I got home the same day afternoon, I got a notice from the post office from the display. What a lucky guy I am. Well, I would have two screens just in case (bloody hell...).

[spoiler="New screen"]

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[/spoiler]

I was lucky, and I received the BW Varient 7 / ePathchina, which is on the wiki, and it´s easy to mod. So the first thing I did before testing it up, was modding it to work with 5v, and following @Fleder ´s guide to wiring the LCD to the Pi0.

[spoiler="Mod"]

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[/spoiler]

It worked!! I couldn´t believe that after so many problems, I could see a small light at the end of the proyect.

[spoiler="Screen working"]

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[/spoiler]

The next thing I decied to make was wiring @Helder ´s PCB to Teensy, and test it:

[spoiler="Gamepad + Teensy"]

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[/spoiler]

But the tests didn´t go well. I used the PC and notepad after programming Teensy to check the response of the buttons, and see if the words I got were the correct ones. For some reason, there was a huge delay in writing, and some of the buttons sometimes gave me more than one word.

I have used a colored mix o wires, which I thought it would be easier and prettier to wire to the Teensy, but it was actually more difficult.
So in the second attempt, I used cables from and old broken Ethernet cable (I swear I did not break this one myself lol). It was far less from looking pro, but it worked perfectly. Why? Because in the previous attempt, I forget about wiring GND wire!!! Silly Tamasco...

[spoiler="Gamepad + Teensy V2"]

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[/spoiler]

[Tamasco]

So, as my screen was working, I decided to finally mod the front case for the screen. I made use of the dremel, and some hand tools adviced in Discord chat (thanks everyone in there!).

[spoiler="Modding the front case"]

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[/spoiler]

I also made a temporary screen protector from the tft display.

[spoiler="Screen protector"]

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[/spoiler]

So, I was happy. The screen worked with 5v (not the best display, but hey, 15€ and we already knew the resolution was bad), and also the gamepad worked in Pi0 perfectly. Althought it wasn´t finished at all, I could put it all together, and play with it (being connected to the current, of course).

All of this was between yesterday and today, 31/07/2016. I was on the point of setting it up into the case, when the screen fell from the table, and broke a little in the bottom part.

[spoiler="Broken screen"]

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[/spoiler]

WTF?? What kind of luck do I have??? Let´s make a summary:
- x1 Pi0 burned
- x1 Screen board ruined
- x1 USB Hub not being reconiseg by the Pi0 (and pretty ruined also)
- x2 screens f*cked.

Someone up in the sky is throwing me signs about giving up this proyect, God, Jesus, or who knows. But you know what?? Fuck them! You always learn things from bad experiences.

I will used this screen for testing, and the new one that it´s supposed to arrived next week for the final setup. Also I have pre-ordered Helder´s AIO PCB, so it would be upgrade to that. So as you can see, I have in the end so many parts, that I could build a second GBZ

[Tamasco]

So here is my Series of Unfortunate Events GBZ proyect. Keep tuned for seeing what else I can ruin!!

[ChunkeeMunkee]

Oh no!

That is some awful luck! I really feel for you - let's hope the rest of the build goes a little more smoothly!