My Gameboy Zero project(s)

[LoafSlice]

... unattached to the board so I soldered it on and may not have all 8 contacts attached properly. I will have to check later for shorts but as of right now I can't boot when the SD card is in the game cartridge but the Pi will boot when the SD card is directly inserted into the Pi socket. Got some troubleshooting ahead of me.

Ugh. May the Force be with you.

[gnarlynick]

Ugh. May the Force be with you.

Thanks, not looking forward to it. I was expecting the sockets to be attached. They sell for more "fully assembled" but that sounded like assembled as in, they come in a custom cartridge shell and all. Figured if I just bought the board+socket it was attached.

[gnarlynick]

I think I found my issue. When I soldered the 8 pins in they apparently moved and some were touching each other and others didn't appear to contact some of the teeth on the SD card. Had to remove the top off the socket and with tweezers and my Iron, straightened each pin on the socket. I think i broke the spring release mechanism while tearing it down though, oh well.
[spoiler="Micro SD Socket"]

1465596068023212168387.jpg (4.81 MiB) Viewed 8487 times

[/spoiler]

[gnarlynick]

No dice. I'm gonna hang it up today and try and think it through.

[Flowlance]

Ugh. May the Force be with you.

Thanks, not looking forward to it. I was expecting the sockets to be attached. They sell for more "fully assembled" but that sounded like assembled as in, they come in a custom cartridge shell and all. Figured if I just bought the board+socket it was attached.

Well damn, I'm also waiting for the pcb+socket. I expected them to be assembled too :/ Bummer

[gnarlynick]

Well damn, I'm also waiting for the pcb+socket. I expected them to be assembled too :/ Bummer

Ya, I'm a bit disappointed they aren't attached, the page doesn't mention they come detached.

[Kilren]

Well damn, I'm also waiting for the pcb+socket. I expected them to be assembled too :/ Bummer

Ya, I'm a bit disappointed they aren't attached, the page doesn't mention they come detached.

I bought some clear screen protectors as well that were all scratched up as well. Might be a source to be considered skipped.

[gnarlynick]

Due to these complications, I am considering foregoing the micro SD socket altogether and sort of going the more GBZ traditional route and soldering a Micro SD>SD card adapter to the pinouts on the Kitsch-Bent PCB. Only hurdle I foresee with this path is mapping the differences (if any) between the SD & Micro SD pinouts.


Once I get the Micro SD>SD Card adapter pinouts mapped out to the Micro SD card pinouts on the PCB, I'll try and provide a mockup similar to the PP Pad>Cartridge pinout mockup I shared previously for anyone else considering this avenue. One slight hurdle I can think of is the pinouts shown for Micro SD are reversed when mapping to the actual pinouts on the PCB. So when all is said and done, I will have a Micro SD>SD adapter manually wired to the Kitsch-Bent PCB much like others have been wiring the Micro SD>SD adapter to an actual Gameboy PCB. The cartridge pinouts to the Pi shouldn't change since I am tying into the existing pins.

UPDATE:
I have decided to go with a Micro SD Card Cartridge created by forum user prerunnerseth.
http://www.sudomod.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=702
His cartridges contain filtering on them that removes any problems like interference. They also come fully assembled so that is a plus. I will probably put the remaining Kitsch-Bent cartridge boards I have up for sale in the Buy, Sell Trade board to any who may want them.

[gnarlynick]

I bought some clear screen protectors as well that were all scratched up as well. Might be a source to be considered skipped.

I've been very impressed with their A/B/X/Y boards for this project and I especially love their silicone DMG buttons which I am using for my builds. Just think they should disclose that the sockets aren't attached unless you pay the extra money for the fully assembled one. Now in retrospect I can see fully assembled means that the socket is attached and the board is in a cartridge shell but when I first purchased these I assumed fully assembled meant they came in a shell and the socket was attached regardless as the photos show. Potentially a misstep on both mine and their parts. I still think they should add a disclaimer so it is clear that they are not attached to the PCB. Other than that, I like their work. Sorry about your screen protectors.

Just a note, I ordered this flexible almost gel like material screen lens for a Sega Game Gear and it had all sorts of scuffs on it. Turned out it was just the adhesive from the protective cover it ships with. This was easily removed by rubbing the scuffs with my thumb and applying a little bit of rubbing alcohol. Don't know if this is the same case for you or if they're actually deep cuts.

[Kilren]

Don't know if this is the same case for you or if they're actually deep cuts.

Unfortunately not. It is some type of acrylic or plexiglass and is scratched up pretty bad. I bought three and it was the case with each one. Bummer. Oh well.