PotaTox's GBZ Build Log (Complete, but missing a chunk of the log)

Show off your completed Game Boy Zero, or post your build logs here!
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PotaTox
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PotaTox's GBZ Build Log (Complete, but missing a chunk of the log)

Post by PotaTox » Tue Aug 16, 2016 12:38 pm

So, this is my build log for my GBZ. A link to my Google spreadsheet with all the links and prices for all my stuff. All the pictures used here, and maybe some extras, will be on http://imgur.com/a/E4C34. Also, older logs may be subject to change. Please do keep checking this, as any progress I make I will edit this post, so you wont get notified when I add another log.

[spoiler="A while back,"]So, a while back, I was planning on making this. However, a vacation popped up, and I wanted to get the main components in so I could use it during the car ride. I had the BW screen (from E-life), the raspberry pi zero (in stock at local microcenter), and Helders AIO sans the hub. I also got the KMASHI 5000mAh Powerbank. The screen was easy, but getting the audio to work was frustrating. The reason why I had audio problems is because I had been powering the AIO through an external power source, and once I connected it to the Pi's supply, audio problems gone! I then threw it all in a box. I called it the ghetto pi boy. I'll share the photo when I can get it.[/spoiler]

[spoiler="August 9th, late at night"]So, after a month of planning, all my parts have been ordered. Woot :D! I will say that my list of parts did change quite a bit, but no going back now. A link to my Google spreadsheet with all the links and prices for all my stuff.[/spoiler]

[spoiler="August 12th"]The USB wifi I ordered came, as well as the Broken Gameboy (Suprising, since one was amazon prime, and the other was Ebay, you would expect Ebay to have come later)! Here are some pics

Image "It's more USB than WiFi! :lol:"

Image The GameBoy! It wasn't really broken, but the screen had it's fair share of horizontal (unfixible) lines, but I still felt a little bad taking it apart. While taking it apart, I noticed that someone had replaced the screws or something, because it didn't have tri-wings screws! Yay!

Edit: I now think that the absence of tri wing screws was because it was a clone console. To further this, when it booted up, the nintendo logo was just a black rectangle.

Image Slightly disappointed it didn't come with the battery cover on it. Actually, it had some scratches on it here and there (below)
Image


Note from the future: Should've taken pics of the screen when it was on. Kinda too late now, already modified the case[/spoiler]

[spoiler="August 13th"]First time using a Dremel! I dremeled out the battery bay, and I don't think I did too bad! I did hit the surrounding housing a bit though.

Image

Image
After going over it and making it smoother


Also, while I was at a mall, I found a RadioShack! They were closing in a month or two, so 40% off the whole store. I bought a speaker (which has a magnet that sticks out, unlike the GB speaker), a volume wheel, an OTG cable, Perfboard, and a 10uF capacitor for reprogramming the AIO. They also had some power switches. Now I fell kinda sad I chose a broken gameboy instead of buying a shell, since I could have gotten everything I needed there (although the speaker is bigger depth wise) :( .


That night I also reprogrammed Helder's All in one (sans the hub). What I did is I used the Arduino example sketch "Arduino as ISP", hooked up the ISP pins on the AIO to the Arduino, put the 10uF capacitor between reset and ground on the arduino, and burned the bootloader on to it. Then I found I could upload code to it just by plugging it in and using the Arduino IDE. For some reason Helder's sketch wasn't working, so I tested the board with a different code to make sure it was working as a USB device. I ended up uploading a program that pressed A on a loop, however, I FORGOT TO INCLUDE DELAYS! It was impossible to reprogram it, since it was on a different com port than the one I had selected, and to switch it to the right com port I had to have it plugged in, but then I couldn't access the menu dropdown to change the com port because it was receiving too many A's. However, thanks to a program called "Keyboard Locker" I was able to temporarily set up a defense (it eventually got through Keyboard Locker) long enough to reprogram it. I was scared I almost bricked it there! I then created my own code to drive it, relying on keyboard presses rather than gamepad presses (because I think the gamepad library wasn't installed right or something).
Image[/spoiler]

[spoiler="August 14th"]The screen has been dremeled out. First I dremeled most of it out with a cylindrical bit and got very close to the edge, then went over it with 60 grit sandpaper to get it to the edge (I was scared about ruining my bezel). Then after an exacto-knife and a nail file, it looks really nice.

Image[/spoiler]

[spoiler="August 16th. Questions I have about the screen"]No packages yesterday or today :(, but I want to ask 3 questions about the screen (BW from E-life)

1. How do I go about removing the glue on the surrounding screen?
Image

2. When I had it in a box, the yellow wire actually came loose from the pi (it was on the circle AV pad), but it still worked. So I guess I don't need the yellow wire?
Image

3. The controller board appears to be stuck on the back of the screen by a layer of some sort of sticky foam. How do I remove it? (solved)
Image


(Also, as a side note, the screen works on 5v un-modified, and the screen did come with a button board, but I have it disconnected in the pictures)

Edit: I solved number three, used the old GB screen protector to pry it up. However, I noticed that even though I ordered from e-life (V4 on the wiki) I got the BW one (V7 on the wiki)[/spoiler]

[spoiler="August 17th, evening"](No new packages today either :()So, Another vacation popped up, and it starts tomorrow :o! So, at about 5:30 I started putting together the audio systems with Helders all in one, and just finished (with the exception that one of the speaker wires was on the wrong pin) before I had to leave for gymnastics till 8:45, when I got back. I then realized, "Hey! All that's left is to mount the screen and the raspberry pi, and I have the basic functionality of the GBZ! It wasn't that easy, but I did it. I call it the ghetto Gameboy Zero (the whole thing is held together with scotch tape and some prayers, but not as many prayers as the ghetto pi boy :lol:) However, I almost forgot the potentiometer. Everything worked, but I soon learned I needed to replace the potentiometer (it was from the original gameboy) to the one I bought from radioshack (Glad I bought it now :D), because whenever it wasn't at 0 resistance it would distort audio and get really finicky about what comes near it. I do technically have time tomorrow to fix this, as well as move a wire on the headphone jack, since only the left side is correct. Mobile is a little hard, so imgur gallery of some pics http://imgur.com/a/i0hmI[/spoiler]

[spoiler="August 18th"]I took 2 buttons from the screens button board and made them the L and R buttons so I can play GBA (and, most importantly, I CAN PLAY METROID ZERO MISSION :D)[/spoiler]








Alright, this is where it ends. I ended up forgetting about my build log, but I have successfully built my GBZ. I ended up ruining my screens control board, since I got really frustrated and accidently soldered ground to one of the inputs, had to order another one. I ruined one of the USB ports, because I was re soldering the wires so many times, and ended up not only lifting the pads, but the traces too! :lol: (So I now have one exterior one and one behind the battery cover). If you want to know anything about what happened, ask, I probably remember
Last edited by PotaTox on Mon Nov 21, 2016 1:55 pm, edited 13 times in total.

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RRexy
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Re: PotaTox's GBZ Build Log (WIP)

Post by RRexy » Tue Aug 16, 2016 10:19 pm

Well, I'm impressed here! I think the case looks great (especially since this is your first time)! From what I remember about removing glue, using nail polisher works best (I think!). So, yeah, great job!
Grab -> Up-throw -> Rest!! Image

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Re: PotaTox's GBZ Build Log (WIP)

Post by m0rphman » Wed Aug 17, 2016 7:09 am

2. When I had it in a box, the yellow wire actually came loose from the pi (it was on the circle AV pad), but it still worked. So I guess I don't need the yellow wire?
Usually the yellow cable is the signal + input and the white one is signal - . For the screen that I was using (Link) it was enough to only connect the yellow cable to the pi.

m0rphman

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Re: PotaTox's GBZ Build Log (WIP)

Post by PotaTox » Thu Aug 18, 2016 12:05 am

So, with the ghetto game boy zero, I guess you could say it is 50% comeplete?

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