Bacteria's multi-console system project : UNITY

Tested on the new motherboard and didn't make any difference which way round the leads of the multimeter were, same findings.

Did same test with my LED and battery home-made continuity tester and the light is brighter on the connections expected and dimmer on the ground and other voltage wires.

Going to have to take a gamble and test my old system tomorrow, to see if works as continuity testing doesn't help this time round.

UPDATE - got the LED illuminated on the console when turned it on but the system didn't boot. Also smelt something subtle like smoke, slightly; which therefore must mean the board is toast.

Removed the ports from the new GC motherboard in preparation to installing that instead. Fair bit of work to do over the next days when get time.

 

I'm not going to say it was a benefit the old board died and forced me to re-do from scratch, however as a consequence of having to start again, I can make the GameCube cartridge better than it would have been. I can incorporate the open-door mechanism and also the disc can be consealed rather than being out at the top; and the unit can be slimmer (although drive unit will purtrude out), which will be better. I can also make the unit detachable for the motherboard and drive unit too, which wasn't really before.

Removed all the ports from the motherboard, tinned joints, re-applied the heatsink, removed board from drive unit as need to wire directly to the drive pins (32 of them) to hardwire to the motherboard. Progress is good.

 

Taking my time with the GameCube. In process of relocating the drive port connections and on the motherboard. Removed the ports themselves, worked out only needed to wire 4 of the 16 pins on the bottom row, and all 16 on the top row. Testing when soldering each wire with continuity tester there are no shorts, so the board should work fine first time when done. Fine soldering work as pins are about 1/2mm apart, so taking time is essential.

 

looking good keep it up

 

You have balls. It is hard for me to work on anything with small pins. To do multiple systems just for modding would put you up with the top crazy modders!

 

When I did the previous system, Project Unity, the internet news sites referred to me as "evil genius/mad scientist/hardware hacker Bacteria", "Mad modder" as well as things like "veteran modder Bacteria". One gaming news site called it "Borg Cube". On reflection, that's a pretty cool name for this current system however i'm not a Trekkie geek otherwise i'd have probably chosen that name for the system! lol

One technique I have for soldering thin wires to tiny pin contacts is to use a simple trick - after tinning the contacts and tinning the wire to be soldered to it, hold it in place with a small flat head screwdriver, then put the soldering iron onto the wire (the soldering iron without solder or you get bridges), sometimes takes a couple of attempts but you get the wire soldered in exactly the right place then without the wire moving as the solder melts to the contact.

 

I use an good amount of flux

 

Indeed, me too however the wire still needs holding in place without moving while the wire is soldered to the joint - hence applying a little pressure with a small screwdriver to hold the wire in place at the time works well.

Got the GameCube virtually wired up now, will then test it with original PSU and composite output; then assuming all works fine, will then make the system into a cartridge and connect it to that for power and also RGB output. Normally being PAL region we get the "picked on brother" system however the PAL GameCube outputs RGB natively whereas NTSC is only S-video.

UPDATE - works fine. Can now work on installing the system into a cartridge for Unity.

 

Update - made the GameCube into a cartridge, wired up RGB to the HDMI 1080i upscaler gadget, and the system works perfectly, with WaveBird wireless controller. The memory card works too, I will soon install a second one too.

As you see, the image quality is excellent. The brown box in the top shelf on the left side is the Unity system, now I know the GameCube works fine I can cover it in the black vinyl and finish the top of the cartridge too. The middle section on the right side has the completed system cartridges made so far (N64, TurboGrafx, Wii, MegaDrive) with the master controller and Wii controllers next to them.

I made the unit above, the shelves I got cut for me as they are smokey grey toughened 6mm thick sheets of glass.

On another update, got what is proving to be a perfect housing for N64 portables, and for other systems too - I have a number of people who say are interested in commissions for them, so i'm going to start casework for those in a week, so should have the first unit done by the end of January. Details will be on my website, and here too.

 

Hasn't been an update here for a while, you still making progress Bacteria? Keen to see more!

 

Reason for that is simply I was given a commission to do which I completed a few weeks back for a handheld N64 system, and then took on a commission for two tabletop systems, one N64 and one SNES; which i'm working on now. I don't have a lot of free time for modding like I used to, so will take 3-4 months I expect before the commission is completed.

When that is done, if I have any new commissions i'll do those, otherwise I will return to this project.

I have played on each of the systems completed a fair bit, all work nicely. I need to make more console systems for the Unity system though!