gcvideo - Open source GameCube component cable solution

yer I got a v3 welded into a pal cube, it didnt work at first spent all weekend trying to find a bad solder joint :-( then realised it was a timing issue. The fpga was starting up before the serial flash was ready, so I added a bigger input cap 10uf on the fpga's 1.2v supply rail so that it started up later. It fixed the issue and the board startup fine however its a bit of a hack need to add a proper reset / power up IC for v4.

 

Hi @happy_bunny

Can I just flash the flash IC with an external programmer before solder it to the board? It will work doing this way?

Thanks in advance.

 

I think there will still be a demand for official component cables, some collectors will want to have them but this is great news nonetheless

 

@GillBert

yer you can flash it before you solder, that will work fine.

Hopefully tomorrow I will finish v4 struggling with the PCB design rule checker at the moment.

main board ordered will got the top mini board done tomorrow plug and play here we come !



top mini board, the question now is does it work ??? hopefully ;-)

 

I had the exact same idea! I was a bit sceptic on whether it will stay in place nicely, due to the weight of the board and the HDMI cable. Will you put something between the two boards and then solder them together through the vias?

Any plans for a case?

If this works, then it is a simple and cheap solution.

 

Those vias are 0.9mm holes but yes I am going to wire the boards together. After i get the boards and test them I will start work on the case. Hopefully it will all work and be a simple open source design.

 

Looking good!. Are you going to use headers to connect the two boards? Not sure about the header height is compatible as I never look into it. You could always rely on designing your case to accommodate it.

 

My idea was to put another PCB between the two PCBs. Something around 1mm (I think a bit more would be better), seemed all right.

I do not have any experience with 3D printing, so the design would have had to work without a case.

 

my idea for now is to just use ribbon cable to connect the two boards together, so that the top board can move freely. Then I was going to glue the top board into the top case (red showing glue but the glue would be in the inside )



that way as you plug the connector in the top pcb can still move down a little as the metal clips push on the top case. Not sure if it going to work we will see (pcb are in the post that was quick !).

 

Should work as long as the two PCBs are parallel to each other and they fit snugly against the female side.

 

uploaded the BOM for v3 onto my website it includes farnell part numbers coming out just over £6 (not including the FPGA). heres a pic of v3 welded into my cube.

 

Awesome work! A quick question about the JP1 you have on you BOM, where exactly is it on the board? and do you populate it or not? I see a rectangle to the left of R4 so I'm assuming that is it.

I also made a parts list to buy from Digikey and all parts come to $16, of course the SMD 0805 resistors and caps can be gotten cheaper on TaydaElectronics.com or ebay or wherever.
http://www.digikey.com/short/330rd5

 

I need to make clear that if you use the cheaper xc3s50a it ONLY works with TV's that support 480i / 576i ie they can handle interlaced images. The digikey list you just placed contains the xc3s50a so if people blindly follow that list then can end up building the board and it not working with any TV's in there house.

If your TV dont support interlaced or you are not sure buy the xc3s200a instead which will still work with the board and use unseens code from github his full code should work with all TV's. I have xc3s50a on my board which is connected to my monitor and it display eveything fine, however the TV I have down stairs dont like the output it dont display anything (it dont support 480i) but I dont care.

JP1 controls the fpga reset line, after I build the boards I short out JP1 so the fpga dont startup. At this point I connect my programmer to the flash chip and program it, After that I remove the short on JP1 and place a 4.7uF across it so in short yes I populate it after programming the serial flash and its next to R4.

thanks for the digikey list, that was fast !!!

 

I'll fix that list but I went off of Farnell part number on the original BOM but good to know and it probably won't cost much more.

 

Oh yer good catch dude oops will fix the BOM tonight.

 

Ok fixed the BOM and it's actually a few cents cheaper now too (some caps were on sale!)

http://www.digikey.com/short/330rd5

 

Is someone going to build these and sell them?

 

@Helder

nice work, fixed my BOM to include the xc3s200a farnell number thanks for spotting that.

@Strogen

I dont have an export license for the FPGA so all I can offer is a board + components (minus the FPGA) and a 3D printed case. I am sending one person exactly this IF they dont have major issues with the board I will offer this kind of kit. You will still have to solder but at least its makes it easier for people. I dont plan to make any money major money so the kit will be cheap £6 (parts) + £2 (beer money) + £1 (fee from paypal) so = £9 ($13) total + p&p.

I am only going to offer this if I got enough people interested (say 6) and I dont hear anything bad about the board I am sending out. All the stuff in the kits on my website so you can build it yourself right now I just want to make it a little easier for people plus top up the beer fund ;-)

 

Will it need programming?

 

i was thinking to setup a paypal button on my webpage so when you purphase you add a note stating which fpga you are going to use xc3s50a or xc3s200a. Then after I built it up I can flash the serial flash with the fireware you want and send it out pre-programmed, but you still need to solder on the fpga and weld it into the cube so easier but not p'n'p :-(