Saturn cartridge case 3d model

Have anyone ever thought of 3D-printing a case for homemade saturn carts? Well, I did, and here's how my attempt at creating a model looks like. There is an optional hole for USB connector at devcart. Model is viewable/editable/exportable to STL in OpenSCAD software (it's free).

I've created a dedicated Github repository, here it is:
https://github.com/hitomi2500/ss-cartridge-case

For those who don't have the access to a 3d printer, there are many printing services all over the world. All you need is to giv'em STL file. Pricing may vary, but if it's a reprap, it might be cheap, like double filament cost, or close to this. Google for local services, or seek it here: https://www.3dhubs.com

 

Great
Do you plan to make custom cartridge hardware too ?

 

I do. But currently i'm stuck between xilinx with microblaze, altera with nios and microsemi with smartfusion. All of them have their pros and cons, and i'm weghtening them right now. Leaning to the xilinx though , since i have a lot of expierence with their chips.

 

OK, good luck !
(I personally had back experience with xilinx FPGAs at work, and prefer Altera, but it's a matter of personal tastes ^^)
And, thank you for open-sourcing your work !

 

I find it quite unerasonable to close-sourcing projects for long-gone-and-almost-dead scene. It won't give big payoff, since the aftermarket is very small and price-sensitive. And releasing something opensource might increase overall interest in the scene from the public. So it's a win-win to go open.

Speaking of which, i am planning to make an open hardware all-in-one saturn cart. Are there any chances that someone will copy my hardware if it will include 0.8mm BGA chips? (it's a DDR2 actually) Or should i use good old TSSOP? (SDR) ?

 

I totally agree with you. If I wanted to make a living from selling closed source homebrew stuff, I wouldn't choose Saturn

If you plan to manufacture all the carts by yourself only, then BGA is OK, but if it not the case, you would prefer using parts easier to solder.
(Personally, my limit is 0.5mm TQFP, and the level of typical Saturn enthusiast people is around through-hole or simple SMD soldering)
But designing your cartridge (= selecting parts) is up to you, and what you are planning to do with this cartridge. If your project requires DDR2, then you should use it. Else, the simpler the better.
PS : what is the software project behind this cartridge if I may ask ?

 

I don't have a specific plan for somebody else to manufacture my cart, but since it's open i cannot deny this possibility, and more than that, i should make my design as easy to duplicate as possible. So it's decided then, SDR TSSOP with 0.65mm step.

Actually there isn't anything. My first step is to mimic Power Memory / 1 MB RAM / 4MB RAM / KoF ROM with a pure hardware/firmware, with some minimal PC interface (mode selection and asynchronous data read/write). Then i'm planning to add Pseudo Saturn support. Then goes netlink and japanese modem. And i have no more plans for the cart today. But sure there are more possibilites to the hardware, like soft CD emulation, VDP2 video input usage, development and debug, and so on. I just haven't thought about it yet.

 

0.65mm pitch, it should be OK for me.
Please keep us updated. I can't wait to populate/test/develop software for a new cartridge.

Async data read/write to cartridge RAM is a good idea, because it makes possible to upload and test firmware easily

 

Great job, hitomi2500! My 3D printer is eager for your work
I'd suggest you to add something better to fix the cartridge, as 2 or 3 screw posts so people can screw the board instead of using lateral tabs. These always get broken on pirate cartridges. And if you print horizontally, the tabs will be weak enough not to secure a board thru lots of insertions and removes.

Thanks for helping! So bad I cannot do much for helping the scene

 

Cart-related info will be posted in this topic : https://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?55860-Yet-another-homebrew-saturn-card
There will be 0.5mm TQFP too.

I earnestly recommend you to hold your horses until this thing is tested by someone with enough filament to spare. Unless of course that someone is you. And more, if you think about printing it for the usb devcart, you will probably need to cut USB slot manually until it is supported by parameterizing. And i don't know if jumper should be acessible too.

Thanks, i will add them. The problem is that they should be probably parametrized depending on the type of the cart used. And another problem is how one should drill the cart precisely enough. Guess we'll need some additional rigs...

Be my guest And keep up that devotion of yours, the scene might need it later if not now.

 

No one tried to print it yet?
I rendered, fixed in netfabb, and I'm trying to print now. Post results tomorrow (will take 2 hours to print each side)

 

Men, I did it! And it "mostly" works
My comments:
- The walls are too thin! You have modeled the cartridge perfectly, but you need more material/support material for a sturdy 3D cart. You can flex the cart with a common slicer configuration. I'll try to print with less hollow internal walls to see if it gets better
- The frontal sticker "hole" cannot be correctly printed in normal printers, since it is a too-wide-area to make bridges. A better cartridge would have no depression for the sticker on front,
- I'll publish tomorrow pictures of the printed cart so you all can opine on the problems

Anyway, Hitomi2500, my THANK YOU for this model. I'll use it a lot here

 

Testing photo upload of the cart

 

Thanks, and congratulations on being the first beta-tester ever ^_^ You beat me there, my printer have gone up&running just this weekend, but i was printing cats'n'ponies for kids, and an improvement parts for the printer itself (i just love reprap for being self-upgradeable).

The front sticker concave is a problem i was thinking myself about (and a back sticker concave too), and just for now i don't see any way other than make it flat. I will make it optional in configuration, and maybe i will think of something else later.

Walls can be thicker, no problem with that. They were modelled from a cast indeed, printing might require them to be thicker. By the way, do you mean only side walls, or front and back wall too?

As far as i see from the photo, the top lock is a bit messy too. Does it actually work? Have you printed a second part already?

What's is your extruder's thickness?

 

amazing work !!!

 

Thanks

I don't know if I can find a printer who prints it propperly. But at least we have a perfect model of a cart

All walls, incluiding front/back. I'm trying to print again with another settings on slicer (making walls stronger with a different infil percentage) and will keep you posted.

Not yet. But my printer is still being calibrated, maybe this area needs a bit more work, I'll keep printing and adding photos here

0.4mm thickness, using 0,2mm slices. I'm printing using ABS

Photos below

 

Nice shots! You can try to decrease a layer height to 0.1 or 0.15 mm, and decrease a feed rate a little. That should probably give better quality, albeit bigger printing time.
As for concaves, i can probably add some kind of support material down there, attached to the main surface by tiny bridges, it should be (relatively) easily detacheable after printing.

 

Still needs lots of work, but it will eventually get perfect