First Gamecube Portable

Portables, case replacements, mods etc, all in here!
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Kwanzilla
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First Gamecube Portable

Post by Kwanzilla » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:15 pm

Hello fellow modders. I have decided to join the modding scene and wanted to make a gamecube portable. I just had a couple questions before I get started.

Cutting the motherboard:
I was considering doing the ALMOSTWTF cut for the motherboard. Is there any advice for not cutting off too much?

I'll post WIP pictures/videos once I get started.
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_Nold_
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by _Nold_ » Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:31 pm

Hey, cool!
As you may saw, i'm just working on my first portable, too ^^
So i'm hoping for many nice pics :D

An advice for cutting: Lot of patience and don't cut as closely as possible to "the red line" ^^
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| DOL-001 (EUR) | >> First Gamecube Portable - Worklog
Kwanzilla
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by Kwanzilla » Wed Apr 04, 2012 3:07 am

Day 1 Progress Report:
Today I have opened up my gamecube and removed several of the connectors. I only had my iPod Touch with me so I had to use it for now. Anyone see anything troublesome yet?
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This is my main concern. I am able to see through several of the vias and some more (look for burgundy). Is this bad or normal?
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emu_kidid
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by emu_kidid » Wed Apr 04, 2012 3:13 am

looks fine. never needed macro so badly :)
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megalomaniac
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by megalomaniac » Wed Apr 04, 2012 4:05 am

have i been drinking too much, or are all those pictures blurry???


as for the burgundy color, you may have ripped off the traces, but you wont need em since you will cut em away during your board cut....
and if you dont cut, those just appear to be GND connections...
no real worries, the board still looks good so far...



suggestion....wire everything up before any cuts to ensure you have it all working....
then unsolder all your wires and cut the board and wire everything up again...
lets hope everything still works...


good luck...
and get better camera if possible...
emu_kidid wrote: beer is like WD40 for megalomaniac's brain, gets the gears moving
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_Nold_
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by _Nold_ » Wed Apr 04, 2012 5:42 am

Nice unsoldering ^^

i even can't see a lot on your pic's please get a better cam next time >.< :)

Keep it up!
| DOL-001 (EUR) Indigo | WKF Plug'n'Play Diskdrive Replacement | BBA |
| Internalised: WaveBird, Keyboard Adapter, MemoryCard, SD-Adapter |

| DOL-001 (EUR) | >> First Gamecube Portable - Worklog
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liquitt
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by liquitt » Wed Apr 04, 2012 12:05 pm

aaahh there's nothing like looking at blurry photos on a hangover morning :D
please search before you ask - a lot has been discussed already!
(or use google with "site:gc-forever.com *term*")
http://is.gd/MDmZcr

we also have a wiki filled with knowledge
http://is.gd/dX58Rm
Kwanzilla
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by Kwanzilla » Wed Apr 04, 2012 9:24 pm

Took some better pictures today. I am getting ready to order parts for my portable. What is the best way to test if the motherboard is working? (wanted to test it before trimming)
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megalomaniac
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by megalomaniac » Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:09 am

damn...i must be sober, talk about having a moment of "clarity"


to test the board, connect wires as if the board was already cut
this serves two purposes, it confirms the board works and most importantly, "IMO" it will test your wiring is accurate...
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>>> BadAssConsoles.com <<<

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Kwanzilla
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by Kwanzilla » Fri Apr 06, 2012 10:11 pm

Tested my uncut Gamecube and everything works just fine. I placed an order for:
Wiikey Fusion - http://www.modchipcentral.com/store/wii ... river.html
SD Gecko - amazon.com
6x 3.7V 2600mAh Li-Ion Batteries - http://www.batteryjunction.com/2600pcb-18650.html

Still need to figure out the following:
Casing
Screen
Controller Layout
Regulator
Audio

Going to make Mario's low battery indicator - http://forums.modretro.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3640

Lots of planning to come.
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Ashen
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by Ashen » Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:04 pm

Those cells are intended for single cell use only:
These fully protected cells simplify usage with their integrated PCB. Perfect for your single cell application these cells are not for pack building as doing so will defeat the PCB protection which is matched to the correct voltage on a single cell. If you are building a pack please choose one of our other cells and the appropriate PCB.
Hopefully you can cancel the order and order the proper cell/protection/charger combo still.

If you plan on building a custom regulator you can get most of the parts free as samples from TI.com
Kwanzilla
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by Kwanzilla » Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:22 pm

Was able to cancel in time. Thank you for noticing so quickly! I am currently browsing through ebay from your suggestion to someone to look for canon bp battery packs. I came across this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Battery-for-Can ... 33532490d2 and didn't see any issues, but since I'm fairly new to this I wanted to check to make sure it's workable.
Kwanzilla
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Re: First Gamecube Portable

Post by Kwanzilla » Thu May 17, 2012 12:47 am

Sorry, it's been a while since I've posted anything. I've been busy but now I have a decent amount of time to work on my portable. Right now I am trying to wrap my head around all the wiring I will need to do.
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