Build guide step #6

Posted on May 18, 2012 by DSC

Finally etching the board and making real progress! Here it is in my small test tank in a bath of sodium persulfate. This process takes 10 minutes. If you need to fix some of the resist, clear nail polish works great!

Once etched you are left with your copper traces aligned to your holes and you are ready to go. Now we cut them apart using a scroll saw and some patience. Now preparing the top surface to screen-print the component layout.

Here is the set-up to print the board component layout. Full edge to edge printing makes this a challenging print.

Here are the finished raw PCB prototypes.

Next post we will solder components to the boards and test them. Here is a peek.

The Atari 2600′s are powered by synthcart. The Commodore 64′s are powered by Mssiah, cynthcart. The NES are powered by Chip Maestro, NTRQ, MidiNES. The Gameboys are powered by Arduinoboy/mGB, LSDJ, nanoloop.

Building up inventory!

Posted on May 10, 2012 by DSC

Stocking up for Kickstarter! More info coming soon.

Critical Update for build guide step #4!

Posted on May 4, 2012 by DSC

NeX has brought it to my attention that I overlooked a possible short between +5V and ground. Here is where the problem is. Back PCB.

The enlarged hole is located where the +5V trace is. Here.

I needed to remove any chance of short by removing the copper left close to the hole. I did this by manually moving a counter sink bit with my hand around the hole. Here is the result.

With the protective Lexan overlays and the trimmed hole, this eliminates the possible short. Thank you NeX for catching this gross oversight!

Build guide step #5

Posted on May 4, 2012 by DSC

Many revisions were made to the design of the Arduino PCB before finally we were happy with it. I would like to say it went quickly, but that would not be true. I kept adding features to future proof the design as much as I could. For instance I added several expansion port headers to allow easy access to the expansion port. And it is a good thing I did, because we will use that expansion capability to add on an awesome feature that NeX has built. If you ever want any inspiration working with Gameboys just check out his site! He has a very cool new feature he has built and I would like to thank him for inviting me to test it out! More on that soon!

Once the layout was finalized it is on to fabrication. Here we are drilling .040 holes and .125 mounting holes into single sided pre-sensitized PCB from MG Chemicals using the CNC router. I did this in low light as I did not want to expose the edges of the PCB with the overhead fluorescent bulbs.

Once drilled we could align the film to the holes and expose it using a vacuum glass table and a high intensity metal halide exposure unit. Takes 60 seconds or 100 units if you are using an integrator.

Once exposed we then washed the exposed resist away with chemical developer. Now the board is ready to be etched.

Join us next post as we etch the board and screen print the component layout. Here is a sneak peak.

Build guide step #4

Posted on April 21, 2012 by DSC

The back Gameboy PCB will be vertically oriented to allow cartridge removal from the top. To facilitate this we made a bracket out of .060 aluminum sheet. We needed the exact height that would allow easy install and removal of the cartridge. These 6/32 stand offs are exactly the height we need to clear the cartridge. We were able to remove the metal assist plate from the back half of the original Gameboy ABS case and install it with only minor modification to the outside holes. We needed to enlarge the holes to accommodate the 6/32 standoff’s.

We drilled the holes first, then cut out the brackets using the CNC router. The single fluted aluminum bit from Amana Tool made quick work of this!

Next we need to ‘brake’ or bend the aluminum using a sheet metal brake. This makes precision bends quickly and easily.

Here we attached the bracket with the locking washers and tested clearances. We added the Arduino PCB stand offs as well.

Next we need to move the power regulator board to the bottom of the bracket. We did this using a thin piece of Lexan and a little bit of hot glue.

Next post we work on the Arduino PCB. Here is a sneak peak.

Few more closeup pics of the jumpers.

Posted on April 16, 2012 by DSC

We received a couple of requests for more closeup pics of the cuts and the jumpers, so here are a couple more shots.

See ya next week for the next post.

Build guide step #3

Posted on April 7, 2012 by DSC

Two cuts have to be performed on the front screen pcb in order to have it fit comfortably. What do I mean by ‘comfortably’? I want at least a sixteenth of an inch total combined clearance between the top and the bottom. I will also insulate the board from making contact with the aluminum front bracket with vinyl tape.

Here is a closeup of the first cut. You will notice that I have used thin gauge Kynar insulated wire and made two jumpers that are needed to reconnect the two points that are severed making the first cut. To make these jumpers ‘stick’ as far as soldering, I needed to very carefully scratch off the protective board screenprint , leaving the exposed copper trace. Then I used liquid rosin flux and coated the exposed copper and let dry. Once this was done, I pre-tinned my wire jumper end and then with a solid 2 second count I attached it directly to the board with the iron set at 800 degrees. Once cooled I tugged on the jumper to make sure the connection was solid and not loose.

Here is a closeup of the top cut. There are two jumper wires here as well, but really only one is needed. You can’t see them in this closeup pic as they are on the other side. One feeds power to the led, which we don’t use and will remove. We are able to jump in at the top for the power for the backlit panels.

How do I make these precise cuts? PATIENCE and a scroll saw. Expect the two cuts to take about 6 to 10 minutes! I’m not exaggerating! Support the pcb with light weight Styrofoam. This gives you something to handle and allows you to put pressure on the board without harming it. Make sure to cover your screen glass with some sort of tape. Keep the speed pretty high! You might be tempted to keep the speed low, but that will only clog the blade and it will want to grab the board and jerk it up and down. With it set at high speed, you can go very slow and steady and easily make the precise cut. I can tell you I am very comfortable now making these cuts and I have not lost a board yet:)

What’s on tap for the next post? Bracketville. It’s a little late for a college basketball joke, but I couldn’t resist. Here is a sneak peak.

Build guide step #2

Posted on March 24, 2012 by DSC

One quick note, we have moved the site to its domain proper, please make a note of it! It is now located at Ninstrument.com.

Even heavily modified the front PCB of the Gameboy is too large to fit into our 2U case. We have to take out about an eighth of an inch of aluminum to get it to fit comfortably. I built a fixture to hold the face of the 2U unit flush to the CNC routing table. I then used Corel Draw to line out the vector in which I planned to cut and used ArtCam to build the toolpath and then finally ran the gcode through Mach3 which operates the CNC router. This took more time to set up then it did to actually cut out, but now that I have it done, I can repeat the same process efficiently.

I did the same process for the actual cutout as well. I will have to keep tweaking the size of the cutout as I’m not completely happy with where everything sits quite yet. I keep changing the design, so I hope I will get it nailed down pretty soon. I might move the tabs in the middle around a bit.

I use them for mounting points for the polycarbonate front panel. After a quick black enamel paint job the two are ready to go.

I can’t stress enough on how much time gets put into the hardware. Josh and I spend hours testing, fixing and tweaking all of the components to find the best possible hardware to put into our units. We listen to the sound output of every component and try to only use the lowest noise gear we have on hand.

Sometimes we need to de-solder components and replace them from other non-working boards to get them working again. It is time consuming. Once we have our components, it is now time to modify them. Next post we will cover the very intricate cut of the front PCB and all of the details to get it running once the cut is made.

Here is a sneak peek.

Start of the build guide of Prototype II

Posted on March 11, 2012 by DSC

Ok, here we go.

Need to get a few things out of the way before we start.

First we want to thank everyone who has emailed us with ideas and suggestions. We are listening and we encourage you to chime in if you have ideas or suggestions.

Second. We are looking for USB cartridges and used working systems. Yes we are buying like mad off of Ebay, but if you are sitting on a pile of working used gaming systems, we would love to offer you cash or trade for what you have. If you would like to donate, we will pay for shipping and post your name, (If you want) on a sponsors page.

Third. Everyone is waiting for prices on our systems. We have reached a point where we will need to generate some funding to pay for development, and research costs. We are working very hard on a cool Kickstarter project we hope to release in a few months. We will not release prices until the results of the Kickstarter project ends. This will determine how much we will be able to charge for our Ninstruments. I know there are a lot people bummed right now, but we will need to buy in quantity in order to bring down the per piece price of our machines. If the Kickstarter project is successfull, we will pass the cost savings directly to you.

Last thing.
This step by step Prototype II build guide is going to start slow, but please realize we are hard at work behind the scenes with testing and developing new features in both this prototype build and the upcoming Kickstarter project.

Step #1.

COMPONENTS:

This may seem a boring place to start, but if you are even marginally interested in building your own, or are even slightly interested in what type of components we will use, this needs to be covered.

The main source of our audio jacks, headers, resistors and basic components is Jameco.com. We have decided to use them because their consistency in parts is excellent. We won’t reference part numbers directly but if you ask us, we will supply part numbers. There are other components we will get from other suppliers. Sparkfun.com is very close to us in Boulder Colorado, so we will support them as much as we can. All Arduino’s, Uno’s for testing and the Pro Mini’s will be purchased from them, as well as headers and some switches. AllElectronics.com has other hard to find stuff, such as specific height stand-off’s that are tough to find anywhere else. Again we will not reference these part numbers directly, but will furnish them upon request.

The metal rack-mount cabinets are from CircuitSpecialists.com. Full steel top, back and bottom. The front is extruded aluminum. These cases are easily modified and are very reasonable in cost. They come shipped in strong cardboard boxes that we will double box and custom cut additional Styrofoam before shipping the final assembled product to you.

As mentioned above we are using systems mainly found on ebay. Prices can fluctuate, but we try and buy in quantity when possible. We have also partnered with a few other gaming stores to buy from them when they acquire them. We will have discounts available to you if you decide to purchase and may even be able to trade Ninstruments for just a large lot of working gaming systems, so start hunting and saving them up as you see them at garage sales and thrift stores, it will benefit both of us!

What systems are we looking for?
Orginal Gameboy DMG-01
Orginal NES
Atari 2600′s
Commodore 64′s

Remember, they need to be working, unless you just want to donate as mentioned above. Please don’t discount donation, there are some parts we will be de-soldering off of non-working originals in order to build functioning originals. We want to use as many original parts as possible!

Here is the case. I have decided to build two of these during the prototype build to accelerate bug finding and fixing and to build initial parts by hand, then program the CNC router to cut them in quantity. Again please realize these are PROTOTYPES! These are not finished polished shipping models. If you don’t like something, or think something could be done differently, to be more efficient or more cost effective, please leave a comment.

Dimensions are 17″ wide x 3.5″ tall x 11.75″ deep. This is very large as far as standard rack mounted instruments go, but we plan to utilize every inch of space as we add more and more vintage gaming systems.

Next post will be focused on cutting the front face plate. I will try and post these step by step posts every two weeks. Thank you for the support with this project.

Here is a sneak peak:

Progress so far,

Posted on February 29, 2012 by DSC

Josh and I have been making progress. Our developer is making progress as well. We have heard all of the suggestions for CV/Gate control and are working hard on a solution. We will also have a Kickstarter project launch in a couple of months to try and help fund some more features we would like to incorporate. We will start the build of the next prototype on March 11th. We appreciate all of the support and look forward to building some very cool sound modules.