Littlehat's "enhanced" g-boy clone worklog

[Littlehat221]

Hey, y'all.

To practice my skills, since I don't believe I can make a full-fledged unique portable yet, and because I really like the G-boy form factor, I decided to make a clone of a gboy along with some "enhancements". I want a:
- USB port
-glass protector (gorilla?)
-dedicated Bluetooth button
-480p
-dual Z buttons.
I also want to make an aluminum case for it too. Hopefully, I want to finish this quickly since I don't feel good making a clone of someone's work. Makes me feel like one of those Chinese copiers. Since some of the boards are proprietary, I'll have to remake them. It shouldn't be too hard if I use 4layertech boards.

Currently working on CAD file, should wrap it up in a few days.

 

[Stitches]

Don't worry about the copying aspect my dude. Most "unique" portable designs are based around, or entirely copying other builds or devices. The GBoy design specifically has been reverse engineered by at least a dozen different people by now. Since you're building it yourself from scratch for personal use, no harm no foul. Go for it!

 

[Littlehat221]

Finished case design. Gonna print some test prints and see how it is. It's made for .55 thick glass and I think I found a source.
http://valleydesign.com/gorilla-glass.html - Does anyone know if this is ok?
Starting pcb design now. Basically gonna be pcbs that utilize 4layertech.

 

[Littlehat221]

Didn't get a lot of time to work on this but I'm making steady progress.
Did a test print and it seems that many of the tolerances are too tight. Have to make them more loose next time.
Also seems that sections of the case are warped by the bed. Does anyone have a fix for case warping?
Supports also seem to damage the case when I try to remove them. Gotta be more selective where they are in Cura.
Work on PCB schematics have been steady, mostly just making footprints and stuff like that.

 

[thedrew]

Looking good!

 

[Stitches]

What filament are you printing the case in?

Warping is caused by the plastic cooling irregularly, causing a temperature differential. If it's warping, the bed might not be heating uniformly, or the bed might be set to an insufficient temperature. There's also the potential of drafts. Gusts of air can cool the plastic irregularly and cause warping, but unless you're using really temperature sensitive plastics like ABS/ASA, warping like that shouldn't really happen unless you have like an airconditioner blowing on the printer. If you have a cardboard box lying around that's the right size, you could try making a ghetto draft enclosure to keep the heat in.

Supports also have a lot of options to make them more removeable. You can increase the amount of space between the support and the print by an extra 0.1mm at a time and see how that goes. It leads to a slightly worse looking first layer, but usually I call that a worthwhile trade. Especially when using PETG.

 

[Justin Burke]

What do I need to make my portable wii

 

[thedrew]

What do I need to make my portable wii

A bit of a broad question, but there is more than enough information here on the forums if you browse around and read some worklogs to see how others did it. There is also a wii trimming guide that covers everything to do with the motherboard preparation for a portable. A portable is not easy to build and you will need many different kinds of tools. Not to mention it's very expensive to make one as well. My last portable cost me about $400 just in parts and supplies.

 

[Littlehat221]

What filament are you printing the case in?

I’m using ultimaker branded PLA.
Not really expected gusts of air seeing how it’s enclosed.
I’ll try your advice about the supports.

 

[EmiDumaster432]

Wow this is so cool I’ve really been looking for this do you mind sharing the cad files for this?
thanks

 

[Littlehat221]

Wow this is so cool I’ve really been looking for this do you mind sharing the cad files for this?
thanks

Probably not as this is a copy of Gmans work so I don’t feel comfortable releasing them. If Gmans releases his files I’ll release them too. What‘s the moderators opinion on this?

I’m expecting the custom order of glass to be in bulk so I might sell them along with a case to recuperate on the cost of the glass.

 

[EmiDumaster432]

Oh Ok cool I’ll definitely follow this worklog as it goes and keep an eye for those cases
Good luck

 

[Littlehat221]

small update on the project:
I will continue to work on this clone project even though Gman released Gboy files.
All schematics for PCB have been finished.
Though the case will most likely have to be revised a couple of times to fit parts.
Waiting for parts to come as their dimensions weren't listed online... so final design on PCB and case on hold until then.
Maybe a month or two seeing how they're coming from China or Malaysia.
I will open-source everything after I am complete, including my BOM

 

[EmiDumaster432]

Ok Cool! I think it’s pretty cool you still made custom pcbs for this project. I can’t wait to see a new Gboy Worklog with upgrades. Also where did gman release his files? I found them looking at gmans Twitter

 

[d3z0rian]

Ok Cool! I think it’s pretty cool you still made custom pcbs for this project. I can’t wait to see a new Gboy Worklog with upgrades. Also where did gman release his files? I found them looking at gmans Twitter

https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/g-boy-rev3-case-files.4667/

 

[Littlehat221]

Wow... a lot of time passed. Life happened.
I redid the case using Gman's files because tbh my first attempt was trash.
Turns out you shouldn't order parts from Malaysia. Took months before it arrived. Just got it a week ago.
I have the majority of parts that I need. I managed to get a RVL-PMS 2 before they went out of stock.
Turns out the bit I used for cutting wiis was for wood Every wii I trimmed with it worked though but I bought a diamond cutter just in case
Gonna print the case after I calibrate my printer. I only have PLA+ on hand. I'll show pics once I print it.
So yeah. I had a major hiatus, but I finally am working on it again.

The glass screen protector I bought fits for 3.5" screens well. Link here.

 

[Littlehat221]

It happened again! Life just happens.
I actually completed everything some time ago (like summer 2022 lol), just got distracted by other stuff. But I finally can do stuff like this again.
All the PCBs and CAD work is done. I have most of the parts needed to make one now. Will probably construct one in a few week's time.
I'm releasing all my current files just in case I have another "life happened" moment. As stated two years ago, this is a remix of Gman's work.

• Dedicated sync button
• USB port
• Screen Protector
• The screen holder has mounting screws for that Wisecoso 480p screen
• Two Z buttons
• Uses 4LayerTech boards

Includes all files needed as well as some components (screen, batteries) in the assembly for dimensioning. Hope others will find it useful.
I noticed that many files on bitbuilt are in .STL, making it hard for easy modification in F360. All files here are in .STEP for easy modification.

However, some gripes.

• My source for the glass screen protector died. Prob will redesign for a Raspi protector or something.
• The stl to f3d conversion was not perfect. Some areas (i only noticed in the back button cuts) there is slight warping. Nothing noticeable during printing and prob doesn't affect anything to a large degree.
• Some areas are a bit sketchy. You'll see what I mean if you view the assembly.

These files are currently UNPROVEN as I have yet to assemble a GBOY from these. So I wouldn't recommend anyone to use these right now and continue using Dustin Fisher's ones (very nice! Prob better than mine lol)

When I do try to assemble one I'll fix up any files that are performing wrong in any way and release a BOM.

Afterward, I plan to make improvements and such like a docking station or something that has a breakout for GameCube ports and eventually a small, horizontally orientated Wii portable.