Worklog Sk8rSeth's WiiBox One

[Sk8rSeth]

Hey all, thus kicks off my buildlog for my first wii portable. Ive built several n64 portables back in the day, and lots of modding. I am no stranger to small and complicated soldering jobs.

that being said....

this will be a difficult one. I really want to challenge myself in this, though I also need a place i can conveniently ACTUALLY play through my old favorites, so this thing needs to be robust and comfortable.

Elevator Pitch
So, I play a lot of xbox, and I personally think the xbox one controller is the best controller out there (GC is close second dont @ me lol). With that in mind, I have always wanted a switch-style console with better controllers. and since 2+2=4, this will be a portable built out of an xbox one controller.

I plan on splitting a controller shell in half, widening it with a custom 3d printed 'frame' to hold the rest of the internals and screen. That way i can still use the great thumbsticks (hopefully GC+2.0 can save me there) as well as the already in place buttons etc. i also am hoping to be able to modify the trigger wells, adding a button, so that they can function as proper GC style analog sticks.

Feature/Spec Wishlist

• uncompromised comfort (minimal changes to the overall hand->controller interaction of the xbone controller)
• USB-C Charging
• Wii2HDMI (both for internal screen and dock potential)
• USB-C and HDMI Dock with Lightbar and additional USB ports (the portable will likely have hdmi and usb-c ports on bottom)
• 5" HDMI IPS 800x480 capacitive touch display (capacitive because that means the 'front glass' is nice and robust for safety, defo no need for touch capability)
• functional analog triggers mimicking the GC analog buttons
• Wii bluetooth for wiimote
• 4x 18650 batteries (in hand grips and slightly outside handgrips)
• internal usb storage space
• 3d printed frame matches with the xbox one controller shell schema so it can be disassembled similarly to a normal controller (top half and bottom frame)
• headphone jack only, no speakers
• RVL PSU (hopefully its in stock when i can get it)
• heatpipe/mini heatsink (similar to LittleBigBoy build)

Spoiler

INB4: i know this is a bit crazy. and a bit ambitious, and also buck wild. BUT i have til august, and i have a pretty solid foundation of electronics, modeling, 3d printing, im no stranger to custom built PCBs of which im sure this project will require some, and various other modding/maker techniques so i believe its doable. I am by no means an expert in any of this, and some of the stuff you all do here is on a whole other level, but i gotta dream big right?

wish me luck!

p.s. please feel free to ask questions and poke hole in this, i want to actually do this, and i have no ego, so i could definitely use the help, criticism, and hype

 

[Sk8rSeth]

Im getting some of the model pretty far along. so far im pretty happy with the 'frame' design. it is still in two sections (top and bottom) just like and perfectly matching the xbox one controller shell, so once its attached in place, it should function just like a controller shell so i can take it apart in two halves and have full access to the inside.

i also figured out a good location for all four 18650s, without compromising that precious finger space on the controller handles, while also not making its a chunky boye.

i also made a quick GC+2.0 model since its a different size than the GC+1.0 model i found in another forum, so i attached a quick zip with two formats for anyone who wants em

Spoiler: images

 

[DeoNaught]

Holy cow that is amazing

 

[スープ]

damn, im interested to see how this turns out

 

[Sk8rSeth]

more progress on the case and general model design.
now for the next few weeks probably, ill be working on the custom PCBs i want to integrate. im making my own USB-C PD charging and protection, wii regulators, and 'peripherals' breakout boards just to make everything nice and clean on the inside when it comes time to lugg this thing around for actual play.

I also have figure out my heat sink situation : custom heatpipes with some nice long heatsinks on them. just have to model up the fan duct and ill be set on that front.
plus i finally added my logo as a fan grill and it makes for a perfect fan situation lol

Spoiler

(P.S. i might have found space for an extra 2x 18650s, bringing the total up to SIX. talk about longevity, it will just be heavy. unsure if i even want to that.)

 

[Sk8rSeth]

well friends. i have spent the last month or so learning how to make custom boards i need, but i dont think i can pull it off in the time frame here.
so, i need to revise this design. basically i cant fit all the stuff needed to allow the 'docking' functionality in the case without custom building all the PCBs. i need a USB-C PD board, a PMS/PSU, custom regulator board, and an HDMI switcher board. but i cant seem to understand or design these boards myself which means i need to use off the shelf versions for these functions. that also means i cant fit all the off the shelf boards into the tiny form factor here.

so in order to fit the bitbuilt usb-c board, and the RVL PMS, i have to remove the hdmi switcher board from the case. which means....no docking functionality.
sucks but i know designs change.

unless someone might be able to design these things for me, or help me design these boards, im going to have to nix the docking.

luckily the form factor wont change, just the internals so i dont have to change much about the design.

Spoiler: this is one packed in little boy