Was bored, did mod.

She's a beauty! I'm anxious to see the final price (and whether or not I can afford it). Also, is the box going to be recyclable or is it going to be coated in plastic? I would probably want to keep the box either way, but I like to know these things.

As for the appropriate section...I'm actually not sure. People will give you a hard time for sure, but there is the main Deals section, which is clearly the most popular. Maybe ask a mod beforehand if it would be okay. The Contest section is also fairly popular. You could run a small contest there to promote it. Either give one away and encourage/ask people to place pre-orders or, better yet, make it so pre-ordering is the only method of entering. Heh.



And, of course, don't forget to make me a circle pad battery pack...
 
Wiggy, when you are done with this, we need to get you an application for sainthood, if not godhood.

I demand a price, a pre-order link, Kickstarter, and can send a vial of my blood immediately.

My blood tastes like cherry syrup; it's delicious and is accepted in certain uncivilized portions of the world as the equivalent of demonskin (which is very, very valuable).
 
[quote name='Strell']Wiggy, when you are done with this, we need to get you an application for sainthood, if not godhood.

I demand a price, a pre-order link, Kickstarter, and can send a vial of my blood immediately.

My blood tastes like cherry syrup; it's delicious and is accepted in certain uncivilized portions of the world as the equivalent of demonskin (which is very, very valuable).[/QUOTE]
Could I get some of that blood on my ice cream?
 
Man, why won't multiquote work? Especially sucks since I'm on my phone. Blerg.


@ZombieToast - that 3DS add-on is WAY outta my league at this point. Plus, I'm already beyond overwhelmed with other stuff that I'm doing :/

Paper is NOT plastic coated. I'm not 100% sure about its recyclability, but I can't imagine that it's not.

Thanks for the tips on where to list. I'll try and find a mod to ask. I feel like I never see mods post in the old school section.


@detectiveconan - thank you! I may still make revisions/tweak it, but it would still stay pretty dang close to where it's at right now.

I can accept credit cards via my Square account. I haven't looked into web integration, but I can take orders by phone at the very least :)


@Strell - I
 
[quote name='ZombieToast']She's a beauty! I'm anxious to see the final price (and whether or not I can afford it). Also, is the box going to be recyclable or is it going to be coated in plastic? I would probably want to keep the box either way, but I like to know these things.

As for the appropriate section...I'm actually not sure. People will give you a hard time for sure, but there is the main Deals section, which is clearly the most popular. Maybe ask a mod beforehand if it would be okay. The Contest section is also fairly popular. You could run a small contest there to promote it. Either give one away and encourage/ask people to place pre-orders or, better yet, make it so pre-ordering is the only method of entering. Heh.



And, of course, don't forget to make me a circle pad battery pack...[/QUOTE]

I'm In the same boat, I want to pre-order one, Just waiting to hear the final price. =P

edit - jeeze, didnt read the last page. $60 is a bit on the high end for me, but I might have to just do it :p

edit 2- also I completely believe your shell project should be an snes phat. I can't even find a mini for my collection.
(oddly I found a second model NES the other day for cheap. wooo)
 
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I don't need to raise funds though. The parts are literally on their way. I just need to finish the manual and make up more packaging :)

I'll do a kickstarter when I actually need the money to get something going, like the console shells.
 
[quote name='wiggyx']Man, why won't multiquote work? Especially sucks since I'm on my phon@ZombieToast - that 3DS add-on is WAY outta my league at this point. Plus, I'm already beyond overwhelmed with other stuff that I'm doing :/

Paper is NOT plastic coated. I'm not 100% sure about its recyclability, but I can't imagine that it's not.

Thanks for the tips on where to list. I'll try and find a mod to ask. I feel like I never see mods post in the old school section.[/QUOTE]
Yay for no plastic coating. As long as it isn't waterproof, it should be recyclable.

And I'm pretty sure that 3DS add-on wouldn't be beyond your abilities. In fact, if you didn't care about the appearance, I imagine you could do the majority of the work with a Dremel. It's basically just a Circle Pad Pro with a Nyko Power Pak +. The problem is that the two things can't be used at once; they don't fit because the extended battery pack is too thick and it gets in the way of the Circle Pad Pro. I'm guessing you could probably just cut away some of the plastic in the CPP to make room for the battery. If not, then at worst, it would need an improved case. I may actually try it myself in the near future when I have the funds, but I know I won't be able to make it as purty as you would.
 
So this is a good place to ask:

I've always wanted a Dremel. I finally bought one about...let's say within the last two years. At the time, I had a computer case whose PSU broke (damn Starcraft 2). So I got a new beefy one under the guise of telling myself OH YEAH, when I build a badass new compy this baby is going to be like Iron Man's power core. Unfortunately, the case had a sort of "cage" for the PSU, and it had a lipped edge that caused the new PSU to not quite fit.

I decided the best option was to buy a Dremel and cut off this lip, because no one will see the damn thing anyway since it's inside the case, so it doesn't matter if I don't really know what I'm doing. I have a brother-in-law who builds houses and has spent his whole life around tools, so I got a little insight from him. He told me to get the higher cost discs that were designed to cut metal, for example.

So I got all the stuff and finally sat down to do the cutting. I got about halfway through - changing discs every few minutes as they wore down - until the Dremel just stopped. I kept trying to turn it back on, but nothing happened. I didn't smell burning, so I didn't think it overheated. The power light kept coming on with the switch, but it just wouldn't work.

I couldn't return it because I'd bought it months before on Amazon, and had been lazy in getting around to the project, so it was beyond the window of time for a refund. I can take the hit on that and know that I basically violated one of my personal mantras (I always try to test everything I buy immediately upon receiving it, so that if something is wrong, I can return it quickly), so I didn't have anyone to blame but myself.

SO, point here is simply trying to get some education on a Dremel. Which one do I get, where do I buy it from, what accessories does it need, etc. It would be GREAT if there was some kind of website I could go to in order to get a primer on how to use it. I'm talking super basic total noob stuff - how to change bits, how to know what discs to get, maybe even some simple projects to sort of teach myself. Hell, just knowing how to cut a straight line, since I'm really picky about making sure things look clean and nice. You go to a store and there's an entire row devoted to the Dremel, and I don't know what in the world all the little attachments and discs do.

A Dremel seems like this thing I should have and know how to use for geeky projects. I don't think I'll ever, say, make a portable N64 or anything. I would settle for (and I can't find links right now) simple little hacks, like 1) Making a Wii Classic Controller Pro have a battery pack and a bluetooth adapter, and using it with tablets/phones, 2) Hacking a "find phone" beeper into a television remote control so that I can find the damn thing when I lose it, etc. After building up some skill and confidence, then I'd be willing to tackle bigger projects.

While we're at it, I need the same for soldering.

So if anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it. If there's a "Dremel for Dummies" book, that would work. (Which I probably should have searched for to begin with.)
 
Now multiquote randomly works again, WTF?!

[quote name='ZombieToast']Yay for no plastic coating. As long as it isn't waterproof, it should be recyclable.

And I'm pretty sure that 3DS add-on wouldn't be beyond your abilities. In fact, if you didn't care about the appearance, I imagine you could do the majority of the work with a Dremel. It's basically just a Circle Pad Pro with a Nyko Power Pak +. The problem is that the two things can't be used at once; they don't fit because the extended battery pack is too thick and it gets in the way of the Circle Pad Pro. I'm guessing you could probably just cut away some of the plastic in the CPP to make room for the battery. If not, then at worst, it would need an improved case. I may actually try it myself in the near future when I have the funds, but I know I won't be able to make it as purty as you would.[/QUOTE]

I thought you meant making a new product from scratch. If you want something modded, then yeah, for sure. I'll gladly tackle something like that :)

[quote name='detectiveconan16']I'd rather see one made out of wood, though with 3D printers the casing shouldn't be that hard. Isn't there a CAG Woodworker?[/QUOTE]

What made out of wood? The 3DS doohickey? I love working with wood, but my woodworking tools are fairly limited at the moment :(

Band saw, compound miter saw, router, crapy skill saw, and that's about it besides hand tools. Great for making shelves, but difficult to make tiny intricate items with. Really, a CNC machine would be absolutely perfect for little stuff like this. But that's WAY out of the price range right now.

[quote name='Strell']...[/QUOTE]

Get an actual Dremel brand rotary tool. Dremel is like Kleenex or Xerox or Plexiglass; brand name that gets used as if it's a generic product descriptor. They are incredibly quiet, have multiple speed settings (VERY useful for tiny crap like game modding), and all the best accessories fit Dremel brand (and are actually made by).

As far as where to buy, well, you're a CAG, I imagine you know how to deal hunt. I'd start on Amazon and eBay. Just lookout for the China/Hong Kong sellers (as usual).

These are the bits that I use 99.9% of the time.

4C05316A-A2AC-4E6A-9B08-C2028204B4A0-341-000000592EA2782E.jpg


On the left are sanding drums and grind stones. These do, um, what sandpaper do LOL! Great for cleaning up rough cuts or whatever. Use on metal and wood. No good for plastics. You'll just melt shit and make a mess.

In the middle are cutoff wheels. The top is a carbide wheel that will cut through damn near anything. Great for steel and harder metals. The bottom disc is carbon reinforced. These are great for just about everything else. I'd use them for plastic, aluminum, and steel (as long as it's not much heavier than 26g). Not good for wood. They make bits for wood (look like little saw blades), but I don't ever find myself in need of a wood cutting bit for the Dremel.

On the right are side cutting bits. These are my FAVORITE variety rotary tool bit. They do what you cannot do with any other tool on this scale. Think of them as a mix between router bits and a saw that cuts parallel to the chuck instead of perpendicular like the cutoff wheels. EXCELLENT for modding consoles and other tiny projects. Plus they make nice, clean cuts. Very little cleanup required if you cut with these unlike cutoff wheels that will leave a mess o' plastic blobs and shards.

Cutting perfectly straight lines with a rotary tool isn't easy. You can set up a guide bar/jig to help, but that's a project in itself, as you may need to build a jig for every individual project.


On a side note, if you don't mind spending the extra $$$, the quick release system for the Dremel is killer. I'm eventually gonna pick one up when I run out of the non-quick release cutoff wheels that I have (which may take a while, since I bought a 50 pack about a year ago).


Soldering. What are you trying to solder and what specific issues are you having?


Also, check out the Rose Colored blog. I just got it up about an hour ago. Gonna be adding a ton of info about products, services, FAQs/how-tos, and other fun stuff :D (click anywhere on my sig)
 
A cheap soldering iron like one for Radioshack should be enough for most consumer use, like for simple electronics (a game controller?). You shouldn't need more than that unless you're going to do jobs in grand scale like wiggyx.
 
[quote name='wiggyx']I thought you meant making a new product from scratch. If you want something modded, then yeah, for sure. I'll gladly tackle something like that :)[/QUOTE]
Well, if anyone can make something from scratch, I think it'd be you. Ha ha. But no, I'm just talking about a simple mod job. I might be able to do it myself without breaking stuff, but you'd be able to actually make it look nice. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for a used Circle Pad Pro so I can take a stab at it. Expect me to come crying to you if I screw up.
 
[quote name='Clak']Doesn't dremel make some sort of cutting guide attachment that turns it into a pseudo router?[/QUOTE]

Sure do! I can't find a use for it other than grout removal though :/

[quote name='detectiveconan16']A cheap soldering iron like one for Radioshack should be enough for most consumer use, like for simple electronics (a game controller?). You shouldn't need more than that unless you're going to do jobs in grand scale like wiggyx.[/QUOTE]

Honestly, I use two cheap-o Radio Shack soldering irons. A 15w and a 30w. I'd lie to get a decent soldering station at some point, but these two are doin the job just fine for now ;)

[quote name='ZombieToast']Well, if anyone can make something from scratch, I think it'd be you. Ha ha. But no, I'm just talking about a simple mod job. I might be able to do it myself without breaking stuff, but you'd be able to actually make it look nice. I'm going to have to keep an eye out for a used Circle Pad Pro so I can take a stab at it. Expect me to come crying to you if I screw up.[/QUOTE]

LOL! I'll keep an eye on my PM box ;)
 
I seriously need to practice my soldering sometime. Last time I tried it, I had no success and I'm still not sure if I flubbed something or if I replaced the wrong capacitors or if the monitor I was fixing had some other problem. I can solder metal with a high-powered blowtorch or arc welder like nobody's business, but I have no experience doing it with electronics.
 
You can always practice with $15 worth of stuff from Radioshack, and still have enough left over for a simple job. That's what I can gather from the Tech Talk folks at Shoryuken.com.
 
Oh yeah, I know I can do it easily without spending much money. I just like to hear myself talk (or type). Ha ha. I think I'll pick up a cheap soldering iron this weekend and I'll just start adding LEDs to random things. If that goes well, maybe I can make my son's Twilight Turtle actually shine like it's supposed to instead of merely glowing.
 
If you get lead-free solder (which is about all you'll find at RadioShack), then make sure to grab a tub of rosin flux. You won't get anything done without it no matter how effin' hot you get the wires. Not to mention that LEDs don't get along with heat, so the less time that they're in contact with the iron the better.
 
Have you ever tried hacking a gamepad, soldering wires on to the points, extended them outside of the controller, and reassembled the controller so that you can use it AND connect those wires to another controller like an arcade stick? Basically two sets of cables coming out of a controller, one to plug into a game console, the other to plug into the other controller.

This guy on Shoryuken already did this: http://shoryuken.com/forum/index.ph...ollers-a-guide-to-modular-controllers.116191/ The idea also combines it something a few members did to their fight controllers, although they just put a smaller pcb inside the controller.
 
[quote name='ZombieToast']I seriously need to practice my soldering sometime. Last time I tried it, I had no success and I'm still not sure if I flubbed something or if I replaced the wrong capacitors or if the monitor I was fixing had some other problem. I can solder metal with a high-powered blowtorch or arc welder like nobody's business, but I have no experience doing it with electronics.[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty much in the same boat there. I can TIG aluminum, but I suck at soldering. I'm getting better though. Just been doing more basic mods.

Earlier I was rebuilding a game gear battery pack out of individual battery cells. I accidentally shorted it though and I think something came unsoldered.
Now I have to take it all apart and redo it.

[quote name='wiggyx']If you get lead-free solder (which is about all you'll find at RadioShack), then make sure to grab a tub of rosin flux. You won't get anything done without it no matter how effin' hot you get the wires. Not to mention that LEDs don't get along with heat, so the less time that they're in contact with the iron the better.[/QUOTE]

Ugh all I had was (really thick) lead free solder when I swapped the LCD in my nomad. That wasn't fun. I didn't have any trouble getting rosin core solder at my radio shack though. Makes everything far easier.
 
[quote name='wiggyx']Even with rosin core, use extra flux. Trust me, it'll make things SO much easier ;)[/QUOTE]
next time I'm in radioshack I'll give some a try

[quote name='SnesGuy']

Earlier I was rebuilding a game gear battery pack out of individual battery cells. I accidentally shorted it though and I think something came unsoldered.
Now I have to take it all apart and redo it. [/QUOTE]

Well, there was just something wrong with the charge circuit. Moved some wires around. Now I just can't charge it and play at the same time. lol.
Well I'm sure I could, just no reason to chance it.

This one was the 2nd style GG battery that mounts. The older style I fixed gave me no trouble. took 5 minutes. :roll:

I wonder why I never hear about anyone using these for nomads. Not the cleanest look ever, but its amazing not being tethered to the wall.
 
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The idea is cool, but $75 plus another $40-ish for an Xbox-styled PS3 controller is way too much for me. I mean, I could just use my regular PS3 controller, but it seems like it'd be pointless to get one of these if I don't bother to use something comfortable.
 
Speaking of wireless controllers, has anyone tried the Retro-Bit wireless "Super Retro Controller" for the SNES?

Side note: I wish they came with the purple buttons. The Japanese/European style RGBY buttons look ugly as hell.
 
[quote name='slowdive21']Ugh, I don't really have time to do mods. I might just become wiggy's supplier. :lol:[/QUOTE]

The way you phrased that makes me feel like I'm peddling drugs or something LOL!

[quote name='ZombieToast']The idea is cool, but $75 plus another $40-ish for an Xbox-styled PS3 controller is way too much for me. I mean, I could just use my regular PS3 controller, but it seems like it'd be pointless to get one of these if I don't bother to use something comfortable.[/QUOTE]

Wait, I was of the impression that it allows you to actually use your 360 controller??? I thought you would just have to buy the Bluetooth adapter (assuming you own a 360 controller already).

[quote name='lmz00']Speaking of wireless controllers, has anyone tried the Retro-Bit wireless "Super Retro Controller" for the SNES?

Side note: I wish they came with the purple buttons. The Japanese/European style RGBY buttons look ugly as hell.[/QUOTE]

I've seen those and read a review or two. Sounds like they feel cheap (which is no surprise). I've been seriously contemplating buying a set and taking a look at how much work it would take to swap the gutty-wutts into a genuine SNES controller.

Really?! I think you may be in the minority with the lack of love for the rainbow SFC colored buttons. I love the RGBY color pallette, especially since the logo ties right into it. Meanwhile we got that super bland silhouette with bands of gray logo that is about as forgettable as it gets :/
 
I like the combination of gray & purple, and also prefer the SNES logo to the SFC one. The RGBY makes me think of kindergarteners messing around with play-doh.

I have the infrared licensed wireless ones, but I'm not fond of the lag (for example: they don't work so well when trying to jump while running in games like SMW and DKC). I also bought the Messiah ones last year, but I've yet to take them out of their box.
 
I'm actually with lmz200 when it comes to the SNES controller. I think the colors make it look too much like a toy. It works with Xbox 360 because of the overall design of the controller, but I don't think it works for SNES. Besides, the gray/purple scheme is what I grew up with, so it's more memorable/nostalgic for me.

[quote name='wiggyx']Wait, I was of the impression that it allows you to actually use your 360 controller??? I thought you would just have to buy the Bluetooth adapter (assuming you own a 360 controller already).[/QUOTE]
Well, I don't know, really. I wasn't aware that there is a bluetooth adapter for 360 controllers and I haven't been able to find anything about it online so far, so I have no idea if it would work. But if it actually does transmit controller input via bluetooth, I don't see why it wouldn't work. $75 would still be too much for me, though (and I would still have to buy an adapter).
 
[quote name='sendme']The kickstarter page said PS3 and Wii, so I'm also guessing no 360 support.[/QUOTE]

360 support is basically impossible until Microsoft opens up the wireless stack or someone hacks their way around it.
 
This is great! Now with the PS3 super slim, I wonder if we'll see mods that has the super slim ps3 in an original ps1 case. :)
 
If you sell the neo geo pocket or wonderswan color backlit screen kits or install them, let me know, I'd be interested. Only saw the Gameboy advance kit I assume you're only going to offer looking back through the old posts...
 
Yup, I'll have those kits at the same time (they're universal though, and will take more work). They should all arrive on the same day :D
 
OK, while not a gaming mod, this is a pretty major mod...




To my garage :p

3ECFA1BE-87B5-43E0-8C50-0D5294CF40E4-700-00000060EB0C949F.jpg


BBA11F58-EA18-46A6-92A7-9B25BF736EA4-700-00000060ED6B20DB.jpg


I've been converting the 2nd floor of our 50's bungalow into a haunted house for the last 5 or so years, and this year I managed to get the garage clean enough to move it outside (which makes my wife much happier).

Anywho, it's about 95% done right now. I've just got a few more LED lamps to make and install before it's done. We have our first baby on the way, so this will most likely be the last time that I do this (at least for the next few years), and I'm trying to go out with a bang! I think I have about 150 hours into it so far, with countless hours of help from two of my neighbors and my mother. I've barely slept for the last weeks between the haunt, normal work stuff (which, admittedly, has been neglected a bit), and trying to put both my Jeep back together so I can sell it plus prepping my other car for winter driving since the Jeep used to serve that purpose.

I can't remember the last time I sat down and just vegged out for a bit at this point. I can't wait until the holiday is over so I can sit down and play a few of the games that I've picked up in the last two months :D

Can't complain though. I thoroughly enjoy building it (as you can probably imagine, based on my penchant for modding EVERYTHING). I'll post a walk-through vid soon :)
 
Hey wiggy, since you're so handy I thought I'd ask you this, have you ever had to polish plexi glass type plastic? I just got this arcade marquee and I want to make a light out of it, but the plastic is a little scratched up, just needs to be polished. I've read various things, from toothpaste to one of those car headlight repair kits, but I've had no experience personally.
 
Also, most Home Depots and similar hardware stores sell sheets of inexpensive plexiglass that can be cut with standard saws. If the scratches in question are too extensive, you could always just replace the plexiglass marquee entirely. It's up to you whether or not it would be worth replacing.

Some people prefer the purity of original hardware. But I personally don't think this applies to most arcade cabinets. The production values of "traditional" arcade cabinets are so low, that it makes no sense to preserve the original hardware. They were designed to be cheap and disposable to begin with.
 
Most marquees were screen printed directly onto the plexiglass so it's not just a matter of buying a new sheet and popping it in.

Also, I do think there is value in restoring an old arcade machine using as many of the original parts as you can - with a little time and patience most parts will clean up just fine. Now, if we are talking about water damage to particle board, cigarette burns, ripped t-molding or something else unsightly then by all means, replace it with something brand new that makes it look better.

I guess I'm "some people"... :)
 
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