Got PCE. need an idea for case

wilykat · 08/27/2012, 02:54 PM

I got the white PC Engine in today and did a 3 minutes AV mod (video only) just to check it since the original PC Engine has only RF out and my TV just won't take Japanese RF signal with USA TG-16 RF switch box (I checked, something like channel 96?)

Anyway it works. Since I planned to make it into portable system for use with TurboEverdrive, I'd need to make a nice case. I don't have CNC milling machine and I don't have any experience in making vacuum formed shells. Is there a site or someone that could make a basic shell that fits PCE/CoreGrafx board, a controller, and LCD panel? I'm probably going to use 3.5" LCD monitor from eBay for around $15 as it's big enough for me.

One possibility is to keep the top half of PCE for cart slot, and build a custom half for LCD and controller that goes where the bottom shell used to be.

PS the PCE shell is dirty as heck, looks like it spent a lot of time in sandbox.

PunkCryborg · 08/27/2012, 04:58 PM

it would be cool to keep the backside the original pc engine and turn the bottom into the front of the handheld

PCEngineHell · 08/27/2012, 05:05 PM

Pactec makes different kinds of enclosures.
http://www.pactecenclosures.com/

soop · 08/28/2012, 04:50 AM

I had the same idea, but there are problems with using the top half of a PCE as the monitor back; you'd ideally need to do something with the Hucard slot, i.e. move it to where the expansion port currently is, and then cut out and fill where the slot was to regain that space.

The way I'm getting around that, is (once I get my 5.6" screen), I'm going to take a mold of a PC Engine in non-shrink clay, but with modifications (deeper, no Hucard slot), then make a plaster of paris casting, and use that to vacuum form.

I'm hopefully (eventually) going to use an AV booster to hold the hinge attached to the screen, and to hold the battery and speakers, so your mileage may vary, but if I can successfully cast one such casing, two wouldn't be a problem. Mine are gonna be about 2mm thick plastic by my reckoning, though I plan to try a few things. I'll post something up when I've done it, which should be next week - I have the screen on order (from China), and the clay, but I still need to get some MDF and a drill to make the vacuum forming table. And the plastic.

Drakon · 08/28/2012, 06:57 AM

I would recommend hiring downing from racketboy / modretro to get a vacuum formed case:

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=39459

Downing has offered me and the community commission cases in the past and he seems like a great guy. He can build a custom case specifically for your console especially if you send him the pcb. Heck he could build the whole portable for you if you feel like spending the money.

PunkCryborg · 08/28/2012, 10:40 AM

If only they had made an official portable pc engine! oh wait n/m they did. Good luck to ya anyways though!

soop · 08/28/2012, 11:04 AM

Quote from: PunkCryborg on 08/28/2012, 10:40 AMIf only they had made an official portable pc engine! oh wait n/m they did. Good luck to ya anyways though!

If I could afford an LT, I don't think I'd take it out with me - even assuming you had some kind of battery power or you're confident enough to mod a £500 console.

This way, we get a better screen, battery power, and it's modular, so if your Engine dies, just buy another for £20

grahf · 08/29/2012, 08:48 AM

I think he meant the Express/GT.

soop · 08/29/2012, 10:28 AM

Right. I suppose that's a fair point; you can mod a GT with a 3.5 or 2.5 screen, but I don't know if I could put a knife to one personally. The main reason I want to make mine is so I can take it out, sit it on a table somewhere and plug a multi-tap in. The Nomad *nearly* works, but since someone has to hold what is ostensibly the screen, it makes it hard for the joypad user to see what's going on.

Now that the nights have started to draw in, it'll be nice to cosy down at the local over a nice multiplayer game like we used to... err last year

(the staff member who's Megadrive we used took it with him though)

Duo_R · 08/29/2012, 11:04 AM

Controller port is possible on a GT and the multi tap works.

Quote from: soop on 08/29/2012, 10:28 AMRight. I suppose that's a fair point; you can mod a GT with a 3.5 or 2.5 screen, but I don't know if I could put a knife to one personally. The main reason I want to make mine is so I can take it out, sit it on a table somewhere and plug a multi-tap in. The Nomad *nearly* works, but since someone has to hold what is ostensibly the screen, it makes it hard for the joypad user to see what's going on.

Now that the nights have started to draw in, it'll be nice to cosy down at the local over a nice multiplayer game like we used to... err last year
(the staff member who's Megadrive we used took it with him though)

soop · 08/29/2012, 11:19 AM

Yeah still the same issue as the Nomad though (with a smaller screen) and still involves modifying the shell.

I realise many people don't have a problem modifying GT's, but to me they're kind of a big deal

Duo_R · 08/29/2012, 11:32 AM

Both Nomad and GT can output video so not a big deal.

Not discouraging you though, you want to mod a PCE go for it. Bacteria did one on here. Go 5" if you go that route, better since the GT can really go up to 3.5" screen.

soop · 08/30/2012, 12:39 PM

Thanks Duo, sounds like I might be asking you for help at some point!

Well, big news (for me at least) my 5.6" screen came today! It's absolutely spot on as big a screen as you'd be able to put in the case I'm working on.
More good news, I set a variable PSU to 5v, and plugged it into my SNES, and it works like a charm, crystal clear image coming through!

There is one weird thing though; out of the box, it's set to VGA, and it doesn't auto detect composite. I set it to composite, then turned it off and on, and also disconnected power, so it seems that the settings are CMOS backed up, so if you set the power on and to composite, it should do what it needs to without needing the control module (which I hadn't planned on including). However, it does make me reluctant to build it into some permasealed construction.

Plus the cable to the control module is too thick to go through the hinge mechanism I'd been considering, so I couldn't really insert it into there.

Here's a couple of pics:

And this one is just to show you the size compared to a core grafx

soop · 08/30/2012, 12:44 PM

Quote from: Duo_R on 08/29/2012, 11:32 AMBoth Nomad and GT can output video so not a big deal.

Not discouraging you though, you want to mod a PCE go for it. Bacteria did one on here. Go 5" if you go that route, better since the GT can really go up to 3.5" screen.

Oh, and one last thing; because I know the depth of the components, I started to build the mould - but I didn't realise I'd bought some crappy air-dry clay which shrinks 7% as it dries. So that may go to shit, but we'll see.

*edit* oops, meant to modify rather than quote...

*edit 2* just looked at a few batteries. I'll probably go for a couple of cheap li-ion camera batteries with a high mAh rating, but I might need help wiring them up (just because I really don't want to get it wrong). In leiu of any recommended batteries, I've seen some at 7.4v and 1600mAh for around £5, which I didn't think I'd get so cheap!