Worklog GCp Worklog - MiseriesChild's GameCube Proto Ver. 1

[MiseriesChild]

LOL, very true!!

That's what I was thinking with the external battery pack. Batteries have always been a pain to me when they eventually die but at least this way when they did I could replace and keep moving along.

And you were reading my mind with the larger speakers, I even thought about putting a low pass filter on them and mounting them in a mini bandpass style speaker box on the inside to just put out bass, (I also do car audio on the side here and there, lol!!) . This might interfere with the rumble motor, even tough I am using the original HUGE rumble motor from the original GC Controller... but it would have a killer sound system.

 

[MiseriesChild]

Progress is still going SLOW!! Case work sucks when you're doing it all by hand and don't have advantage of a vacuum former or molding setup to help... yet . Of course a proper shop/basement/garage also helps... unfortunately I'm having to sit on my front steps while braving the lovely Florida weather trying to do each small piece at a time. What really kills me is the fact that the electronics of the system are complete, it's just the case that is holding me up... but I have the feeling that's how it goes in the portable business.

Got to play a show on Sunday so I doubt I will be able to get anything done this weekend. At least it will give me a break and the chance to come back fresh next weekend.

 

[cheese]

Ah, Florida weather... Sunny on one side of the house, raining on the other
My first portable (gcp, probably won't ever finish it lmao) is still incomplete because I never finished the case... I may throw a Wii in it and finish it one day... But yeah, that's how it goes sometimes.

Can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[MiseriesChild]

IKR!! That's about the size of it here man. I think my favorite quote so far has been, "Welcome to Florida, if you don't like the weather... wait 5 minutes", lol!!

I hear ya, it feels like it I will never get all of it done, lol!! Everything electrical other than soldering the new audio & video wire from the motherboard to their respective places on the screen and audio boards is done, (replaced all the cheap Chinese wiring and waiting to make sure I can make the cables as short as possible). Other than that it is just a TON of case work to get done. The main thing is to figure out the best method for putting the two halves back together after all the guts are secured inside. There are a bunch of different ways but each has it's challenges so I might just got ahead and cut it in half and then see what method I find works best afterwards instead of overthinking it so much.

Thanks man, I can't wait to see it done either!! The case work might be a pain but the project has been a blast over all, plus it has helped keep me sane through some rough times mentally. Hopefully by my next project I can get a vacuum former figured out to help the "Case Making" part. Mainly just got to figure out the heating elements, (not going to melt plastic in the oven I cook food in, lol!!) the rest looks pretty straight forward. I think that will make the case work go much easier... or at least I hope, lol!!

You should finish your first GCp up, just for the heck of it, and show it off!!

 

[MiseriesChild]

Well, after the long weekend I finally got some case work accomplished but haven't had time to snap any pics yet. After cutting the case in half I now have the epoxy putty filled in around the screen, controls, triggers and a few rough spots but still a lot more to go. Got to pick up some more putty tonight and then there will be lots and lots of sanding and shaping to do!!

 

[MiseriesChild]

Finally got some photos uploaded for the case work. These are before I sanded it down to make it smooth... and I totally forgot to get some after pics before starting the second coat of Bondo filler. Looks like it is covered in Marshmallow, lol!!

First Filler: Epoxy Putty

 

[Miceeno]

I like how you are using wood blocks and screws to hold this case together. I tried building a laser cut plexi case once but the epoxy didn't stick very well to the plexi. After I built most of the case I twisted it a little bit in my hands and the damn thing cracked all the joints apart. Good luck with that damn plexi!

Spoiler: Not to hijack your thread but this is what the case looked like.

 

[MiseriesChild]

Thanks and naaa, it's all good man!! That sucks your case broke apart like that, it came out so nice looking too!! It has been a challenge working with the Acrylic but so far with the extra wood and screws plus a ton of plastic epoxy/epoxy putty it has been pretty sturdy. Trust me, I have been pushing, pulling, filing, drilling, etc. on this case for awhile now and it has held up pretty good thus far, lol!!

I got the top half covered in Bondo and started sanding so just got to work on the bottom and it will finally be ready for a test fit, tear down, paint and then final assembly.

 

[MiseriesChild]

Still working on this project but only as the weather permits around here. That and trying to figure out the final design for the Disc Drive cover... that is the last big decision to make. Thinking about using the top of the GC case for the look and... it's there, lol!! Hopefully it will get easier to work on as the spring rains start to fade away... hopefully.

 

[jefflongo]

Still working on this project but only as the weather permits around here. That and trying to figure out the final design for the Disc Drive cover... that is the last big decision to make. Thinking about using the top of the GC case for the look and... it's there, lol!! Hopefully it will get easier to work on as the spring rains start to fade away... hopefully.

You working outside or something?

 

[Stitches]

I like how you are using wood blocks and screws to hold this case together. I tried building a laser cut plexi case once but the epoxy didn't stick very well to the plexi. After I built most of the case I twisted it a little bit in my hands and the damn thing cracked all the joints apart. Good luck with that damn plexi!

Spoiler: Not to hijack your thread but this is what the case looked like.

View attachment 1178

View attachment 1177

View attachment 1179

When using epoxy on plastic, you must sand the area you plan to glue. Especially if it's a glossy plastic. Epoxy doesn't stick too well to super smooth surfaces. You could also use ABS cement, since it fuses plastic to plastic to create one solid piece.

 

[Miceeno]

When using epoxy on plastic, you must sand the area you plan to glue. Especially if it's a glossy plastic. Epoxy doesn't stick too well to super smooth surfaces. You could also use ABS cement, since it fuses plastic to plastic to create one solid piece.

Trust me I sanded with 120 grit until the surfaces were very rough. Not my first rodeo. The pictures I attached are post cracking. The case is still in one piece but I was too unhappy with the level of quality I could get with acrylic to proceed. The places that were cracking were between the layers I laser cut out. The sides of my case were made out of 1/4" wide and 0.080" thick pieces stacked overlapping like brick to be 1/2" thick. That's a lot of sanded surface area that wouldn't bond well enough for me.

I've had good luck with super glues and a product called Duco Cement but only when using acrylic cosmetically. I've installed several clear sides on Xbox 360 consoles this way. My point was using acrylic structurally is difficult because getting it to bond is a challenge. I've never used ABS cement on acrylic because to my knowledge ABS cement is more of a solvent. ABS is a very soft material that dissolves in most solvents. ABS cement dissolves ABS and welds the material together. Whereas acrylic is a much harder, brittle material that stands up to solvents such as acetone.

Still working on this project but only as the weather permits around here. That and trying to figure out the final design for the Disc Drive cover... that is the last big decision to make. Thinking about using the top of the GC case for the look and... it's there, lol!! Hopefully it will get easier to work on as the spring rains start to fade away... hopefully.

I feel ya. I'm waiting on warm enough weather to finish painting the frame on my dirt bike and the new bumper covers for a car I'm preparing to sell. I have to finish these projects before I start on my latest N64 portable with Marshallh's UltraVGA!

Also I really like the idea of using as much of the original case in a frankencase. It really gives it a unique look and feel. I'll have to dig up some unfinished photos of another abandoned case I built using as many original parts as possible.

Spoiler: Again, not to hijack your thread.