Question (wii portable) What to buy/case

[NordFive]

Hey guys, with it being summer and all I figure it's a good time to get started on my Wii portable. My question is, what should I buy first? No, I don't mean wires and soldier etc. but rather should I first start on the screen, the audio, or maybe wire the controller? Also, could someone link to me where to get a good battery? I figure most of you would know more about what batteries are good, than me.

And one more thing. I have decided I'd like to 3d print my case, since I luckily have access to a 3d printer, but I only know the bare basics of designing, so if anyone has a good 3d case design *cough* *cough gman... then I would suuuuper appreciate it if you could hook me up with a file of it.

Thanks!

~nord

 

[jefflongo]

You should check out the BOM for supplies such as batteries, a screen, ect. You should plan your case around the parts you get. You'll need to know the dimensions of the screen you're going to use, what buttons you plan on using, how many batteries especially if you plan to 3d print a case. You should probably go on designing your own because most people specially design their case for their portable.

 

[Madmorda]

It's exactly like Jefflongo says, we can't hand pick parts for you because every single portable uses different parts. The BOM is a list of helpful things that are commonly used, but they are in no way the only things you can use. That said, I usually recommend that new portablizers don't try to build their own battery pack. Lithium ions can be dangerous if mishandled and must have a protection circuit. You can buy one preassembled with a charging and protection circuit. The portable battery packs made for phones even output 5v, which means that you need one less regulator. Just make sure it can output enough current.

However, if you choose a part for some reason can't be run on 5v or less, that won't work for you. So you see it's all intertwined with what you want to make.

In terms of what order to do things in, here's a quote from the Noob question thread.

My hierarchy and order of how I design a portable is as follows:
1: Screen
-The screen defines the rest of the case, and how big it will be. Everything is built around the screen
2: Face
-Buttons, joysticks/sliders, shoulder buttons, speakers, and general layout
3: Cooling and motherboard location
-The cooling is EXTREMELY important, and is difficult to really move around. The motherboard is most likely going to be one of the largest parts of your portable as well.
4: Batteries
-Batteries are probably the largest part of the portable, but cells can always be moved around and made to fit wherever you need them to be.
5: Other components and ports
I place these primarily based off of proximity to components they need to be connected to, and secondly based off ergonomics
6: Encasement
Only once I have all other parts completely laid out do I finally begin drawing the lines of the bounding box of my case.

Also, wires take ups space. Don't forget to accommodate for them.

 

[NordFive]

It's exactly like Jefflongo says, we can't hand pick parts for you because every single portable uses different parts. The BOM is a list of helpful things that are commonly used, but they are in no way the only things you can use. That said, I usually recommend that new portablizers don't try to build their own battery pack. Lithium ions can be dangerous if mishandled and must have a protection circuit. You can buy one preassembled with a charging and protection circuit. The portable battery packs made for phones even output 5v, which means that you need one less regulator. Just make sure it can output enough current.

However, if you choose a part for some reason can't be run on 5v or less, that won't work for you. So you see it's all intertwined with what you want to make.

In terms of what order to do things in, here's a quote from the Noob question thread.

That's great! Thanks

 

[Matthew]

And one more thing. I have decided I'd like to 3d print my case, since I luckily have access to a 3d printer, but I only know the bare basics of designing, so if anyone has a good 3d case design *cough* *cough gman... then I would suuuuper appreciate it if you could hook me up with a file of it.

Most users who design their cases design it around the specific parts that they have, as has already been mentioned, not to mention that they spend weeks perfecting their design. If a user is so inclined to share then they probably would have posted it already. Not to mention that if they shared the file with you, there is no guarantee that you wouldn't share all of their hard work with the world.

It's a much better idea to learn the skills yourself. Go check out the 3D design/case thread that we have which can give you more insight on software and design principles.

 

[NordFive]

Most users who design their cases design it around the specific parts that they have, as has already been mentioned, not to mention that they spend weeks perfecting their design. If a user is so inclined to share then they probably would have posted it already. Not to mention that if they shared the file with you, there is no guarantee that you wouldn't share all of their hard work with the world.

It's a much better idea to learn the skills yourself. Go check out the 3D design/case thread that we have which can give you more insight on software and design principles.

Yeah the more I think about it, you're probably right. Seeing as it is my first wii portable I might just give it a go with the little designing skills I have lol.

 

[Matthew]

I fixed it for you By the way, there is an edit button on your post, so you can correct any mistake that you make.