Worklog PS2WP

[Dave Mackintosh]

I've spent a few months (most of this year I guess) lurking and asking questions here and now it's time to start my first worklog!

I've always loved the Sony consoles (PS1 and PS2 at least) and a quick Google search at the beginning of the year for "portable PS2" lead me to this site and ModRetro. I've learned so much from both sites about electronics and 3D printing so I'm making a portable PS2 and here's my feature wish list:

• 7" screen, most of the games I really enjoyed are 16:9 according to this source.
• I really want VGA but no screens support 15khz so I'm going to try and use a Wii2HDMI to improve quality while I research a small FPGA based scan doubler for my next portable.
• Integrated 64mb memory card with OPL on it.
• USB loading, I'm going to try and hide the USB slot somewhere in the back.
• 2nd player port and second memory card slot in the top.
• Rumble using iPhone 5 vibration units (they're 5v I think, so I'll step down.)
• 3D printed case (more on this shortly) with a wooden face. Will print on my Creality CR10M
• Custom heat pipe solution for the heatsink so I can slim it down further.
• 7.4V battery pack with changeable batteries like Gman's latest portable.

I'm really going for a "thin" portable but since it's my first I'll settle with what my abilities are capable of at the moment. I'm expecting it to be about 2.5cm thick in my component layout tests.

It's called the PS2WP since wooden. PS2 wooden portable. Makes sense to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've started designing the case on 123D design and once I've done that I'm going to import it into Fusion to parameterise so I can just adjust config and the case will adjust itself. I'm doing it this way because 123D is so simple to use and Fusion has some super cool parameter driven design features with a less intuitive interface.

So here's my design so far, it's to be printed in a few different pieces (this is still super early stage). This is the back which will house the motherboard and heatsink. The vent will be in the top and other components like the audio amp, controller and battery protection circuits. It's about 25cm wide (with the wings on it)

Here's one of the wing's battery compartments which I'm quite happy with (will put a screw post inside and a screw tab on it)



The middle section will house

• the screen's driver board
• the controller wings
• the memory card and controller ports
• the power switch, reset switch and volume control knob (I'm not using a digital amp)
• the fan that will cool the small heatsink that the heatpipes go into

I'll be sandwhiching the screen between the wooden face layer and the middle layer to hold it in place. I've got a nice glossy screen cover to go on the top too.

Once I've gotten close with the case I'll trim the motherboard, I'll be doing the same trim as Gman's Modern PS2 which I'm quite excited about. Gman's is a 79001 but I'm using 79003s since they're way pigging easier to find in the U.K and cheaper (£15-20 per functioning console)

More posts soon!

 

[Aurelio]

Looks cool. Just a couple of suggestions:
1) Learn how to use Fusion360 and work directly with it. Importing files from 123D and then modifying them in Fusion360 is hell. Spend few hours (it really doesn't take long) to learn how parametric sketches work and you'll be fine.
2) That air vent is going to break in a matter of seconds, maybe even while pulling it from the build plate.

 

[Dave Mackintosh]

Looks cool. Just a couple of suggestions:
1) Learn how to use Fusion360 and work directly with it. Importing files from 123D and then modifying them in Fusion360 is hell. Spend few hours (it really doesn't take long) to learn how parametric sketches work and you'll be fine.
2) That air vent is going to break in a matter of seconds, maybe even while pulling it from the build plate.

Turns out it's actually really easy to import data from 123D to Fusion, change he 123dx project file to a zip, rename the .smt in the Breps folder to a .sat and it works and is editable in Fusion.

I'll add some more support to the vent though.

 

[Aurelio]

Turns out it's actually really easy to import data from 123D to Fusion, change he 123dx project file to a zip, rename the .smt in the Breps folder to a .sat and it works and is editable in Fusion.

I'll add some more support to the vent though.

I'm not saying you can't do it, I'm saying that it's not a good idea.

 

[Stitches]

I've spent a few months (most of this year I guess) lurking and asking questions here and now it's time to start my first worklog!

I've always loved the Sony consoles (PS1 and PS2 at least) and a quick Google search at the beginning of the year for "portable PS2" lead me to this site and ModRetro. I've learned so much from both sites about electronics and 3D printing so I'm making a portable PS2 and here's my feature wish list:

• 7" screen, most of the games I really enjoyed are 16:9 according to this source.
• I really want VGA but no screens support 15khz so I'm going to try and use a Wii2HDMI to improve quality while I research a small FPGA based scan doubler for my next portable.
• Integrated 128mb memory card with OPL on it.
• USB loading, I'm going to try and hide the USB slot somewhere in the back.
• 2nd player port and second memory card slot in the top.
• Rumble using iPhone 5 vibration units (they're 5v I think, so I'll step down.)
• 3D printed case (more on this shortly) with a wooden face. Will print on my Creality CR10M
• Custom heat pipe solution for the heatsink so I can slim it down further.
• 7.4V battery pack with changeable batteries like Gman's latest portable.

I'm really going for a "thin" portable but since it's my first I'll settle with what my abilities are capable of at the moment. I'm expecting it to be about 2.5cm thick in my component layout tests.

It's called the PS2WP since wooden. PS2 wooden portable. Makes sense to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've started designing the case on 123D design and once I've done that I'm going to import it into Fusion to parameterise so I can just adjust config and the case will adjust itself. I'm doing it this way because 123D is so simple to use and Fusion has some super cool parameter driven design features with a less intuitive interface.

So here's my design so far, it's to be printed in a few different pieces (this is still super early stage). This is the back which will house the motherboard and heatsink. The vent will be in the top and other components like the audio amp and battery protection circuits. It's about 25cm wide (with the wings on it)

View attachment 4207

Here's one of the wing's battery compartments which I'm quite happy with (will put a screw post inside and a screw tab on it)

View attachment 4208

The middle section will house

• the screen's driver board
• the controller wings
• the memory card and controller ports
• the power switch, reset switch and volume control knob (I'm not using a digital amp)
• the fan that will cool the small heatsink that the heatpipes go into

I'll be sandwhiching the screen between the wooden face layer and the middle layer to hold it in place. I've got a nice glossy screen cover to go on the top too.

Once I've gotten close with the case I'll trim the motherboard, I'll be doing the same trim as Gman's Modern PS2 which I'm quite excited about. More posts soon!

That Red Faction fan grille is amazing, makes me want to go back and play them again. Just a note for the 7" screen, if you get the L7009 from DX that takes component, you can just wire the PS2's component out to the screen. It'll still be interlaced, but component 480i is so much better than composite 480i. Also, the 4:3 5" Dalian Good Display screens do accept 15KHz VGA. They've been used in GC portables with modded component chips for ages.

Keep the updates coming, I want to see that fan grille in reality.

 

[Dave Mackintosh]

Thanks Stiches! I've just ordered an L7009. I'm using some other cheap Chinese 7" at the moment which accepts VGA, Composite and HDMI but not component. It also doesn't support the 15khz HV from the CPU so I'll try the component on this one.

I'm going to revisit the vent to try and make it a bit stronger without destroying the details and then concentrate on the middle section. I also need to find a company that'll bend the heatpipes I want.

 

[DeoNaught]

Do you plan to trim at all?

 

[Matthew]

Do you plan to trim at all?

Once I've gotten close with the case I'll trim the motherboard, I'll be doing the same trim as Gman's Modern PS2 which I'm quite excited about.

 

[DeoNaught]

oops,

I guess I read that wrong.

 

[Lightning]

Boy do I ever have egg on my face.. I had no idea so many games had widescreen support.. Perhaps I shouldn't beat that drum so hard in future.

One thing I am fairly certain about though is that FMCB cannot be installed on a 128mb card (would be happy to be proven wrong on this)

Otherwise looks like a brilliant start, I especially like the mining hammer vent port

 

[cfc_12]

I think what Ashen did is a VGA but it's only 15 kHz, which means he can't go beyond 31 kHz.

He can only play Normal Display Mode but not Progressive Mode.

 

[Dave Mackintosh]

One thing I am fairly certain about though is that FMCB cannot be installed on a 128mb card (would be happy to be proven wrong on this)

Seems to work fine for me, unless I've been duped and its a smaller card. I got it on eBay and in my previous playing around (RIP board one) i threw away it's case already.

Edit: i stand corrected. Its a 64mb card. Darn. Have updated the OP

 

[Lightning]

64 MB is still 8 times the original!!

That's intriguing news though, it seems as though there are more storage options for loading unsigned software. I prefer to use a dual memory card setup though, have FMCB on an 8 MB in slot 2, then have a 128 MB in slot 1 for all my saves. My thinking is that its kinda like using more than one drive in a PC, you load your OS on one and store everything on another, that way if you ever have to wipe it and start again (viruses etc.) you don't have to lose all your data.

 

[Dave Mackintosh]

Cool update, trimmed and tested the board! Thanks @Gman!



Case is nearly ready for a first test print too, started again in Fusion 360. All the variables! Having issues with imported SVGs though. Toying with the idea of putting a Raspberry Pi in for Samba since most of the games i enjoyed are mega FMV heavy.

 

[darkwing]

Looks great, that's what a call a close shave!
Can't wait to see the end result.

To answer your PM no you don't need a crossover cable, the PI takes care of this for you.
I'm actually in the process of compiling the notes I took when setting the PI to turn them into a guide.
Will be releasing this shortly.

 

[Dave Mackintosh]

Another update, after speaking with a couple members on here (thanks @JacksonS and @Gman for your help and advice) I've decided that I'm going to bring forward a couple features that i was saving for V2 but in order to slim the console down further I'm going to add

• A custom PCB for single port charge and play which is dreamy... Based on the bq24170
• Raspberry Pi B which auto mounts a USB drive and serves via samba. It also boots in about the same time it takes to get into OPL.
• Custom controller PCBs with the rumble units mounted to it.
• Maybe a custom PCB AV board with an FPGA scan doubler for VGA (and a volume OSD) and a PAM 8803 audio amp/headphone socket.
• Maybe a cool translucent battery status indicator band between 3D printed backing case and hand carved wooden face plate.

Hoping to get some time for portable stuff this weekend. Family and work keeping me swamped!

 

[Dave Mackintosh]

It's been an awfully long time since I updated this but it's certainly not dead! This is my 2018 competition submission and i've learned a lot since my last post.

I guess the update is:

• I'm designing a custom board to take the raw RGB888+H/V signals and upscale/scan double for modern LCDs with an an audio AMP OSD
• I've had designed and am designing a couple power solutions with fuel gauges with an OSD and pretty low battery alert.
• I've bailed on the Raspberry PI for now. It bulks it out and I'm going for thin
• I've custom designed my own copper heatsink heating solution and 3D printed my own specific blower fan which helps keep the whole core console thin and at a respectable temperature.

Heres hoping I get it all finished in time and thanks to all the members I've spoken to and pestered for knowledge between then, now and the future.

 

[Gman]

heating solution

uhh pretty sure it's the other way

 

[Dave Mackintosh]

uhh pretty sure it's the other way

Bewm. Haha. This is why I should have left it as a draft until the morning!

 

[mknrls]

I'm designing a custom board to take the raw RGB888+H/V signals and upscale/scan double for modern LCDs with an audio AMP OSD

that would be awesome! someone did something similar a few years ago for the n64.
here the link if would like to have a look.

web: http://mikejmoffitt.com/articles/0035-n6480.html
source: https://github.com/Mikejmoffitt/N6480