Worklog Legend's "Nintendo Viita"

Legend

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May 10, 2019
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Hey guys,

After whipping together my last "Portable" and getting the excitement of having one (even though it wasnt handheld), I decided to put in the real work to make a good (hopefully practical) Handheld portable. After combing through the forums and my box of handhelds to see what somebody hasnt done yet, I settled on the PS Vita (regardless of being Sony opposed to Nintendo), So the idea is to build it all into a custom case resembling the PS Vita aesthetic.

What im going for is this:

1.) Custom LMAO Trim w/ bitbuilt sold cooling solution.
2.) RVL-PMS w/ USB-C PD Charging
3.) custom button PCB's, NDSL buttons, Vita D-Pad, Switch Joysticks, GC+ w/ dual tact switches and custom shoulder buttons resembling PS Vita
4.) 5 Inch VGA display (resembling PS Vita Display)
5.) U-AMP possibly with OEM Vita Speakers
6.) No bluetooth as BBL has built in GC2Wiimote
7.) May fit in MX chip whenever VC becomes available in BBL
8.) Tweaking case design for 18650 cells but am also researching small form factor battery options (such as switch battery: 3.7V, 4310 mAh)
9.) and much more lol

This project will be a work in progress for a long while for many personal reasons. Mainly because I still have yet to learn more intensive 3D Modeling software etc. but I did get quite familiar with the shitty "TinkerCAD" while I was working tech support so I did whip up a mock design of what I want, but this will be "converted" to something A LOT better in the future. I promise lol.
Viita (Top).PNG

Viita (Front Side).PNG

This is pretty much a PS Vita (size wise), but its about 2mm bigger on each side and a bit thicker than a OEM case. Ive been just mainly looking at what is going to fit where, and even this is nowhere near the final positions of the components etc.. This "version" also uses a switch battery, but Im not even sure if it will work so some very careful testing is to be done before thinking about that. Chances are, ill probably keep 18650 cells but have them into the case kind of like this:
18650 holder.PNG

But as I said, this is all just an idea for now while I source my hardware and get more familiar with a more intense CAD software. I did look more into the top portion so far as Im more picky about my buttons, button boards, and placement for now. Im no tetris player, but ill fit it all in LOL.

For now I am just doing a lot of planning as I am moving across the country soon, so I dont wanna get comfortable with my equipment until im settled in somewhere else. I know I may seem a little too optimistic, but I'm willing to put in the work to pull it off. I do plan to document this a lot better though so updates will be posted accordingly!
 
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I actually thought about doing this same idea recently. Looks like a great start!
 

Legend

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UPDATE #1

So I've been doing lots of work to the top portion of the case as thats where most of my components are going to be shoved in. Once I properly design my Controller PCB's and Switch Joystick breakout boards, ill order them in and hopefully have everything for the top portion by then as well ( and wait for more things to become available in the BB store). Then what Im thinking of doing is ordering a very low cost version of the top half of my case to do my first bit of actual prototyping.

Right now, I have the D-Pad side of my top case almost finished, just need to make a better place for the speaker.
New Viita Top.PNG

Just need to make some more standoffs for mounting things and finish the other side.

Ive been looking at what im going to do for shoulder buttons, and I settled on the traditional "Peg 'n' Pivot" lol.. So im going to see how that works. If it doesnt, then im looking into how the PS Vita itself did it (with 2 pegs on the button, and "rails" on the case to slide on) if that makes sense.
Viita Shoulder.PNG

I also realized that with my component placement on the bottom half, I wont be able to fit the USB-C charging board where I want it.. So the plan is to use a USB-C breakout board to keep my charging port in a comfortable spot.

Next is the bottom half. As much as I wanted to figure out a nice small form factor battery solution, I'm just gonna go with what is documented the best etc. until I get comfortable enough to experiment. So 18650 cells it is for now.
Bottom Clear.PNG

Bottom Solid.PNG


Now there is still a ton of work to be done. This is also all still on TinkerCAD LOL, but I am learning more about Fusion360 and am looking into other options. I have a strong feeling ill be making lots of revisions of this in the future after the first one is built.. So its just waiting for more stuff to get in and designing, then ill be good to prototype.. Ill update soon!
 

Legend

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Well guys,

Ive made a fair amount of progress since like 2 days ago lol, and officially have everything ordered for prototyping the top portion of my case!! its all just a waiting game from here on out. (and I havent ordered my PCB's yet) but I do have them designed.

So I did order a low cost version of my case, the shoulder buttons, and a simple plate for extra analog support (ill explain that in a min)
Viita Top.PNG


So the Vita D-Pad is quite a thicc boi, and I have it rn so the membrane is almost at the same profile as the joycon analog module (accommodating for the E-switches as well). In saying that, my D-Pad breakout PCB is longer than the Button Breakout to act as an extra support for the analog on that side. and I have a plate for extra support on the other side as the NDSL buttons have a lower profile. But enough of that, here are the PCB's:
V-PCB (D-Pad).PNG

V-PCB (Button).PNG

Not the cleanest, best looking things, but they will hopefully work lol (E-Switch Buttons are on other side)

I have Extra GND's to keep things "sort of" cleaner, and so I can connect the GND of the dual tact switches, and another GND to connect to my other PCB. Also the 5 pin Molex's are on the other side because im sort of curling the analog ribbon cable up to slide into the connector.

Super good news is next time I post an update, it will hopefully be a physical update, and not more damn 3D models LOL.. also once I confirm a few more things, I'm pretty much gonna start from scratch with a waaayyy better program. More updates soon enough!
 

Legend

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Well guys, today is the day I packed everything up as Im moving across the country in about a month or so. Its a little depressing for me because it will be a while before I can do any physical work to this. Im driving across the country so I cant really bring all my tools and stuff with me, but I am bringing my project haha.

Enough about that tho, I do have a few updates as promised however its been a little bit since I got to actually sit down and work.. Heres the first physical prototype of the top portion of my case (as promised lol):
Viita.jpg

And boy am I ever glad I got this.

Having this made me realize where I messed up already and where I need to improve the design (especially them shoulder buttons lol). I did however redesign the controller board for the top case once I realized the GC+ was open source:
Viita GC+.PNG

the plan here is to have everything integrated into the PCB's to keep things nice and clean, and to easily connect each side with a ribbon cable using a nice connector.. I wanted to try to integrate the U-AMP into something, but I realized the PCB is perfect for a support plate for the analog stick on the other side. Both designs above are super rough and subject to change, but I will finish this thing I swear lol.

It will be a while before I can post a solid update again but Ill do what I can to keep working. I really dont want to lose interest and thankfully I dont think I will, but once I get across the country, ill have to recompile all of my tools again etc.
20200829_181413.jpg

The Viita will be finished!
 

Quakers

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The presentation on your work in proggress is outstanding, especially for only a physical prototype. Its very fascinating how you got the
original design of the Ps Vita, and implemented your own Nintendo spin on it. (The relocation of speaker from the original Ps Vita design,
to prevent your thumbs to rest over them is a very clever implementation)

Though I'm sorry to hear the inconvenience behind the large gaps between updates, Bitbuilt won't be the same without one of its fellow comrades presence here.
But theres no need to feel sad on lack of progress, it happens to the most of us. Its inevitable that we aren't always productive every single day.
Just make as much progress as you possibly can now, so when you do come back you'll feel pumped and eager to work even harder.
But if your your ever feeling demoralized on progression on your portable, or feel demotivated on your work. Just know that the whole community
is with you every step of the way, giving out support until its completion
. Besides I'm sure you'll have a warm welcome back, the next time you
decide to make another update on the next chapter of your hobbyists Journey.

Hope to have you back soon, And I hope that you have a very safe drive.
 

Legend

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Thank you so much for the kind words! I see your from "A pond In Canada" haha.. Im from New Brunswick, and ill be driving out to Alberta and it is a bit of a stretch, so ill take those words of luck haha. Cant wait to get back to it and post another update!
 
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