Worklog PSBlock Rev2

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After enjoying my newly made portable I have decided that I cannot be satisfied and must aquire perfection!

I have several things i want to change, here is a list of the goals for this revision.

  • Completely redesigned from scratch but remaining faithful to it's blockiness.
  • Larger 4.3" screen I can fit a 5" screen so decided to upgrade to this, VGA or composite.
  • Reduce thickness to below 30mm, excluding battery grips.
  • Recess 18650 batteries to used as grips and to be easily hotswappable, making up for battery life.
  • Vita buttons with thin tact breakout board pcbs.
  • Possibly rear mounted trigger buttons located above the grips or still on the side but recessed to avoid claw-hand.
  • Switch joysticks to free up room.
  • Simple breakout boards for less bulk and a neater, servicable assembly.
  • If i can figure out pcb design better, a audio amp with headphone switching (previous revision lacking this feature).
  • Taking inspiration from the original GS2, I will print this in layers to allow for easier printing and also a more organic look.
  • Small, lightweight rumble motors. Likely salvaged from a phone or wii mote.
  • Low battery indicator, enough of these guessing games!
  • Smaller laptop speakers.
It will be around the same size as before length and width, about 140 x 140mm opposed to the previous 150 x 140mm.

Here is the current look compared to the rev 1.

Rev 1 (Yeah i deliberately made it uglier in software)

1617261245391.png


Rev 2

1617307314386.png



Should be a quicker project as I will be recycling the internals from the rev 1 to save money and time.

Stay tuned!
 
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Looks amazing man! I bet you'll be way happier with it, the new screen will it be composite as well or possibly some vga or component?
 
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Looks amazing man! I bet you'll be way happier with it, the new screen will it be composite as well or possibly some vga or component?
Thanks! It will be composite as I am trying to budget, I have a 5" vga screen on the way but that will be for another project down the line.
 
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My first attempt at PCBs came in! Nothing crazy, just breakout boards for switch joysticks. This was also my first attempt at smd soldering and after some flux and a wick i got the pins cleanly soldered with no bridging.

IMG_5192.jpg


I will go ahead and make some for the main controls too at some point. I will likely only do this for all but trigger buttons as i believe it's an unnecessary cost.

I decided to use these joysticks for a few reasons. The main issue being that my previous joysticks attached to a plastic mount and eventually the threads gave out and i had to resort to good ol' hot glue. Also, since the analogs were not mounted with solder they were also hot glued in and were slightly wonky and this messed with my OCD.

I also got hold of a very cheap 5" composite screen that I believe I can modify to 3.3v as the inductor outputs this.
InkedIMG_5193_LI.jpg
1617741132172.png


I could not find the datasheet for any of the ICs but can confirm pin 4 outputs 3.3v to that inductor so hopefully this is possible, I could not find any 5v lines anywhere.

If i ruin it, it's fine, It cost like £14.

Next phase is to refine the design. print test fitting buttons, battery holders, check comfort and all that jazz.
 
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Nice

This my ps2 portable

I like yours, it's really small

[Mod edit]

Don't triple post, edit your original message.
 

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My first attempt at PCBs came in! Nothing crazy, just breakout boards for switch joysticks. This was also my first attempt at smd soldering and after some flux and a wick i got the pins cleanly soldered with no bridging.

View attachment 16626

I will go ahead and make some for the main controls too at some point. I will likely only do this for all but trigger buttons as i believe it's an unnecessary cost.

I decided to use these joysticks for a few reasons. The main issue being that my previous joysticks attached to a plastic mount and eventually the threads gave out and i had to resort to good ol' hot glue. Also, since the analogs were not mounted with solder they were also hot glued in and were slightly wonky and this messed with my OCD.

I also got hold of a very cheap 5" composite screen that I believe I can modify to 3.3v as the inductor outputs this.
View attachment 16629View attachment 16630

I could not find the datasheet for any of the ICs but can confirm pin 4 outputs 3.3v to that inductor so hopefully this is possible, I could not find any 5v lines anywhere.

If i ruin it, it's fine, It cost like £14.

Next phase is to refine the design. print test fitting buttons, battery holders, check comfort and all that jazz.
Nice work!!!!!!!!!!!!.. I have a question related to the Analog sticks... How is the connector named? I mean, I don't know how to search the technical name of the socket use to connect the flex cable comming from the analog stick
 
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Nice work!!!!!!!!!!!!.. I have a question related to the Analog sticks... How is the connector named? I mean, I don't know how to search the technical name of the socket use to connect the flex cable comming from the analog stick
Thank you!

The connector is a 5pin FFC connector with 0.5mm pitch. If you put that into ebay you may find them or you can search them up on digikey. There is a good guide on how to convert nintendo switch joysticks to be used on the forums too: https://bitbuilt.net/forums/index.php?threads/nintendo-switch-joysticks-on-other-consoles.2225/

You will also need a breakout pcb for them as well but that is a custom job
 
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Thank you!

I like the shape a lot. If you have any photos of your build proccess you should post a worklog like this too!
I do kinda, i have youtube channel
Thank you!

I like the shape a lot. If you have any photos of your build proccess you should post a worklog like this too!
I do kinda, i have a youtube channel where i upload videos of the progress of my portable this is my channel https://youtube.com/c/DLSMods
 
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I haven't been doing much since life got kinda busy, but I have at least tested the screen and all works okay. Doesn't look bad for a cheap £14 screen!
IMG_5288.jpg
IMG_5287.jpg


It's still hooked up to the old revision but that gives a good idea of the front at least.

1620629495172.png

Only thing I've done with the CAD design is put the speaker holes on the side this time, I might angle the speakers at 45 degrees. It's hard to see but some of the ridges on the side are holes to let the sound through.

Also the back is coming along slowly too, I need to test to see if the triggers feel comfortable and not too high up. Might be tricky putting them on the side with the speaker holes being there now.
1620629627550.png
 
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I thought I would give a quick summary of how the design is layered as I think it is pretty neat. I will do a much more indepth version when I post the final build in The Cutting Edge. The design is back loading so to get inside and repair anything all you need to do is unscrew the 4 screws on the back, I am hoping that is all the screws I will need to to keep all layers together well.

I like to think of it as a sort of 'Hamburger' design lol.

The system is layered as follows:
  • Front
  • Front Bracket
  • Middle Bracket
  • Back Bracket
  • Back
  • Battery Grips

Front Section
1621789958843.png
1621790040769.png


The front face is glued onto the white bracket, which I will have to do by hand most likely with a 5 min exoxy. The white mount has alignment walls so the middle bracket can slide in and not need to be glued. It also prevents my hands from bowing the sides in during use.

I kept these parts seperate as I wanted to be able to print as much of this portable with 3D printing in mind, which means flat sides. It also allowed me to experiment with more abstract designs without worrying about supports.


Middle Section

1621790542379.png

Here there is a bracket that keeps the motherboard from moving around when fully assembled. The idea with the middle section is that it isn't glued allowing me to slide it off during maintenance. Ignore the collision with the alignment walls lol.

Back Section
1621790805931.png
1621790942214.png


The back section again does not glue to the middle, but glues the to back plate instead. There are more alignment walls to keep it from bowing in during use and to keep everything square of course.

This is were most of the electronics will be mounted as well as the motherboard will be resting in this section.
1621791402552.png

As you can see here the 4 screw posts go straight through to the back piece that is glued to the back bracket.

All Together!
1621791581969.png
1621791598086.png


The outside hasn't changed much but I am experimenting with a old-school colour pallete as you can see :)

I have been test printing and optimising slowly, hopefully should have something wired up in the next couple months.

I still have the triggers to figure out, which will require a full test print so I can see if it's comfortable or not. I may attempt to glue on the triggers similar to the G-Boy so they work with the ergonomics of the grips

Thanks and sorry if that was information overload! :)
 
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I realised that simply sandwiching layers was not enough! I had to resort to making some simple clips to keep the shape consistent along the edge. I was running into issues with gaps and seams between the brackets and these little brackets will help keep things tighter.
1624212540817.png


I did two test prints and it seems to help quite a bit. I was initally going to rely entirely on those 4 screw posts going all the way through the system but this works much better. It also helps stop me pushing the sides in with my fingers when im sweating it out on tekken or something.

IMG_5401.jpg
IMG_5402.jpg


Excuse the terrible stringing in this photo, I think my printer is in need of a new extruder before I get around the to final print.
 
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Things are starting to take shape!

The rev 2 isn't much thinner than it's original design but it lightyears more comfortable despite it being a portrait system.

IMG_5441.jpg


I have added a raised section for the triggers and bumps and feels nicer at the expense of more bulk, needs some tweaking but going for something similar to the gboy. I also really like the aesthetics of the back.


IMG_5440.jpg


This is only a rough print with barely any internals. It will soon be time to gut the original ready for it's makeover.
 

Benge

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I really like the battery holders below the case.
The location for the triggers is also ingenious !
Can't wait to hear your feelings about it
 
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wow bro if you will allow can i have a copy of that case file? i really like how you modify ps2 its always such a wonder
 
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So, I took a small hiatus.

Anyways I am back with this project and honestly don't think it will take too long now (I said this was gonna be a quick project too!)

So after many test prints I think i've come to a semi-final revision of the portable now. I decided to make an unorthodox approach to the bumper buttons and added them to the face of the device.\

As for the triggers, I am experimenting with a rocker-style button which I am hoping will be comfortable to rest fingers on and add more grip to the device.
1645995934284.png
1645995970569.png


I have also been dabbling in PCB design, unfortunately I can't quite grasp the complexity of anything other than breakout boards so that's all I am going to attempt for now.

I have made button boards with breakouts for various controls on the ps2. I may add an amp board if I can figure out datasheets in future.

1645996239501.png
1645996340299.png


I was actually working towards a 3D printer specialist job role recently which is part of the reason I put this project on hold! The company I work for has purchased an SLS printer called the Formlabs Fuse 1.

It works by sintering layers of a nylon powder and can produce some very impressive results. I am going to try and see if I can do the final print for my portable on it as it would be incredibly strong and lightweight.

Anyway I am going to go back into hiding now and work on this puppy some more, catch you later!
 
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