Gameboy Zero build

[beerman]

I've started a Gameboy Zero build. If you don't know it's a raspberry pi zero in a Gameboy shell. Prices for second hand gameboys seem to be around £30 so I chose to do it with aftermarket parts.
I'm still waiting on most parts. The controller PCB being the main one.

The cost so far (I priced it up initially at about £80) is at £133!! But then I've gone with a few nice to have bits like an analogue stick, Gameboy Zero screen surround, a safe shutdown pcb and went with an adafruit powerboost instead of the cheaper banggood version.
Bold text I'm still waiting for.

Shell £5.93
Buttons + silicon pads £8.80
LB/RB/emergency shutdown buttons £1.88
3.5" LCD Screen £12.40
Volume wheel £0.99
Power board £17.98
Battery £7.99
Power switch £0.76
Headphone socket £0.00
Control pad PCB £37.80
3D printed Button wells and bracket £0.00
JST connectors £1.98
Micro USB breakout board £0.00
Raspberry pi zero £8.99
SD card £0.00
Speaker £2.99
Safe shutdown PCB £10.00
DS lite GBA Card reader £1.92
Power strips £1.83
Heat shrink £2.00
screen surround + label £8.75
PSP 1000 Analogue stick £0.89
USB wireless adaptor £0.00

I got the case today so wanted to get started. I'm going for a yellow and black scheme. I initially wanted something unique as everyone was doing the standard grey but I have just seen one with the same colour scheme on sudomod. Oh well, I might change the button colour yet. I also can't find black start/select buttons without having to pay extortionate shipping costs.

Some photos from todays modding.

Screen modded to work of 5V.




Dremel skills - screen cut, battery compartment cut, rear buttons.






Filing skills

I'm not to fussed about under the battery cover that's why it didn't get a good filing, it's had a once over but it won't be seen.

Did someone say dremel skills? Definitely not a showstopper but it's bugging me already.






Power port extended for a micro USB connector.



Micro USB breakout board dremeled to fit in place. I'm using a piece of rubber to prop it up which works well as the usb port clicks into place.





Other side of the case has an external usb connector.



I wasn't happy with the 2mm gap it left so created a small shim from one of the ribs in the battery compartment.
Hardly noticable in the photos but I could see daylight through the gap so it got filled.



Mark.Tyrrell was kind enough to print me these bits. They are button wells and a bracket which glues to the back of the screen so you can screw the rear shell back on.



The screen surround I ordered.



A quick mockup:



So in all I haven't got very far. I can't drill the holes for the extra 2 buttons until I get my controller PCB. That's my main worry, if they are off it will ruin the look and potentially not work properly.

I've prepped all the bits I have in my posession with wires so it should be just a case of soldering it all together and gluing everything in.

If anyone wants to build their own, there is a lot of info over at sudomod.com.