NES-top Computer: Part 6

Hey guys SighFye here and the last parts finally came for my NES-top PC. So lets get down and get this thing completed.

This is part 6 of the NES-top build. If you have not yet read about it, you can start by clicking here.

The last parts I was waiting for was the blu-ray drive and the micro-sata to sata adapter. To connect the drive to the case I screwed a bracket to the drive and then glued it to the case using an epoxy glue. The second bracket isn't screwed into the drive its just glued into place. This should allow me to unscrew the one screw and the pull the drive out if I ever need to replace the part.

I hooked up the sata and power and also glued the fan in place. Its a little hard to see as all the wires are on top of it.

The last step was to create a switch. I took the switch cable out of an old PC I had and hooked it to the motherboard. Using the original switch bracket I forced the switch into a groove that was already there which lined up nicely with the power button. Unfortunately
there was a little gap making the button no touch the switch.

To fix this I took a part of the old switch, cut it shorter and clicked it into the button. This closed the gap nicely. But I discovered a new problem. Since I had forced the switch into the groove, it was squeezing the edges and made the switch not work. I had to remove it and think of another idea. While removing the switch I accidentally pulled one of the wires off. So now I have a broken switch. Back to the drawing board for that one.

I decided to close the case and boot the NES up. I may not have a working switch but I can get the system installed and running. I installed Windows 7 and Kodi. Windows 7 boots straight into Kodi making it the primary operation. Its a nice program that makes a home theatre system easy.

You may also notice I painted the NES too. The bottom is painted metallic charcoal and the top is silver. Personally the silver isn't shiney enough and I do plan to repaint this part.

So now I am only waiting on a new switch. I have to wait til payday for that one. I also need to add two USB ports where the old controller ports were.

Until then readers thanks for reading.

You can find me on twitter or like our facebook page. Also don't forget to comment, 1+ and share :)

SighFye

NES-Top Computer: Part 5

Hey Guys, SighFye again...

If you haven't yet read the rest of this topic, start from the... well start right here.

Before I start on the progress I realised, in the last post I mentioned that the power supply had been ordered but did not add it to the price. So here it is.


ITEM:  picoPSU-120 + 8.5A (102W) Power Kit
PRICE:  $149 + $15 Postage
TOTAL CURRENT PRICE OF BUILD: $372.98

 

Now as you can see in the picture, there is only 1 sata power, so to add enough for 2 internal drives and a bluray drive I have bought myself a molex power to 2 x sata power adapter.

ITEM:  Dual Sata power cable
PRICE:  $13.63
TOTAL CURRENT PRICE OF BUILD: $386.61

Today I went out to get the last parts. I couldn't get hold of a slim slot bluray drive but I did get everything else I needed.

ITEM:  Fujitsu 64GB SSD Drive
PRICE:  $71.82
TOTAL CURRENT PRICE OF BUILD: $458.43
This should give me a speedy boot up. I don't want to have to wait for the NES to boot just to watch a DvD.

ITEM:  8GB DDR3 1600Mhz Sol-Dimm
PRICE:  $90.00
TOTAL CURRENT PRICE OF BUILD: $548.43

ITEM:  Deep Cool SF-500 Fan
PRICE:  $13.64
TOTAL CURRENT PRICE OF BUILD: $562.07

When I added the power supply to the motherboard my risers that I glued on snapped off. If you remember I glued 2 of them in the wrong spot so it was only held on by 2 of the screws. So I had to repair this and this time I was doing it right. I screwed all the risers onto the motherboard before gluing them in place as suggest by twitter follower @Oz Ravenheart. This ensured all the risers sat exactly were they were needed.

 I then made up some brackets for the SSD drive to screw to. I changed my plan a little and decided to have the SSD standing up on its side. I made the brackets and glued them in place using the same method as the motherboard. Unfortunately, once again, my master builder skills came into play and I didn't take into account the SSD drive was too high for the top housing. Since the brackets were already glued into place I decided to bend them on an angle to lower the height of the drive.

I added the RAM and now the NES is almost complete.

All it needs now is the Blu-ray drive, a 2TB HDD and the buttons made for the front. I already have a HDD from a previous build so that's not going to cost me zip but the size of it does concern me. I may not be able to fit it in with the bluray drive. I haven't added the fan yet as I am trying to decide where it should go. There are vents at the top and bottom of the NES both of which would hold the fan nicely. My thoughts are, 1) heat rises so the fan should be on top. 2) Dust falls so to prevent the dust being sucked in it should be on the bottom.

So that's where the build is sitting for now. I have purchased the keyboard and mouse combo...

ITEM:  Kaiser Baas Mini Blu-tooth Keyboard.
PRICE:  $50.00
TOTAL CURRENT PRICE OF BUILD: $612.07

... and of course I need the blu-tooth adapter to be able to use it. This will plug into one of the USB ports at the back.

ITEM:  USB Bluetooth Dongle Ver 4
PRICE:  $26.82
TOTAL CURRENT PRICE OF BUILD: $638.89

So that's the build so far guys... It's turning out to be a lot more expensive than I first thought, but I guess that's living in the country.

Next step, rebuild the switches and get a Blu-Ray drive.
Until then, stay geeky...

Continue Reading Right HERE

SighFye

NES-top Computer: Part 1

Hi guys SighFye here.

Over the last few days I have been playing around with the idea of building a blue-ray player/retro gaming system inside a Nintendo case. To do this I will build a PC inside the case. This will give me my blue-ray player and by using emulators I can fill the beast with emulators for Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, PlayStation and Xbox I can achieve the retro gaming system.

The main problems I can see straight off the bat are space and heat. Computers generate a lot of heat in general and then cramming it all into a space one tenth of the size will highly increase the chances of over heating.

So first steps to this whole thing is finding a NES. I found this one of Ebay.

THIS PAL VERSION NES CONSOLE IS SUPPLIED IN NON-WORKING CONDITION - IT BLINKS A RED LIGHT WHEN TRYING TO BOOT UP GAMES. IT SUPPLIED "AS IS" WITH NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE FLINSTONES AND SUPER MARIO BROS. / DUCK HUNT GAME CARTIDGES ARE ALSO INCLUDED WITH THIS BUNDLE.

PLEASE NOTE THAT NO CONTROLLERS, POWER SUPPLIES OR CONTROLLERS ARE INCLUDED

 Personally I think it was a little pricey for something that's not working but I couldn't find anything better without the case looking like shit. I don't want to get one that is working as that will take one away from someone else who wants a working one. With this I do get two games I can sell to gain my money back. So I bought this one.

ITEM: Nintendo
PRICE: $78 + $20 postage
TOTAL CURRENT PRICE OF BUILD: $98 

Jumping onto Google I found the external dimensions of the NES.

• Height: 88mm
• Width: 254mm
• Depth: 203.2mm

I subtracted 5mm from all edges to estimate the thickness of the plastic and drew together a basic blueprint. Here is the current plan.

As you can see everything fits nicely. The motherboard will be a mini-ITX board, blue-ray player a slim line player and the fans 30mm fans. I also found you can get power supplies that are the size of two AA batteries so that won't take up much room either.

The next step is to do my motherboard research and find one that, 1) Fits and 2) Is powerful enough. I don't want this build to be weak.

So that's it for today. I will start my motherboard research and when the NES comes get some proper dimensions. Until then, geek it up readers.

SighFye

Read Part 2 Here 

Emulators

Hi guys SighFye here.

I have been thinking recently about emulators. For those that do not know, an emulator is a program that imitates a machine. For example a SNES emulator will imitate a Super Nintendo. You can then get the ROM's (games) for them and play the games. My thoughts recently are whether or not they are wrong to use.

My first thought of course was that using them is piracy and piracy is illegal. Piracy is illegal because it takes away money not only from the developers or creators of the digital product, but also the industry itself. But does emulating a 2 decade old system (SNES) really do that anymore.

I can understand emulating the PS3, PS4. Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U and other recent consoles would do this. You can still buy new games from the store and then the industry gets their profits. However, with a retro system, they no longer sell the games or consoles new. You can only get your hands on these second hand. So the money you spend getting these systems and games no longer goes to the industry. So where is the harm?

In my opinion, using emulators of decade old systems keeps those games alive. If I was a games developer I would be proud to see it since I have already made all the profits I could make.

I want you to know that I am NOT endorsing illegal behaviour in any manner. Downloading of ROM's is ILLEGAL and should not be done. I am just asking where does the harm lie if it were to be done for a retro system?

Leave a comment below. I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

SighFye