The quest to a portable Uzebox - update!

Topics regarding the Uzebox hardware/AVCore/BaseBoard (i.e: PCB, resistors, connectors, part list, schematics, hardware issues, etc.) should go here.
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uze6666
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

Post by uze6666 »

ANY LCD > 320x240 is not going to be composite so the

ATMega -> AD725 -> LCD

route wont work.
Hmmm, not sure what you mean...There's a lot of those car monitors (4"+) advertised on Ali Express with resolution much higher than 320x200...?
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uze6666
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

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I received the last screen I've ordered a while ago, supposedly a "security tester" whatever that means :lol: . It said it accepted A/V in and powered with 5V, didn't read more, ordered it and took my chance. At 40$ it seemed a tad expensive but here's why: it actually has an integrated lithium 1400ma/h cell and charger, op-amp and speaker and 12v boost converter with output (to power the Uzebox!)...and the screen syncs perfectly! The image is a tad less crisp than the car reverse monitor but it still pretty good...and it's about 80% of the Uzebox portable circuitry! Looks perfect for a 1st prototype. :mrgreen:
securitytesterboard.jpg
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By sheer luck the current PCB also fits in my enclosure so I'll try to hack all that stuff together.
portable2.jpg
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D3thAdd3r
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

Post by D3thAdd3r »

uze6666 wrote:By sheer luck the current PCB also fits in my enclosure so I'll try to hack all that stuff together.
Interesting to see the real scale, without the SNES connectors on there it seems to me a good height. Not small but it doesn't look like it would be cumbersome either, and you can fit a big screen.

That is a good deal with all that stuff included, I'm excited to see this prototype pan out; keep it up!
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kivan117
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

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Reading your post it was hard not to impulse buy one of those for myself. Finding a monitor that syncs perfectly and has not only audio but a power supply too and it all seems to work out of the box... Seems like you may have stumbled right into the perfect solution to our problem! This is some really great news. Hopefully assembling a prototype all works easily enough. The more I think about it the more I want a portable and the harder it is to wait, haha :)
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

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I've been doing some progress on that front. The hardest and most tedious thing is trying to model and print parts that conform to existing parts like the SNES controller D-pad and buttons while accounting for tolerances in 3D printing (it never fits!) So the trick I use is to just try to print the area I'm trying to fit, i.e just a square around the D-PAD area. Gotta be patient!
portable3.jpg
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From now on, I think I'll publish smaller increments instead of big ones like in the past. Should be more interesting for you guys. :)
Interesting to see the real scale, without the SNES connectors on there it seems to me a good height. Not small but it doesn't look like it would be cumbersome either, and you can fit a big screen.
Interestingly, it is not that big and actually feels quite comfortable to hold. It';s a good size I think. Smaller and it may loose a bit of it's retro side in a sense! Eh, talking retro, I have wood based filament so if anybody want me to try out the Atari 2600 look, I'll do it! :lol:
Reading your post it was hard not to impulse buy one of those for myself. Finding a monitor that syncs perfectly and has not only audio but a power supply too and it all seems to work out of the box... Seems like you may have stumbled right into the perfect solution to our problem! This is some really great news. Hopefully assembling a prototype all works easily enough. The more I think about it the more I want a portable and the harder it is to wait, haha :)
Yeah, it's a really cool box. I'm starting to considered it for a V1 kit. Just add the PCB with the shift registers and we are done. The battery would not last that long though... :|
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

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Looks sturdy which should make it feel really nice when all the fittings are complete. Coolest thing is my hands wont look clown-like oversized like they do playing with an NES/SNES pad :!:
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

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I little set back. My version of Eagle doesn't support the required PCB size....can't do more than 10x8cm and I need 15x8cm. :cry: Only way around seems to make 2 or 3 smaller PCBs... :?

Been doing some fitting for the buttons and d-pad. Got to test the conductivity of those little dark pads and if they will work with the input of the shift registers (hopefully yes!).
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CunningFellow
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

Post by CunningFellow »

The black pads and a 4021 worked fine in my uzebox DTV. I did not even have ENIG.
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

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CunningFellow wrote:The black pads and a 4021 worked fine in my uzebox DTV. I did not even have ENIG.
Cool, thanks, exactly what I wanted to hear. :)
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Re: The quest to a portable Uzebox

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D3thAdd3r wrote:Looks sturdy which should make it feel really nice when all the fittings are complete. Coolest thing is my hands wont look clown-like oversized like they do playing with an NES/SNES pad :!:
Thought the same here! :)
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