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• All Parts Together - Wiring Finished and Now workin!

  Jorisclayton • 07/06/2025 at 19:46 • 0 comments

  This is my first working version of the console. I'm using it to figure out what should stay and what needs improvement in the final build — but it's already fully functional. I added a 50x50mm aluminum heatsink, and noticed that I’ll need a 0.5mm thermal pad to get good contact with the CPU. I also tried adding a 6300 µF capacitor on the main power line, but turns out it’s not really necessary — the audio was fine without it. On the other hand, I had some issues with the headphone jack connection and I’ll need to redesign that part.

  The internal layout uses custom 3D-printed parts. All electronics are mounted on those pieces, held in place with M2 machine screws. The screen and the Raspberry Pi Zero W are fixed together in a single printed frame, which is then attached to a second frame that holds the audio amp (PAM8403), power button, RC filter, volume knob, and 3.5mm audio jack. All buttons — both front and rear — are also mounted on dedicated printed structures.

  The 18650 cells are held by springs, which makes them easy to replace. If I had access to a spot welder, I’d probably go with nickel strip and fixed terminals instead. The only parts glued to the shell are the ones that physically change the case — mainly the section I had to expand to fit the dual 18650s. I still managed to reuse the original battery cover, which gives a nice translucent look to the cells.

  It was a tight fit. I used wires that were way too thick, which made assembly harder than it needed to be. For the next version, I’ll use thinner, more flexible wires. I also had to trim the TFT display edges to make it fit the front shell, which made the cable connection a bit tricky — but it works fine.

  On the software side, I made a few changes that I’ll explain in detail later. I used specific drivers for the SPI display, configured GPIOs for both audio (PWM) and button input, and implemented two different config.txt files at boot — one for handheld mode (with the TFT screen) and another for RCA output when connected to a TV. I have to reboot to switch modes because the current driver setup can’t handle both at once. The charging port is still micro USB, but I’ll probably switch to USB-C next time.

  Rear buttons are not mapped yet, but in the next revision I plan to include full L1/L2/R1/R2 support with better positioning. The original speaker was terrible — I replaced it with a smaller but stronger one that sounds much better.

  The console uses very little power. With a light overclock to 1200 MHz, it still runs for over 8 hours on a full charge with two 18650s, and doesn’t overheat. The passive 50x50mm heatsink is enough — I won’t use an active fan anymore. The RCA+USB video output module is working fine. When I plug it in and reboot, it disables the TFT and enables RCA automatically, since I can’t run both displays simultaneously with the current configuration.

• Ultimate Brick Schematic

  Jorisclayton • 07/05/2025 at 01:47 • 0 comments

  I already made a simple, easy-to-follow schematic. Its the version one and shows all the parts, including the Raspberry Pi, TFT display, sound, buttons, power, and battery components. Since I’m working with thin wires, it’s more than enough to follow and connect everything. I’m now testing the parts — the Raspberry Pi Zero arrived, and I’ve started wiring everything. As soon as possible, I’ll update the project with a working version of the console.
  
  
  

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