geekhack
geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: kinifi on Thu, 05 December 2019, 12:19:20
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Introduction:
This kind of started out as a joke. I was testing so many different things in QMK that I needed a way to hotswap Arduino Micro Pro's. I looked into what it would take to make a cartridge based micro controller. It is way easier than you think it is.
This is still an experiment and I'm just retrofitting all of this to work with a 68% pcb
*Update Dec 11th 2019
Break out board for the Gameboy cartridge and expansion slot came in the mail from china
(https://i.imgur.com/dx7PnQk.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/viN0wV8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/8claf1B.jpg)
That terrifying moment when you get something from china after waiting weeks and it fits perfect <3!
(https://i.imgur.com/uNelKMl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9rtAY7o.mp4)
* First Post
Pics:
(https://i.imgur.com/mghR9DM.jpg)
I accidently broke this one... You can see the traces in the PCB and how I just made something as quickly as possible to see if this was even possible
(https://i.imgur.com/8V4tjkt.jpg)
Trying to figure out the best way to solder this micro controller as flat as possible to the PCB
(https://i.imgur.com/uzDfkoq.jpg)
The PCB inside the Gameboy Expansion Slot. The PCB is only 0.4mm so it fits super loose without the gameboy cartridge plastic piece that holds it into place.
(https://i.imgur.com/BhoAB2F.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/RC0VkKN.jpg)
The gameboy plastic cart with the PCB. Notice how the plastic from the cart makes the PCB fit perfectly inside so the pins connect.
(https://i.imgur.com/Hu4UkT8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/W1d0TmA.jpg)
you can see here the pin out of the expansion slot and the 68% PCB pin out above the arrow keys. I just have to solder some wires to connect these up.
(https://i.imgur.com/f4RP5eJ.jpg)
The case I'm using to prototype this
(https://i.imgur.com/2OpDcW8.jpg)
What is next?
Solder the pin out of the expansion slot to the 68% PCB. Do some testing to make sure everything works correctly then mount everything inside the sandwich case I made with acrylic.
Future
1. Get rid of the Arduino Pro Micro and just make my own microcontroller on the gameboy cartridge. Power is the only thing I haven't figured out here.
2. Make a PCB that supports the Gameboy Expansion Slot
3. Decide if the Gameboy plastic piece is required or if I should just order 1.0mm and make the PCB fit without the plastic inside the expansion slot
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That's just freaking amazing!! It would be nice to a rev2 version to include some pins and traces for random use such as displays, rgb leds and/or analog dials.
Maybe even could be use for different layouts/OSs that has almost unlimited posibilities
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That's just freaking amazing!! It would be nice to a rev2 version to include some pins and traces for random use such as displays, rgb leds and/or analog dials.
Yeah I think all of this is possible and easy to do. There are a lot of micro controllers out there that offer this type of stuff but I think having the power to do whatever you want with your keyboard by just plugging in a microcontroller is a big deal.
Imagine having a Rama with an expansion slot like this. No longer bound to the chip it is embedded with.
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One issue with this build is that the PCB doesn't fit exactly in the cartridge and I need someway to guide the cartridge into the expansion slot. I made the two holes at the top of the PCB in case I needed to make my own case with acrylic and I think I might do that instead of using the default gameboy cartridge
You can see that here:
(https://i.imgur.com/Hu4UkT8.jpg)
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You can also use a 3D printer to make a piece that fits everything in place!! I thought about this idea and that would allow that a pcb never becomes old. Thing about the old keebs where you need to use a converter. You just replace the controller and it's done. Sad that lately this thread is so lonely but you had a great idea.
Enviado desde mi Redmi Note 7 mediante Tapatalk