My 2600 Portable Project is complete!

[Cassidy Nolen]

Well, I finally did it. VCF 2.0 is done. Named of course for the VCS and Flashback 2, this marks the end of a 2 and 1/2 year project for me. Here were my goals….

 

1. I wanted to use the Flashback 2 rather than a traditional 2600. I hate the idea of hacking a working system apart…mind you I have NO problems hacking a dead one for the cart connector!

 

2. I wanted a true backlit monitor, not LED. I don’t like the splotchy light they give off as much and I figured while I am at it…why not?

 

3. Big 5 inch monitor….again, why not?

 

4. As much of it made of oak as possible.

_______________

How did I do?

1. No problemo. Thanks the genius of Curt and the team on the FB2, hacking the port was a cakewalk (that reminds me…wonder how that game looks on here…). The hardest part for the FB was that in order to make it all fit in a thin spot, all the capacitors had to be swapped to the other side of the PCB. That left the crystal and the regulator on there, no problem, the board flexes some. All contacts were jumpered of course to remote switches. Microswitches work well to make contacts with a positive feel.

 

2 and 3. Found some X-box monitors that would be good to start with. They have the controls for volume and brightness right on the front and those features were retained. Monitor took some time to mill correctly around but now I have it down. Backlight was kept, if it worked for TG Express and Sega handhelds, its good enough for me!

 

4. Oak to be had all around. My d-pad, buttons, even the knurled knob on the paddle is all solid oak. I suppose it would survive a good drop, just not termites!

____________

After no less than 10 different designs I started to get the hang of the software package Mastercam. By now I get it, I certainly did not the first go-round. The goal was to create an easy to replicate design that can be milled perfectly from the start…in other words, have the parts available in kit-form for folks to assemble their own.

 

This one is now complete with a 1000ma battery (not sure yet how long it lasts on a charge, I am guessing around an hour), 5 inch screen, all oak controls and a built in charging jack, the system is a solid one-piece design. It can be opened for maintenance if need be but I do not expect it should need it.

 

Cheer or jeer accordingly. BTW, Warlords rocks on a portable!

 

 

Cassidy

[Prodos8]

Looks pretty cool to me.

 

Now you just need to stain and polyurethane the wood and your set.

[ls650]

It reminds me of Fred Flintstone's car!

[the 5th ghost]

That is absolutely awesome!

 

 

Congrats on an excellent finished product!

[Rick Weis]

Very sweet!!!

 

Rick

[theking21083]

One day I'll finish my Atari 2600P. It grinded to a halt because of funding and time issues. My design isn't like a normal portable devise it's more portable in a Virtual Boy sort of way.

[tremoloman2006]

I love the wood! Now you've got me thinking of hacking an electric guitar body and putting a 2600 inside one for kicks.

[+Wonder007]

WWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! Very nice Cassidy!!!

[ATARIPITBULL]

COOL It kind of looks like a basketball backboard but I love it.

 

[Atari Dogs]

COOL It kind of looks like a basketball backboard but I love it.

 

 

Cool. H have cut up a 2600 board, but I will have to send it to someone to make the portable. Cutting up a board I can do, turning it into something is a different question.

 

My question is, "Is now the time to make a portable?" As you know the US tv signals will go all digital early next year. Do you think that all portable tvs, since you wont be able to hook them up to an converter box, will be thrown away? Should be begin a plan to hoard pocket tv's so they will still be available for use in portables.

[+Omegamatrix]

Nice job, Cassidy!!

 

 

*waits for the Vader version*

[PacManPlus]

Very cool, man - nice work!

[deathtrappomegranate]

Very nice!

 

...although I always somehow thought that NE146 would be the first AA member to post a pic of himself holding his wood.

[bcprs1]

Sweet. Send some more pics once you have it stained. Could you imagine bringing that on a bus or something. People would be wondering what the hell you were playing.

[Cassidy Nolen]

AFAIC, its done. If a new owner wants to stain it, so be it (I had an interested party to purchase it). I wanted to leave it rough, as I have so many hours in the machine work to have something go wrong on a stain job. Its my first one, would consider another material for a second but this one is complete

 

BTW, you can read the engraving perfectly in person. Hard to see it with my flash on the camera.

 

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I am just happy it works solidly. Showed it to some friends last night, they loved Breakout on it. Very clear picture...best I have ever seen for a 2600 game!

 

C

[Gemeni]

Thats amazing!!Great job you did on it!You should paint it to look like an original 2600 woody

[classicgamingguy]

Great job! Congratulations!

 

-Steve

[ComputerSpaceFan]

Dead sexy

[the.golden.ax]

Where did you get the 5" monitor?

 

Thanks,

AX

 

 

Well, I finally did it. VCF 2.0 is done. Named of course for the VCS and Flashback 2, this marks the end of a 2 and 1/2 year project for me. Here were my goals….

 

1. I wanted to use the Flashback 2 rather than a traditional 2600. I hate the idea of hacking a working system apart…mind you I have NO problems hacking a dead one for the cart connector!

 

2. I wanted a true backlit monitor, not LED. I don’t like the splotchy light they give off as much and I figured while I am at it…why not?

 

3. Big 5 inch monitor….again, why not?

 

4. As much of it made of oak as possible.

_______________

How did I do?

1. No problemo. Thanks the genius of Curt and the team on the FB2, hacking the port was a cakewalk (that reminds me…wonder how that game looks on here…). The hardest part for the FB was that in order to make it all fit in a thin spot, all the capacitors had to be swapped to the other side of the PCB. That left the crystal and the regulator on there, no problem, the board flexes some. All contacts were jumpered of course to remote switches. Microswitches work well to make contacts with a positive feel.

 

2 and 3. Found some X-box monitors that would be good to start with. They have the controls for volume and brightness right on the front and those features were retained. Monitor took some time to mill correctly around but now I have it down. Backlight was kept, if it worked for TG Express and Sega handhelds, its good enough for me!

 

4. Oak to be had all around. My d-pad, buttons, even the knurled knob on the paddle is all solid oak. I suppose it would survive a good drop, just not termites!

____________

After no less than 10 different designs I started to get the hang of the software package Mastercam. By now I get it, I certainly did not the first go-round. The goal was to create an easy to replicate design that can be milled perfectly from the start…in other words, have the parts available in kit-form for folks to assemble their own.

 

This one is now complete with a 1000ma battery (not sure yet how long it lasts on a charge, I am guessing around an hour), 5 inch screen, all oak controls and a built in charging jack, the system is a solid one-piece design. It can be opened for maintenance if need be but I do not expect it should need it.

 

Cheer or jeer accordingly. BTW, Warlords rocks on a portable!

 

 

Cassidy

[ATARIPITBULL]

All I am going to say is that if anyone is willing to make more of these, or ones just like it, I would buy one and I know there would be a line of others behind me willing to pony up the bread.

 

[keilbaca]

That's amazing work dude, I like it a lot.

 

[shadow460]

Nice. One of these would be very handy for testing carts prior to purchase. It looks very professionally done.

 

I think I wanna test Star Raiders with it. *runs*

[Godzilla]

That out-woodys the 2600 by a mile. Sweet work

[iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin]

Wow, I would like to have a portable like that............GREAT WORK!

 

:thumbsup:

Edited May 29, 2008 by iwan-iwanowitsch-goratschin

[Phoenix]

WOW! That is incredible... very nice!!! Well done