The Ultimate Gp2x Case Mod: Gp2x In Gbo

[palmertech]

So I wanted to do the dpad mod a few months ago. I to make a long story short, it failed, causing my gp2x to not work, me throwing it in a box for a few months, and a general great gnashing of teeth. Yesterday, I had an idea for a weekend summer project: Try to fix my gp2x. To make another long story short again, I made it work again, and there was dancing and great tears of joy. But then, I realized something... The dpad hole on the front gp2x face plate was missing! Apparently, it got thrown out due to its mangled look.

Now, for a while now I have been trying to transplant a gba sp into a gbo. Unfortunately, I fried TWO gba sp motherboards doing it (Stupid freaky reversed 4 pole gba sp switch!). I then realized that before me lay the perfect new home for my gp2x! I quickly grabbed my tools, and went to work. Note that this is still a work in progress, and is not even close to done. Behold, the fruits of my labour!

All the controls on the front plate work! I forgot to take a picture of t-mode, though. Any thoughts? Suggestions? Anybody know what I should do with all the extra space? Please tell me! And thus I leave you to discuss...

 

[trooper]

Your goal seems a bit vague, But i`m assuming you are going to at least try to re-locate your GP2x`s gut's in to an original GameBoy case ?. Hey, Call me Einstein.

If i am correct and that is your goal, Have you thought about where you are going to place the GP2x`s screen, As that hole seems rather square and doesn`t seem quite large enough to accommodate a 3.5 inch screen.

Another location for something i`m not sure you may have thought about, Shoulder buttons ?. Where would you plan on putting those, Obviously in a place that is comfortable, I would have thought ?.

Oh, Another thing, Is the GameBoy case large enough to accommodate the GP2x`s motherboard ?, I don`t own a GP2x anymore and don`t have an original GameBoy to hand, So am unable to compare.

I seems a great idea, I`m just curious about the possibility of the three points i made above.

If that is what plan to do and you do pull it off, I would love to see the final results.

Trooper

 

[palmertech]

Wow, I was vague... Yes, I plan on putting the GP2X in the GBO case. The shoulder buttons are on the back. I don't want them to stick out, so I recessed them in the screwpost holes on the back of the GBO case. Actually, the hole I cut is JUST big enough to fit, with the screen in it, there are no black borders, it perfectly fills the whole thing. I measured it. And to gp2x mobo is small enough, a tight fit length wise, but I can manage. In fact, I can fit almost the whole thing into the top half of the GBO! This leaves the almost the entire bottom half empty. I am wondering whether I should fill it with batteries... BTW, I would love to get feedback from Bacteria, he is the only here who has done super extensive case modding to the gp2x.

 

[gruso]

I'm liking this a lot! My only suggestion: Get back to work and post more progress pics.

 

[palmertech]

I would, but I am on a commision job modding something for someone. I think I can have it done in a week! Now I need help with two things: First, I considered putting 3 pairs of AA batteries in parallel. I heard that this is dangerous to the cells to arrange them like that, is this true?

Second: If I want to maximize space, I will have to cut out that piece of plastic that is normally covered when a cartridge is in. To make it look good, I will have to put the shell of a game there to cover up the hole (It will look like a gbo with a cart in it). What game should I use for this? I thought pokemon red, then realized a lot of people hate on pokemon. My second idea wpuld be tetris, as it appears to be THE most common game for gbo (It must have came bundled with it or something). Should I use tetris? Any other ideas for a game to use? Thanks, all.

 

[trooper]

For a game cartridge hole filling idea, It has to be either a Tetris, Mario, Zelda or Metroid game.

Trooper

 

[rememberthe8bit]

I would, but I am on a commision job modding something for someone. I think I can have it done in a week! Now I need help with two things: First, I considered putting 3 pairs of AA batteries in parallel. I heard that this is dangerous to the cells to arrange them like that, is this true?

Well, since that model GameBoy takes 4 AA batteries, have two sets of two in series, and wire those two sets together in parallel. You should then be able to get double the battery life out of the GP2x.

Check out this diagram:

 

[bacteria]

palmertech - thanks for the PM just read it, very kind comments, thanks.

Like the idea of moving the guts to a GBO, the GBO is a nicer case, easier to hold; nice idea. I have an original silver GB mono pocket, measured screen area, surprised you say it will fit, but if you say it does that is good by me. Plenty of room to put in shoulder buttons and a centre click button.

Interested to see how this progresses. I'm not on this forum much these days, as you know I am very active on the BenHeck forum - please feel free to PM me there if I can provide you any input, suggestions or whatever on this project.

John.

 

[palmertech]

Thanks! I do know it looks like a stretch, but the screen will definitely fit. Unfortunatey, I had to gut the original battery holder to fit the motherboard. I will either replace it with a new, slimmer holder, or I will make them internal. Another idea is to use some li-ion batterys; expensive, but might be worth it. I think I will use tetris, it seems like a good choice.

 

[hitbyambulance]

could the empty cartridge hold an SD card in it?

 

[palmertech]

Of course. However, that would require extending the sd card slot, and Bacteria had a lot of trouble doing that in his project. As it stands, I plan on having a recessed slot in the side, right underneath the volume control. I might try to extend it, but I will have to do some research. Thanks for the idea, it might be kinda cool.

 

[Mr PPV THC]

right on! this looks very cool. I think that for the cart Tetris is the way to go. Since like you said it was bundled with it for quite a few years.(maybe decades) I also want to point out how bad ass the SNES buttons look....very nice.

 

[gruso]

I had this mod on my mind today, and I'm liking the idea more and more. If it goes well for you, I'll seriously consider doing it myself!

 

[norm]

Of course. However, that would require extending the sd card slot, and Bacteria had a lot of trouble doing that in his project.

i believe the trouble he had was with a supercard not the 2x, i may be wrong but i think there's a thread he wrote about extending the 2x's sd slot on this forum

EDIT: found it

 

[palmertech]

Thanks, that is what I was looking for. Sigh, looks like if I am going to do this right, then I will need to extend the sd slot to the cart.
Edit: I think that I will go to a few glass cutting shops to see if I can get a glass screen cover, if I am gonna do this, might as well do it all right.

 

[bacteria]

Problem I found was that I managed to extend the SD slot by using a clever technique, it worked for my PC and other gadgets but failed in the GP2x; and also in a GBA flash card. Strange. It may not be possible to extend the SD slot and have it working.

BTW - for those of you who don't like my sig (it is rather big), it will be reduced to a web banner in due course, as my multi-platform console system project is nearing the close of its first integrated system, N64; I will make a website for my projects in due course, then upload a new banner to help to promote it...

 

[chad78]

I will make a website for my projects in due course, then upload a new banner to help to promote it...
BTW, this mod (the GP2X into GBO case) is similiar to what I wanted to do to a GBA in my pre-seeing-your-project "Large GBA" idea. Just put a GBA ina GBO case with a larger full-color-LCD.

 

[astro]

more pics more progress please. This is well good. Chad how is this anything like your micro sp thing, whatever it was. :blink:

 

[palmertech]

Expect more pics this weekend. Chad, this project actually began as an attempt of what you described, but because the gba is too large, I had to switch to a gba sp. PM me if you need help, I actually got very far on that before switching to gp2x. Right now, I am trying to find some 1mm glass to use as a screen cover. The gp2x screen is pretty witout that crummy plastic.

 

[chad78]

Chad how is this anything like your micro sp thing, whatever it was. :blink:
My micro what?

The idea I had years ago, but never did anything with, was to take a GBA and put it into the case of a GBO. It was the anti-Micro. Just like the idea palmertech started with. What you'd end up with was a device that looks like an original GameBoy, but has a full color screen and can play GB/GBC/GBA games. As palmertech did - you'd have to add the L & R button somehow. And just because I like it, I'd have the lines on the D-Pad. And, as you can see by what palmertech has done - you can put up to about a 4" screen in the gray box area of the GBO - much bigger than the GBA's 2.9" screen.

Something like this:

Which is pretty much what palmertech was planning on doing.