Homebrewn Console

[NiGHTSFTP]

Heh, sounds good. Is this the mini CD linux distro you were talking about a while back?

And though this may not be the time/place to talk about it...

Whatever became of the portable DC? (One of the more interesting topics I used to follow.)

Portable DC is sitting in a cardboard box, actually. Unfinished, of course.

- I need to make it thinner. (very fine point soldering. I havent inquired about the equipment yet)
- I need to make a mini amplifier for the speakers (right now its just line-level)
- I need to replace the cold cathode in the LCD with 2 bright LED's, to reduce power consumption.
- I need to make a shell of fiberglass.


Update: Moonlight Linux is waay a backburner project now, AngryBurrito is taking up all of my time. The Portable DC is my 5th thing on my list right now. If I get a project box from Radio Shack, I'll just throw it all together, and take some pics.

[TheDumbAss]

Hmm... why not have it be a bootable CD?

I mean... you burn the disc... pop it in your cdrom (if differant from your burner) and reboot. Then it loads up linux off the CD. I have a linux distro that does that... but it is much more stripped down then it needs to be. ( its for sending streaming video over a network or broadband) No dialup, no mp3 player, No IM of any kind, no burning soft, etc... stripped I tell you

But after a long boot time it does load and work
Doesnt interfer with my already installed windows in any way.

[yoshi65001]

you can get the portable DC to run!?

woah, it doesnt seem like you have much else to do....

[NiGHTSFTP]

[quote="yoshi65001"]you can get the portable DC to run!? :o

woah, it doesnt seem like you have much else to do....[/quote]

Yeah, I've played on the LCD, its sorta kewl, even not completely portable yet.

Its really bulky, which is why I need to reduce the GD-to-Motherboard connector, which is about 1.5" tall.

Thin is the big thing right now.

[brain_donor]

really bulky, which is why I need to reduce the GD-to-Motherboard connector, which is about 1.5" tall.

Thin is the big thing right now.

Thin is always the big thing with portables. 1.5 inches.... that's thicker than most portable devices right there. Are you using all the original gd-rom drive parts?

[NeonGenesis]

Ahh, refreshing. The rise and fall of a potential project. Haven't gotten to read through one of those for months Though, I must admit I do like the idea. So, as of this time, what subprojects has this failure divided into? I am curious as to what is left. I am quite interested in the concept of a economical console-like (in the sense that is is customized for console-like gameplay) mini system with development and multimedia capabilities (y' know, like streamlined for emulation, or DVD/VCD/MP3 CD playback, or something), and if this still exists with any backing in any form, even if it is not to be released to the general public, I would be interested in following it to see what happens and to consider building one myself. Also, if there is anything I could do to assist with it, I would most certainly be willing to, although my primary skill is graphic design, which I can't see as serving much of a purpose at such a point... Anyhoo, enough rambling from me. Keep me posted, or e-mail me at NeonGenesisEva@bolt.com. Thanks a lot, -Adam

[NiGHTSFTP]

[quote="brain_donor"][quote="NiGHTSFTP"]really bulky, which is why I need to reduce the GD-to-Motherboard connector, which is about 1.5" tall.

Thin is the big thing right now.[/quote]
Thin is always the big thing with portables. 1.5 inches.... that's thicker than most portable devices right there. Are you using all the original gd-rom drive parts?[/quote]


Yeah, all original parts, of course.

Just changing the solid connector to lots of little wires bundled together :)

[Synlor]

shouldn't this like be put in a new topic? cause this topic about the homebrew console bothers me, lol

[Slamoid]

I've been wanting to make a "Universal" console for quite a while now. It'd be pretty cool to make one like this.

I'm all for it, and willing to help with conceptualizing and I'd also like to do some price scouting. (I have my sources. )

Suggestions:

Use a fast processer, but not too fast. Look what cockyness did to X-BOX. Let's keep it small and in-expansive. (Also more compatible)

USB's are an excelent idea, as ports for hardware are also possible. (External processors for those that want them, ect.)

RAM is cheap right now, so pump the baby full!!! (256mb for $30, i mean come on!)

KEEP THE SYSTEM COMPATIBLE!!! It would be sweet to see a system that takes a PSX controller (many buttons ) and can play NES, SNES, Gen, Saturn, DC, PSX, and N64 ROMs/games, not to mention DIVX, MAME, and so many ported things!

Also, don't forget to DEFINATELY make it TV-out!! TV!!!

Let me know if you guys need price lists and for what you want the prices for. I can find pretty much anything cheap.

Good luck!

[Synlor]

I've been wanting to make a "Universal" console for quite a while now. It'd be pretty cool to make one like this.

I'm all for it, and willing to help with conceptualizing and I'd also like to do some price scouting. (I have my sources. )

Suggestions:

Use a fast processer, but not too fast. Look what cockyness did to X-BOX. Let's keep it small and in-expansive. (Also more compatible)

USB's are an excelent idea, as ports for hardware are also possible. (External processors for those that want them, ect.)

RAM is cheap right now, so pump the baby full!!! (256mb for $30, i mean come on!)

KEEP THE SYSTEM COMPATIBLE!!! It would be sweet to see a system that takes a PSX controller (many buttons ) and can play NES, SNES, Gen, Saturn, DC, PSX, and N64 ROMs/games, not to mention DIVX, MAME, and so many ported things!

Also, don't forget to DEFINATELY make it TV-out!! TV!!!

Let me know if you guys need price lists and for what you want the prices for. I can find pretty much anything cheap.

Good luck!

cough, laptop with tv out, cough cough, adaptor for usb cough cough,

basically a new laptop could do all those things

[NeonGenesis]

lol, Corta is right. At that point, all you're really asking for is a laptop. Optimize the thing for gaming, and you've pretty much got exactly what you just described. If you're still looking for that console feel, just set it to boot into a system selector, choose your system, and voila. And all on a standard laptop. Who would've thought?

[brain_donor]

USB's are an excelent idea, as ports for hardware are also possible. (External processors for those that want them, ect.)

External processors? through USB?

(haha, I love they way now that this got bumped, a whole bunch of people are interested in the homebrew console again. At least if someone wanted to try this again the know there's a desire from the public )

[MidnightObsidian]

ROFL... USB CPU.

I'll talk to Nights about starting something up again, but I think that we both kind of realized that it's a virtual impossibility to design anything special enough to draw interest, let alone successfully market.

>= |

[yoshi65001]

see, wasnt it a good idea for me to bump this?

[MidnightObsidian]

If nothing else, I enjoy the nostalgia.

[Dreamcastin2k2]

I just wanted to let everyone know i was back from the dead...

[Hawke]

What kind of controllers will it use??

(sorry if this has been asked b4... but i REALLY cant read through 11 pages..)

[arcticfeather]

This project is dead

someone just bumped it for fun

so the answer is no controllers

[DoughBoy]

ok, I don't mean to flame, all I could stand to read was the first 3 pages (Im dialup, its a pain) and from what I saw, this thing is absolutely rediculous (I may have missed out on somehting), It doesn't have to be, but if your not gonna be cost effective, then screw it..... there is no way on earth people are gonna pay $400 for hardwrae on a homebrewn console with powerful parts that will do 2d and very bad 3d graphics.... what planet are you people on? lol, no offense, I know htis sounds bad, but it's just logic. I don't know, if you have $400 ($100, $200, $300) to burn, cool, but I don't think many of us do, so you'll have a console group of ONE. What needs ot be done is make a cost effective machine, and why doe sit have to be so powerful? Get somehting like this:

90-133 MHz
16-32 megs of ram
old crummy mobo
and if you gotta have hard drive, make it 1-2 gigs....

Dont go overboard.

On the other hand, I may have just watse dmy time posting this since artic just said this thing is dead (which I had a good feeling i would be, but as long as someones into it, I can't say it will die)

Of course, you could always dev for the XBOX... and yes I know the only thing out ATM is the MS dev kit, but who gives a damn. Distribute through IRC and newsgroups.

[NiGHTSFTP]

DC2k2, were you in the moonlight dev team?

Fuck, damned if I can remember, and Im too lazy to look back.

Here's an official press release.

First, Sunset is dead. If nothing more than a dream, still is dead.

All the more active developers split off to Moonlight, which was essentially going to be a much better box, that was also viable.

We toyed with it for a few days, and then each went our seperate ways.

Both projects are dead.

For future reference, the homebrew console is dead as of this point forward.

If at any point, any of us get back into the project, we wil (individually, or as a group) let you know.