NES computer

[crschmidt]

Roy linked me to instructions on how to create a PC out of a gutted nintendo. It piqued my interest, and now I'm very seriously considering it.

I have a partially nintendo case at home. (not sure if I have the neccesary hardware, but hopefully I can get it). Neil picked up a slimline cd-rom drive and ITX power supply at the dump and run that hopefully can be taken and used in it. (The problem with the drive right now is that it's a Macintosh docking port connector, and I don't know if I can pull that out to IDE, but that's a concern for later.)

At this point, what I basically need is a laptop hard drive (100 bucks ish on ebay?) and a mini-itx motherboard. The motherboard will cost about 100 plus shipping. all the components (video, sound, ethernet) are built into those motherboards, so with creative use of Neil's dremel tool cutting the back of the nintendo to fit it in shouldn't be too difficult.

There is something cool about a machine inside a Nintendo Entertainment System. It's ultimately portable, albiet not a powerhouse machine. But can you imagine the looks I'd get when I bring in my pc to check something out - and it looks like I could pop a cartridge into it?

This is such a cool idea.

Comments

[pie-is-good.livejournal.com]

I hope you're planning on using the broken one, not the one you spent 50 bucks for a year ago...? ^_^

[alacrity.livejournal.com]

That is a great idea. Damn. I want to make one now. What are you planning on doing for a power supply? How much room is there for one, and how small do they make them?

[torkell]

Next challenge: to get a working Linux system on a Gameboy Pocket! OK, so that's not too likely, but when I was working with ERA over last summer the guys there were fiddling around with small PCs that had a board not much bigger than your average AGP card. The one in question fitted power supply (with external battery), radar board, motherboard, laptop HD and backboard to link the lot in something about the size of a small tissue box.

I know it's not going to happen, but imagine how cool it would be to have a Gameboy running Linux with a mini-CD drive!