Starting on the Component Enclosure.

In my eagerness to properly get started on this project I went out today and bought some plastic for the internal enclosure/framework of the computer. At first I was going to buy some sheets of plastic from Hobbycraft but they were like £3 for an A4 sheet which is a tad extortionate. So instead I managed to find a plastic case for screws and what-not which was a fraction of the price for 4 times as much sheet plastic. I also made some quick designs for the enclosure but as usual, until that damn motherboard arrives I cant do any cutting. Hobbycraft also for some reason had really cheap Mini Eggs so I got a few bags of them :D

Problems With the Hard Drive.

I decided to try and open up the NES cartridge but ran into the obstacle of the security screws in the back. I found a guide online on how to make a screwdriver bit out of a melted pen but that just resulted in a ruined pen... So I've decided to just buy one of Ebay for like £4. *Sigh*












I did however get a label (designed by @CraigLol who is an excellent Photoshopper.) to go over the 'Nintendo World Cup' label which suits the purpose of the design more appropriately.











 I may re-do the application on actual sticky backed glossy paper instead of just printing it out and taping it... (Its a start.) Also here is the original file for the design although I suggest you make your own; find your own damn Photoshop person...

(Ok I lied. Now I'm no longer doing the posts retrospectively; I just forgot about this...)

Pre-Prepping the Case.

Now I am up to date with my posting and no longer doing this retrospectively. Not being a modder I dont own a  Dremel or intend on sinking £50 into one that I will use the grand total of once. So I have spent plenty of time trying to get rid of the plastic pegs on the bottom of the case. First I tried a lighter and a knife which ended horribly. Then snapping them off with pliers but that cracked the case underneath so that was no good. Then a sander but that would have taken days to do. In the end I used an electric drill with a massive drill bit which worked very much to my satisfaction.

In fact I got a bit carried away and drilled out a few of the pegs I shouldn't have... The stumps illustrated in this picture below are all the ones you should leave as they are the ones that prop up the power switch.

I realise how poor the finish is on them and that the 'T' shape is still in the middle but again, I dont know for sure how to go around doing that until I get the components in the case and see what is visible/how well it fits.

Power Switch.

I have now ordered the components so while I wait I thought I would work on the power switch.

Since I have absolutely no skills in soldering I decided to go for the more mechanical approach. First I removed the blue plastic bit on the power switch. I yanked it off with my manly strength but I should have really taken the time to pull back the metal tabs as I spent a while gluing the blue plastic bit back together.

I then began to cut away at the back edge (around 2mm) so there was space enough for the power switch to be put in place. I then reattached the blue plastic bit, this time I pulled back the metal tabs with some pliers...

I then glued the power switch to the NES power button back so that when the button is pressed in it clicks the switch. I then bent back the LED on the circuit board and slotted in the LED from the power switch cable. I also glued some bits of plastic from a Haribo box to strengthen it.

I may take off the circuit board and the original wires later if I need more space but thats me done with this for now.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the metal tab in the blue bit of plastic. From other sources I have heard that it causes the button to stay pushed in which isn't really helpful for a momentary switch... So with the use of some pliers it came right out along with some small pin. Oh, also when I ripped off the blue plastic some metal bit came flying out and I have no idea where its meant to go but it works fine without it so just remove it if its still there to anyone who decides to take the civilized approach.

Disassembling the NES.

There are plenty of guides online to help you do this but its fairly straightforward process of just unscrewing every screw you can see.

Eventually you will be left with the controller ports which took me a while to figure out how to take out but all you have to to is jiggle them until they slip out. Also you will need to remove the tray from the slot loader as this is being used later; this can be done by pinching the sides and it should just come out.

      

Starting Out.

I have decided that over the coming summer months to build an HTPC out of an old NES console. Now, I have very little knowledge of modding or building computers so this is a bit of a learning process for me.

What you will need:

• NES console, (No shit) the circuit boards dont need to work so you can get a cheap one off Ebay. Just make sure the case is in a good condition.

• Motherboard, I personally went for the Zotac IONITX-T-B ION motherboard. It was really handy for me as it has a built in 1.8GHz dual core Intel Atom processor and a 90W power supply so I didn't have to worry about that. This was ordered from here: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/268793

• RAM, I wasn't sure if I would need 2 or 4GB but according to reliable resources, (@JamesC_) for watching movies/emulating old games I would only need the 2GB. (Which I got here http://www.ebuyer.com/product/233470)

• Power switch/LED, I scoured the internet looking for one of these but in the end I got mine from an old Dell case, but if you need to buy one I eventualy found one here http://tinyurl.com/3hfaf7b.

• USB flash drive, (At least 4GB) This is for installing the operating system on. 

• 2.5" external hard drive, for my build I'm putting an external hard drive in a NES cart and it will then slot into the usual game slot to allow transfer of files from my laptop to the NES.

• Nes cart (See above) Same as the NES, doesnt need to work, just make sure its in good condition.

• Tools needed:
• Superglue 
• Craft knife
• Power drill with 8mm and 2.5mm drill bits.
• Various sizes of sandpaper or an electric sander
• Warhammer clippers or equivalent
• Warhammer green stuff
• Pliers
• Some sort of work bench to secure the NES in place