NES and SNES Game Cartridge External Hard drives (HDD).

I saw the idea online and decided to give it ago. I'm a big hockey fan so I got some older hockey games for dirt cheap at my local used game shop.

For older version of some NES cartridges the screws on the back are standard flat heads. For the rest and SNES cartridges you need a 3.8mm security bit. I got a set off amazon.com

After opening them up I test fitted the HDD and USB board. I then cut away all the plastic that was in the way for the HDD and USB board to fit snugly inside. I then marked out the usb port and slowly cut that out as well. For the NES case I grinned the top part of the NES game board so the HDD would fit. This allowed me to keep the game board in the cartridge. Although the game probably isn't playable seeing the connector hanging out of the bottom is a nice effect. Depending on the HDD and USB board used you may or may no need a spacer of sorts. On the first one I found a small lego piece was the perfect spacer. So I glued it in place as I was done.  Can be seen on the right side of the HDD in the pic above. On another one I made that is not pictured I had a different style USB board no spacer was required.

For the SNES I did the same as above. It was a way tighter fit that left me thining the edges of the case slightly. There was no way to save the board like I did with the NES case.

There you have it, not quite a "how to" but it is easy enough to figure out.

Arcade almost complete =]

I'm a huge gamer. I love games from all generations. Like most of you I don't have all the consoles under my television  So I came up with an amazing solution. Why not make an all in one arcade emulation center? The idea came when I was playing "The Legend of Zelda" on an NES emulator with a ps3 controller on my laptop. I wanted a one stop shop for all my retro gaming needs and a way to spruce up my man cave in a way that most people can't even imagine.

I didn't have the largest budget but I wanted to make it the best I could with pieces I could scavenger from other electronics, garage sales, ebay and friends with junk in their basement. 

This is the result.

 I started with an X-arcade controller. I know the first question you have is why didn't I build one myself? Simply the cost. I got this unit on sale.The cost of just the components (2 joysticks, 22 buttons, track ball, keyboard to USB controller) cost just as much as this unit did completely assembled.

At this stage I have the x-arcade controller unit , 21" Samsung monitor with 4:1 ratio and an older IBM laptop that I got dirt cheap off craigslist. I need to start construction. I had a rough idea in my head so I went to it on the fly. I used 3/4 MDF because it is very sturdy and a smooth finish. I started to shape the unit with poster board that I used as a template on the MDF and cut out.

 In this shot you can see the poster board coming to life.

 I framed out my base with cut up 2x4 strips that I glued and screwed down. This gave me a solid area to screw the side into (screwing into the edge of MDF isn't going to hold the weight of such a large unit).

  I primed the MDF and did a quick test fit.

 Now for one of the hardest parts. Getting the heavy and large monitor mounted inside the unit. To do this I created blocks from cut up 2x4's. I then cut a notch out of the top so board that is going across could rest inside. I screwed the blocks and brace into place. Then I used an extremely basic wall mount system on the monitor that can be seen a few pictures below.

 I then needed to make the bezel. This was a pain. I traced out the monitor and got to work. The end result was a snugger fit then I could have imagined.

 A test fit to see that everything is still looking good and is flowing with my vision.

 More poster board used to sculpt my vision into reality. The image on the right is the MDF cut into shape.

 To connect the top part I created yet another brace/support. this can be seen on the right side of the picture. A few screws and we are good to go. (Wall mount bracket can be seen mounted on the brace)

 The monitor is taped off so I could prep and prime the newest editions of the MDF. The wood attached to the top right is so I can screw the "roof" up for the over hang.

 Using the supports mentioned above I added a top and bottom the the over hang. Now this is starting to look like a real arcade system.

 What we have here is my port system. I built a box to put all the items in to and then added plexiglas to the front. I then cut out all the areas I needed to. From left to right is the Power plug adapter, USB ports, two PS2 controller adapters, one N64 controller adapter with two ports and a computer system speaker controls that I hacked apart. What's near impossible to see in this picture is the power strip on the bottom right. I hacked that open and added a new switch with longer wires so that I could turn it on and off without opening the arcade unit.

 Once everything was cut out I prepped and primed the plexiglas so it would match the rest of the unit.

 Time for some doors. Simple two pieces of wood.

 I wanted the top to have a little Crack flair so I added two led fans and metal guards to pull heat up and out of this enclosed unit. With the opening under the monitor I thought this created good flow. I also added a florescent light bar to back light the marquee . Under the light bar is the two computer speakers from the gutted unit we saw earlier.

 The wiring was a pain, lots of wires all over the place to get everything powered and connected.

She's almost complete. I need to design and attach a proper marquee and get her a nice black paint job. Once it's painted you will barley notice the control unit wasn't originally apart  from the rest.

At this point I filled in all the screw heads and seams with wood putty. Sanded them down smooth and you'd never know they existed. I then found the legs of an old saw that acts as a perfect base that can be rolled. The arcade can also be put on to a counter top. Now that the weather is getting nice I can bring this outside to paint. This was all built over the winter in the cold of my garage. The end result. Totally worth it. The perfect creation for a creative gamer.

I will make an updated post when she comes out of paint in the coming weeks.

The arcade has the following systems with their full catalog of games.
Atari 5200, Atari Jaguar, Bandi Wonderswan, NES, SNES, N64, Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy advanced, Virtual Boy, Genesis, Master system, 32X, Game Gear, Pico, Neo Geo pocket, Neo Geo Color and most coin operated arcade titles from the beginning to 2003.

The arcade boots up straight into a GUI that lets you select the console and game. I have most of the cover art and video previews installed so you can check out a game before you load it up. I used Maximus Arcade as my front loader and it is what makes this project work as good as it does.

You have the choice to play the games with the arcade controller or plug in a ps2 controller (great for most of the older consoles because the button layout is so similar) or plugging in a N64 controller to play N64 games.