The online community for MiSTer FPGA enthusiasts
https://misterfpga.org/
LamerDeluxe wrote: ↑Mon Jan 23, 2023 9:45 pmstepea wrote: ↑Mon Jan 23, 2023 8:00 pmLamerDeluxe wrote: ↑Sun Jan 08, 2023 9:27 amFantastic! That is really clean and portable looking. And really handy that you can turn the display sideways.
Have you got a link for the ipad display monitor stand with aliexpress?
This monitor stand was created by daveo.
Thanks searched Aliexpress - cannot find it on their site.
The Aliexpress monitor itself is discussed here: viewtopic.php?t=3373
They don't sell a monitor stand for it there, that was designed and 3D printed by user daveo here.
Updating an earlier post about my MiSTer Electron
viewtopic.php?p=21411&hilit=electron#p21411
Since, now 2 years ago! - I have changed the USB hub to a powered version, with 5v taken from pins added to the Arduino header - this solved occasional device boot issues. The previous version soaked up power and the new one seems much more efficient.
The USB 2 hub is home to a joypad dongle, BT and wifi, the keyboard encoder, wireless mouse and the existing USB extender, as all the games are on a USB key.
Added a power switch to the rear of the case.
Added ADC to one of the left side Electron holes - kinda ok. I kept some of the cut plastic so had a piece to superglue over the remaining holes.
Added a clock, top right.
A few Atari 800 Fkey decals added. Just 'cos..
And then re-routed most cables, still messier than desired but reliable and the lid closes neatly.
Lastly - added a Pi Zero W 2 as a MT32-Pi. There's no room for the mister expansion board so i had to add jumpers to both the headers. I had modded a USB3.0 cable with an external MT32-Pi but had issues... direct wiring via dupont jumpers -works a treat!
Finally, after several years and many hours, I think I can consider the project finished, at least for a few years.
To put it in context, it is a rather old iCade cabinet that I modified almost ten years ago to change the arts, add a switch, put Sanwa components on the front and IL and Seimitsu on the sides.
Time passed and I sold that iPad so the cabinet stood still for another many years and in between I tuned it back inside to be able to use it with a Windows tablet, but it was widescreen and the usability was a horror.
I wanted something very turn on and play. Fast and good.
So far I hadn't found the formula and it was again collecting dust until I discovered Mister FPGA, started using it in my desktop setup and it was clear to me that I wanted another Mister to put in the iCade and make a definitive iteration.
While I was buying the material, I thought of going a little further and make it portable, more than to take it to the field or use it in the WC, simply for the convenience of not having to depend on having any plug nearby. It has been a success, it is super comfortable to move it, put it for example on the table in the living room or at a friend's house, turn it on and enjoy.
I contemplated several options, some more complex as integrating a laptop battery and a simultaneous charging system while playing but I opted for something simpler and use two powerbanks and a portable speaker.
The result is about 10 hours of autonomy, one of them running out long before the other, so if you swap between the two in between, it gives us about 15 hours of autonomy approx.
The screen, a marvel, format for 4:3 ideal, super contrasting colors that allow to put scanlines and shaders without losing much brightness, very good viewing angle for when we play several ... is one of those sold on Aliexpress from a gutted Ipad 3 which have put a metal frame and has a controller that gives it hdmi input and usb power.
Custom glass and ready.
The most complex was to remove the controller and relocate it above where the speaker, thus allowing me to embed it inside the cabinet and hide all the wiring and invent a kind of inner chassis to hold everything firmly and at the right angle.
As for small details, at the time I put that coin input as a purely ornamental way to take advantage of another project that I did not finish, but now I have provided it with an internal switch so the coin return button is functional and allows me to map it and use it.
The coin input is still fake... hehe. Maybe someday I'll open a hole for it, I think that with an internal photosensor + led with a small electronics it could recognize the coins without the need of a classic mechanism and so a few could enter without jamming, there is little vertical space... At the moment, it makes me a very good fit.
The front switch interrupts the power supply to the display, otherwise it would always be sucking from the powerbank.
The cover of the base allows to hide all the mess of cables and dremel cuts and I can also put there in that hole:
The leatherette bag with inner lining for storage or transport is the work of my parents, they have also contributed to this project and of course I must give them the credit they deserve.
Playing with this gadget, although I have the desktop setup, is a joy ... play with the stick or use pads without problem, I can get comfortable on the couch or go to the terrace and play outdoors with a beer 
The bad thing: the cost, it has not been low, but mainly is that it has taken me many more hours of work to do it. There have been small gaps in several years, it never ended .... The truth is that I've ended up a little jaded.
A lot of design work, everything made to measure, trial and error, buying to choose combinations and discarding, testing again, changes along the way, painting, then not working, repairing, redoing many parts, changing magnets for inserts, inserts for magnets, many turns, painting again...
Honestly, there have been several moments in which I have thought to park it and send it to the storage room.
Anyway, I hope that some of you like it and can get some ideas if you are tinkering with something similar or you dare to make your own frankenstein
I leave you with some final photos, another day I'll search to see if I can find some of the process and the first prototypes.
This looks really cool. I bet you will get a lot of enjoyment out of it!
wow, very polished drool worthy build, repente. congrats on finishing it!
I also wanted to build a custom arcade style cabinet for my MiSTer, and then decided to make something with a rotating computer monitor to TATE in both directions with USBs connectors for both handheld and arcade controllers.
repente wrote: ↑Tue Jan 31, 2023 9:22 am..
The bad thing: the cost, it has not been low, but mainly is that it has taken me many more hours of work to do it. There have been small gaps in several years, it never ended .... The truth is that I've ended up a little jaded.
A lot of design work, everything made to measure, trial and error, buying to choose combinations and discarding, testing again, changes along the way, painting, then not working, repairing, redoing many parts, changing magnets for inserts, inserts for magnets, many turns, painting again...
Honestly, there have been several moments in which I have thought to park it and send it to the storage room.
..
I do know the feeling, many hours and a sunk feeling.
It has helped me to think of it as "the journey is as important/fun as the destination"
Yes, a bit of a cliche maybe just think of it as the rest of us on these forums get to enjoy looking at it so much
I was thinking about getting this Mister case, but it might be a bit overkill: https://goknight.com/blizzard-mister-stroboto-case/
thorr wrote: ↑Wed Feb 01, 2023 11:29 pmI was thinking about getting this Mister case, but it might be a bit overkill: https://goknight.com/blizzard-mister-stroboto-case/
This is a joke right?
neogeo81 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 02, 2023 7:32 amthorr wrote: ↑Wed Feb 01, 2023 11:29 pmI was thinking about getting this Mister case, but it might be a bit overkill: https://goknight.com/blizzard-mister-stroboto-case/
This is a joke right?
Yes, a bad one. 
I searched for Mister Case and that came up, so I thought I would share.
Warning: long-ish build diary post ahead!
Introducing:The Intelli64
After using one of Lee Smith's 3d printed case designs for some time, I decided to take a crack at making my own Commodore 64 / Amiga style wedge case. With a twist. This one in Army Blue, built around a cheap mechanical backlit 60% keyboard I got on Amazon for around $30 usd. (It was the "MageGee Portable 60% Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, MK-Box LED Backlit Compact 68 Keys Mini Wired Office Keyboard with Red Switch for Windows Laptop PC Mac - Black/Grey ") I tried to create a sort of blend between the Breadbin C64 case, and the Amiga 1200, in a navy blue, sort of Japanese modern / retro inspired case. I had a couple of retron db9 atari style usb adapters hanging around and an old "Ultimate PC Interface" and some Intellivision Flashback controllers. A four joystick plus usb port, all rear port facing machine started forming in my imagination. One where even the microsd cards were easily accessible and I could tear away the lid of the machine to get to the internals easily if needed.
Here's a step by step of my build, and a youtube video showing off the final at the end. Hope you guys find some inspiration in it. It was my first time using a CAD program for anything really precise. (Shapr3d - it's incredible) My build is far from perfect, and I'm not the best at soldering... but damn the torpedoes, it all works!
First measuring the de10-nano and doing my design in 3d...
Split the model into two halves, and printed using organic supports. (which work REALLY well)
Had to print these with a lip around the edge of the model as they kept lifting from the plate. No biggie.
Fine sandpaper and you can't even tell.
The two halves placed together...
I'd planned poorly. These 3mm holes are way too hard to reach with the screwdriver / drill / tools I had on hand...
@$^&@# it! We'll do it live!
Zip ties to the rescue. (I later updated my 3d design to just have rectangular holes for zips.)
8mm magnets pushed into place in the corners for the lids. Lids snap satisfyingly and strongly into place.
Ok but I need only one power port in the back too.
OMG I FORGOT that port in the model before printing! Dremel time... argh! HOLE TOO BIG. Don't do this work when tired. --hastily prints round washer thingy--
No one will know...
Wiring up a power switch on the side.
Power on the bottom of the Nano. (Don't judge me)
Standoffs go into the left side of the case. We're going to keep the USB elevated with the front side resting on this little shelf...
These go inside next...
All tucked in. Wires will hide under the keyboard and around.. we'll deal with that later.
In goes the USB hub. (I wired a barrel power connector on the left that goes to the power switch / de-10.)
Nice rear.
The De-10 and analog board goes in next with these microsd extenders to be mounted on a shelf above it...
Buttons... I think it needs to be RGB. Wired them up with a JST connector.
All packed in, keyboard set in place.
One final thing...
And some hot snot to adhere the badge...
Finished!
Video here:
Very cool. Great work @cartoondonkey
Thanks @muthuxmut ! A lot of work but I'm really really happy with it.
I had to bust out this little matching rotating iPad screen stand to complete the build.
This case has been awesome, both for portability and convenience.
After a recent acquisition of a portable 14 inch 1080p display off of Amazon it quickly became my display of choice for running my Mister. Next came an old aluminum brief case that has been in my basement for a very long time. The conversion was simple and pretty inexpensive.
A vesa mount that fit within the lid of the case off of Amazon. And a sound bar to round out the top. The display has speakers but they sound awful. The soundbar was very cheap and not to loud, but that keeps the power consumption low. The audio quality is significantly better too.
For the bottom I cut a piece of acrylic that I had laying about, then cut slots in it for velcro straps. These let me put the components inside while being able to easily change things around on a whim. Since I constantly change my controllers and often want a full sized keyboard I like being able to put whatever I may want in it at any time.
Adapters for plugging in the cabling into the display keeps things looking neat. Also they let me use cabling that I already had on hand instead of having to buy new stuff that would fit within size constraints.
I cut down one of my USB to Barrel Jack cables so that I didn't have an excessive cable run. Then I got a little two port USB hub so that I could power the sound bar and the Mister from the same USB 2.0 port on my power banks.
I did add some washers below the acrylic just to add a bit of weight. And I added an extra rubber foot on the bottom of the case in order to protect anything that I set the case on from scratches.
It is clean and battery powered, with nothing else to get in the way.
Not pictured, but I usually keep an extension cord packed in with some AC to USB bricks to run from an outlet if I want to.
Everything is packed and held in place firmly. I have about an inch of space between the components on the bottom and the screen up top when closed. I still want to add some rubber feet to the side just because I turn the case on its side if I want the screen to be vertical.
I was concerned about powering the Mister and the sound bar from the same USB 2.0 port on my power banks. But after playing a lot of NES/SNES/Genesis/SegaCD/TGFX16/TGFXCD/NeoGeo I've yet to run into any problems. I get about 4+ hours on a single bank, although I often use two and separate the display and Mister. I've only even run this on AC as of late when I have to use the power banks to charge cell phones or other devices.
This case lets me use the display for other things when I want as well. It's also easy to hook up the Mister to another TV if I want a larger display. However the pick up and plop down to play anywhere nature has been fantastic. I've used my Mister so much more since setting this up. The case is large enough to hold a lot of different controllers, and I change them out often.
I left my Misterfpga on atract mode for a few hours, and noticed this "electrical smell", and later some screen tearing that would be solved by rebooting.
So, I placed a buch of heatsinks and a Noctua fan:
Just a quick word of caution. Those anti-static bags are actually conductive. You should never place an electronic device on them while powered on as it can short out and damage your device. I can't tell if you did that from your pictures, but I wanted to make sure you were aware since you do have the power cable hooked up.
dpezet wrote: ↑Wed Apr 19, 2023 1:50 amJust a quick word of caution. Those anti-static bags are actually conductive. You should never place an electronic device on them while powered on as it can short out and damage your device. I can't tell if you did that from your pictures, but I wanted to make sure you were aware since you do have the power cable hooked up.
Hey, thanks for the heads up! 
I didn't know that. At any rate, the boards are on standoffs, so it has been safe.
Oh my.... it's growing....
holy crap why no screws?
Thanks to the guys at RMC and Laserbear, this is my setup now!
cursedverses wrote: ↑Fri Apr 21, 2023 4:10 pmThanks to the guys at RMC and Laserbear, this is my setup now!
That's way cool! 
Is that an mt32-pi on top?
It sure is! I did want a colour-matching case for it but the red has grown on me...
so since people are showing off some awesome finished stuff, here's my troubled Work-In-Progress...
to restore the balance!
it's been a WIP for a bit of a long time because as you can see, i'm having some issues with the screen controller, this is the original screen of that old thinkpad, but i've been having communication issues apparently with the sellers of that panel controller, and they stopped selling that reference since 
so i have to figure out by myself how to program it's firmware, or try an universal one with jumpers that apparently are a thing,
also yes, i do plan to make the keyboard and track nubbin functionnal too
I have acrylic case from misterfpga.co.uk
Misteraddons analogue IO board, usb hub, Y/C board
I made case for Y/C board with sardine can box lol
MT32-pi hat from Yavimaya on tindie.com with rpi 3 A+
I made dust cover for it with a brand appropriate sardine can box
This looks fishy.
