Rants About Software

Full Image GalleryI was recently digging through a stack of photos when I came across some pics from an old project. During the Summer of '03, I built a PC inside of an old NES case (Your skill in nerdom has increased by +1).

Unfortunately, the photos were taken on a disposable camera, then scanned, so they're not the greatest quality. But still, I figured I'd share them here, as well as tell you all a little bit about the project.

The Plan

When I set out to build this project, I had the following goals in mind:

• Somehow cram a whole PC into an NES case.
• Make the CD drive pop out of the cartridge slot.
• Original power button and LED power indicator should be functional.
• Attach the keyboard and mouse using the original NES controller ports.
• Mouse, keyboard, and monitor should be aesthetically similar to the NES/controllers.

Construction

To get everything to fit in an NES case, I hard to buy tiny parts. This began with a Mini-itx motherboard. The mini-itx boards are great for mod projects (small size with plenty of onboard components.) Next, I had to resort to using a hard drive and a cd drive that were made for laptops. The standard size PC parts were simply too big. Even when using these smaller parts, space was still tight.

The CD drive and HDD were both mounted to the top half of the case (lined up so that the CD drive would pop out from the cartridge slot.) Obviously, I couldn't just bolt them to the top. That would look horrible! So instead, I mounted them with strips of industrial strength velcro. I know that sounds dangerous, but the parts were light and it actually held up very well.

Making the original power button and LED light wasn't a very big deal. They really aren't much different from any other power switch. I did, however, have to remove a small staple-like part from the power switch. This prevented the power button from "sticking" when turned on. The reset button is purely cosmetic. I could have connected it, but I figured a reset button on a PC was unnecessary.

Attaching the mouse and keyboard to the original controller ports was a nice touch and it was actually much simpler than you would think. Here's how it worked...

The cords for the mouse and keyboard were removed, as were the cords for two NES controllers. I plugged the cords for the mouse and keyboard into their appropriate ports and I cut a hole in the back of the case to run the cords right inside. These cords were then attached to the inside of the controller ports. I then opened up the mouse and keyboard and attached the cords from the NES controllers. So when you plug the NES controller cord into the controller port, you are completing the connection to the mouse/keyboard ports.

Mouse/Keyboard → NES Cords → NES Controller Port → Mouse/Keyboard Cords → Mouse/Keyboard Ports

While the mouse and keyboard were disassembled, I went ahead and gave them a quick paint job to match the look/feel of NES peripherals.

Once everything was assembled, I installed Windows 2K and set up an NES desktop theme to top it off. Project Complete.

Future NES PC

Eventually, I'd like to build another (new and improved) NES PC. When I do, there are some things that I'll change/improve upon. The first NES PC was built 7 years ago, so naturally I'd be building a more powerful machine now. The basic upgrades apply: Faster processor, more RAM, bigger HDD, etc. Unfortunately, any graphics card has to be built into the board because there's simply not enough room to install my own. My options are pretty much limited to what Mini-itx can provide. So we'll just have to see what's available when I finally get around to doing it.

I would also spend considerably more time on craftsmanship. When building the first NES PC, I rushed through a lot of the cutting, drilling, and painting because I was too anxious to complete the project. The end result still looked good, but it could have been much better.

One problem that I had with the original model was cramming the power supply into that little box. Not only did it take up a lot of room, but it was also a major source of heat. I think I could eliminate both of these issues from the new model by using a laptop power supply. Of course, I'll have to do a little research on making this work.

Another thing that I'd like to do is add two USB port right underneath the CD drive (DVD drive in the new version.) I'm not sure yet how I can make this work, but I think it would be a nice touch.

I have no idea when I'll get around to building the next NES PC. But in the meantime, be sure to check out my NES PC Image Gallery. (Sorry for the bad image quality.)