Laptop Videopac

[Turtle]

Hi everybody, this was the former USB thread but now it has converted into the laptop videopac thread.

Im going to use a Videopac G7000 and create it into a laptop. It`s going to take a while to finish this project since i got alot going on besides this laptop project, but going to try to get at least one thing done every week maybe more. I have gotten some good id?as and pointers from some of the member on this forum and it was manopac who inspired me to create an laptop videopac instead of an laptop inside an videopac.

So what am I going to put inside this beast?
The plan is to use an Videopac g7000 as motherboard and main shell of the laptop going to be some major fixing on the looks.
Im  going to mod the videopac so it uses RGB instead of RF for better picture and beeing ablte to use an TFT screen.
Allso im going to try to fit an Voice module inside it for enhanced sounds and voice.
Cartridge slot is going to be moved for making it more flat, allso some metal shielding got to go.
Got an crazy id?a earlier today about making it look like a videopac game with handle on its back for "easier" transportation.

Ideas and design:
Heres an funny id?a i came up with.


Not shure if this will be the final design or not, maybe the handle but not the screen logo. Was planning on going for a more clean look.

New picture set, same old model but have right textures now, and allso put up plan for where the wiring and parts are going.


Bottom of the laptop

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/Deadpixelnor/Vidiopac%20laptop/wiringbot.png
Top of the laptop

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t293/Deadpixelnor/Vidiopac%20laptop/wiringtop.png

Work day one:
Today I have stripped the case and did the first modication's to the motherboard, unsolder the game connector and the player 2 controller port.

Sawed of the "top" of the case with an dremmel tool, to make the case more compact since the game connector is going on the side anyway.

Here we have the start of the patching up of the case, im using glass fiber as a base and will smooth it out with (sparkel) is that wat its named?

Look the glass fiber looks like an turd when i squeese it out, wicked sick.

As you can see on the underside of the patching i still need some work with the glassfiber, going to smooth it out there aswell so it will stick properly before i cut it to shape on the top.

Update 7.12.09

Underside of the glass fiber is finished, the top is allso cuttet to fit.

allso cut the poor top part in two to extend it to fit.

top part filled so it will get a smooth surface


Images of what i have left to do on the bottom part to extend the top, just to give you guys a image of what it is going to look like

And finally another turd looking thing.

Cheers Turtle

[Janzl]

Try this topic: https://videopac.nl/forum/index.php?topic=1184.0

[Turtle]

oh thanks that shure helped alot. this project will take some time tho, hope i get it to work.

[Janzl]

Your welcome, please let us know if you make any progress I'm curious.

[Turtle]

Will post pictures regulary to show progress, if i can start this project at all its quite an expensive laptop i will use. So dont want to mess it up, looking at the posebility to use the original g7000 keyboard, but im no master geek in electronics

[manopac]

for the joystick I would recommend you just buy one of those Competition Pro for USB
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B001AI5N6M/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=471061493&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000BHGNO4&pf_rd_m=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&pf_rd_r=0MW4RZDPQM33AGF3N2BN

and just rewire the original G7000 Joystick to that - has already all the electronics you need and should also fit into an original Videopac controller ...

keyboard might be more difficult, but I guess I would go the same route: rewire a USB keyboard and don't change anything on the original keyboard, if you want to tinker as little as possible with the expensive laptop ...

EDIT: or you use the one which Janzl pointed out for the joystick, should work the same way :-)

[Turtle]

Thank you for the answer, i was planning on dremmel the joystick on the side of the keyboard, but that may cause some problem's if i am going to make a laptop that can close the lid. so my secound idea was to replace the ports on the back of the videopac with usb ports instead. could be cool too, I have to get up with some plans for the videopac laptop, on how the lid shall work and what of the original shell i got to remove, was allso planning on not removing the game cardridge slot and make an usb mass storage device in a dupe videopac cart to emulate the games. But that can be hard when thinking of the lid. Time to fire up some 3D studio max :D

[manopac]

Mind me asking, why you want to turn a normal laptop into a G7000 laptop? For emulation? wouldn't it be cool to have a G7000 laptop by putting an original G7000 in a laptop-shell (with rewiring the cart-port to the back, using a TFT as Monitor with the RGB mod and the original joysticks - maybe even integrate a joypad in the shell) - thats also something I would like to see :-)  (and you could always use a multicart with that - hell even put the electronics of the multicart inside and use the multicart when no other cart is plugged in ...)

hm ... this makes me want to have a lot more time on my hands :-)

[Turtle]

Well, dont know why i want to create an laptop inside an G7000 shell, guess it is for emulation and just the fun of having an laptop that looks like an g7000, it even makes an great media center next to my TV. But it would allso be great to create an g7000 laptop, damn you now you got me thinking of maybe doing that instead. I even got an spare laptop TFT screen laying here somewhere, but think i would have to create an totally new shell for the G7000 laptop to get it stylish and practical space for the motherboard, do you have an link for the RGB mod for G7000? Cheers mate

[Turtle]

bump because pictures of ide is up, this could work with both videopac laptop and laptop videopac.
Please give your ideas on what i could do different

[Seob]

Looks very cool.

[manopac]

do you have an link for the RGB mod for G7000?

this board has it all :-)
https://videopac.nl/forum/index.php?topic=1136.0

I like your design, but I actually think you could get a G7000 in a "normal" (bulkier) laptopshape, there's not that much electronics in it anyway ... if you would rewire the cartridgeport then its basically flat ...

[Turtle]

wow you guys realy have it all Will have some problems finding some of those parts in norway, have no special shop for those kind of item`s. will probebly have to order them trough some web shop. Rewire the cardridge slot as you said and maybe remove some of the metal shielding,  cant see that would be an problem, then it will get realy flat. Will come up with an new design of an laptop videopac g7000 in a few hours.  maybe i can lower the height of the original g7000 shell, so it would be more of an original size of it when the screen comes on. Thanks for all the reply's  

EDIT: Picture came up faster than i was planning on, took shorter while to modify my 3D, my head is full of id?as right now, got to get them down on paper.

[manopac]

an idea about the joystick: you could make a joypad which is flat inside the case and leave a hole in the middle of the joypad for the stick which then can be screwed in when opened ... I have a PC-joystick somewhere which has that concept (joypad or digital joystick) and it works surprisingly well :-)

I love your design for the new G7000 laptop :-) depending on the space you would have in the case you could even include a Voice Module PCB inside (-> Rene would know more about how to do that ...)

[Turtle]

That could be an great id?a for the joystick, so i dont have the problem with the lid
Nice that you like the new design, is somthing i got to work a bit on as soon as i know exactly how big i can create the shell, wish i had an 3D printer now, so i just chould have made a totally new top and lid Think i can lower the motherboard a bit to, long since i had the G7000 open but isnt it a bit space between motherboard and bottom? Would love to allso include the voice module, I dont even own an voice mudule yet. Something i got to get into soon.