NES HTPC Build/Mod

Hardware Hub Build Logs
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Background:

I've been wanting to build a NES HTPC for years now, so after seeing @GigaBusterEXE's SNES build plan, I've decided to finally start working on this.

There's been many NES builds documented online and the question is always the same - do you want to maintain a completely stock look or do you want to mod the NES chassis (sometimes thoroughly) to avoid thermal issues? I'm actually not sure which way I want to go at this point, so I'll need to figure this out during the process.

Current parts list:


MSI H97I AC LGA 1150 Intel H97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
CORSAIR Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
HDPLEX Hi-Fi 250W DC-ATX Power Supply

I wanted to order the MOBO first in order to do some measuring and mockups to see how much of the NES's bottom I need to cut out.


MSI H97I MOBO
I chose this MOBO for several reasons:
1. Versatility - it has all the I/O I need and then some, which is nice since I'm not sure exactly what I'll end up using this system for.
2. WiFi - integrated wifi was a must as I dont want to route ethernet out from the NES chassis
3. HDMI port position - the position of the HDMI port will hopefully be ideal for my plans for the NES's back I/O plate. Some other mini ITX boards had the HDMI port(s) placed more towards the middle of the I/O row, which would make internal HDMI routing more of a chore.

This MOBO looks awesome. Too bad nobody will see it . . . unless I get crazy and decide to put in some sort of window.

Yummy I/O with HDMI positioned towards the left of the board.



The HD-Plex 250W DC-ATX power supply
This little guy is going to be the key to fitting all the required components inside the NES chassis. Thanks to @GigaBusterEXE for finding this thing!
Dimensions: 150mm (L) X 51mm (W)






Next post will cover the brief NES teardown, so stay tuned :D

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NES Teardown



Mainboard:



The Key Components:

- Mainboard with attached power/I/O module (top left)
- metal shielding (top right, 2 pieces stacked)
- Chassis top (bottom left)
- Chassis bottom with attached Power/Reset switch cables and controller port cables (bottom middle)
- Cartridge loader (bottom right)


Closeup of the Power/Reset switches:

I'm not sure yet what my plans are for the original Power/Reset switch PCB. Some folks remove or modify it to save space since it can prevent installation of the MOBO or another component (GPU in some cases). Yet another thing to figure out as I go.



This photo really shows how NOT flat the bottom of the NES is. Like some other folks, I need to decide whether or not I will be cutting out all of the raised areas and flattening the bottom by using an acrylic sheet and fiberglass filler.

Next up will be some measuring and perhaps some initial modding of the NES chassis.

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Man, all the small form factor old console builds really makes me want to build a stealth system as well but unfortunately my N64, NES, and 360 are still fully functional. Perhaps when gamestop starts selling the classic consoles again we can get them for very cheap!

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Full disclosure - My brother still has the NES that we used to play when growing up and it's still functional, so I actually bought a working NES for this build. I know this is a bit sacrilegious, but, the way I see it, I'll at least have all the internals in case my brother's dies. I could've picked one up for cheaper on eBay, but I wanted to actually see the chassis in person. Some of the eBay systems look super grody and sometimes staining can be really hard to remove. Also, most of the eBay ones are packaged with the cables and games and the shop I went to gave me a discount since I mysteriously didnt need any cables :D

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Its fine if its still functional, the point is the case not so much the hardware of the original system.
IIRC someone had to change the toggle switch to work like a push button that way it would seem like the power button was being held down constantly.

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Yeah this dude went nuts with his build and made a very slick system. He modded the power/reset switch on this page of his buildlog

example from his build photos:

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Nice!

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Did some dremelling today to remove all the unwanted standoffs in order to create some more space inside the chassis.

Removed the power/reset switch and controller ports:

Here's what the inside of the bottom piece looked like before:

Here's what it looks like after some rough dremelling:

Got a bit carried away in one spot. Gona have to patch that :(



Here's the MOBO orientation that I'm shooting for:

This should position several USB ports and the HDMI port so that I can use the original recessed I/O area on the chassis after some modification:



Hey! That's no NES inside there!




Next I need to do some measuring and decide whether or not I want to remove the raised channels in the bottom of the chassis and mod it to be flush, or if I'll be able to keep the channels and go for a more stock look. Its the bottom, so it wont really show, but I wouldn't mind avoiding all the work involved in leveling the bottom if I can :)

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Good progress so far.
I was thinking of getting one of the PS2 slims or you think that would be far too skinny to fit a system in there?

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Hmm. That might be a tough one unless you use some non-standard components.

I believe the PS2 Slimline dimensions are: 1.1 x 9.06 x 5.98 in

You'd definitely need to use a thin Mini-ITX MOBO or something smaller like an embedded solution due to the slimness of the chassis. You wouldnt be able to mount any standard CPU cooler either, so you'd have to do a passive cooling solution I'd think. I'd recommend maybe using something a bit bigger if possible. The standard PS2 chassis would probably work a lot better.

Edit: Looks like Nintendo 64's work as well:

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Yeah, I looked up the PS2 Slim dimensions. Far too slim unless I was using a thin mini-itx and this cooler LINK
That means I would not be able to throw in something like a half height single slot R7 250 from sapphire.

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Interesting cooler. Yeah. I was wondering about using PCI-e ribbon cables for a GPU. In the NES build I'm using as a template, the guy was able to fit a super small GPU inside without having to use a ribbon cable, but for a smaller console chassis, I'm thinking that a ribbon cable might the the way to go since most consoles have more horizontal space available than vertical space.

Edit: ah, so that CPU cooler is whats inside the Intel NUC's eh? Interesting design. I havent decided on a cooler yet for the NES build, but I know that some folks have used this Noctua cooler.

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I wanted to implement a ribbon cable into my machine.

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Small update for today. I did some more rough dremeling, sanding down what remained of the various stand-offs and support pieces. I also decides to go the route of cutting out all of the raised areas on the bottom of the NES like some other folks have done. While this wont keep the bottom "stock", it allows you to level the floor of the case, giving you more room inside. It also allows you to mount an acrylic floor piece which serves as the MOBO mounting plate.

Rough dremeling done inside the bottom


Closer shot of the very large hole that currently exists in the bottom of the case


chunk of junk


Shot of the bottom


Next I'll be working on some sanding and will start prepping for installing the lexan floor using epoxy. Once the floor is in, the next step will be to fill the large hole in the bottom with bondo fiberglass filler.

Also my shirts came yay!

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Well I did some more work this past weekend. I sanded down all that remained of the standoffs and cleaned up some of the plastic accumulation from the dremel cuts. Here's a grainy photo (crappy light in garage) of the inside bottom before I fully sanded and prepped for epoxying down the lexan floor.



It took me a while to cut out the proper shape in the lexan sheet for the floor. There's a lot of little areas that you need to work around like the four remaining support posts in each corner of the case and some raised areas at the bottom of the back I/O and from controller-port sections.

Once the lexan sheet was level and sitting as flush as possible inside the case, I applied epoxy and then used some books and clamps to apply pressure. I am hoping that I didnt apply too much epoxy in any places! Guess we'll see tomorrow.

Not exactly sure what the next step will be until I check out the epoxy.

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Well, a lot has happened since last update. The new expoxied lexan floor turned out awesome.


This should give me some more room to fit components inside the case as well as provide a floor to screw the MOBO stand-offs into.

Here's another shot of the lexan floor from the bottom

Next. I needed to cut some small strips of lexan and epoxy them to the small openings on the sides of the case that were left over from where the raised channel ran along the bottom. Here's a shot of one from the inside after the epoxy dried

I plugged the holes on the left and right side of the case using the same method. Here's a shot from the outside of the case, showing the corner of the plug strip meeting the new lexan floor

Next, I applied a layer of bondo fiberglass filler to the bottom of the case so that I can fill the area that was cut out and make the bottom level again. I made sure to tape up all openings on the case as well as cover the Nintendo stickers on the bottom of the case with painter's tape. I'm hoping to keep these stickers intact for the final product.

Being a total bondo noob, I applied it the best I could. It was definitely a tricky process. The next few nights were spent sanding the bondo to make things level. This took quite a lot of fun-filled hours. No, that's not cocaine - I made a neat little fiberglass dust pile (the other half went on the ground)

At this point, I nearly have the bottom sanded down to a level finish, however, I need to grab some higher grit sandpaper to put on some final touches. I might also need to do something about filling some of the small pinholes on the bottom. We'll see how it looks after final sanding.

I would have a picture of the current sanded case bottom, but since I forgot the plug the back channel gap with a piece of lexan, I cut another one tonight and have it working. Once again we end on a picture of more epoxy drying

Next steps will be finishing the bottom sanding; filling the left, right, and back channel cutouts and a few minor nicks with more bondo (yay); sanding that down; and then I'll be able to think about installing the MOBO. Eventually this will become interesting :D

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looking good

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Finally getting back to this project. The bottom has been pretty much sanded down to the desired finish, but I'll have to touch things up. I applied the final bondo to the three cut outs that were made in the sides and back of the case earlier.


Once the bondo dries, I'll sand the areas down so they are flush and then start working on the cut outs that will be added to the side(s) of the case for ventilation.

Once the final modifications have been made to the case and everything is good to go, I'm thinking about getting someone to do some custom paint work on the case - perhaps Tek Syndicate themed.

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Oooo.... can't wait to see the end results. Are you sticking to the original colors?

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Wow, you put a lot more effort into your build than I did with mine. http://imgur.com/a/tQKDx

I decided to go with a Thin M-ITX motherboard and an i3 4330 CPU. In retrospect I should have just got a $150 motherboard with a SOC. Going the route I did it ended up costing me a few hundred dollars more than it should have.

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