Hacking video game consoles: turn your old video game systems into awesome new portables

578 Pages·2005·66.93 MB·English

by  Benjamin Heckendorn

Hacking Video Game
Consoles
Turn your old
video game systems
into awesome new portables
Ben Heckendorn

Hacking Video Game
Consoles
Turn your old
video game systems
into awesome new portables

Hacking Video Game
Consoles
Turn your old
video game systems
into awesome new portables
Ben Heckendorn
Hacking Video Game Consoles
Published by
Wiley Publishing,Inc.
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Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing,Inc.,Indianapolis,Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing,Inc.,Indianapolis,Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN:0-7645-7806-5
Manufactured in the United States of America
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:2004030557
Heckendorn, Ben, 1975-
Hacking video game consoles / Ben Heckendorn.
p.cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-7645-7806-5 (paper/website)
1. Computer games--Programming. 2. Computer graphics. 3. Video games--design. I.Title.
QA76.76.C672H43 2005
794.8'1526--dc22
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and/or its affiliates,in the United States and other countries,and may not be used without written permission.All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.Wiley Publishing,Inc.,is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
About the Author
Born in 1975,a mere two years before the Atari 2600 came out,Benjamin J.Heckendorn is a
graphic artist/independent filmmaker/portable video game system builder who resides near the
middle of Wisconsin,U.S.A.In his leisure moments,he enjoys actually playingvideo games (a
welcome break from building them),doing karaoke,building cheap fighting robots out of
remote-control cars,and working on his really low budget movies and beer.His favorite food is
spaghetti and he hopes one day to visit outer space and do a voice for an animated film,but not
both on the same day.
Credits
Executive Editor Vice President and Publisher
Chris Webb Joseph B.Wikert
Development Editor Project Coordinator
Eileen Bien Calabro Erin Smith
Production Editor Graphics and Production Specialists
Gabrielle Nabi Jonelle Burns
Sean Decker
Copy Editor Denny Hager
Neil Ching Jennifer Heleine
Heather Ryan
Editorial Manager
Mary Beth Wakefield Quality Control Technicians
Laura Albert
Vice President & Executive Group John Greenough
Publisher Joe Niesen
Richard Swadley
Proofreading and Indexing
TECHBOOKS Production Services
Contents at a Glance
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Part I: So You Want to Make a Portable Video Game System, Eh? . . . . . 1
Chapter 1:Choosing a Game Console to Make Portable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2:Knowing Your Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 3:Learning Basic Electronics for Portables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chapter 4:Hacking Pocket Televisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Chapter 5:Using Computerized Cutting Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Part II: Making Portable Game Consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Chapter 6:Making Your Nintendo Entertainment System Portable . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chapter 7:Building a Portable Nintendo By Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Chapter 8:Building a Portable Nintendo Using CNC Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Chapter 9:Making Your Super Nintendo Entertainment System Portable . . . . . . . . 229
Chapter 10:Building a Portable Super Nintendo by Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Chapter 11:Building a Portable Super Nintendo Using CNC Machinery . . . . . . . . 301
Chapter 12:Making Your Sony PSOne Portable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Chapter 13:Building a Portable Playstation 1 by Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
Chapter 14:Making a Portable Playstation 1 Using CNC Machinery . . . . . . . . . . 413
Chapter 15:Making Your Atari 2600 Portable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
Chapter 16:Building a Portable Atari 2600 by Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
Chapter 17:Making a Portable Atari 2600 Using CNC Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . 493
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523