Ben Heck has just wrapped up his latest project, a portable Atari 7800. He had meant to do this a long time ago, but lacking experience, the complex looking circuit board scared him off. It features a seven inch display, rechargeable batteries, combination driving and paddle controllers, plus AV out. The console was built by request and just like his other pojects: he’s not shy about showing you how it’s put together. Look for a making-of coming soon.
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UPCB Makes Your Arcade Stick Universal
The Universal PCB project lets you make any controller (specifically arcade sticks) console agnostic. A PIC microcontroller is used to translate between the button presses and the signals for the specific console you’re connected to. It uses a DB15 for the external plug. The PIC knows which console you’re plugged into based on which pins are high or low in your console specific adapter cable. The board includes a piggyback plug so you can plug in an Xbox360 controller board (like the one above) since the console requires authentication. The PIC’s firmware is conveniently upgradeable over the USB cable.
Ben Heck’s PS3 Laptop
[Ben]’s been at it again. This time he’s whipped up a PS3 laptop. He built this one just for engadget… and there will be how-to’s on it, oh yes, there will. For now, you can wet your appetite for console modding with the picture gallery. It’s pretty big, but It’s actually thinner than the original console.
