Big remodel of the acutal “Downing’s Basement” underway

Posted: 11/12/2012 in General News
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So over the next couple of days, my actual basement will be going though some pretty hefty upgrades which will more than double the actual working square footage of my shop. I managed to come into a decent amount of building lumber that was mostly throw away quality from work and spent a couple hours making it all into usable 2 x 4’s via table saw and sweat. This has allowed me to make use of a whole third of my basement which I couldn’t do anything with because the floor was nothing more than dirt, gravel and clay as well as being very very damp and sometimes flooded.

I’m in the process of building a large platform that covers over half of the 12′ x 14′ area which I will then be able to store all my household junk that is taking up real estate in usable parts of the basement. Once complete and everything is moved over, I’ll then be able to build three new work benches which will all have different concentrated uses. I’ll be using one for packing and shipping orders, and the other two for assembly and component storage.

Not exactly an exciting post I know, but it’s about a very important update to help improve efficiency in the space I have to work with and will therefore also increase the quality of the work and service I can provide to my current and potential customers in the future.

I’ll get a few pics posted soon though it might not be for a couple days as I expect to be completely worn out over the next week as this progresses. It’s gonna be sweet though, I can tell you that!

 

First SNES-001 Advance II controller ready for testing

Posted: 11/08/2012 in Current Project
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Though I agree this does in fact look quite like a chaotic mess of wires and breadboard, it hides the simplicity of the whole project very well. But for a project that’s already been done, there are many unique “firsts” for me this time around. This is the first time that I’ve ever used custom PCB’s in a project, much less boards I’ve cut myself. Along those lines this is the first project I’ve cut the vacuum mold out via CNC and made all the cuts and engraving via the same method. This is the first project I’ve ever used CAD programs on for that same reason. Also this is the first time I’ve ever tried to make my own controller using nothing but micro chips and resistors.

With so many firsts though, naturally come many unknowns. Where this will all end up is a mystery but I’m sure by keeping to the basic principles of process, I’ll be able to make this work the way I need it too. Anyway, just a quick update as to where I finished off for the weekend and where I’ll be picking up next week. Been a busy day today as far as traffic is concerned and I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to check out my work.

Remember, please subscribe to the blog (in the sidebar), my You Tube channel (in the sidebar too) or become a member over at MBB so you can keep up with all the new and exciting developments from all our members!

SNES-001 Advance II moving along

Posted: 11/08/2012 in Current Project
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A couple months ago I was approached by an eBay user via email who was interested in the original SNES-001 Advance I finished earlier in the year. Although I had sold it private sale after the bidding ended, he was interested in having me make another for him in time for Christmas. But, this deal appears to have fallen through, but I’d already got so far into it, I decided to keep going and I’ll throw it up on eBay when it’s complete.

This system though is going to be vastly superior to the other in almost every way as not only have the controllers been cut using my CNC machine, but the way the signals are being broken out to the controllers is greatly improved and requires no modding at all to the system. Also I’m using all custom cut PCB’s which really gives the original feel of the systems controller and is super strong as far as actual structural integrity is concerned.

But I’ve got many plans ahead for both this and my main project which I’ve been working on for about 3 months now. More on that as I get closer to actually developing it into a physical prototype. As for this project though, I’ve started up a build log over on MBB. Please feel free to give it a view for a bit more detail on the build and where it’s going. That’s all for now!

Doom 3 BFG Edition Is Here!

Posted: 10/30/2012 in General News
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Though most of you know I love old video games and love console systems, my actual favorite gaming platform is the PC. Just the quality of the games and the fact that they are much more cutting edge than any console can be as the hardware is evolving so rapidly. On the flip side though, it can be a great deal more expensive to keep up. Regardless though, I love them and when I found out earlier in October that Doom 3 was going to be re-released in an all new re-mastered package, I got pretty excited.

Though the re-mastering was really only apparent in the X-Box 360 version (as the original release was for X-box) I really didn’t notice a whole lot in that area for the PC version. But the package of Doom 3,  Resurrection of Evil expansion and the never before released “Lost Missions” was well worth it to me as I’d never played ROE or the Lost Missions either. To top off this nostalgic trip, ID put all three of the original Doom games in as well, including their expansions.

So for $30 they packed a hell of a lot of shooting fun into the package and I was grateful to take the trip back in time in such a cool new medium. That being said however, there were a couple of glitches that you would have thought might have been fixed before the release.

For one, the game has to be played through STEAM, the third party game launcher that forces players to sign up in order to activate and play the game. I can see this for multiplayer games but to have to have an internet connection to play on your own really seems like a bit of loss of control kind of issue. I mean I see why they did it to help prevent piracy which I do admit is a big problem, but if the Internet is down or you have no connection to the net, there is no playing the game which I think isn’t fair. They do make it fun though by adding new achievement badges as you go so you’re not just playing to get to the end, you can actually earn rewards, however arbitrary they may be.

The biggest issue I found though is that with some PC systems like mine, there was a massive drop in performance which by today’s standards shouldn’t have been there. Even with all the graphics options put to their lowest settings, the game was laggey, and jumpy and just not playable. Now my system more that beat out the recommended settings as the original game was over 8 years old and even the remastered edition wasn’t too demanding.  Turns out there was some form of “post-processing” issue that there was no control for in the main options menu. Fortunately a STEAM member found out what it was and provided a simple fix that made the game run as smooth as ever.

So anyway, that’s just my quick review of the game, but I also added a new page under the Guides tab that has the performance issue fix, all the cheats for the original Doom series and Doom 3 as well as 95% of the cabinet codes for Doom 3. Still working on ROE and the Lost Missions.  Check it out here and have fun taking out the minions of Hell all over again!

Progress is progress, no matter how slow it comes

Posted: 10/19/2012 in General News
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As stated in the previous posts, this absence of updates and sporadic postings all have a reason behind them. Though I’m doing a few jobs for modders all over the country, I’m still concentrating on the development of a few products that I’m hoping to generate some form of interest in the commercial market. Though I know these idea’s that I’m working quite hard on will be no “Oculus Rift” (sp), it’s a step in the direction of self-sufficiency that I hope one day may lead to something just as great!

Though many in the modding world have their own opinions about both the previous stated product and it’s producer, there is no doubt that vision of it’s creator is being realized, much to the same form as any other entrepreneur and designer. To this I actually take a great deal of inspiration in, regardless of where it came from and hope that my endeavors will be marginally as successful.

Time alone will tell though if the drive to create is enough to make it, though I have a feeling that there are several more factors that come into play to make it a reality. Though drive is the key energy that pushes an idea along, there is a lot more that feeds drive to make it something that stands up to the trials of success. I’ve been given the opportunity to do so, now it’s time to make it work and capture it!

With that said, I’ve got a lot more that is in need of doing so if I’m a bit on the quite side you’ll know why. Trust me, updates will be coming. Maybe not soon, but they will get there.

Commission’s Keeping Me Busy

Posted: 10/07/2012 in General News
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Sorry again for nearly another 10 days between posts. I’ve been sick, busy and making a lot of progress all at the same time. Still fine tuning the skills of the basic CNC work, but as you can tell I’m starting to get the hang of it. What would have taken hours to do, now cuts out in a matter of minutes, however the free time is eaten up by the design work that is required. I’ve come to realize that what will make you good and fast at cutting is how intimate your knowledge with CAD is. It’s getting there, but still has a ways to go.

The above pic is the case I cut today for Nintendork from the MBB forums. Though I’m not sure if this is the case I’ll send because of the fact that I messed up a bit with the D-pad and had to FrankenCase in a replacement because I of it. This has caused a lot of sanding and I think I might just order in another case and save this one for a different project. Still deciding but we’ll see how the finished product looks and if it’s no good than I’ll get another case for it.

I’ve also made a lot of progress with Tchay’s casings and the first one will be on it’s way to Hollywood CA, on Tuesday.

All in all that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing but there is a lot more on the way so stay tuned.

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