Though I’m a big fan of working for a living and making your own way, I’m also exceptionally protective of my free time which I value somewhat more than the money I bring in with the job. Recently however, recent events at the real job have started to dangle the $$ promise a bit closer to reach, but it requires of course an extra step up on the work hours side which takes away from the free hours side. But this is a sacrifice that I need to make to feel like I’m pulling my weight around the house as the wife simply scoffs at the idea of a 50 hour work week and says “I Wish!”

Granted she is probably the hardest worker I know, the fruits of this labor are also starting to pay off with her being just one half-step away from have a PhD before she hits 30! It’s actually inspiring and I really do admire her ability to stay to her commitments! However, the free time she has is next to nil and it can sometimes ware on her patients, which is why mine needs to remain at a high level and be ready to increase at a moments notice. Not that I’m saying she’s a raging bitch every night or any night for that matter, no no no, but after a 16 hour day it’s quite difficult to not to be set off by the next thing that unexpectedly pops up.

This is why I think I have to be doing something creative and productive all the time, sometimes in the most challenging of ways. This teaches and consistently reinforces my need to practice patients because I know a reward worth waiting for is at the end if I just stick with it. So what worries me is if these times at work do start to prove very fruitful yet time consuming, my free time patients practices might suffer a bit. Of course though this could be just merely a paranoid prediction to an unrealized reality, but my modding time and personal unwind time is being shortened.

This is why I have not been posting recently because the portable has not been touched. I am working on a project though which is going to be equally as impressive, but it’s taking time, time that I don’t really have.

So with that said, I’ll try and make at least one post a week from now on and more if I can. We still have weekends free though which we spend with our dogs and try to take them up north to the parents place where they can run! I also get quite a bit of work done on the weekends as well, so I at least have those for a couple more weeks, till work takes those from us as well!

New Guide Version Up!

Posted: 09/20/2011 in General News

Hey Everyone! Made some corrections and edits to the guide to bring it up to par a bit. I know it’s still loaded with text and grammar errors, but I’m working on it as I have the time. Most of the corrections were made in the intro/cover and the Vacuum Forming section (part 6) of the guide. As mentioned before, this is a work in progress and will be updated as time goes on, but it’s still one of the most comprehensive guides out there when it comes to the hobby and I will continually be improving upon it. Please check it out in the Guides section if you are curious or in need of case making guidance!

So a few complications have shown their ugly head with this project. My worst fears that not being able to test the system as I went are starting to give me headaches. But worst case scenario is I get another FC Twin and just make that system into a portable with changeable carts. I can still make it a Mario/Zelda tribute with decals and such though I feel it won’t be quite the same.

In either case, I’ve got much work to do! Here is a pic of some of the work I did, tapping out a hole in an N64 heat sink for the 5V regulators to sit on. As always, check out MBB for more info.

On a side note, got some feed back from Hail today about the guide. Gonna clean up some errors which I knew were in there, but once that’s done we’ll be making a short You Tube video to promote it! We’ll see where this leads!

The project is going quite well, but has been as time consuming as any project I’ve done. The big fear in this of course though is the inability to test as I go, which is making for some potential hellish troubleshooting sessions which may mean a lot of de-solder/re-solder processes. This of course is because without a cartridge slot in place, I have to have the games hardwired before I can even begin testing, not to mention the power and signal wires needing to be run to the system and screen.

If this works on the first try it’s going to be a miracle, but I’ve been vigilant on how my connections are being made and what’s around them.

The picture below shows where my current progress with the board and games stand. But as you can see, the game is going to lay right over the cart pins so once it’s soldered in place, getting to those pins is going to be next to impossible without a lot of repeat soldering.

As always, check out the full progress work log on MBB!

Made a fair bit of progress today with the Mario/Zelda Portable. Redid a bit of the button mounting and came up with a lot better and lower configuration. Going to have to shortly start on the back half of the casing as I’ll need it for sizing and other component configs.

Please check out the full work log over on MBB for more info.

 

And We’re Live

Posted: 09/10/2011 in General News

Do you ever get that excited feeling like when you’re just about to get to a destination after a long trip and you begin to hope that your time invested into the travel is going to be worth it? Well that’s what I’m hoping for!

For those of you who know me, you know that once I start something I’m committed to, it’s gets done in one method or another! With that said, I’d like to welcome you all to my Project Showcase Blog and Website!

For awhile now, many of you know that I’ve been into electronics modding, music and home improvements. I’m also a member of several online communities and forums from all over the world which subject matter varies but is all along the same lines as hobby and projects.

Well, today is the day I’m releasing this site to family and friends and all the communities as a whole.

Basically this site is designed to be an online portfolio of my works and will be updated on a regular basis as new projects emerge and older projects get put up as I have the time.

But this blog is also going to be the heart of the site as well so I encourage you to subscribe via the button in the side bar <—- and stay in the loop with updates and new news!

So check out the Project Showcase, the guides and the forums and feel free to make a few comments, ask a few questions and just browse around the site for a bit! I’m open to criticism as long as it’s constructive, but I want to know what you think!