Nintendo (NES) HTPC: How-To

The previous blog post found here explains the components, the decision making process, and the cost. Check it out.

**Warning in advance**
The classic NES case has VERY little ventilation. In retrospect I should have opted for a low wattage "green" CPU. It does get very warm in there without a dedicated fan at the rear or something. I will probably have to install a metallic grate at the back to keep it from overheating. Right now it does fine as long as the Nintendo cartridge door remains open in the front, but adding the disk drive puts it a little too far on the warm side again.

The final product

For starters here is what the empty NES case looks like after the main components have been removed.

I kept the controller plugs in case I need to mod them later into USB ports accessible from the front. I kept the power and reset buttons as well and modded them so they still worked with the new computer. The rest of the inside needs to be dremeled out so all the new components can fit.

Step 1: Plan the build

Room is going to be tight, so you need to plan where everything will fit. I decided to place the mother board on the right side of the case so the back shield would match up with the old holes for power and hopefully leave enough room for the power/reset button board to stay so I would have less work later.

Step 2: Dremel

Dremel out all the unneeded plastic. This build is tight for space and I need the motherboard to be resting as close to the bottom as possible.

I saved the bits to use for later.

Step 3: Cut a hole for the back panel of the motherboard and secure the back panel shield

I have seen some people dremel out a hole for each component. That seems stupid to me. Instead I matched the back plate to the NES. The back side is the PERFECT height for a standard mini-ITX panel if you cut off the top frame.

I then superglued it on so it would hold tight.

The hole on the right is for the power cord.

Step 4: Attach the power supply

The picoPSU power supply looks like this. The 24 pin adapter plugs into the motherboard and the other end is secured to the case.

Step 5: Attach the motherboard

Because there is a giant hole in the bottom of the case, I wanted the mobo to be elevated slightly so I used the old plastic I had cut out of the case to create little half centimeter stands that could be superglued to the case, then screwed to hold up the mobo.

 Add the motherboard and this is how it looks with everything inside.

You can see that space is really tight. The power/reset buttons actually cover the USB 3.0 header. I was a little sad but I ended up not even using it so not a big deal. The SS hard drive is attached on the right.

Step 6: Mod the power buttons

It was super important to me that the power buttons work properly. I used an old power button from an old PC (visible in the background and on the left below)

 I then dremeled off the back of the light blue casings. When you push the power/reset buttons, it extends a little plug in the back of the housing. I simply super glued the PC buttons to the back of the NES buttons. When you push the power, it pushes the PC power. Then I tied the PC's LED light to the NES light. It is orange which is annoying, it should be read, and I might try rewiring it later.

Here you can see the side and top view of what the buttons look like.

You could accomplish this with a soldering iron and some resistors or something, but I didn't want to go there and just opted for a mechanical solution. In retrospect I wish I would have moved the motherboard over to the right even further to allow for a little more room.

Step 7: Attach the slim disk drive

This part is ghetto. Laptop disk drives don't really have convenient screws to hold the drive in place. I need to construct a mount to hold it, but haven't figured out an elegant solution. For now, it is held on with duct tape, that starts to slip slightly when the HTPC heats up.

I love the slot fed disk drive. The opening is just large enough for a dvd disk without problems. Other mods I have seen that have the traditional opening disk drive have to cut ugly holes in the front to make it fit, and they look awkward. The slot fed drive is a much more elegant solution. I love it.

You also need a specific cable to adapt the mini SATA connection on slim laptop drives to the 4 pin power connector.

Problems and things left to finish

• Heating is still an issue. I need to add a fairly large ventilation hole, preferably in the back of the case so I never have to worry about it overheating.
• I want to change the orange LED to red.
• Mount for the disk drive.

Nintendo (NES) HTPC: Overview

The step-by-step instructions can be found here. This is an overview of the components, the decision making process, and the cost.

Home Theater Personal Computers (HTPC) are amazing. We have been running our TV with a laptop for a long time and wanted a dedicated computer for the new Betchin' Basement. Because I never owned a gaming system as a kid and was forced to sneak in gaming time at friend's houses, I have always wanted to buy all the old systems and play through everything I missed as a kid. I saw a few tutorials on building a small media computer in an old NES box and wanted to give it a try. The goal of the NES build was to combine all the basement entertainment needs in one box (HD movies, music, retro gaming).

Here's the final product.

Also, I LOVE Amazon Prime! Got all this crap in 2 days. Makes it so much easier to do spur of the moment projects while I feel motivated!

Software

XBMC:

Xbox Media Center(XBMC) is amazing! If you haven't checked it out I highly recommend it. It plays everything, audio and video, without having to worry about media packs and additional programs. The HD display looks amazing on a large tv, and there are multiple skins and tons of customization available. It has scrapping programs that automatically search your files, identify the titles of movies and music, and will automatically scrap cover art and fan made backdrops that look great in HD.

The skin below is Aeon Nox and it looks great.

The background fan/art changes with the disk cover. It's so pretty in action.


XBMClauncher:

So windows boots straight into XBMC. It goes SO FAST!

Windows 8 ($70.00)
*sigh* I didn't want to buy windows 8 but it does start up really quickly (faster than Vista or 7).
XBMC does have an open source operating system that I really wanted to try, but it wouldn't have worked for emulation. If you are just doing a movie/music box I would recommend checking out XBMCbuntu and save some money. I really dislike windows 8 for PCs, but because this would  need to function well with a remote and a PS3 controller, the Start tile screen is actually useful for easy navigation with arrow keys and searching. If you have a student e-mail you can upgrade an old version of Windows for $69.99. They say it doesn't work to go from 32 bit to 64 bit but that is a lie. Windows has a great program for quickly formatting a flashdrive to be a bootable drive to install Windows without a disk drive or install disk. I took an old windows vista code from a broken laptop, upgraded to Windows 8 64 bit from a computer with Windows 7, wrote down the code, downloaded the Windows 8 disk ISO from piratebay and formatted a 4 gig flashdrive. They say you need 8 gigs for 64 bit windows 8.1, but 64 bit Windows 8 is only 3.7 gigs, and upgrading to 8.1 is easy once it is installed.

Hyperspin:

XBMC does have an addon to handle Roms and retro game emulators, but it had problems scrapping my files properly and I couldn't get it to work well with Playstation games. Hyperspin is the next alternative. It is annoying to set up, but they have complete databases of EVERY game from Atari to PlayStation X (and arcade games!) including coverart and fanart. The Hyperspin Project a few years ago attempted to compile information and files for all retro games and is a good place to start. Eventually XBMC will probably have a built in emulator but for now I have it set to boot from inside XBMC and then reopen XMBC when Hyperspin closes.

Tools

Dremel tool - these are amazing and every crafty betch needs one in their arsenal.

Screwdriver

Hammer

Drill

Super glue

Hardware

This build could have been done cheaper (500 dollars?), but because I wanted Intel 4600 graphics to run the emulators and video enhancers and had no idea how well Intel 4000 would handle it I spent a little extra on a newer CPU and Motherboard with bluetooth. I don't have room for a graphics card and it seemed like the best option.

Mother board: Gigabyte GA-Z97N Gaming 5  ($160.00)

It HAD to be mini-itx to fit in the case (7" x 7"). I hate choosing Mobos. There are a million different options with only slightly different features. I went with this one because it was a cheaper option, had a sata and 4 usb 3.0 ports on the back, wireless and bluetooth included, 7.1 and I like Gigabyte. 

CPU: Intel i5 4590 ($188.00)

Wanted i5 with Intel 4600 graphics. Might have been able to get a little better graphics with AMD for the price, but I needed to run cooler, and AMDs still run a little warmer? I did order a separate low profile cooler, but the included fan works well and was still fairly short.

Power Supply: picoPSU 160 xt (plug and 192 watt power adapter) ($80.00)
This is pretty much the only option when it comes to small case builds. I didn't have room in the NES case to fit a full power supply, and I don't have the ventilation to cool it even if I had room. Plus, the power supply fan always seems to be the on that starts to make noise after a year and I want this build to be relatively quiet. The picoPSU plugs into the 24 pin power on the motherboard and then powers 1 hard drive, and 1 disk drive. It is only rated for up to 200 watts, and quick check on my system said it needed between 150-180 watts (eXtreme Power is a good site to get a rough estimate). The power adapter sits outside of the case like a laptop and works great so far.
(You might be able to find the power adapter cheaper elsewhere and only get the 24 pin connector for $40.00)

RAM: Kingston 8 gig 1600 MHz ($80.00)

8 gigs is more than enough, and it doesn't cost that much more. It needed to be lower profile, so no crazy fins or anything.

Internal Hard Drive: Kingston 120 GB Solid State (SS) ($65.00)

Didn't need this big but it was on sale. Installed Windows and I still have room for all the other program files (XBMC, Hyperspin, emulators) so they run fast. The computer boots SOOO FAST! (6 seconds?). With a combination of bios settings that allow for super speedy boot, and XBMC loader program

External Hard Drive: Seagate 2TB USB 3.0 ($120.00)

This thing is tiny! I am going to try and fit it in an old NES cartridge like the ones found at

Bluray/DVD drive: Panasonic Slot fed Bluray/DVD drive    ($70.00+$6.00)

The disk drive had to be thin to fit in the case. I ordered a laptop disk drive without realizing the drive uses a different SATA connection that also includes power.

You need this connecting cable to connect it to the 4pin power and motherboard.

Peripherals

The goal here is to have 3 sources for input: keyboard, Infrared (IR) remote, and keyboard. They all must work perfectly with the HTPC and all must be able to control all functions (gaming, watching movies, moving around Windows). Only the remote can dim the lights :(

Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Keyboard with touchpad ($28.00)

I LOVE this keyboard. It works great from across the room with the USB sensor plugged into the back of the NES. There is no delay, and I have the computer set so it never fully turns off. A click of the button and it instantly wakes up.

Remote: Harmony 650 ($74.00)

So far so good. Harmony uses a browser based program to set up the remote. They had the TV and even the Lutron IR sensor lights already stored. I still need to do a lot of tweaking to get everything perfectly organized, but so far so good.

Game Controller: PS3 Wireless Bluetooth controller ($40.00)

Haven't bought this yet. Want to get Hyperspin set up first. We played a lot of PSX and PS2 and because I haven't consoled in a long time this is the closest to what I love. It should be easy to set it up for Sega and Nintendo games. I will have each button act as a keyboard button, and then make sure all the emulators have the same keys bound to the same actions.

A/V Receiver: Yamaha RX-V575-R 7.2-Channel (Refurbished) ($280.00) 

I know nothing about recievers and surround sound. This was decent. I didn't need all the extra features, because I am building a computer to do all that crap for me. This seemed like the best reviews for the cheapest price. Future proof with 4k and 3d passthrough, only needed 1 hdmi in slot, but has 4 (a little low for most other home theater set ups).

Speakers: Monoprice 5.1 ($260.00)

Best rated for the surround sound in a box price. They sound good to me, but I am not an audiophile.

Total

HTPC: $981.00
Audio: $540.00

Again, could probably be done cheaper, but I was under budget on the rest of the basement and so I don't feel guilty. Still need to buy an IR reciever for the computer, the PS3 bluetooth controller, and a bluray program. Looking for cheap/free options for bluray playback.

Betchin' Basement Renovation Mostly Done

Photos of the new basement.

It's divided into two areas, kids play area and the theater.

Here's the before. The carpet was ruined after an animal got inside and the carpet had to be ripped out.

I blogged about the DIY hanging art gallery system shown below here.

The DIY entertainment center play kitchen blog post can be found here.



We ripped out the dated lights on the theater side and replaced them with canned lighting. Also added a remote controlled Lutron light switch ($40), so we can dim the theater lights from the couch.

The sectionals are from Ashley Furniture in Logan ($1300). They have the best prices BY FAR.
We love this couch. The seats are big enough for two and recline.

TV is a 60 inch plasma. We were worried about the size but it is actually perfect for the viewing distance of about 8-9 feet.

The Nintendo case in the entertainment center above is going to house my HTPC and the room is wired for surround sound.

I textured the walls myself. It was a ton of fun!
We tried painting the far wall indigo blue, but the color clashed with the grey and looked awful. The original mud job was terrible and the semigloss showed off every flaw. We had to re-texture and repaint everything.


Things left to finish

Buy and install audio receiver and surround sound
Build HTPC
Buy mini-fridge and stock with Dew!
Touch up paint
Popcorn popper
Movie Posters

Cheap Hanging Gallery System

The hanging gallery system is finally finished and it works great!

The wife and I have some art we are proud of and wanted to increase our collection from some of our artsy friends. The old wood paneling in the basement was hideous and had to be painted over. We wanted a space where we could hang and adjust art easily, without putting lots of holes in the wood paneling that would be annoying to patch/paint.

Most hanging gallery systems are fairly expensive ($100-$200 per 6 feet). Here are some examples of what we were trying to emulate:

     http://www.amazon.com/Gallery-Looped-Picture-Hanging-System/dp/B004CUR0JI
     http://www.amazon.com/French-Gallery-Picture-Hanging-System/dp/B004CUTD98
(the first picture looks like something we might find at home depot)

The other alternative was gallery molding.

(We found this to be a little too dated, but might be a great cheep option if you want something that looks a little more traditional)

We wanted something that felt modern but wouldn't cost $200 or more. Here is the final solution.

Total Cost     $100

Materials for Rail

Aluminum c-channel x 5     $45

     Each rail is 96 inches and $9. You might be able to find a similarly priced j-channel for easier install.
Corner Braces (4 per pack) x 5     $10
     I used about 1 every other stud or 4 per 8 foot track.
Hacksaw
Metal File
Drill
Measuring Tape
Screws

Materials for Hangers

Hanging wire     $10
     We tried 40 lb and 25 lb wire. Both worked fine.
Ferrule and Stop Set (x5)     $7
Metal Mirror Hooks 4 per pack (x3)      $15
Grounding Lugs 4 per pack (x3)     $12
Needle Nose Pliers
Hammer
















Rail Instructions

Screw L brackets spaced appropriately along the wall. One at each end, and spaced every few feet in-between.

Measure, cut and pre-drill rails.

Screw rails to brackets. And done.


Hanger Instructions
Measure the length of wire. I cut them long enough so that we can hang 2 pictures from a wire when we get enough art to expand and double up.
Attach the wire with the ferrules.
















A few taps with a hammer helps the hooks hold tighter.
































For the adjustable hooks we used copper ground lugs, found in the electrical section. They are made for much larger wire but can hold thin picture wire if you flip the center around and give it a few taps with a hammer.

They come like this:















But you can flip them around like this:
















Then bend the bottom to become a hook that looks like this:

If you leave the end straight it is the perfect width to fit under sawtooth hangers.





















You can see the wire is held securely by tightening the screw.


Here is picture of the final gallery. There is plenty of room to expand as our collection grows.

The Betch is back at work.

So we had a little money left over from our budget recently due to some gratuitous gifts from family. We figured with a tight budget we should do something to improve our Christmas this year that will stick around. Our fireplace was rather barren with crappy white painted brick, and no where to hang stockings.

We needed a mantle.

We shopped around and priced some places, 80$ per foot! We wanted around 5 feet, so a grand total of $300-$450. There are premade options available for order in the $200 range but still ridiculous and not much in our style. After browsing the few blogsites that made their own floating shelf mantles (seriously, why is there not more info?) I decided I could totally do it.

Shopping List:
8 feet of 1x8 pine ... 20.00
6 feet of 1x6 pine ... 17.00
5 feet of common board. 1x6  ... 4.00
10 feet of simple molding ... 10.00
(not in the stainable quality area, just the regular junk at Home Depot and a lot cheaper, you can't tell).
2x4 ... 3.00
Ebony Stain ... 8.00
Polyurethane ... 11.00

Total: 80.00 (right on target)


Other stuff:
Cardboard box to make a model.
Miter Saw - got a new one at a garage sale for 10 bucks? That works so much better than a cutting box, which wouldn't have fit the pine planks anyway.
Hammer
Random nails
Screws
Socks for staining (by far work the best)
Shirt for wiping stain
Woodglue

Model
Originally I wanted the mantle to be 8 inches deep and 8 inches tall. I made a mock one out of cardboard and the dimensions were way too thick. I cut it down to 6 inches tall and 8 inches deep and it worked much better.

Plans
I am super lucky that we like simple lines. It made it a lot cheaper. I don't have a table saw so I planned everything out so I wouldn't have to cut anything lengthwise.

Construction
Pretty much nails, glue, and wood filler.

Staining
It took 2 coats of stain to get it dark enough while still being able to see the grain and 3 coats of polyurethane.

Installation
So not sure if I did this right. Saw a blog where they did it like this, then another that said you shouldn't. It took me forever to find the freakin' studs to mount it. Just kept drilling away. This isn't actually brick, they are just brick tiles glued onto the drywall, easier than worrying about all the crappy masonry stuff. Used a 2x4 and some screws to hold it. Tested the weight by hanging off it. Looks fairly stable.

Math stuff!
So we installed it the first time and I didn't like the height. So I checked some measurements. The ratios were off.

The length of the red section was just off of the length of the green. I figured the crappy 9:10 ratio was making it look super awkward, so enter

Phi is the golden ratio and is approximately 1.6180339887498948482... and is used in aesthetics. So I measured the fireplace (24 inches) and calculated a possible height for the shelf using phi, 1.618x=24 or 24/1.618 = 14.83. I measured 15 inches and tried it again and it looks so much better!

But not only that.
Check this out:
http://www.radovleugel.com/golden-ratio-calculator

For the measurement of 24 and 15 inches, 6 inches is also a close approximation (the height of the shelf) and the length is 61, just shy of 63. Look at all the golden ratios! YAY MATH

Anyway, so I got mad carpentry skillz. Super excited about how clean the corners look. They can be a betch.