NES Coin Purse, 3.0 (Yet Another, Revisited and Improved)

The first time I stumbled upon a NES purse instructable, (here) I made one of myself right away. In the process, and in the daily usage, I found many glitches that I tried to overcome. Such as: coinage make the case rattle too much, and the purse can be opened halfways wide open, dropping all the content. So, this is my third NES purse (v 1.0 was stolen (too cool to let in my backpack unnatended), v2.0 was rendered as a gift to my girlfriend (also stolen from his backpack, thievemagnet this thing is)), so in v 3.0 I managed to backup the whole construction process, to end up with a fully capable and wearable object.

I just worked on a borrowed idea. Credit given where credit's due.

Enjoy.

...and keep it safe. It's a wonder how the regular people feel impelled to steal this little gizmo.

Step 1: MATERIALS Needed

You will need the following:

- an old NES controller. Prefferably not-working. I still have my NES console with a pair of working controllers. Do not use those kind. Go to a flea market or something.
- a jacket zipper, 35 cm (13.8 in) long. To match the NEs scheme, I selected one in red.
- phillips n°1 screwdriver
- nose-end pliers
- vinilic glue (like the one used in plastic water pipings, or acrylic scale models).
- Instant glue.
- EVA foam sheet for insulation.
- book paper binders (many of 'em)

Later on I ended needing the following

- X-acto or tip-top crafts knife
- Red sewing thread
- Sewing Needle

Step 2: Cleaning the NES Controller

First: Open the NES controller removing the 6 phillips screws. The controller will open.
Remove the PCB and cable from the cases. Unassemble the pads and the buttons, x-pad and select/start buttons. Save those buttons, throw away the pads.

Next, proceed to clean up the parts. years of sweaty hands can be noticed. Use any rubbing compound that you have in hand. Wash away, repeat.

Then, remove the spacers inside the controller , to even the inner surface. Some of them wil pry right away, some are more sturdy and they need to be dented with the X-acto knife (or similar) to be removed.

Step 3: Glue the Buttons

Glue down the buttons with instant glue.

Here's a picture of the upper case with the buttons glued up and all the spacers removed.

Step 4: Measure and Cut the Linings

Now, measure the inner area of the controller, and cut two EVA foam liners for those areas. We will use them later on.

Step 5: Dry Fit

Now we will execute what aI call a "dry fit". That means that we have to present the zipper in the controller sides with the binders without any glue, to match faces and to assert measurements and general fit.

Step 6: Glue the Zipper to the Bottom Half First

There. Use the vinilic adhesive to fit the first half with the zipper.

ADVICE. The vinilic glue is extremely volatile and fairly fluid, with no consistency whatsoever. Be very careful with applying to the zipper, do an inch at a time, secure with the binder, and keep going until you reach the end of the zipper. The glue dries up fairly quick, so be extra sure where you put a binder, it may be permanent.

Only a finished picture, due to technical difficulties glueing and snapping photos cannot be done at the same time. Sorry. Use your imagination here.

Step 7: Pause

PAUSE. CHILLAX. Have a cup 'o Joe. Patience is a virtue. And helps curing the glue to handle the case in the following steps..

Step 8: Marking and Glueing the Other Half

Present a dry fit of the other half of the controller, the upper half.

mark down with a felt-tip pen the first corner of the zipper, so this can match the bottom half symmetrically.

Then, proceed to glue that part with vinilic glue as done before.

Step 9: Lining

Now, apply instant glue to the inner part of the controller and insert the lining EVA pads we cutted early. Press down to settle the glue, repeat for the other half.

Step 10: Sewing the Zipper Stops

As for a jacket zipper, pull a liitle too far and the whole set will be utterly dismantled. So, we have to sew in a stop in the zipper path, to restrain the puller to go any further than we need to go.

Take red thread, a needle, and sew away.