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Play anything from NES to Xbox with the Skittlespider A.T.S aka "The Contraption"

Play anything from NES to Xbox with the Skittlespider A.T.S aka \"The Contraption\"
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This Instructable is for the Skittlespider A.T.S (All Together System) also known as "The Contraption"

This project turned out to be harder than I expected. In a few ways it was easier too, so I can't say it was an overall hard or easy project. The difficulty varies between the steps. I thought it was a lot of fun. I've still got some finishing touches to do, but I think this is good for now.

Basically I took an old broken computer monitor and cleaned out everything. I kept the empty shell and put an LCD TV in the front. Behind that is a Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, Playstation, and an Xbox. All cleverly disguised as a standard CRT monitor. (Unless you see it from the sides, or get in close)

This All-in-one system takes up much less space and surprises the heck out of people when they figure out what it is!

Here are the supplies that I used to make this:
-Old Monitor
-Nintendo Entertainment System
-Super Nintendo
-Nintendo 64
-Gamecube
-Playstation
-Xbox
-LCD TV
-Video Switcher
-A wide assortment of screwdrivers
(standard flat-head and Phillips, a precision set, a TORX star screwdriver, a tri-wing screwdriver for those Nintendo screws, and a set of Nintendo bolt screwdrivers)
-A dremel with cutting bits and plenty of cutting wheels
(They get stuck in the plastic and break often, because the plastic melts as you cut.)
-A jigsaw
-Plenty of hot glue and epoxy
-lots of screws and standoffs
(I used some meant for computers, so all the screws are the same type and size)
-A little bit of Energon and a lot of luck
(Sorry, but I was watching a lot of Transformers while making this)

These instructions are not exactly in the order that I made this. I did this project sporatically and when I had time, so I did different steps all at once. In order to make this more coherent, I simplified the steps to make it easier to follow. (Feel free to improvise and expand upon my methods) Also some of the pictures for each step are of the finished setup, because I didn't take enough pictures while making this. So if you see things suddenly plugged in, that is why.

Also, just to warn you, most of these steps contain similar information, because I did pretty much the same thing every step. Many times the beginning and end of a step are almost exactly the same. However I put the information there just in case some people skip steps. This way they are still getting the information.

One of my biggest inspirations for this is the infamous Yoshi Boxx from the old Tech Tv. After seeing that I knew I wanted to try something similar someday. Many thanks to Ben-Heck who was also an inspiration to me to try something like this. Looking through his site gave me a lot of ideas. Even though everyone is making systems portable these days, I thought I would go the other direction. Also thanks to Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft for supplying the hardware that made this possible.

Also, for those interested in making one of these, here is a cost estimate for the project:

Total cost - $400-450
(If you had to buy everything. If I had just made this with my existing systems, it would have been about $300. Or the cost of the TV and the building supplies. If you don't have the tools used, they will need to be factored in too.)

Parts:
Monitor - Free (You could probably call some local companies and see if they have any broken/unwanted monitors.)
LCD TV - $200-250
NES - $21
SNES - $26
N64 - $25
PS1 - $25
Gamecube - $26
Xbox - I used my own, but probably about the same as the other consoles.
Video switch - $5
Epoxy - about $10
Hot glue - about $5
Latches - $12
Extension cord - $10-15

I actually owned a copy of each system I used in this project, but I bought one of each (Except the Xbox) on Ebay to use. That way I didn't destroy the systems that I knew and loved. Also most were owned by my family and not just me. Just remember, the key to Ebay shopping is patience. You set a goal for what you are willing to pay and wait for an auction that meets that goal.

**Update 9/25/09**
Thank you very much Instructables! I finally have myself a featured tutorial. Hopefully it will not be my last, because I've got a few things planned for the near future (if I can find the time).
 
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Step 1Empty the monitor

Empty the monitor
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We had an old broken monitor at work, so I took it home and took it apart. I tried to recycle the inside parts of that monitor, but I could not find a local recycling center that took mixed material objects. (The inside parts are metal, plastic, circuit boards, and glass) Since nobody wanted it, I had to take it to a landfill. (By the way, you really should be careful taking apart a monitor. There can be some very high voltages stored in them, so be careful.)

After taking it all apart, I took the front of the frame and cut a lot of it out with my dremel. This was to allow enough space to put the LCD TV inside of the monitor. I was not confident enough to take apart the TV, so I cut out large notches to put the TV in. I also allowed enough space to have access to the video input panel and the button panel.

After I had made the cuts for the TV, I took apart the consoles that I would be placing inside. I set up a sample layout using the main parts of the systems and temporarily holding them in place with duct tape. Be careful not to put the tape in a way that gets any important parts sticky. (Game slot, controller port, etc.)

Once I got started, I had to alter this layout a bit to allow for easy access and cords. If you compare the two, you can see that many things changed in the final layout.
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142 comments
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Aug 4, 2010. 6:54 PMmechaninja says:
Someone should make a "PlayStation Plus", a system that plays PS1,PS2,and PS3, maybe even PSX just for the heck of it.
Dec 25, 2010. 8:27 PMmechaninja says:
hey, do you know if it would be possible to play Wii, XBox, and all Playstations with one disc drive? Because they all have different colers/coatings on the read side.
Dec 27, 2010. 7:56 AMmechaninja says:
Another thing: A good improvement/addition to your A.T.S would be to use the door from the PS2 Slim or the slide from the PS2 Phat instead of having a bare PS1 drive on the top. (Not trying to be critical, just saying that it would look cool to do that.)
Dec 27, 2010. 7:50 AMmechaninja says:
Maybe if you used a computer disc drive you could get through the PS1's black shield. I know from past experience (before my disc drive stopped burning discs) that you can burn PS1 discs onto DVD-R discs through your computer and still play them on a PS1.

If anyone else has some ideas/comments, please shout out!
Jan 9, 2011. 1:10 PMdehlome says:
You cant play all game disks on difrrent systems because the Ps3 is bluray and all of it disks are too and Xbox and Ps disk ar probably codded difrently
Feb 9, 2011. 3:41 PMmechaninja says:
well, you catch my drift.
Mar 3, 2010. 9:17 AMjackatronix says:
so do you basically just need to get a computer, empty out all of the technology and put a load of consoles inside it
if  u do can you tell me how to make one that just holds a playstation one, a playstation 2 and an xbox 360
i would reeeeaally appreciate it if you could tell or show me that
Jul 25, 2011. 12:23 AMdknutson1 says:
Hey can you just use a couple of systems like a Xbox 360 SNES and a Nintendo 64?
Mar 27, 2010. 9:03 AMzexy beazt says:
 i think uv got way 2 much time
Feb 9, 2011. 3:42 PMmechaninja says:
are you just a troll account? seriously, I've seen you on like a hundred Instructables.
Jun 29, 2011. 8:21 PMtinker234 says:
wow a exstein cord like a dual plug in the case for a central plug wow great project hey is it 4 58 ohh
Jun 30, 2011. 7:24 AMtinker234 says:
sorry realized the time and fell asleep
Jun 29, 2011. 8:19 PMtinker234 says:
wow hey thought could i wire it up for a central drive for xbox playstein game cube and have 2 on top for otheres also could i add a xbox 360 i do know pepole sell them now really cheap with ring of death and i know how to fix them so yaha this is cool
Jun 30, 2011. 7:24 AMtinker234 says:
well on ebay and craiglist bunch o xbox 360s with ring of death i can fix it
Sep 29, 2009. 9:54 PMNicoliden says:
Omg it spins outside of the tv?! What a sweet idea!! Dangerous but Wicked.
Nov 18, 2009. 7:34 PMBen Harden says:
Did you say...
Feb 26, 2011. 9:45 AMtriton37 says:
Lol.
Feb 9, 2011. 3:45 PMmechaninja says:
?
Mar 25, 2010. 11:30 PMsayian says:
Nice concept, but price a bit high heh.
Dec 27, 2010. 8:00 AMmechaninja says:
just go to a friend who has PS1 games, borrow one, then use your computer's CD ROM drive to burn the game to a DVD-R (It works about 75% of the time, and it can ruin a disc if you copy a certain one too much, i recommend making a master from a high-quality DVD-R then making copies on cheap ones)
Jan 10, 2011. 7:59 PMTomcat94 says:
I'm not sure, but I think the PS1 can't read DVDs, only CDs...

The most common PS1 backup playing method I've heard of was to put it in the drive, run it, then swap it with a backup before the BIOS screen goes away...

It's a hit-and-miss thing, though... And my directions are extremely vague, so you'll have to look it up for yourself...
Feb 9, 2011. 3:34 PMmechaninja says:
oh well. same-ish thing.
Mar 25, 2010. 11:31 PMsayian says:
how do you even load the games? open the back? lol
Mar 27, 2010. 9:02 AMzexy beazt says:
 i dont no
Oct 22, 2010. 8:51 PMzack247 says:
he skittlespider, could you try to get some pics of the xbox power cable if you can? (the internal connection to the mainboard) im building a small form factor pc and mini itx psu's are so expensive...
Oct 23, 2010. 8:25 PMzack247 says:
ok thanks. but im gonna have to find a new motherboard and hard drive first, they both stopped working when the previous power supply blew up.
Sep 1, 2010. 3:43 PMjunits15 says:
Dude you pictures are so confusing! but i like the idea
1-40 of 142next »

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Author:skittlespider
I consider myself an average guy. I have a BFA in graphic design. I like tv, movies, music, video games, and anime. I do some video editing and animation as a hobby, but not too much lately. Stay tune...
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