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Step 3Playing with Super Power
With the NES still in place, I decided to put the SNES in next. After looking at my first layout I realized I had made a bad decision the first time and swapped the positions for the SNES and the N64. (I'll explain what the mistake was in the next step, since it is related to the N64.) This way my SNES could load from the top just like the NES.
Before you do anything regarding mounting the SNES, go ahead and take the NES out. I put mine in a Wal-Mart bag to keep the finished parts together, safe, and separate from the other systems. Then I put that bag in a safe place.
The first thing I did was to test and make sure that the system worked outside of its case. To avoid the static electricity of my carpet, I put everything onto a piece of cardboard.
The Super Nintendo seemed like a challenge because of the ribbon cable that the controller ports are connected with. It is not long enough to be moved very far from the main board. After playing around with different ideas, I decided to put the controller ports on top of the main board and next to the game slot.
Just like the NES, I needed to mount this with the standoff method. Unfortunately, the main board's screw hole were slightly smaller than the screws I planned to use. So I took a drill and very slowly and carefully made the holes wider. I then took my motherboard standoffs and put them on the corners and anywhere else that felt like it needed support. I drilled holes for the standoffs in the monitor case so that I could screw them in place. [Be sure to only tighten the screws by hand, because you will be taking this apart a few times before you are done] I also cut the game slot with my dremel. After that I measured to see how far from the game connector I needed to put my controller ports. Luckily, the hole was roughly the same size, so I took the system out and extended the game slot to leave room for the controller ports.
To strengthen the game cartridge connector, I put a small bolt and nut through the holes on each end of it. These holes used to screw into the case, but without a case, there was no support. It would not do me any good for the game connector to come loose, so I made sure it was not going to. These also had to be made a little bit wider so my bolts would fit. For an extra measure of support I added a piece of a square wood dowel to the underside of the main board. This is because without the case, the cartridge connector felt a little flimsy. I chose wood, because it does not conduct electricity, but is sturdy. Since this goes across the entire main board, I did not want any parts to get shorted out or anything. If only I had though about things shorting out later ... (Foreshadowing)
After putting the main board and controller ports in place, the power switch and reset button needed to go somewhere. I tried to put them somewhere that made sense and was nearby the other parts. I think I picked a good spot for both. I put them under the controller ports and roughly where they used to be on the original system. Then I took everything out and cut the holes with my dremel.
This is where I met with an unfortunate tragedy. I accidentally killed my first SNES. I wanted to test and make sure that everything still worked, so I screwed it in place and plugged it in. Apparently I had not allowed enough space between the controller ports and the main board. Some of the small metal parts were touching the board when I turned it on, so I fried the system. I think I can fix it someday, because I found a site that sells replacement parts. I'm pretty sure I just blew the fuse. In my frustration I accidentally broke the power switch too, so I'll need a new one of those when I try to fix it.
IMPORTANT - Do not permanently attach any parts yet! If you do, you will be getting everything all messy when you cut the holes for the other systems. You might even ruin the SNES all together.
Before you do anything regarding mounting the SNES, go ahead and take the NES out. I put mine in a Wal-Mart bag to keep the finished parts together, safe, and separate from the other systems. Then I put that bag in a safe place.
The first thing I did was to test and make sure that the system worked outside of its case. To avoid the static electricity of my carpet, I put everything onto a piece of cardboard.
The Super Nintendo seemed like a challenge because of the ribbon cable that the controller ports are connected with. It is not long enough to be moved very far from the main board. After playing around with different ideas, I decided to put the controller ports on top of the main board and next to the game slot.
Just like the NES, I needed to mount this with the standoff method. Unfortunately, the main board's screw hole were slightly smaller than the screws I planned to use. So I took a drill and very slowly and carefully made the holes wider. I then took my motherboard standoffs and put them on the corners and anywhere else that felt like it needed support. I drilled holes for the standoffs in the monitor case so that I could screw them in place. [Be sure to only tighten the screws by hand, because you will be taking this apart a few times before you are done] I also cut the game slot with my dremel. After that I measured to see how far from the game connector I needed to put my controller ports. Luckily, the hole was roughly the same size, so I took the system out and extended the game slot to leave room for the controller ports.
To strengthen the game cartridge connector, I put a small bolt and nut through the holes on each end of it. These holes used to screw into the case, but without a case, there was no support. It would not do me any good for the game connector to come loose, so I made sure it was not going to. These also had to be made a little bit wider so my bolts would fit. For an extra measure of support I added a piece of a square wood dowel to the underside of the main board. This is because without the case, the cartridge connector felt a little flimsy. I chose wood, because it does not conduct electricity, but is sturdy. Since this goes across the entire main board, I did not want any parts to get shorted out or anything. If only I had though about things shorting out later ... (Foreshadowing)
After putting the main board and controller ports in place, the power switch and reset button needed to go somewhere. I tried to put them somewhere that made sense and was nearby the other parts. I think I picked a good spot for both. I put them under the controller ports and roughly where they used to be on the original system. Then I took everything out and cut the holes with my dremel.
This is where I met with an unfortunate tragedy. I accidentally killed my first SNES. I wanted to test and make sure that everything still worked, so I screwed it in place and plugged it in. Apparently I had not allowed enough space between the controller ports and the main board. Some of the small metal parts were touching the board when I turned it on, so I fried the system. I think I can fix it someday, because I found a site that sells replacement parts. I'm pretty sure I just blew the fuse. In my frustration I accidentally broke the power switch too, so I'll need a new one of those when I try to fix it.
IMPORTANT - Do not permanently attach any parts yet! If you do, you will be getting everything all messy when you cut the holes for the other systems. You might even ruin the SNES all together.
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