Turn a Super NES into a Universal Game Player

Don't you wish you had a system that could play all your favorite games from the past? Mario? Sonic? Gauntlet? Yes!

Well with this magic system you can play all your favorites on a 4-player system that uses authentic Super Nintendo Control Pads. It has the capability to play games from NES, Super NES, N64, Neo Geo, Gameboy Advance, Commodore 64, Sega Genesis, arcade games and more! It is cartridge free, and plugs into any TV with HDMI. Take it to any friends house, because this puppy is very portable! The secret is there is a mini computer inside of the Super NES that runs whatever classic games you choose.

I started with just an old Super Nintendo, and with about $200 and some time on my hands, I was able to turn it into pure gaming gold. You can do the same thing as well, just follow this instructable!

This console is:
• 4 player and super portable - have a gaming party at anyone's house!
• Cheap to build
• Able to use authentic SNES controllers (4 player with additional wireless controllers.)
• Solid State, no moving parts
• Cartridge-free! Store all your games on a SD card.
• Can be used in Modern TV's even if your real Nintendo is cannot be accepted by your TV.
• Going to make all your friends jealous   ^_^

Check out a demo of the player right here:

The emulators I use are all 100% free. Keep in mind if you build your own player, it should be used for games that you legally own.

Step 1: Everything You Will Need

OK, before we begin, there are a few basic skills you need to complete this project:

• Basic soldering skills
• A bit of computer know-how (Installing operating systems, emulators, tweaking computer settings)
• Some Mechanical know-how as well (Putting together computer components)


Here are the tools you will need

• Screwdriver set
• Glue gun
• Soldering gun, solder removal gun
• A thin 4mm socket (for removing those pesky Nintendo screws)
• A cresent cutter.
• SD Card Reader
• Keyboard and Mouse



Here is the parts you will need, see the photo for details on each item below:

• An old Super Nintendo with controllers
• A mini ITX Motherboard with processor (Must have HDMI output, have an external power supply, and must be no more than 4 cm high) I personally used a ZOTAC IONITX-C-U. The nice thing about the Zotac is that it does not get hot enough to need a cooling fan.
• Stick of RAM for the computer
• SD Card SATA Solid State Hard Drive
• 16 GB SD Card (goes in the solid state drive)
• USB Super NES dual port controller adaptor
• HDMI Cable and HDMI adaptors
• 2 Cherry microswitches
• Some standard internal computer cables
• Some wire and solder
• (Optional) 1 or 2 wireless dual shock style controllers if you want 3-4 players (These are also needed to play N64 games)
• Speaker grating for cool ventilation.
• 4 philips head 1/2 inch machinery screws for putting everything together.
• Windows XP or other operating system

Comments

[cerberustugowar]

the reason you used wireless (opposed to corded) player 3 and 4 controllers was to try and keep it looking as stock as possible right?

is there enough room for a ssd where your sd to sata adaptor is?

it seems to be quite hard to find mobo's with a cpu and psu for $100 right now...

[ZeroVirus]

I have found several that are decent, some with and without the PSU though.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157228

Is the one I am looking at using for my version of this.

Another great site, albeit UK based, is http://www.mini-itx.com/store/boards

They have boards, accessories, and even 12VDC PSU

[cerberustugowar]

I ended up buying a clear plexi-glass mine ITX case off of ebay along with a SSD, ram, motherboard, and PSU from NCIX. I still have to finally deside on a Front end for it as some or more flashy and some more straight forward and to the point. DO you still like the front end you chose to go with?. I sold my all of my NES, SNES, N64, GC, and Genesis collection to make this build. Hopefully I actually finish it one of these days.

[ZeroVirus]

I am working on designing my own version based on your work. Due to damage on my SNES case it won't look "stock" though because I am going to end up painting it. One thing I am thinking of adding to mine would be 2 USB ports on the beack between the HDMI and 12VDC connectors.

[j-rod43]

how much are the mainboards?

[ZeroVirus]

they basically range from $100 - $150

[kendawg77]

is there anyway to make it RCA

[~CableGuy]

man! , this is awesome! wish I had enough money to that... damn... let's go to bed and make this instructable in dream!
Keep Rockin' dude!, thumbs up!

[harvardman]

awesome job ...i have to build one for the kids but cant find the motherboard you used ...can u give options please thanks for your time

[Muniosi]

Anyone know where to get just the housing for a SNES? I've looked everywhere.

[cerberustugowar]

pawnshops, goodwill, 2nd hand stores, craigslist?

[tthrower18]

i can do all of this and more with my jailbroken ipod touch

[splinks]

You can have up to 4 players playing teenage mutant ninja turtles on your 1 iphone?

I call bullshit

[tthrower18]

ok not 4 players but i can still play

[drawesomer]

Oh yeah? Well I can do all that with my iPad!

[mishathegoat]

Very cool, nicely done. I did a similar one a few years back with an NES. Also, just a heads up, downloading or dumping video game ROMs is illegal regardless if you've purchased the game or not (in most countries at least). Even if it is for archival purposes.

[0fin]

when i create the dos start up disk
there is only 1.38mb on my sd card now???HELP???

[Calico Jack]

On my system, the controller ports are tack welded to the mount. Is this the case for all super nintendos? How would I remove the welds without damaging the parts I need?

On another note, could you use the original power switch of the snes? If not, is it a matter of space, or compatibility?

[vigothecarpathian]

Hi! Is this just soldier points on the circuit board, or is there an actual weld? On mine, I had to just melt the soldier to pull out the controller port. Otherwise it came right out. I used a solder removal gun, or desoldering iron, to suck up the melted soldier on the circuit board and everything came right apart.

As far as the switches go, I could not use the power switch because it was a hard on off switch. Computers generally use a momentary push switch for their power button. The reset switch on the Super NES is a momentary switch, so I probably could have used that though. I am guessing that just about any switch that springs back to the off position should work.

[Calico Jack]

I'm pretty sure it's a weld, but I'm no expert. So you are probably right. It's probably solder. I'll have to take another look. Thanks for the quick response!

[0fin]

do u need to the swithes or can u just plug it up and unplug it to turn on and off?

[vigothecarpathian]

You generally don't want to unplug a computer when it is powered on, since there is a chance it can harm the computer. What you can do is set the computer to turn on when it is plugged in, and use the "shut down" command to turn off the computer. The frontend menu program I used, Mala, has the option to turn the computer off automatically when you quit the program.

[0fin]

the thing is i dont get how to setup mala
do i do it on the snes or my pc?

[Dropkickmurphy]

First, I'd like to appreciate your great work - maybe the most useful consolemod I've seen so far!

Do you think it's possible to do the mod with a PAL console also?

[vigothecarpathian]

Thanks!! :)

I believe that a PAL console could possibly work, they were similiar size consoles. I think the US Super NES was a tad taller with it's "hump" in the middle though. I didn't make much use of this area, but certain motherboards have a taller heatsink that could possibly need that clearance.

[dishinhof]

I love this design and i am starting my bill of materials for it. I was wondering, can you also run dos box to play all of the old dos games as well. I figured you could but i though id ask anyway.

[vigothecarpathian]

Hi,

Sorry about the slow reply, I haven't been around computers much these days. Yes, dos box should run fine with this sort of setup. The only downside is many dos games might have a hard time mapping to a joypad. You can always work around this by using a program like xpadder or joy2key that will turn gamepad controls into keyboard strokes. xpadder also maps mouse controls as well I believe.

[0fin]

whats a stick of ram

[videogamemaster]

RAM Definiton:
RAM chips are basically over flow for a computer's hard drive. RAM chips provide extra memory (Which is mostly temporary) that helps relieve your hard drive's workload when you have a whole bunch of windows open at the same time. The extra memory makes your computerr run faster and allows you to run more windows at the same time without having your computer poot out.

[janderson10]

R.A.M - Random-access memory

[Abcwtfidontcare]

*Laughs furiously over 0fin's lack of knowledge*
Ram is what makes machines run fast, by accessing memory from the stick; it can load a saved file.
It's not a USB type of stick, it's more like a microchip. Buy one on Ebay or something,

[BuhBomb]

But I thought Ebay sucks..............................

[videogamemaster]

Not for this kinda stuff it doesn't.

[BuhBomb]

Okayayayayayayayayay.

[videogamemaster]

Yep.

[Jimpiedepimpie]

This basicly turns your super nes into a computer.
And then you run a emulator on it
Am i right?

[janderson10]

yes... this is correct.

[0fin]

I SERIOUSLEY NEED A VIDEO EXPLAINING EVERYTHING
WITH THE SD CARD

[0fin]

i cant find 4 or 5 and cant get the format tool to work
links???

[0fin]

WHAT KIND OF CHERRY MICROSWITHCHES
I WANNA MAKE THIS BUT THERE ISNT ENOUGH DETAILS