Introduction: Nintendo Lunchbox

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About: http://friendfeed.com/fluctifragus

I had a broken NES, a rotary tool, two small hinges, some glue and Alpha Flight's Sasquatch. What I ended up with was a lunchbox that gets all kinds of funny looks.

This is my first project, and kinda sloppy. I only had about two hours to do the whole thing. I'm sure I'll improve it over time (add a latch and file down the rough edges some more) but for now, it holds my lunch admirably.

Step 1: Remove the Guts

Opening the NES case and pulling out it's guts is pretty easy. Take out all the screws you can find and lift the parts out gently one at a time. The wires can be unplugged from the motherboard pretty easily. I had to use pliers to get a decent grip on them though.

Step 2: Remove the Wires

Removing the wires from the controller ports is a little more tricky. They will pop out with some effort, but you may just want to clip them off and file the sharper ends down.

Step 3: Power and Reset Buttons

Once you unscrew the circuit board that these are attached to, they pop off really easily. Save these so that you can glue them back into place later.

Step 4: The Plastic Posts

I wasn't ready for all these little plastic posts that are inside the bottom part of the case. I couldn't even fit a bag of chips in there like that.

Step 5: Rotary Tool Action

The best way I could think to deal with the posts was with gratuitously unsound use of a rotary tool and a a couple of cutting wheels. This was by far the longest part of the process.

Step 6: Better

Once the posts were cut off, I ground the nubs down with the rotary's sanding attachment. Now it's nice and roomy in there. I left the 6 larger posts intact since they were originally intended to hold the case together. I thought they might help to add some stability.

Step 7: Add Hinges

Adding hinges was pretty simple. Just mark where the holes should go and drill carefully with your smallest bit. The plastic is very pliable and the screws go in very neatly and hold well. I opted to put the hinges on the side so I could add a latch on the opposite side someday, but you might prefer to put them along the back.

Step 8: Test the Hinges

Test it to make sure that it opens and closes smoothly. Mine didn't the first time and I had to reposition the hinges.

Also, notice the white boarder around the Power and Reset buttons. When I glued them into place, I used a glue that dries white. I later repainted the while flecks with gray model paint, but you can avoid this by using a clear epoxy.

Step 9: Pack It

Now put some lunch in there! You could be really silly and try to feed your sandwich through the old cartridge slot.

Step 10: Enjoy

Finally, put your new lunchbox in the office fridge (into which it fits nicely) and wait for your coworkers' reactions.