There oughta be a picket Recreation Boy.

03 November 2023

You made me create a picket Recreation Boy shell. Sure, you made me do it. After I bought myself a CNC machine some time again I simply made a wooden Game Boy cartridge to get to know the machine, however social media needed extra. So, I made a Recreation Boy out of walnut wooden.

You may see the method within the video with out a lot clarification. If you wish to be taught concerning the toolpaths, my reasoning behind a couple of issues, classes discovered and what you need to keep away from in case you do that your self, learn this weblog publish as an alternative and take a look at my design files on GitHub.

Please observe that this text accommodates affiliate hyperlinks, i.e. hyperlinks that inform the goal web site that I despatched you there and that earn me a share of their income in return. In distinction to regular external links, such affiliate hyperlinks are marked with a dollar sign as an alternative of a field.

A picket Recreation Boy

This venture largely started as a person request. After I bought myself a CNC router a couple of months in the past, one of many little workout routines I did was a picket Recreation Boy cartridge (see Youtube short clip or project files on GitHub). It was a mixture of “let’s see if I can do this” and “certain the retro players on social media will love this”, however I didn’t anticipate how a lot they might like it and naturally they requested for extra. So, I did some testing, spent a while and several other weeks later I discover myself within the possession of a Recreation Boy with a wonderful walnut wooden shell.

I imply, have a look at that factor. Isn’t it attractive? So, if you wish to find out how precisely it was constructed, learn on. Should you simply wish to see some CNC timelapses and element pictures of the picket Recreation Boy, you need to in all probability watch the Youtube video as an alternative.

Essential notes

Earlier than we go into particulars, there are some common issues you need to know to correctly decide the outcomes. No less than in case you plan to breed the Recreation Boy, you need to learn these fastidiously.

• I’m a complete noob. Yeah, I do know that Recreation Boy doesn’t seem like the work of a noob and I want to imagine that I’ve confirmed that I can use a CNC router, however the noobness doesn’t essentially check with the complexity of the venture or my means to wield some 3d software program. That is extra about finest practices and {hardware} recommendations. I doc what I did and which instruments I used, however you need to be conscious that what I did largely makes use of the primary methodology I discovered and the instruments are the primary instruments of this sort that I personal. They labored to create that Recreation Boy, however I lack the expertise to inform if they’re one of the best and even good strategies/instruments for this job.
• Associated to this, I barely have any expertise with wooden. I’ve utilized what I discovered from some movies, however I do not know how lengthy that Recreation Boy will final. Wooden tends to develop, shrink and bend over time, particularly if uncovered to altering humidity. This Recreation Boy may turn out to be one thing that I cross alongside to my grand kids or it may crack open tomorrow. I actually don’t have any expertise to make any assumptions about this.
• The venture is much from excellent and lots of design decisions had been made because it went alongside. On the finish I knew some issues higher than at first and a few later toolpaths are designed to repair issues of the sooner one. The Recreation Boy you see right here is my profitable first try, however this additionally signifies that the design information haven’t been polished or examined a second time.
• I designed this Recreation Boy round aftermarket elements and particularly for utilizing an IPS mod. It must also match authentic shows, however I’ve not tried that.
• Ultimately I closed the case with wooden glue, as a result of the unique screws didn’t maintain it collectively correctly. So, there presently is not any technique to open it for upkeep. Learn the notes of the drilling toolpaths for more information and ideas on the issue.

Challenge information and software program

Let’s begin with the dangerous information for many of those that have already got a CNC machine and simply wish to reproduce my work: I take advantage of the Blender CAM plugin. Sure, there’s a CNC CAM plugin for Blender and it’s free. Sure, it’s fairly versatile and highly effective. Sure, utilizing it’s a ache within the ass even if you’re used to Blender.

Nonetheless, I like it and the CAM options that appear to permit me to do comparable issues are very costly^{. So, I ended up utilizing Blender CAM, which sadly signifies that many CNC customers on the market will cry earlier than having to repeat my fashions to their CAM to painstakingly recreate the toolpaths there.}

Subsequently, the venture information are mix information on GitHub and I launch every little thing below the Artistic Commons Attribution 4.0 license. Do what ever you want with it, simply make sure that to say me because the supply. …and possibly needless to say Nintendo may wish to have a phrase about logos in case you attempt to promote these with their brand on it.

Along with the mix information I’ve additionally uploaded the gcode information that I truly used. They’re for grbl-based machines, however even when your CNC makes use of a grbl controller it’s a dangerous thought to only feed them to your machine. You’ll have to adapt it to the gear that you just truly use and I solely added them as reference to assessment and examine.

Talking of equipment-specific issues: The feeds and chopping depths set within the mix information are for the weak spindle on my machine. In case your spindle is stronger, you may fairly actually go loads quicker. But additionally needless to say the speeds within the mix information don’t have any that means. My spindle isn’t digitally managed and because it has little torque at decrease speeds I just about used it at its most of 10,000 rpm. You’ll have to adapt this to your machine and your bits.

The {hardware} I used

Keep in mind that I solely bought my CNC machine a couple of months in the past, so don’t anticipate comparative insights right here. I’ll doc what I take advantage of and attempt to clarify a couple of issues to individuals who have by no means used a CNC earlier than. You probably have a CNC and are simply within the toolpaths, you may in all probability skip to the desk with bits I used.

The CNC machine

You probably have by no means checked out CNC machines earlier than, this in all probability seems to be like a really fancy {and professional} setup. If you already know about CNC machines, you in all probability acknowledge instantly that it isn’t. My machine is a Genmitsu PROVerXL 4030 V2, which is the hardest Genmitsu CNC router, however on the earth of hobbyist CNC machines ranks someplace within the center. It’s way more inflexible than the small 3D printer like machines (that Genmitsu machines are sometimes related to), however a lot smaller and weaker than machines by extra prestigious manufacturers.

As a newbie I believe that this can be very succesful for my wants, however its weak spot is its inventory 400W spindle. In comparison with stronger machines one can find that my toolpaths take for much longer as I’m doing considerably shallower cuts. Additionally the spindle is just about restricted to its high pace of 10,000rpm because it appears to lack torque at decrease settings. For the finer instruments I’d have wished for a better pace and for some conditions a diminished pace may need been useful as effectively. Fortunately, this may be upgraded and I in all probability will achieve this sooner or later.

Ultimately, I largely selected the 4030 V2 due to its slightly small footprint. Whereas others may think about this to be an obstacle, it was the biggest machine that I may match into an enclosure onto my workbench. Since I don’t have a correct wooden workshop, the machine has to share a room with different hobbies in my basement, which signifies that I wanted to deal with noise and dirt, as a result of CNC machines can ship loads of each.

I went for the OpenBuilds Enclosure Kit 510, added acoustic foam and paired it with the Genmitsuo dust shoe and a versatile hose. The vacuum hose then runs by way of a cyclonic separator and ends in a Makita vacuum. Add a workbench, an LED lamp contained in the enclosure and a display on the facet (you may acknowledge this one from my bullet time rig) and that’s my setup.

Just some warnings if you’re fascinated about choosing up CNC as a passion: Don’t underestimate the noise and the quantity of mud such a machine produces. The enclosure and dirt extraction in my case ate up an enormous a part of my price range for a superb cause. In case you are in a grimy workshop removed from different folks you may ignore the enclosure, however please nonetheless take into consideration your listening to and your lungs. I extremely suggest to make use of a mud extraction system anyway and if you’re doing this in a room that you just spend a whole lot of time in or that you just use for different issues on the whole, a easy store vacuum is not going to be sufficient. Wonderful noticed mud will escape common vacuums and you need to actually look into ones with a filter for mud class M.

Oh, and another warning: I don’t have an issue to go away my 3D printer unattended so long as I can examine in every now and then by way of a webcam. The standard 3D printer accidents flip the machine right into a PLA spaghetti manufacturing unit, however it’s nonetheless okay in case you cease it quarter-hour later. The extra harmful typical fail state of a 3D printer is a cable fireplace particularly on low-cost printers like mine, however in case you place your printer in an setting of low flammability there may be loads of time to acknowledge the issue earlier than extreme penalties.

That is completely different for a CNC machine! If issues go south with a CNC machine, they go south quick! The standard CNC accident means driving a pointy piece of steel rotating at 10,000 rpm into one thing that was not purported to obtain that piece of steel. You may break a whole lot of stuff inside seconds and that’s the innocent case. Think about operating that 10,000 rpm steel stick right into a dry piece of wooden and leaving it there due to a failure or possibly as a result of that wooden bought unfastened and now follows your machine. Keep in mind these journey motion pictures the place they make fireplace with a rotating stick? Do that with a 400W motor lined by noticed mud and possibly with a mud extraction system sucking every little thing into the massive container with much more sawdust.

The purpose is that you shouldn’t depart a operating CNC machine, have a hearth extinguisher close by and ensure to have an simply accessible emergency cease that truly cuts energy to your machine (in case of an enclose, put one thing like this on the surface). Right here is a video to encourage you to take this serious.

The bits

Like within the earlier part, I can be speaking to folks new to CNC routers right here. Somebody who already is aware of these items will in all probability simply have a glimpse on the desk beneath anyway.

Whereas CNC machining usually seems to be like you’re simply pushing a typical drill bit to some wooden, this isn’t what is going on in any respect (until possibly you’re truly drilling holes along with your CNC). What seems to be like a drill bit often is a milling bit (a so-called finish mill). It isn’t designed to plunge vertically into the fabric (though in lots of circumstances it has to have the ability to do that, too), however to carve away materials horizontally.

One fascinating facet of that is that the spiral of the bit may go in numerous instructions. Some bits have a right-handed spiral like a drilling bit, however others might be left-handed or not actually have a spiral kind in any respect. The reason being that the precise milling is completed on the facet and simply requires sharp edges whereas the spiral largely helps to maneuver the fabric away from the leading edge. Proper-handed drills are frequent as you wish to push materials upwards out of the drilling gap and for a similar cause one can find many finish mills with that form. They pull materials upwards and away out of your work piece, due to this fact they’re referred to as “upcut” bits. The draw back of that is that the upwards movement can fray the sides of your work piece, which is why I additionally usually use the counterpart with a left-handed spiral, the “downcut” bit. There are additionally another kinds and compromises, however I solely have these two variants and so for every process I’ve to choose an appropriate diameter for my finish mill (clearly you want small ones for particulars and huge one to take away a lot materials quick) and resolve between upcut and downcut as a trade-off between a pleasant end and environment friendly materials elimination particularly in tight spots.

One other facet is the form of the tip of the bit. The commonest one is the flat finish mill, which is finest suited to create a flat floor. Nonetheless, if you wish to create a curved 3D form, this isn’t a good selection because it tends to create little steps that look much like the layers of 3D printers. A ballnose bit with a round tip will help as it may possibly create a slope between one line to the following one.

A vital form is the V-shape. On one hand, that is used to immediately create angled edges (chamfers) in a single cross, but in addition they can be utilized to carve textual content or different designs. Think about to only attempt to lower a small sq.. Should you use a flat finish mill with a 3mm diameter, you may shortly take away the fabric from the sq., however the corners will all the time be rounded with a radius of 1.5mm. So, as an alternative you employ a smaller finish mill, let’s say 1mm. Now it takes ages to take away the fabric ^{and nonetheless have spherical corners, now with a radius of 0.5mm (which is likely to be okay for a lot of use circumstances). That’s the place the V-bit shines: If you don’t care about how deep you chop, however simply wish to have a 2D form on the floor, a V-shaped bit can merely use completely different depths to have completely different diameters on the floor. Want a tiny bit for a pointy nook? Solely use the very tip of the bit. Want a big diameter to clear most of that instance sq.? Go deep for a big radius. The result’s a typical angled V-carving look that many (together with me) discover fairly pleasing. Simply seek for V-carving on Youtube to discover a bunch of very satisfying movies.}

Sadly, that also isn’t all that must be thought-about when selecting the correct device for every element. You additionally want to think about the chopping size and the general clearance of your bits. The chopping size is how deep the bit can go in order that its sharp bits are nonetheless chopping away materials as an alternative of its boring bits simply rubbing the wooden and heating it up. That’s not a lot of a difficulty for me as my weak spindle often limits the depth of my cuts anyway. The clearance is a a lot larger situation as a result of overlooking it often causes some type of harm. Everytime you lower into the fabric (or whenever you use clamps to carry your inventory^{) it’s essential have sufficient area in your machine and the remainder of the bit. The machine itself largely turns into an issue for deep pockets, however these small diameter finish mills usually nonetheless have a bigger shaft. So, even in case you observe the chopping size, you can’t lower in conjunction with a straight wall in case you would run the shaft of your bit into it.}

That needs to be sufficient of an outline. I’m largely writing down what I discovered from others (largely Youtube) over a couple of months, so I’d suggest that, too, if you wish to go deeper.

Now, lastly, right here is the listing of bits I used on this venture and the brief identify I take advantage of for them henceforth^.

Please needless to say I solely bought my first CNC router a couple of months in the past, so these are largely the primary bits I ever used. I’ve no comparability to inform if they’re good or dangerous, so take this as pure documentation and never as an endorsement.

The skin of the underside shell (A)

Okay, it’s time to get severe. Within the following I’ll undergo all of the toolpaths one after the other and attempt to bear in mind particulars that you need to learn about. For every one I’ll point out the bit I used, how lengthy it took and the identify of the gcode file I used (if accessible). As talked about above it’s unlikely that you should utilize the gcode file immediately, however you need to be capable of view it so as to perceive what the toolpath does.

Step one is to create the surface of the underside half of the shell. For this you want a chunk of wooden with not less than 160mm by 99.6mm and it ought to have a thickness of not less than 23mm. Having a couple of extra millimeters is very really helpful to permit for a couple of surfacing steps with out changing into too skinny.

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A01

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Surfacing	Surfacing bit	N/A	17 min

And surfacing is strictly what we begin with. The present floor would be the one seen on the again of the Recreation Boy shell. So, it ought to look good and must be surfaced all the way down to a clear even airplane. Take into account that the remaining thickness must be not less than 23mm even after presumably surfacing the opposite facet too. The precise thickness doesn’t matter but, so simply purpose for a pleasant end on this facet.

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A02

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Gap to permit deep dive of 1mm bit	3mm upcut	1-reference-frame-pockets-3mm-flat-UPCUT.gcode	5 min
Reference for flipping	1mm upcut	2-reference-frame-drill-1mm-flat-UPCUT.gcode	4 min

That is my methodology of aligning the workpiece after flipping it. I drill small holes by way of to the bottom that I can use to align it after turning it round. You probably have a greater approach of doing this like a flip jig, a device to measure distances alongside all three axes and even a further axis, you may skip this toolpath.

I labeled this as a single path, however please discover that I’ve break up it into two gcode information. The reason being that the working distance of my smallest bit is just too brief to go right through 23mm with out hitting the wooden with its wider 3mm shaft. So, there’s a first step of drilling area for that shaft earlier than creating the smaller and extra exact holes on the bottom.

Should you use my answer, take observe that zero is about to the nook of the Recreation Boy, so the outlet in that nook can be drilled 5mm alongside destructive x and y. So, when choosing the beginning level to suit the 160mm by 99.6mm of the reference body, have in mind to offset zero by 5mm in each instructions. This would be the zero for all subsequent steps, too.

Oh, and clearly, this step will drill by way of all the workpiece and into your spoilboard.

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A03

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Profile lower	3mm downcut	001-bottom-outside-1-profile-3.0mm-flat.gcode	15 min

Subsequent I do a profile lower that doesn’t go right through. It would finally meet with a profile lower from the opposite facet (if aligned correctly). At this level it additionally provides room for a couple of upcoming toolpaths that enter and depart the outer rim of the Recreation Boy shell.

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A04

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Curved sides of the again	3mm ballnose	001-bottom-outside-2-3d-3mm-ball.gcode	63 min

The curved sides on the again are created with a ballnose bit. Nonetheless, I can nonetheless see distinct traces from the device passes, so if you wish to keep away from that it’s essential set a better overlap between passes or it’s essential do a greater sanding ^{job than me.}

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A05

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Pocketing of cartridge slot and battery compartment	3mm downcut	001-bottom-outside-3-pocket-3mm-flat.gcode	84 min

This step carves the pockets for the cartridge slot and the battery compartment. Notice, that it removes extra materials within the battery compartment than on the precise authentic Recreation Boy shell to create space for the upcoming toolpath utilizing a 1.5mm downcut bit. My 1.5mm bit solely has about 8mm of clearance earlier than sloping right into a 3mm shaft, so so as to create the finer particulars contained in the battery compartment some room must be made. You probably have a bit with out such a limitation, you may wish to optimize this in the direction of the unique.

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A06

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Particulars of battery compartment and features on bottom	1.5mm downcut	001-bottom-outside-4-details-1.5mm-downcut.gcode	40 min

As talked about earlier than, this provides some particulars within the battery compartment. Essential ones: These are the slits that can maintain the battery contacts. My design is made for some after market contacts (see meeting part), however it has an excessive amount of room and I wanted to place one thing behind the contacts to carry them in place. If you already know the precise contacts you wish to use, that is one thing that may very well be optimized.

Oh, and this path additionally creates the ornamental traces on the again of the Recreation Boy.

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A07

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Drilling screw holes	1.5mm upcut	001-bottom-outside-5-holes-1.5mm-upcut.gcode	3 min

The final step on this facet drills some holes for the screws. These will not be the holes the screws faucet into, however the holes that the screws undergo first. I’ve not examined the diameter a lot as a result of I ended up gluing the shell, however they appeared okay.

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The within of the underside shell (B)

Now it’s time to flip the workpiece to do the within of the underside half. To take action, align it along with your favourite methodology.

Should you use my reference drills, align your workpiece such that you could jog 160mm alongside x and 99.6mm alongside y and all the time find yourself on one of many small 1mm holes as exactly as doable. Keep in mind that you can’t repair the rotation of your workpiece in case you use the tape and glue methodology (like I do), by which case I’d suggest utilizing a carpenter’s sq. to get the orientation proper whereas gluing it after which use the holes to confirm and to set zero.

Talking of zero on my reference body: Keep in mind that the outlet is at -5mm and -5mm, so align your bit above the right gap after which transfer it by 5mm alongside x and y earlier than setting zero. Preserve that zero for the remainder of the steps for the underside half.

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B01

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Surfacing	Surfacing bit	N/A	will depend on authentic thickness

As soon as once more, it’s time for surfacing. Nonetheless, this time you’re aiming for a ultimate thickness of precisely 23mm. In fact, if it’s essential take away a whole lot of materials, you should utilize a distinct methodology first, however on the finish of this step you need to have a wonderfully flat workpiece with a thickness of 23mm. I designed the 2 sides to permit for a little bit uncertainty right here, however I’d say that you need to hit 23mm to inside about half a millimeter.

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B02

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Pocketing of most inside geometry	3mm downcut	002-bottom-inside-1-pocket.gcode	211 min

That is the massive workhorse step for this facet. This removes most materials to make room for the PCBs and it creates a lot of the related geometry inside. Nonetheless, my gcode had a couple of issues right here that you just may wish to enhance on:

• I manually created layers for the pocketing which are removed from optimum. By now I do know higher strategies to do that, however at the moment this was one of the best I may do in Blender CAM. The present toolpaths are inefficient and imprecise in a couple of locations. You may wish to recreate them along with your most well-liked software program (and particularly if in case you have a beefier machine that may deal with deeper cuts).
• A giant mistake right here is that one or two of the decrease toolpaths by accident lower away the lip and a part of the rim of the shell close to the facility change in addition to the screw publish close to that change. I compensated for that with a bigger lip on the highest half of the shell, however that’s removed from excellent. The explanation for this error appears to be a boolean operator that didn’t work correctly and did not subtract that a part of the rim from the pocketing space. Regardless of the cause, you need to fastidiously have a look at what would occur to the rim on the high of your Recreation Boy.
• Some elements had been a bit imprecise. The screw posts for the steel protect of the Recreation Boy come to thoughts or the decrease finish of the hyperlink cable cutout. If you wish to be exact, take a look at my pictures and regulate issues that aren’t excellent.

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B03

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Finer particulars of inside geometry	1.5mm upcut	002-bottom-inside-2-fine-1.5mm-upcut.gcode	48 min

Initially observe that so far as I bear in mind, the one cause for utilizing an upcut bit right here is that my 1.5mm upcut is a couple of millimeters longer than my 1.5mm downcut. If this isn’t a limitation in your device, you need to be advantageous with a downcut finish mill, too, besides possibly for some drilling for the screws.

This step provides some particulars to the facility change half, the battery contact cutouts for the primary PCB and a few small particulars like a little bit cutaway behind one of many screw posts to create space for the speaker cable. It additionally drills holes for the screws to faucet in. In my expertise the 1.5mm holes don’t maintain the skinny authentic screws reliably. On the highest half I’ll later drill 1mm holes, which sadly tended to interrupt if a screw is tapped right into a pole. So, some experimentation with various screws and drilling diameters is likely to be so as right here, particularly in case you plan to make use of a distinct type of wooden.

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B04

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Profile lower	3mm downcut	002-bottom-inside-3-profile-3mm-downcut.gcode	11 min

And right here is the ultimate profile lower that ought to meet the profile lower you probably did on the opposite facet. Notice that I take advantage of the tape and glue methodology and didn’t have to think about any clamps. Should you use one thing else you must take into consideration bridges if required.

That is the place you discover out if in case you have aligned your workpiece correctly.

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Somewhat element you need to observe right here is that I didn’t determine an inexpensive technique to create the outlet for the AC adapter plug. I ended up manually creating it with a file after the underside shell was full.

The skin of the highest shell (C)

Now it’s time for the enduring entrance of the Recreation Boy. Please learn steps C02 to C03 fastidiously and take into consideration them. These are the frequent sign-maker’s methodology of doing a V-carve, portray every little thing after which chopping away the extreme paint. I’ve little expertise right here and that is the a part of my picket Recreation Boy that I’m completely not proud of. My methodology (or alternative of paint or alternative of instruments or no matter) result in fairly some smearing of the paint and letters that look comfortable and unfocused.

If making all the picket Recreation Boy was much less time intensive, I’d in all probability have one other attempt with white epoxy as an alternative of paint. I additionally discover that many passion CNCists ^{use a belt or disc sander for this as an alternative of a surfacing bit, so possibly that’s a part of the issue. Should you acknowledge why this didn’t work out so properly in my case, please let me know. Anyhow, beneath is what I did to get the Nintendo brand and labels onto my Recreation Boy and also you may wish to take into consideration a distinct methodology.}

Additionally, you will discover that I didn’t listing a surfacing step. That’s as a result of my methodology includes V-carving beneath zero and a later surfacing step anyway. Relying on what you wish to do, you may wish to floor first.

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C01

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Gap to permit deep dive of 1mm bit	3mm upcut	1-reference-frame-pockets-3mm-flat-UPCUT.gcode	5 min
Reference for flipping	1mm upcut	2-reference-frame-drill-1mm-flat-UPCUT.gcode	4 min

Once more, the reference for flipping. Once more, skip in case you desire a distinct methodology. And once more, in case you use mine, bear in mind to offset zero by 5mm alongside x and y.

However there may be one essential distinction: Should you use my methodology of portray you’ll have to take away the workpiece, paint it, substitute it and realign it on the identical facet. That may not work with a flip jig if it can’t be mounted to your machine’s mattress.

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C02

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Engraving Nintento brand and button labels	30° V-carving	003-top-outside-1-label-30deg-v-carve.gcode	16 min

Now, this engraves the Nintendo brand and button labels with a V-shaped bit. I truly ran that toolpath twice: As soon as ranging from the floor (leading to excellent letters on the floor) after which once more beginning 2mm beneath the floor. It is because I’ll later take away 2mm to return to the proper letters and take away extreme paint. I did this in two steps as a result of I used to be unsure if plunging a complete of 4mm immediately can be an excessive amount of (now I believe it wouldn’t). Additionally, 2mm is likely to be a bit a lot, however I had made the statement in earlier assessments that white paint enters the wooden grain even with a transparent coat primer, so I needed to be secure.

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Portray

A step that’s not a toolpath. Paint your workpiece such that the emblem and labels are correctly coloured. I used spray paint for this and first utilized a number of layers of clear coat as a primer. After it had dried utterly, I added a number of layers of white spray paint. The purpose of the primer is usually to stop white paint from getting into the wooden grain and displaying up a number of millimeters deeper the place it shouldn’t be seen. Ensure to seal up each half that would get sprayed with white paint – not solely the precise letters.

Any recommendations on enhancing this methodology are welcome.

And naturally, I needed to take away my workpiece for this step. Should you apply paint with a brush, you may be capable of do that in place.

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C03

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Surfacing	Surfacing bit	N/A	25 min

Right here I now eliminated the 2mm that I dove too deep throughout V-engraving. This removes all of the paint exterior the carved space, theoretically leaving me with excellent and exact letters. Nonetheless, as talked about above I’m not completely proud of the outcome and also you may wish to think about various strategies.

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C04

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Profile lower	3mm upcut	003-top-outside-2-profile-3mm-upcut.gcode	24 min

Subsequent I did a profile lower and once more not right through. This offers some room for a few of the upcoming toolpaths on the edge. Additionally observe that I’ll chamfer the define of the Recreation Boy entrance, so there is no such thing as a want for a downcut bit right here.

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C05

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Display bezel and LED gap	3mm downcut	003-top-outside-3-pockets-3mm-downcut.gcode	10 min

This can be a easy shallow pocket for the display bezel and a little bit drilling to create the outlet for the facility LED.

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C06

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Pockets for buttons, display and speaker grill	1.5mm downcut	003-top-outside-4-pockets-1.5mm-downcut.gcode	34 min

The pocketing of the buttons, the precise display and the speaker grill is completed with a finer bit. In some circumstances due to skinny traces and in some circumstances to attain sharper corners. In some circumstances as a result of it appeared just like the buttons needs to be a part of this package deal.

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C07

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Rounded speaker nook and button indents	3mm ballnose	003-top-outside-5-indents-3mm-ball.gcode	21 min

The Recreation Boy includes a slope on the speaker nook and a few clean indentations across the buttons. These are accomplished with a ballnose bit.

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C08

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Define chamfer	90° V-carving	003-top-outside-6-chamfer-90deg.gcode	2 min

Lastly, my favourite step of most CNC tasks. Chamfering. So satisfying.

Sadly, there’s a mistake in my toolpath. Whereas simply following the define works completely for many elements of the Recreation Boy entrance, I underestimated the impact of the slope on the speaker nook. A forty five° chamfer in the direction of this slight incline resulted in a little bit of overhand and a barely bizarre look. I sanded ^{a lot of the drawback away, however you may wish to think about skipping chamfering on this nook.}

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C09

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Element decor traces	1mm upcut	003-top-outside-7-detail-1mm.gcode	3 min

The final step on the surface of the highest half simply provides the ornamental advantageous traces to the entrance. That is fast and straightforward, however observe that the one cause for utilizing an upcut bit right here is that I merely don’t personal a 1mm downcut bit.

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The within of the highest shell (D)

As soon as once more it’s time to flip your workpiece and align it. And as soon as once more bear in mind to offset by 5mm in case you use my methodology.

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D01

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Surfacing	Surfacing bit	N/A	81 min (will depend on authentic thickness)

Should you use wooden from the identical board as the underside half of the shell, you in all probability must take away a whole lot of materials right here. You might be aiming for a ultimate thickness of 14.5mm. And this one must be very exact. On the underside half a too thick shell may make it more durable to get the battery contacts by way of to the battery compartment, however on the highest half this impacts the highest place of your buttons, how deep the display is beneath the window and whether or not your speaker grill goes by way of (spoiler: mine didn’t).

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D02

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Pocketing of most inside geometry	3mm downcut	004-top-inside-1-pockets-3mm-downcut.gcode	179 min

That is the large pocketing job for the within, overlaying most elements. Notice that I took some liberty in optimizing the form for a subtractive course of. The unique injection mould form clearly tried to avoid wasting materials whereas we want to save on carving away materials. So in lots of elements I left a whole lot of wooden in there, the place the unique Recreation Boy simply has pockets of air. This must also make it extra inflexible.

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D03

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Particulars of inside geometry and speaker grill	1.5mm downcut	004-top-inside-2-details-1.5mm-downcut.gcode	15 min

Including particulars that would not be accomplished with a 3mm bit within the earlier step. Most notably some particulars across the buttons and the within a part of the speaker grill. Like on the unique, the speaker grill is designed such that the traces on the surface simply contact those on the within to create openings. Sadly, this simply didn’t work out on my construct, however the sound can nonetheless be heard very effectively, so I’m not making an attempt to tinker with it. Nonetheless, you may wish to keep watch over the issue and possibly transfer paths nearer collectively.

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D04

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Headphone jack	3mm ballnose	004-top-inside-3-phone-3mm-ball.gcode	3 min

Tremendous brief, tremendous easy. The cutout for the headphone jack. I solely used a ballnose as a result of that is curved. If you wish to save time, you might in all probability have simply accomplished it with a flat finish mill in one of many earlier steps.

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D05

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Profile lower	3mm downcut	004-top-inside-4-profile-3mm-downcut.gcode	5 min

Lastly, the profile lower that meets the one from the entrance. Hopefully you aligned every little thing completely.

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D06

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Screw drilling	1mm upcut	004-top-inside-5-drill-1mm.gcode	4 min

This drills 1mm holes into the poles for the screws to faucet in. As talked about in step B03, the 1mm holes additionally didn’t work completely. For my part they’re higher than the 1.5mm holes I used on the underside half, however the longer poles close to the show had been break up by the screws on this case. Should you provide you with a greater answer, I want to know.

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Battery cowl (E)

Wait, we aren’t accomplished but. You continue to want a battery cowl. Nonetheless, since I didn’t see how the latch of the unique Recreation Boy may very well be created with a CNC and survive a couple of battery modifications, I made a quite simple design that makes use of magnets to carry the duvet in place.

So, it is a slightly fast course of and also you solely want a chunk of wooden with an excellent thickness of about 4mm to 5mm. The magnets needs to be 1mm thick discs with a diameter of 5mm and I may merely press them into the pockets.

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E01

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Reference for flipping	1.5mm downcut	lid_outside_0_references_1.5mm.gcode	1 min
Decor traces	1.5mm downcut	lid_outside_1_grooves_1.5mm_downcut.gcode	3 min

This step cuts references for flipping and provides the ornamental traces on the surface of the battery cowl. That’s it. Nothing extra to see right here and it’s time to flip the wooden piece to the opposite facet.

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E02

Goal	Software	Gcode	Length
Reduce down every little thing however lip	1.5mm downcut	lid_bottom-1-1.5mm-start4.5mmabove-bottom.gcode	42 min
Flatten deal with	1.5mm downcut	lid_bottom-2-1.5mm.gcode	1 min
Magnet pockets	1.5mm downcut	lid_bottom-3-1.5mm.gcode	1 min
Profile lower	1.5mm downcut	lid_bottom-4-profile-1.5mm.gcode	2 min

This after all may have been one gcode file, however I couldn’t be bothered for this little half on the finish of all of the work. On this step you’ll flatten the duvet to the specified thickness whereas leaving a lip that stops it from sliding out. Right here you additionally create the pockets for the magnets and do the profile lower, which can go beneath your workpiece into your spoil board.

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Meeting

That’s it, the exhausting half is completed. It’s best to sand ^{any problematic or tough elements and apply wooden end. I take advantage of boiled Linseed oil, however there are a lot of choices on the market and many individuals with extra expertise in deciding on them.}

After that, you need to be capable of merely disassemble a Recreation Boy and substitute its shell along with your new picket one.

I truly solely used the unique mainboard of a damaged Recreation Boy from ebay and aftermarket elements for every little thing else, so let me present you a couple of particulars.

Initially, the steel protect between mainboard and cartridge slot can merely be screwed into the picket shell with the unique screws (okay, these are additionally authentic elements). You simply may must file away some edges to suit the bent elements across the screw posts.

The identical is true for the PCB and the connected boards. Nonetheless, right here I already had some issues of screws not holding effectively within the 1.5mm drills I did on the underside half. The 1mm drills on the highest half labored higher, however posts tended to interrupt there, so watch out right here.

Within the battery compartment you simply must insert the extra contacts. The outer contacts are already there from the PCB. Notice, that in distinction to the photograph above I needed to put a skinny piece of cardboard behind the contacts to press them towards the batteries.

The white aftermarket plastic buttons match completely, however there are some difficult points to the silicone pads between the buttons and the PCB. Initially, there are very skinny poles that assist aligning the silicone pads. They don’t have to carry towards any drive, however nonetheless you need to be cautious to not break them as they actually assist placing every little thing collectively. Second, the silicone pad of the A and B button has a considerably advanced line across the buttons that appears roughly like a determine eight with a further define. I didn’t reproduce the slit for the extra define, which prevents it from being flush on the wooden by default. You both have so as to add a carving for the define or lower the define from the silicone pad like I did with my aftermarket pads.

For the show I made a decision towards utilizing an authentic display ^{and picked up a contemporary IPS mod kit as an alternative. Notice, that I made a couple of simplifications and optimizations to my design to suit this show. Particularly, the distinction wheel has a further lip on the unique Recreation Boy and there are extra posts on the high of the show which I didn’t mannequin. I believe that an authentic show additionally matches, however you may look into this if you wish to use a distinct display.}

I didn’t discover a great way so as to add a small pole proper subsequent to the big pole within the backside left nook of the show (seen from the within). Sadly, the plastic holder for the show that comes with the equipment makes use of this pole as one among 4 poles that maintain it in place. Nonetheless, it nonetheless appears to be very secure when utilizing solely three of these poles. The PCB of the equipment can merely be screwed into the shell with authentic screws and holds very effectively with the 1mm holes I drilled right here. Solely drawback is that the poles beneath the show break up within the course of. So,… effectively… I’m not certain what to make of this. The PCB is held very securely, however I’m not certain if I’ll finally discover cracks within the case from the opposite screws over time.

Lastly, all it’s essential do is to attach the 2 halves and glue the show cowl into the display bezel. There is only one main catch: For me the 2 halves had been too tight and the screws couldn’t correctly maintain them collectively. I’m not certain if submitting and sanding some elements for a greater match will assist and if tapping the unique screws into 1mm drill holes as an alternative of the 1.5mm ones I’ve within the backside half is likely to be sufficient, however I solely discovered a considerably nasty answer: Gluing the case with wooden glue.

Whereas I nonetheless love the ensuing Recreation Boy and whereas it feels very stable and dependable, it bugs me a little bit to have a slight hole on one facet and a little bit of glue residue. If I ever wish to attain the elements inside, I in all probability must crack the case open, however not less than no authentic elements needed to be glued and will merely get replaced within the authentic Recreation Boy. Nonetheless, it could be nicer if I may simply open the shell in case I ever must do upkeep inside.

Conclusion

After I began this venture, I considerably underestimated the quantity of time and effort that had to enter it. However I additionally completely underestimated how beautiful the outcome can be. In the meanwhile it simply sits on a sideboard in my workplace and I’ve to smile and decide it up every time I stroll by it.

Initially, I deliberate to additionally machine the buttons out of a brighter sort of wooden. Nonetheless, I didn’t discover a great way to create a clear show cowl with matching wooden purposes and finally settled for white aftermarket buttons and an identical show cowl. Now that I see the outcome, I believe that this was a superb determination because it helps to outline the form and look.

Additionally, the Recreation Boy performs fairly effectively. If I’m on the lookout for any playability drawback, possibly the buttons set off a little bit bit beneath their tactile response level and I’m not completely sure if that is to be anticipated. However this Recreation Boy is not going to be my each day gaming platform in any case. That is meant to be introduced someplace. In the meanwhile I’m pondering of creating an acrylic stand for it and use my WiFi cartridge to make use of it as a standing show in a outstanding location.

Oh, and if in case you have been questioning concerning the picket Pokemon cartridges: These are based mostly on the cartridge I published earlier with a number of enhancements to the toolpaths (man, I discovered a lot from the Recreation Boy venture) and the Pokemon brand added. These variations are additionally within the GitHub repository for the wooden Game Boy, however I didn’t add extra documentation for it. Should you bought up to now, I’m certain you may determine it out… 🙂