The 3d Printed NES HTPC

[ppopops]

 

Hello. I am a long-time watcher and member but don’t post much. I wanted to share my little project that was a long time in the making. Since it is a lengthy process, I would probably make a few posts.

 

Basically, I wanted to build a HTPC that was in the form a console. I settled on the NES since it fits a mini-ITX motherboard and was my first gaming console. I saw many people taking a real NES, ripping the inside and cutting holes to assemble a small computer inside. However, I didn’t want to waste a real NES and wanted something that was made to contain a computer. So, I decided to 3D print one… with no prior experience to 3D printing and CAD design.

 

No problems right! I Just needed to find a design on Thingiverse and print it. However, I could only find cases for Raspberry pies and not a full-size NES for a mini-ITX build. I would then need to design it. I thought it couldn’t be that hard since it is basically a rectangle with a cutout for the IO shield and 4 mounting holes for the motherboard. I was so wrong…

 

 

Step 1 – Design the NES case in Fusion 360

 

I decided on using Fusion 360 since it is free for personal use and a parametric modeling software. I could then go step by step and go easily go back if I made a mistake.

 

The plan was simple:

• Take the dimensions of a NES and recreate the shape
• Have 2 main parts: top and bottom
• Add the mounting holes for the motherboard
• Replace the controller ports by USB ports
• Add some additional ventilation on the sides

After a few tutorial videos on Fusion 360, I was ready to dive in. And after many hours, days, weeks of work, the final result looks like nothing I have initially planned.

 

Everyone’s favorite part: the bottom:

 

 

 

To say that it was harder that I thought is an understatement. Did anyone notice that the front facia of the NES is at a very slight angle??? Yep, I had to reproduce that and you can see it in the picture above.

The dimensions are the same as the NES, but I made a few changes to improve (hopefully) airflow and integrate with the parts that I found. Here are some of the design decisions:

 

• The front controller ports are replaced with USB ports. I modeled the front USB port holder after this cable that I found on Amazon:
  • USB 3 cable
• The power and reset buttons will be 3D printed: 
• The holder is modeled after these switches found at a local electronic store:
  • Power/Reset button switches:
• At the back, there are a big cutout for the IO Shield and a small one for the DC input connector (5.5mm/2.5 mm).
• Ventilations holes have been added on the sides.
• At the bottom, rubbed feet can be installed in the recessed sections.
• The sides have been made thicker at some locations to reduce flex.
• Added 4 cable management holes that can be used to pass zip ties.
• Like the original NES, the screws will come from the bottom to attach to the top piece.

 

The bottom piece took the most time to design. Now on to the top piece!

 

From bottom to top?

 

While easier to design, I had to make some compromises here. No, you cannot open the cartridge loader. I would have love to, but the project already was taking too much time. Designing and printing a hinge would take more time and I wanted to get it done. Here, I also took the liberty to make some additions:

•  Added some ventilation holes and mounts to install additional fans
•  Added an SSD mount
• Small cutout at the back to accommodate the IO shield

 

Everything together: 2 become 1?

 

 

 

 

I had to go through many iterations to come to this result. The design had to be 3d printable and there were many trials and errors.

 

The challenges to 3d printing this will come in the next post. Stay tuned!

 

 

 

[Blue4130]

3 hours ago, ppopops said:

 

 

 

From bottom to top?

 

 

While easier to design, I had to make some compromises here. No, you cannot open the cartridge loader. I would have love to, but the project already was taking too much time. Designing and printing a hinge would take more time and I wanted to get it done. Here, I also took the liberty to make some additions:

•  Added some ventilation holes and mounts to install additional fans
•  Added an SSD mount
• Small cutout at the back to accommodate the IO shield

 

 

 

How do you screw in the SSD screws? Doesn't look like much room to get a screw driver in...

[ppopops]

13 hours ago, Blue4130 said:

How do you screw in the SSD screws? Doesn't look like much room to get a screw driver in...

 Indeed, there is not a lot of space for a screwdriver for the fan and SSD mount. I used an L-shape screwdriver to get in those tight spots.

[ppopops]

Step 2 – Printing the Case

 

3D printing is now for the masses. Everyone and their dog have 3d printers and it is easy, or so I heard. Well, let’s say it hasn’t been easy and there have been frustrating moments.

 

The 3d Printer

 

I couldn’t justify spending thousands of dollars on a new gadget (my wife would not kill me, but would question my sanity) so I had to settle for a more entry level 3D printer. The NES has a length of 260 mm and most printers print at 250mm by 250mm. So, I had to find one with a bigger build volume. I settled on the Ender 3 Max that has a build volume of 300mm by 300mm and is fairly affordable, at around 450$ CAD.

 

Just using the printer was a challenge. I initially had lots of trouble, from the first layer not sticking, to layer inconsistencies and general print quality. Fortunately, Ender machines have a strong community behind them. I made a few upgrades that increased the quality by a lot.

 

 

Upgrades done:

• Replaced the glass bed with a PEI bed. Had better first layer adhesion with PLA, and easier to clean for the next print.
• Added a bed leveling sensor (BL Touch). Also helped with first layer adhesion. Had trouble before with always leveling and readjusting the bed.
•  Added a second lead screw and Z-axis motor. Solved the layer inconsistencies.
• The springs for the bed that came with the machine were not very strong. Replaced them with silicone spacers.
• Added a cheap Wyze cam (not in picture) to monitor the prints.

These upgrades were done over the course of a few months while experimenting with the machine. It definitively was a learning experience. Even with the bed leveling sensor and everything else, I had good results adjusting the settings on the fly (thank god for live tuning). When I was getting consistent results, I could finally print the NES case!

 

3D printing: Slow but steady?

 

I knew that 3D printing was slow, but oh boy this is turtle slow. I used Cura for slicing, and with standard quality, only the bottom piece takes 1 day and a half… The top piece also had a similar printing time! And when a print fails, you have to start all over!

 

 

Fortunately, for prototyping, I used Filament’s Friday extra fast profile and I was able to bring the printing time down to “only” 14 hours per piece. I iterated the design a few times and have a stash of older version/failed prints.

 

I test fitted the parts on a prototype orange version (hey, got a deal on some cheap orange filament), and everything fits! Time to print in grey, and another shade of grey…

 

 

2 shades of grey

 

The NES is a beautiful machine with 2 shades of grey and a touch of black. It was time to play the waiting game and print in standard quality with the correct filament color. Fortunately, the prints came out OK. Not perfect, but fine in my opinion.

 

 

 

 

What is left is the fun part, the build! Coming up soon!

 

 

[ppopops]

Step 3 – Building the HTPC

 

After months of designing/tinkering/prototyping/printing, it was finally time to build the HTPC! On the bright side, December came by and I got some good PC component deals during boxing day!

 

The parts

 

Since it is an HTPC, I don't need the fastest components. Just something that can stream, watch movies, do some light gaming in a small form factor. I didn't want to spend too much either so I settled on these parts:

 

• Ryzen 5 5600G
• Asrock B550 M-ITX/ac
• 2 x 16 GB DDR4 Corsair 3600 Mhz
• 1TB Teamgroup M.2 PCI 3.0 SSD
• RGEEK 250W pico-psu
• 120W power brick
• 2 x 40mm Noctua fans
• 3D printed NES case

 

 

I went Ryzen since the APU fits the bill and has decent integrated graphics. The downside is that they are very few mini-itx AM4 motherboards. Choice was limited and the Asrock was a bit more expensive than I wanted to spend. But it came with a 20 MIR, that I should receive in 14 weeks... 32 GB of ram is a bit overkill for my needs, but I got a good deal and it wasn’t much more expensive than a 16 GB kit. Now I know some of you will say that 120 W for the power brick is not enough power. However, I stress tested all the parts with Prime95 and Furmark running at the same time and it didn’t crash. In a real-life utilization, I would never push the CPU and GPU to 100% concurrently.

 

 

The build at last

 

I started by installing the USB 3.0 front USB ports. I used super glue just to be sure. That thing is not coming off.

 

Then came the motherboard with pre-assembled CPU, heatsink, ram and M.2 SSD. I added the pico-psu right after.

 

It’s a tight fit!

 

To finish the bottom section, came the power and reset button and the LED. The wires for the switches and LED were really too long and I had to cut them to size. The front IO connector is right next to the buttons.

 

Now for the fan installation and a bit of cable management. Did my best but my options were limited.

 

Finally, let's attach the two parts together and see what it looks like!

 

 

 

 

 

Now the real test...Watching WAN show. Added sone NES controllers for the theme haha.

 

 

 

So that's were I am at now. Technically, I should paint the section around the USB ports black, but I kind of like the looks of it now.

 

Let me know what you guys think!

 

 

[Blazeburner29]

Is there any way you can give a link to your design files for people (like me lol) who want to recreate this? This is super cool!

[ooCHAMELE0Noo]

I have wanted something like this for years. But all the designs I've seen before this were for tiny machines aka raspberry pi's.

[ppopops]

Hello,

 

Sorry I have been away for a while from the forum. 

 

@Blazeburner29 Better late then never I guess. I have posted the files here if anyone wants to reproduce it https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6439943

[Calvin.]

Thank you so much. This right here alone makes me want to learn to start 3D printing.

[thetoaster1083]

This is actually so cool! I love the concept of this :DDDDDDD