Atari 2600 laptop

[foothead]

I've been wanting to do this for years, ever since I saw Ben Heck's Atari 800 laptop, but it has always seemed like far too much for me... until now. Atari has a new version of the flashback II out without the glitches of older models. What do you think, should I snatch one up, cartridge mod it, and attach a 7" lcd from our old portable DVD player? The total cost of the mod would most likely be about $75, plus the cost of some games for it. I would also need to build a custom lcd lid (how the heck can I do that?) to make it look nice.

I also need ideas for the controller. Right now I'm thinking of inlaying a standard atari joystick in the case, cutting off the handle, then threading the base (where the handle goes) and the handle so it can screw in place. The handle would fit in a special compartment drilled into the side of the case.

What do you think? I am just mulling over ideas for now, until I get some extra money.

 

[foothead]

Been doing some rethinking, and I have decided that the FBII is just too small to laptop mod. It would end up being very awkward to use. So... Handheld mod it is. Yes I know the thing will be incredibly large, but I think I can pull it off. A 7" handheld would be pretty epic imo. The whole thing will be about 10"x5.5". It will most likely be relatively thin, except for a massive lump where the cartridge goes. I am most likely going to use six 2000mAh rechargeable AA batteries to power it, since both the dvd player and the FBII use 9v.

The unfortunate side of this will be that it will lose most of the feel of the original atari. I was hoping to somehow integrate the original joystick into the laptop, but sadly that seems impossible with the new design. Instead, I am going to have to go with a more standard d-pad.

I am currently in the process of getting the dvd player fully taken apart. Pics to come soon.

The DVD player:

The necessary components, displaying my FBI.

The extra parts:

This is about as far as I can go without the FBII. Gonna order it as soon as I get some money in my paypal, then the fun part begins.

BTW, I encourage comments, criticism, etc.

 

[VINMAN46]

looks good you try to put a n64 into a laptop next

 

[foothead]

looks good you try to put a n64 into a laptop next

Nah, if I did a N64, I'd definitely cut the pcb down and make a frankenstein handheld. They are epically hard to work on without killing though, so I think I'll keep it simple for a while and work my way up to the N64.

Any thoughts on using one of those PC game boxes as a case? It would be just about the right size, and if I screw up the epoxy putty, I just grab another and start over.

Been doing more thinking... And there is no need for the FBII portable to have a 7" screen. I could easily make something more along the lines of a gameboy if I used a smaller lcd. So I am going to begin watching eBay for a decent pocket TV to use for this. In the meantime, I need something to work on, so I am going to use the 7" lcd for a handheld sony playstation. I'll make a thread for it once I get everything figured out.

Hell yes! http://cgi.ebay.com/3-5-LCD-Monitor...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item335d771a1c

$30 for a 3.5" color lcd with composite inputs already hard wired