Build Guide

Checklist

Included in the kit:

- 1 x Game Boy Null PCB
- 10 x SMD buttons
- 3 x Right-angled buttons
- 1 x Power switch
- 1 x TP4056 charger with protection module
- 1 x 3R9 SMD resistor
- 1 x 2.8” ili9341 screen
- 4 x M3 20mm acrylic nuts and bolts

Not included in the kit:

- 1 x Raspberry Pi Zero W
- 1 x 1000mAh battery (5x34x50mm)
- 1 x Set of 3mm/0.118” clear acrylic parts
- 1 x Set of 5mm/0.220” clear acrylic parts
- 1 x Micro SD card

Tools/materials needed:
- Anything you need to solder
- Double-sided tape
- Kapton/insulation tape
- Masking tape/normal tape
- A multimeter
- Flush cutters
- Acrylic solvent (e.g. Weld-on 4)
- A piece of single core wire
 For the acrylic case, you will need BOTH the 3mm parts and the 5mm parts.
They can be purchased from http://ponoko.com or http://razorlab.co.uk and
the design files can be found on the Tindie store page.
If using these services, you will need to use P1 sized sheets of clear acrylic (see

The Acrylic Parts the next pages).

Ponoko.com don’t offer 5mm clear acrylic, so instead use the 0.220” option. It’s
slightly thicker (5.6mm) but will still work.
Version 1 Make sure you have received all of these parts and contact the laser cutters if
any are missing or broken.
The design files include two sets of all the buttons so if you lose, break, or ruin
them, you get a second chance.
You will also get a bunch of scrap pieces, hold onto them.

3mm/0.118” 5mm/0.220”
Front outer plate Front inner plate
Inner face buttons Outer face buttons

Fragile!

Rear outer plate Rear inner parts

Rear buttons
Fragile!
 There was a small update made to the case files that allows the acrylic nuts to
fit inside the rear of the case, making it thinner overall.
This version is more difficult to make but I feel it results in a nicer device.

The Acrylic Parts Only make the V1.1 case if you feel confident working with acrylic and solvent.

Version 1.1
The holes in the Rear outer plate are now hexagonal and will snugly fit the
acrylic nuts.
The holes in the Rear inner parts were made slightly larger to help align it and
to allow for a greater margin of error.

Below is a picture showing the difference (V1 in front, V1.1 behind):

Rear outer plate

Rear inner parts

Fragile!
Here is a screenshot of razorlab.co.uk with all the correct
settings for the V1 case.

The “GBN V1 3mm P1.svg” file contains all the 3mm parts for
the V1 case.
The “GBN V1 5mm P1.svg” file contains all the 5mm parts for
the V1 case.

The “GBN V1.1 3mm P1.svg” file contains all the 3mm parts for
the V1.1 case.
The “GBN V1.1 5mm P1.svg” file contains all the 5mm parts for
the V1.1 case.

You do not need to get all four made. Select the V1 or V1.1 case,
and use the two corresponding files.
 Build Guide Put insulating tape across the bottom of the Pi to ensure that
none of the other pads get connected. Anything that isn’t the

Soldering the PCB GPIO along the top must be covered:

All of the components for the PCB:

Trim the tape:

The Raspberry Pi is the hardest component to attach. Don’t solder

anything else down until the pi is attached and connected properly
with no bridging.
Tape the pi in place, lining it up with the outline on the PCB: Use a multimeter and the guide on the next page to check the
connection has been made. Also check that it is not
connected to neighbouring pads or anything else it shouldn’t
be. If everything is connected properly, solder the next pad,
checking the connections each time.

Place the tip of the soldering iron in a hole and let it heat the
pad below, introduce a small amount of solder, you don’t
want to bridge the pads below. There’s a better explanation
of this process and a video here:
https://www.sudomod.com/mintypi-custom-parts-guide/
You don’t need to solder all the pads, but the pi won’t be fixed
as solidly so be slightly more careful when inserting the SD
card once it’s all finished; don’t ram it in and break the pi off
the board.
SWITCH
SWITCH

SELECT
UP
B 4 2 5 R

9 X Y A 9 6 7 3 L

OFF
LEFT

START
RIGHT
DOWN
1

= Ground
18
= Nothing

18
3R9
 Solder the legs on this side:

Next, tape the TP4056 in place following the outline:

And then on the other side:

Make sure these holes line up:

Snip off the ends with some flush cutters:

Put some short lengths of single core wire through the holes:

Solder the other four holes the same way you did the pi:
 Solder them on the other side:
Next is the switch, this is the hardest component for me
personally. Tape one side in place and solder the other down:

Then do the other side, here’s my terrible solder work: Resistor next. Tape one side down, solder the other edge. Then
tape down the soldered side before doing the last edge, it will
probably move around if you don’t tape it in place:

Place the right-angled buttons, two at the top, one at the

bottom by the switch:
Face buttons. Align the button with the outline on the PCB
then tape one side down. Place the tip of the iron on a leg,
heating the pad below through it. Introduce a tiny bit of solder
to the pad/edge of the leg. Remember, you’ll be able to see
your soldering through the acrylic, try to keep it neat.
Remove the tape and solder the other legs:
Repeat for the other nine buttons.
The screen. It’s really not as hard as it looks. Before soldering
anything, I coloured the white edge of the screen with a black
sharpie so that it blends into the PCB (note the screen
protector is still on):
Align the pads and tape the ribbon cable in place:
Make sure the screen lines up with the outline on the PCB and
sits straight. It can be a little above or below the outline: Last part, the battery. Place some double-sided tape along the
back (the wires will be on the bottom right corner):

Heat a pad and apply a little bit of solder, it won’t take much.
Repeat for the other pads. You won’t be able to see this under
the screen so it doesn’t matter if it’s a little messy:

Place it centrally between the TP4056 and pi, and between the
top and bottom edges:

You can put the SD card in, connect power to the TP4056, and
make sure it all boots and the screen works. The first boot will
take a little longer as it expands the filesystem. Shut it down,
turn it off, disconnect the power, and remove the SD card.
Assuming everything works, use the tape on the back of the
screen to fix it in place.
Cut the black wire to length and solder it to the pad marked “-”:

Place some kapton tape over the connections to protect them

and prevent any accidents:

Cut the red wire to length and solder it to the pad marked “+”.
Be very careful, don’t connect these two wires together:

And that’s the first half of the build done!

 Laser cutting:

Build Guide Laser cutting plastic leaves it with a slight taper along the edges. It will be
obvious which side is the top (the one that doesn’t have the sharper edge).

Making the Case Solvent:

- Solvent should only be used in a well ventilated area, the fumes can be quite
significant. Refer to the guidance and instructions provided on the container.
- You apply it to the edges of where the materials meet using a syringe or
squeeze bottle with a needle, you will see it get ‘sucked’ underneath the acrylic.
- It’s normal for there to be bubbles between the layers, you will get fewer bubbles
if you use more solvent when first applying it.
- The surfaces being stuck should be clean and free of dust, especially since
you‘ll be able to see everything through the clear acrylic.
- Once the solvent has been applied, it can take up to 3 hours for it to dry fully, but
some are workable within 10 minutes. It’s best to just wait.
- Try not to move the parts as this will create streaks within the plastic that can’t
be removed.
-Do not touch the solvent once it is applied, not even to wipe some excess away,
as it will leave a mark.

You should receive pieces of scrap acrylic with your case where the holes have
been cut out, they are great for practising with the solvent before starting on the
actual parts.
First of all, tape the Rear outer plate and Rear inner parts
together. Make sure they are the right way around:
Run the needle along the edges shown in blue:

It’s important to line up the holes for the nuts and bolts, here’s
the V1.1 case:

Here’s an example of the bubbles that are hard to avoid, I quite

like them:

When you’re ready, place the end of the syringe/squeeze bottle

needle against an edge and squeeze until you see the solvent
fill the space between the layers, it’ll pull itself under and
spread as much as it can. Applying a generous amount will
reduce the number of bubbles, but don’t apply so much that it
leaks out. Move the needle along the edges to reach
everywhere.
Some guides will tell you to apply the solvent to the surface
first and then place the part onto it like you’re using normal
glue and paper (for example), don’t do this. Here’s a good
video example: https://youtu.be/3KzZDi-aXD4?t=132
 Now for all the face buttons and the d-pad. Same as before,
tape them up to hold them in place, but leave room for the
needle to reach some of the edges. The d-pad is the easiest to
All the pieces for the case finished. V1.1 shown here:
line up. The action buttons are a bit trickier, you need to make
sure they are centered otherwise they’ll rub when you press
them. There is an outline engraved on the lower part to guide
you. The start/select buttons are the hardest, not only do they
need to be centered, they also need to be straight. They also
have an outline on them to help you line them up.

Inner face buttons Outer face buttons Finished face buttons If anything doesn’t fit the way it’s supposed to, it can be
sanded down but be careful: you’ll be able to see what’s been
sanded, so pick edges that aren’t as visible and put tape over
+ = anything that you don’t want to get scratched.
 Time for the final assembly. Here’s an exploded view of how it
all fits together:

Rear outer plate

Rear inner parts
Rear buttons

Game Boy Null PCB

Front inner plate

Face buttons

Front outer plate

 For getting the back half in place, I’ve found it easiest to put
First, make sure the SD card isn’t in the pi and take off your the buttons and switch in the right places first...
screen protector (with the SD card removed, you are free to
test that the power switch slides back and forth freely).
Clean every surface and remove as much dust etc. as you can.
Place the Front outer plate face down (the sharper edges will
be facing up) then put the Finished face buttons into their
individual holes:

...then press the other half into the upper part, so that the LR
buttons don’t move, before folding it closed like a book:
Then place the Front inner plate onto it:

Place the finished PCB onto this and hold it together. Holding it together in your hands, make sure that everything
clicks and moves the way it’s supposed to.
Put the bolts through the holes from the front so they stick out
the back:
Snip off the extra bits of the bolts with a pair of flush cutters.
Be careful: you don’t want to scratch the case and the bolt
threads have a habit of firing across the room or into your
eyes.

Twist the nuts down, do not overtighten them:

Trimmed bolts on the V1.1 case:

For the V1.1 case, you can line up the nuts and push/pull them
into the hexagonal holes:

Check that everything still clicks and slides the way it’s
supposed to. You might need to sand or remake your face
buttons if they stick. If the LR buttons are sticking, try
loosening the nearby nut and bolt.
Insert your SD card and you’re finished!
To add games:
Connect to wifi...
https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Wifi
(The “Connecting to Wifi Without a Keyboard” section)

...and transfer some ROMs

https://github.com/retropie/retropie-setup/wiki/Transferring-Roms
(The “SFTP” section. SSH is already enabled)

The right-angled button on the lower edge is connected to GPIO 5

and is used as a basic shutdown button. This can of course be
changed if you know what you’re doing. You will need to remove all
instances of “sudo python /home/pi/Scripts/shutdown_pi.py &” from
the /etc/rc.local file.