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In order to fit the Game Boy theme, I'll be tossing out the stock guitar body and building a new body from scratch that will resemble a DMG. Additionally, the Pi will be running RetroPie with GB, GBC, and GBA games. I will probably include NES games as well (maybe Turbografx too?) but not SNES games as adding X and Y buttons will throw off the DMG look. I'll include L and R because they'll be hidden on the back of the guitar body.



I'll be using a 5" backup monitor because I feel that's the ideal size for fitting between the guitar pickup and neck.







Thought I'd work on the software side of things first to get that out of the way. Here I'm writing the RetroPie image to my microSD card. I'm using version 2.3 of the image because newer versions I've had issues with Retrogame, which is the tie-in program I've used in the past to connect tact switches to the Pi's GPIO pins. I'd much rather go this route than chop up a USB keyboard to stick inside the guitar.







Connecting the Pi to my TV. I need it connected to the internet to download the Retrogame software, but otherwise that's not needed. I'll be using a PS3 controller for testing RetroPie until I have buttons wired up to GPIO.







Wanted to add a few games and try them out before setting up Retrogame, as it's not my favorite thing to do.







And here I thought Metroid II looked rough on a tiny screen.







Starting to set up Retrogame. RetroPie 2.3 has a built-in Linux desktop, so I'm doing all the work from here. Newer versions removed the desktop option I guess because they thought everything you need to do you can do from the command prompt terminal. Yeah, no. From the desktop, opened the web browser and navigated to Adafruit's page on setting up arcade controls on a Pi. (Click the GitHub link.)







GitHub link takes me to a page where I can download the Retrogame files as a .zip. (Yes, I took pictures of my TV. I didn't want to worry about taking screenshots on the Pi and then figuring out how to resize them and get them to my Photobucket from there.)







From here, I gotta do some work in a terminal. LXTerminal works, as does XTerm (I think I used XTerm for this next step actually). Also, the next 2 or 3 images aren't terribly interesting, but I took them for a possible future guide.







A simple use of the "unzip" command extracts the files I need.







Next, I have to go into the Retrogame code file and edit it for my purposes. Originally it's setup for a very simple MAME arcade experience with four directions and two action buttons. I've added all the buttons for a GBA plus escape, which exits a game. When I use a PS3 controller, Start + Select exits a game, so the escape key may not be necessary. Also, I had to figure out which keyboard key corresponds to each game button. That's why keyboard Z = Game Boy B, etc. The numbers on the left (25, 9, 10, etc.) are specific GPIO pins. I'll have to refer back to this code when soldering on my buttons.







After saving the code file, I had to remake the executable. The downloaded package includes the make file, so I had to simply type the "make" command. There are a couple more steps involved in the Adafruit guide which essentially tell the Pi to automatically launch Retrogame when the system boots. Since I don't have my buttons wired on yet, I'm going to assume that the software is working as it should. I'll troubleshoot later if need be.







Back to the hardware, where I removed everything from the body of the guitar. I'll be reusing all of the extra parts in the finished project. That's it for today! It's time to reveal my project for the build-off. For this competition I'll be building a Raspberry Pi "portable" into a working electric guitar.In order to fit the Game Boy theme, I'll be tossing out the stock guitar body and building a new body from scratch that will resemble a DMG. Additionally, the Pi will be running RetroPie with GB, GBC, and GBA games. I will probably include NES games as well (maybe Turbografx too?) but not SNES games as adding X and Y buttons will throw off the DMG look. I'll include L and R because they'll be hidden on the back of the guitar body.I'll be using a 5" backup monitor because I feel that's the ideal size for fitting between the guitar pickup and neck.Thought I'd work on the software side of things first to get that out of the way. Here I'm writing the RetroPie image to my microSD card. I'm using version 2.3 of the image because newer versions I've had issues with Retrogame, which is the tie-in program I've used in the past to connect tact switches to the Pi's GPIO pins. I'd much rather go this route than chop up a USB keyboard to stick inside the guitar.Connecting the Pi to my TV. I need it connected to the internet to download the Retrogame software, but otherwise that's not needed. I'll be using a PS3 controller for testing RetroPie until I have buttons wired up to GPIO.Wanted to add a few games and try them out before setting up Retrogame, as it's not my favorite thing to do.And here I thought Metroid II looked rough on a tiny screen.Starting to set up Retrogame. RetroPie 2.3 has a built-in Linux desktop, so I'm doing all the work from here. Newer versions removed the desktop option I guess because they thought everything you need to do you can do from the command prompt terminal. Yeah, no. From the desktop, opened the web browser and navigated to Adafruit's page on setting up arcade controls on a Pi. (Click the GitHub link.)GitHub link takes me to a page where I can download the Retrogame files as a .zip. (Yes, I took pictures of my TV. I didn't want to worry about taking screenshots on the Pi and then figuring out how to resize them and get them to my Photobucket from there.)From here, I gotta do some work in a terminal. LXTerminal works, as does XTerm (I think I used XTerm for this next step actually). Also, the next 2 or 3 images aren't terribly interesting, but I took them for a possible future guide.A simple use of the "unzip" command extracts the files I need.Next, I have to go into the Retrogame code file and edit it for my purposes. Originally it's setup for a very simple MAME arcade experience with four directions and two action buttons. I've added all the buttons for a GBA plus escape, which exits a game. When I use a PS3 controller, Start + Select exits a game, so the escape key may not be necessary. Also, I had to figure out which keyboard key corresponds to each game button. That's why keyboard Z = Game Boy B, etc. The numbers on the left (25, 9, 10, etc.) are specific GPIO pins. I'll have to refer back to this code when soldering on my buttons.After saving the code file, I had to remake the executable. The downloaded package includes the make file, so I had to simply type the "make" command. There are a couple more steps involved in the Adafruit guide which essentially tell the Pi to automatically launch Retrogame when the system boots. Since I don't have my buttons wired on yet, I'm going to assume that the software is working as it should. I'll troubleshoot later if need be.Back to the hardware, where I removed everything from the body of the guitar. I'll be reusing all of the extra parts in the finished project. That's it for today!

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What I'll be working with is 2"x10" pine for the body. Of course it's more like 1.75"x9.25", but it's still the size I want. Before anyone gets after me about, "You should use this kind of wood for best tone..." I went with this cheap stuff because I don't plan on making the BEST sounding guitar on the planet and I wanted to buy plenty of wood for the inevitable mistakes I'll make. Besides, I originally bought the guitar at a pawn shop for $40, so it's not like it's rocking top of the line pickups or anything.



Prior to the competition I did a practice run to see if I could actually make a guitar body and assemble it into a functioning guitar. The result was a success (I actually hooked it up to my amp and everything!) but it wasn't pretty. This run will be more practice, as obviously I don't want to use a chunk of wood that's been gouged on one end.







Got some measurements on the wood for cutting the neck slot, then held the neck onto it and traced around it. That'll be my guide when routing. During my initial practice attempt, I tried making my own routing template, but the results were less than ideal.







The first route, only about .25" deep.







The neck fits very snug, but you can see the cut could be a lot better since there's still a gap between the heck and the body.







Here's the neck with the original body. Notice there's no gap around the bottom of the neck.







Routed the cut deeper. For those not familiar with routers, you can only cut as deep as the router bit is tall, which is why I had to make 2 passes to get my desired depth. I had planned to go exactly .75" deep, but I forgot to measure the depth setting of the bit before this pass and went a little deeper. I actually don't mind it like this because on my first practice I didn't route deep enough and the neck sat too high. Then the strings kept hitting the upper frets. No good. This way I'd at least have plenty of room to adjust the string action.







Anyway, back to the electronics. I desoldered the 3.5mm AV jack from the Pi and soldered on a basic RCA jack so I could easily connect it to the screen. I also desoldered all of the GPIO pins in preparation for soldering on the buttons. That step won't come until the guitar body is much more finalized.



To do (software):

Add GBA bios file in order to play GBA games.



Look into adding a startup screen. It's a neat idea but may have to come later in the lifecycle of this project once I get everything else complete.



Add TONS of Game Boy games.

Thanks guys! You seem to be pretty handy in the woodworking area, ModPurist. Can I assume you use router templates when building your guitars? Also, what kind of router do you use? Currently I'm borrowing a 2-handled router (kind of like this ) from a friend. It works really well, but I don't get the perfect cuts that I'd like. I have an uncle who's a carpenter by trade and has a shop full of the best tools which he said he'd let me use for this projectWhat I'll be working with is 2"x10" pine for the body. Of course it's more like 1.75"x9.25", but it's still the size I want. Before anyone gets after me about, "You should usekind of wood for best tone..." I went with this cheap stuff because I don't plan on making the BEST sounding guitar on the planet and I wanted to buy plenty of wood for the inevitable mistakes I'll make. Besides, I originally bought the guitar at a pawn shop for $40, so it's not like it's rocking top of the line pickups or anything.Prior to the competition I did a practice run to see if I could actually make a guitar body and assemble it into a functioning guitar. The result was a success (I actually hooked it up to my amp and everything!) but it wasn't pretty. This run will be more practice, as obviously I don't want to use a chunk of wood that's been gouged on one end.Got some measurements on the wood for cutting the neck slot, then held the neck onto it and traced around it. That'll be my guide when routing. During my initial practice attempt, I tried making my own routing template, but the results were less than ideal.The first route, only about .25" deep.The neck fits very snug, but you can see the cut could be a lot better since there's still a gap between the heck and the body.Here's the neck with the original body. Notice there's no gap around the bottom of the neck.Routed the cut deeper. For those not familiar with routers, you can only cut as deep as the router bit is tall, which is why I had to make 2 passes to get my desired depth. I had planned to go exactly .75" deep, but I forgot to measure the depth setting of the bit before this pass and went a little deeper. I actually don't mind it like this because on my first practice I didn't route deep enough and the neck sat too high. Then the strings kept hitting the upper frets. No good. This way I'd at least have plenty of room to adjust the string action.Anyway, back to the electronics. I desoldered the 3.5mm AV jack from the Pi and soldered on a basic RCA jack so I could easily connect it to the screen. I also desoldered all of the GPIO pins in preparation for soldering on the buttons. That step won't come until the guitar body is much more finalized.To do (software):

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Member Back to Top Post by ModPurist on Yes I use MDF templates. Trace the neck, then cut it on a band saw or something, then use a dowel and sand paper to sand close to the line. Then use a router with a bit that has a bearing on the shaft side. Make sure all things are in the exact right places. You don't want any discrepancies from the proper spot or it will be hard to play. Make sure the scale length is done right too. Measure to the 12th fret from then nut. Then double it and that's the length from the but to the saddles of the bridge.