Here it is, portable-lovers! In all sorts of vector file formats, the files that can be used to build a VCSp Rev 5!
Visit the Downloads page to get the WinZip file containing the goods. The WinZip archive contains:
- Separate files for the screen riser, buttons, battery cover, front half and rear half of the case. Each file indicates what thickness material to rout it out of, and also the depths of features on the piece.
- The front & rear halves are accompanied by a bitmap file for each called Front Rout and Rear Rout, respectively. These were files I’d always have on my PDA so as I routed cases, I knew at what depth to rout out each part on the case.
- Read Me file describing the terms under which you may use these files.
 – HINTS & TIPS! -Â
Not all of the blanks are filled in, however, for a couple reasons. One, I’m lazy. Two, if you decide to use the files and create something, you can improvise things (such as the tricky battery cover slot routing) and make changes on your own.
Front Half of Case…
You’ll notice 4 screw risers on each side of the unit. These will (more or less) perfectly fit a Radio Shack general-purpose IC PC board (catalog #276-150a) for which to place your buttons/switches/components on. How you place your video mod circuits, heat sinks and the like on this board I leave to you.
You’ll need an RCA L2501 pocket television for the screen. They are still available at Best Buy as of this writing, you can also find them used online if you do a search. The neat thing about the L2501 is the long ribbon cable connecting the main board to the screen. You can remove the screen, stick it through the hole in the front of the case, cram it into the screen riser piece, then drill holes on the 3 screen riser posts that match the holes on the screen’s PCB! (ah ha!) To save time and money, use the 3 screws that held the screen in the pocket TV. The ribbon cable can be bent at a 45 degree angle, and you can affix the main PCB of the pocket tv in sideways.
Be careful of the wires that connect to the bulb on this TV, they can be easily broken. (If you convert to white LED’s you’ll remove them anyway) Of course, you’ll have to de-solder the brightness and volume controls and connect them to the side of the unit…
Rear Half of Case…
Hm, see those mysterious holes on the left side of the unit? That’s my initials (BJH) in Braille, and also vent holes for the heat sink (a clue as to which side to put it on!) You’ll see the two screw posts where you can attach the chopped up Atari 2600 board (see below). The battery goes on the right hand side. You’ll need to affix a match plate over the battery compartment to keep it in place. For the battery contacts, I suggest drilling holes in a piece of that Radio Shack IC PC board and shoving some male molded nylon connector prongs through. (search Radio Shack for this) Those will precisely fit the holes on a Sony Info lithium battery.
So, good luck! If you have a specific question, such as “what type of heat sink?”, feel free to email and ask away, however, to pre-answer 50% of the email I get, I will not be providing a complete ‘how-to’ as I currently do not have enough time to write one up. Try the forums, (see link to left), there’s plenty of people working on portables who can also offer advice and solutions to issues regarding this hobby.