NES Retro Media Center

Today I was put in a very hard situation, I was forced to choose if I was going to build my NES to USB converter or to buy it. I so wanted to build it my self by using a PIC microcontroller but since I did not have a programmer and was only to program two chips it was alot cheaper to buy the converters. From what I could see from forums RetroZone was the best place to go and so I did. As soon as they arrives I will put out some pictures cause I will install the converters in a special way.

Since I did a bit of reasearch on how to build and program the NES to USB converter it is ashame to let it go to waist. Ther for I will post some good links here.

• The PIC18F4550 from Microchip is a really nice microcontroller to use for this USB project.
• Microchip also have very good programmers and debugger tools, PICkit 2.
• If you like DIY, like me please have a look at this article at www.diyife.com.
• And here are some information about programming it on a Mac!
• The software and alot of more information on how to do this you can find here.
• Also if you like YouTube, MungedToastFaces has posted alot of good videos.

As I said before, I will use the original NES controller as a remote. And today the controllers arrived. These where also bought at Ebay for 150 SEK ~ 25 USD.

Since I want the ability to easily change the controller if it breaks I will not convert the controller to USB as many other have done with help of www.retrousb.com. I will convert the port on the NES instead and as a bonus I will keep the outside of the console untouched.

For a cuple of days I bought a broken NES at Ebay, (Tradera in Sweden). It is payed and I am just waiting for it to arrive. Same feeling every time “hope I do not get scammed” :)

72 SEK ~ 11,70 USD

My main goal with this homepage is to keep me working on my current project, a Media Center within a Nintendo Entertainment System. And of course get some ideas from the readers? ;)

The idea is to use a VIA Pico, Nano or Mini ITX mainboard and make a nice Media Center. As a remote I will convert the standard Nintendo controller into a usb mouse. Also it is important that the system has a low power consumption.

From what Google have told me about this I am quite alone with this HTPC (Home Theatre PC) project. This is the only ones I have found so far:

• The Nintendo PC
• Build a Nintendo NES PC
• The “NESPC”