Toaster deck hacking!

[Bratwurst]

Well I finally went and got some 72 pin connectors from Newark, the non-zero-insertion-force kind. Here's what I was planning on doing with a throwaway NES toaster deck once I find one for dirt cheap.



Take a perf board and string some wires in the back for the contacts, get the contacts aligned so the cart can be inserted in the top one label up while the bottom connector is placed on the motherboard.



So, I'll most likely disable the springboard that lets the cart drop down or remove it and instead make a guide rail that will direct the cart straight into the connector. Only thing I'm wondering about is how much reinforcement I'll need for the setup and how hard it will be to insert/remove carts after this is done. Those connectors seem pretty tight.



This should make a nice cheap alternative to a top loader if it pans out, and I won't have to hack up the original casing either. I really wish the guy who made the NESp would put pictures up of his custom top loader he claims to have made on his website.

[jonjandran]

You might think about leaving the springboard in and just taking out the springs and keeping it closed. Then raise it up with spacers so it's as high as the new connector and that will give the game something to slide in and out on.
Just my two cents.

Also making the perf board as short as possible and then securing it to the back of the Nintendo with 3-4 bolts and nuts would secure it perfectly. And the only obvious modification to the nes would be the 3-4 bolts in the back. But if you keep them small , say size 8 and countersink the heads and maybe even a little gray-white filler and they'd barely be noticeable.
Also if you don't want to buy connectors, just find some cheap game genies and remove their connectors . They work real good.

[Bratwurst]

I hadn't thought about the bolts in the back, though that's a good idea. I had been contemplating using some epoxy or JB weld to set some of the parts in place (like the connector to the perf board). And I already have the connectors, they were actually cheaper to get than a used game genie.

[jonjandran]

Could you P.M. me and let me know where I could get some cheap ones too?
I have several hacked toasters and always try new ideas.