Pi SP - The Worlds Smallest Portable Raspberry Pi Computer in a GBA SP Case!
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- STAY TUNED! I will be using a Raspeberry Pi Zero in my next TINY project! New worklog will be on Modretro.com
I will try and make a tutorial while I make one too!
Full worklog for the system is shown below:
host-a.net/u/fr...
The website it was on previously was taken down but luckily it was downloaded by one of the users on the forum. Here is the Worklog ^
The code for the Joystick and buttons for the Teensy 3.1 can be downloaded here:
host-a.net/u/fr...
Quake 3 - 9:42
Mario Kart - 12:43
1080P Movie Playing 16:33
Took me about 2 months to build, I made it mainly for the competition on the forums. Lots of time went into research since this was my first ever raspberry pi. The Odroid W is a direct clone of a raspberry pi so I believe it counts as "The worlds smallest Raspberry Pi system" in my books :) I've made a few N64 Portables and even a GameCube portable so those helped me make this one.
If Interested in an Odroid W visit their website here:
www.hardkernel....
Specifications:
*Odroid W (Raspberry pi clone)
*1300mah battery (cell phone battery [tiny])
*Wifi Module (I said Bluetooth in the video but meant Wifi)
*Usb hub (4 usb ports - 1 will be used for wifi internally, 1 is wired to the Teensy 3.1, so 2 external)
*HDMI port (great for movie player on the big screen at home)
*Mono speaker hooked to an amp with digital volume (tact switches to change volume)
*3.5in screen! (Larger than the original GBA SP screen)
*Directional Pad, A, B, X, Y, L, R, Start, Select + Joystick and a misc button.
Enjoy!
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
>makes raspberry pi computer out of gameboy advanced
>plays gameboy advanced games on it
SUCCBO11 yo I'm milhouse u marge
>tries to greentext on youtube
>fuckingREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.png
I'm using it for porn
>game boy advance *d*
you can play it at higher speeds though
Seeing Quake III on a "gameboy" - a thing of beauty!
I'm officially impressed. This has to be the coolest pi project I've seen up to this point. Very cool man, thanks for sharing your build.
This is cool!!!
I hope that Gameboy Advanced was broken when you removed its guts. Gameboy advanced was perhaps the greatest handheld ever.
MinecraftEpicPlayer until this little gem came into existence lol
By far the coolest thing I've seen made with a raspberry pi!
***** Pretty much is.
***** I know, but they're used for the same purpose. Even the developers said that it's pretty much a smaller raspberry pi.
Check out my CyberDeck coming up in MagPi
Great one, lad. Do not forget adding all the Gameboy, Gameboy Color and Gameboy Advanced games on this small Raspberry Pi Computer. That makes this as fun as this gets.
awsome. I'm in love with all handheld mods and what has been done with the rasberry pi mods ate probably my fav handheld mods so far!! looks great
I would have a mental break down if I tried building that
Thank you so much for providing the worklog! So many bad links around the internet because of that missing forum.
Where is the work log ?
Imagine a tiny keyboard on the bottom and a track pad... It would be a micro laptop! So cool.
Get the new 5$ Pi and BAM... its even better.
+Valueless Dollar they sold out in a day... like if you cry everytime
+Valueless Dollar Three words: Will Do Next!
+Valueless Dollar It did, but I bought two copies of the Magpi with a free Pi Zero on both. Subscribe and you can still get issue 40 with the Pi Zero.
+Jungle Skunk Gaming awesome! last time I checked they went for about 40+...
+Valueless Dollar with orange pi one a 10$ computer you make better deal
man, this is such a sweet project!! i'm working on my first Retropie with an old 13.3" LCD i had lying around so it is a lot bigger but with the same concepts. I crammed all the pieces and plugs into a deeply hollow picture frame with swing hinges and now have a badass desktop console w/built-in screen and Xbox controller. I'm very impressed by your project and might try something mini like that myself :) well done!
How did you hook up your buttons!?! I'm working on a Gameboy Zero in an SP case and can't get the conductive rubber pads to function because they are being compressed by the board used for the 3.5" screen directly below it. I can post some pictures if it'd help. Thanks!
Very very impressive! Would love to see RetroPie on there!
Since it has the exact same chipset as a RPi, it obviously can run RetroPie, but it would be as powerfual as a RPi1.
I think Nintendo should release something like this. The SP size format would probably work way better as a companion device than the current 3DS to carry with the smartphone. One of the new Snapdragon chips, HDMI out, and Bluetooth, you'd have the perfect hybrid home/mobile console.
Samsung has the Z Flip series now
16:20
A:10
V:10
Thanks YIFY!
Literally what I was thinking. omfg xD
jaywalkah H1L4R10U5!
+jaywalkah Great one as always ;)
jaywalkah d
Thanks You Idiot Fuck You? What does that stand for?
AWSOME!!! I wanted to make something like this but I couldn't gather up the money to. Nice Work.
A decade ago I would kill for an opportunity to play Quake 3 on my GBA, lol
Next Project: Raspberry Pi in a GBA Micro!
seeing this video when I was like 11 probably changed the course of my life forever no joke
can we see the inside? i have a sp and a pi zo w laying around
how the heck did you get that joystick to work as a mouse??
i cant figure it out, despite hours of research
A new video of the guts would be awesome I really would like to make this
I domt suppose you have a tutorial or could provide me with the information on how to use 3ds joystick with pi? Only thing I can find is great big playstation joystick tutorials
great job dude I'm hoping to make one of these in the future with some time money and experience this video is very inspirational keep up the good work!
I've watched a bunch of raspberry pi videos and I still don't know what a raspberry pi is
It is a "computer" witch you can put the operational system that you want, and as the main OS are Linux based you can modify almost anything, you can boot up the linux based OS or boot up retropie with lots of emulators, and of course you can mod the input (controllers) ans you want to.
It is a basically a tiny computer.
Igor Lollato *which
Dr___Gaster Thx xD, I always write it wrong.....xD
Igor Lollato no problem
Igor Lollato no problem
That's sick man. Great job!
This is the perfect project for me to try for my first raspberrypi build. I just hope the raspberrypi 3 will fit and that I can put two joystick nubs in it for some of the games I want to play on it
The RPi3 doesn't fit, but the RPi0 does.
Dude, that was pretty beast! Good job.
so, how did you connect the screen through that tiny hinge? i’ve been having trouble getting around this on my own SP project
Who places the joystick on the right side?
When you play a first person shooter do you use the mouse in your left or right hand? I made the controls based off of Quake since that was my main focus when designing. The mouse fit better on the right side therefore.
It's really fucking odd though...
+FrostedfiresMods can you make a list of parts you used and the software pls
Looks perfect for doom.
Dpad is WASD, right stick is mouse.. makes perfect sense to me.
dude ... you're my hero !!!
been thinking about this mod but had to drop it ... other priorities on the list ... kids, school, the predicament of justifying funds to the missus :) ...
I love it !
got an old game boy that I might mod with a pi 2 ... need more buttons :) and got to rethink the geography inside first. Seen a nice 480x320 3.5 screen at adafruit ... a bit pricey but good though ... still oscillating in my head about a clamshell with keyboard and a joystick or the gameboy build.
That is freaking awesome, good job man I hope to see some other great project
It's crazy that raspberry pi can do all this stuff I mean play retro games on a small thing like raspberry pi it's just crazy amazing
u got me into computers man. Almost done with my engineering degree now, thanks man
Wow! That's awesome, thanks for the kind words and good luck with finishing up. Keep pushing on!
have you at any point played this on the train in nyc? im positive i saw someone using a rig like this and was to quiet to ask how they ran it
sean obihiro I live in Florida so I guess you saw a normal GBA SP :) That would have been pretty funny though if it was true!
Real Cool Bro, Congrats on your build! sweet!
WOW is all i can say really cool hope you make more this would sell honestly
This is amazing. Ultimate low-key pentest tool.
Looks pretty quality! I wish that clone board was still available.
I know its an old video, but i have been wanting to make one to play pc games on just for the lols. May i know what screen it uses and could the Raspberry Pi Model B+ work?
really love the mini monitor on it
The speaker is crackling because of electromagnetic interference. The casing and pcb were designed for the game boy specifically so the shielding is inadequate.
That is insane! Great work!
my only qualms against it is how the start / select buttons look, and how far the usb ports jut out, but other than that totally diggin the mouse analogue mod, slightly rough but genius in form, great job!
Sounded really good actually.
Electronic genius. Complete savage with hand tools and glues...
Amazing. With hindsight I would've put js between B and screen button
I need this on top of my actual sp as an os!
do you have a diagram for what teensy pin outs are wired to each button? I have your programming loaded, I just don't know how to read it to tell which pins to wire to each button and joystick pin out.
This is amazing! Good job man! :)
Impressive. Would you consider doing one inside of a DS Lite or a 3DS XL (for more space to work with)
Shane Rivers That is a future plan, yes. Probably a DS Lite since I have a few broken ones to mess around with.
Dylans VitaReviews I will give it a try soon! :)
FrostedfiresMods how did you do this gameboy ?
Can you tell me how to make such a Startup Menu like your "Applications" Screen and how to manage it?
This is the most coolest mod I've ever seen
May I ask, what buttons did you use for the the d-pad and other buttons? Is it tactile push buttons?
Please send a link if you have a photo.
Thanks in advance!
Could I possibly get you to build one for me if I paid the right price?
Oh wow. You modified the GBA SP case? Nice
Awesome project, not much use for Internet without a keyboard to type though. My question in case you come across my comment is what would you do to get around not having a keyboard? Is there a program you can run to be able to type?
$390 isn't a bad price if it included shipping to the UK,very tempting indeed.
should put it on ebay and see whose temptation gets the best of them.
Who the hell would dislike this? People are really strange.
Question, how did you keep the original Gameboy Advane SP buttons? Did you need the motherboard? I plan to make one myself and it'll be my first project so I have no idea how to do so. Any advice much appreciated, thanks!
Hi, you inspired me and I do the Pi Project myself :) I have a question about the Joystick PSP, you used a micro chip? How did you solve this?
Would it be possible to do this project with one of those 3.5 inch LCDs made for raspberry pi or arduino? Though I'm thinking of using a DS case instead of an SP one so I could also fit in a tiny keyboard.
This is great! This might be too much to ask, but do you have, or can you make a video tutorial on this? I downloaded the rar. file but it was difficult to follow it. Thank you and keep up the good work.
I really want to do this but i want to add two joysticks and function some buttons for r/l 2&3 for ps1 emulation. Im new to any builds like this and not sure where to start. any suggestions, i have a gba sp and am looking at screens. can i use a 2.8 touch screen instead of the 3.5? any screen recommendations? also why not use rp0w? is this one smaller than the zero? sorry lots of questions...
I am extremely impressed. This was posted on the Adafruit blog. I would love to know what you used for the USB hub.
Thanks man! Here's the Hub:
www.dx.com/p/ssk-shu027-square-shaped-high-speed-4-port-usb-2-0-hub-white-175305
This dude literally gave it sticks and more buttons. Well done!
I dare you to play fortnite on that.
(Idk, only free game I can think of)
Man your a genius keep up the great work
hey man, i'm building this in a ds lit case. How did you get audio from the Odroid W? i cannot for the life of me figure it out as there is no audio out and cant figure out how to use the gpio for it? Any chance you could explain? Thank you in advance
Ashley Underwood GPIO 45 (PWM TOUT1) And GPIO 40 (PWM TOUT0) = L+/R+ And L-/R- is Ground.
you sir, are a hero. thank you so much
The audio on the Odroid W is outputted through GPIO 45 and 40. If you wire a wire from 45 to the Left audio input on an audio amp and 40 to the Right audio input you will get sound from the speakers. You find small audio amps on ebay.
ahhh man thank you. i saw you was thinking of doing this in a ds lite case yourself. You still going to do it? problem i have is the lcd im using is too thick for the top screen. just a heads up if you do. where did you find this info btw?
+Ashley Underwood If you're tackling that, another good project is Adafruit's PiGRRL or Super Game Pi!
Awesome vid! I'm starting my very first project which will be a Raspberry Pie Zero W housed in an SP shell! Do the forums you mentioned still exist? Would be great if there was anywhere I could go with resources and tips for such builds!
Great job on the sp man came out awesome!!! How did you hook up the battery ive connected a battery to the battery connector but nothing happens i can only get it to boot with no battery connected and powered through the usb port
Dude, where did you get that nice square screen?
Just get a screen and cut it in half...
Shan Liu probably bought one of those tiny TFTs with SPI interface from adafruit, mouser or some hobbyist shop.
Hey! I'm trying to build my own version of this, but am stuck at trimming down the LCD's board. I got a very similar LCD, but the board is different...
Hello where did you get the screen? Also i was wondering how can i put the games on mine?
+joseph chrzempiec (josephchrzempiec) Possibly a car backup camera monitor sold on ebay for about $15-20. If you are using RetroPi, enable samba shares and you can move roms over to it from any computer. github.com/retropie/retropie-setup/wiki/Transferring-Roms
Thank you.
Hey man.
Looking to start something similar to one of these soon. I'm a biomed engineer so know my way around some of this stuff from undergrad but it's not my area, if I'm to be honest. Wondering do you have a write up anywhere, or a copy you could email? Specifically not sure about using a teensy/nano as an I/O slave, i2c?. I'm reading up on it but can't really find anything solid. Love the work. Wish I got to work in this area outside of my free time. Sadly there's no money in creating retro gaming Frankensteins.
good first pi project. keep it up!
hey man i built a dmg using an odroid-w but i cant seem to get rid of audio static did you come across the same issue? im starting to think it might be the amp module itself
now thats some next level gba shet, really awesome!
The links in the description aren't working for me :( how did you power the screen? Is It running off on 5v and if so how? Thanks and great build
That's awesome dude if I had the money right now I would totally buy it from you lol.
Hi, very nice project, congratulations! May you answer a question? Get the device very hot when operating it? I have a almost same project, but build a enclosure to my RPi, and I will use a liion battery, but, I'm afraid if the RPi heat could damage or even explode the standard liion battery. Thanks.
João Sombra New House I've never experienced any heat issues. The Odroid W doesn't really get hot like the RPi's do. It has better power consumption and is more efficient with the energy given so it releases less heat.
Thanks for the answer. I'm trying to find a Odroid W to buy. I built a almost wereable RPi, but I'm afraid to enclosure the RPi board with a good liion battery and all the heat be dissipated into it (In my tests the RPi reaches 60o C). Thanks
How did you manage to put the screen without a docking board?
Will Teensy 3.1 work for windows10? Looking to build a handheld windows10 handheld with the up board and im not gonna use a mouse for it.
Can you tell me what type of OS you used as I can see u had xbmc and emulation software on it in one
I swear this is one of the most things that fucked my brain up respect bro gj and keep it up
Do you still have the build log for this? i have the odroid-w in the mail and have an old gameboy advance sp laying around. any help would be appreciated!
I just found a replacement case for gameboy Advance SP for about 6 dollars with buttons, screen, original screws and original stickers so i might try XD
Tomek Kozłowski where did you find that?
Polish ebay called allegro
Why didn't you keep the Start and Select in their original position? To make it look more like the ABXY buttons or for ergonomics?
BTW: I love the project, I might buy a raspberry pi zero and do the same to my old GBA SP
Where did you get the 3.5 inch screen? I'd like to put one on my GBA SP.
Hey man I'm pretty new to modding so I'm really bad at this kind of stuff. I have 2 raspberry pi's lying around and wanted to try this out, but I am wondering how do you mod the shell for the gameboy to fit the raspberry pi? Like what tool specifically is used to make the cutouts for the ports?
I used a dremel and an Xacto knife. First, draw the shape of a cut with pencil, then use the dremel with a small bit to make a hole in the case. Lastly, use the xacto knife to make the edges look more professionally done. It can be tricky and lots of trial and error. Good luck!
damn dude i have an xacto knife thankfully XD i will try my best sry for l8 reply
amazing build
Where can I find that LCD? Adafruit LCDs have thick control boards and it don't gonna fit :/
How to convert a 3ds joystick to usb as a mouse for computer?
It need a arduino nano or teensy?
+IHPU0 Yup, that is the simplest way to make it recognized as a mouse. You will need to program it though to get it to work how you want.
+FrostedfiresMods but i have only arduino nano for this use, does the nano can do this?
How much would I have to give you to build one of these that has full Kali Linux as the OS and 1 emulator for gameboy with like 1 Pokemon game so it could be desquised
The Raspberry Pi Zero V2.0 is smaller than the case on the GBA. Kinda thinking it'll fit now.
I smell a new project coming.
How did you get the 'launch screen'? Where you can select between the desktop, xbmc, games etc.?
Thanks
I used ultimate raspbian and added some extra features to it too.
www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=58839
can you make a video going over the inside of the Gameboy, I am trying to make one this summer, and I wanted to see the inside so I know what to get, to do, and a clue to do it. Respond when you can.
Hey, so I really enjoyed the video, and I'm thinking about recreating the project. I know it's been a long time, but can you tell me if you remember why it was so compact, and what made it compact, like was it the battery? Because what you showed was really small, and I thought it would fit easily. Thanks!
Wait.. its a PC inside of a GBA SP case, so it's technically an Everything Portable! Because if it is capable of running a PC, then it can play any game on any PC emulator! Unless it's hardware is too low for Wii and GC emulation.
Are you crazy? how could that run Wii and GC? Even if it was a RPi0, which it isn't, it's maximum would be 32 bit games A.K.A PS1 games if you're EXTREMELY lucky. Not even an RPi3 can run GC and Wii. The farthest an RPi3 can go is N64. This is about as powerful as a RPi1.
***** Yeah, it's due to un-powerful hardware. As for GB-GBA, yes it can run them flawlessly.
***** Sadly, there's not more powerful models. The power of it just gets higher with most new releases. I heard that some mini-computers can run Dolphin, though (the GC/Wii emulator). As for the RPi being created for creative people, the RPi is created not only for creative minds, but also for students learning about computers, and such. They are mostly used for building mini-PC's, media centers, and Videogame/emulation consoles.
***** Yeah, they're pretty cool.
***** They are really fun to mess with. You could learn a lot with them. Hope you have fun with them :)
But can it run Crysis 3 4k ultra settings?
+MasterChondria458 well of course
Word is that these are used to take satellite images with.