The Null 2 site has a downloadable set of instructions for 'making your own' image. So to make things easier, I decided to try customizing the RetroPie OS image to get RetroPie booting and all the hardware (screen, buttons, and audio) working. And, as I found out after trying for a couple days, it doesn't currently build on 64-bit Pi OS, and I had trouble getting it to build on the 32-bit version on the Zero 2 as well. Softwareīuilding RetroPie on the Pi OS image is not quite 'simple', and takes a very long time-hours and hours. Switching to the official Pi OS image got the Pi to boot, but that made a new problem. Eventually, I found that the problem was the official Null 2 Pi image (at least at the time of this writing) didn't include device tree files (. I thought I must've broken something, but after re-testing all the test points, it seemed the hardware was wired correctly. Rinse and repeat.Īnyways, I got the battery mounted, I charged up the battery via USB-C, and then I powered on the board. The key is to put some flux on the joint, solder it, then if you overloaded it, grab a spool of solder wick and pull off some of the excess solder. Luckily there are only a few surface-mount buttons, a resistor, and the screen that have to be done this way.
In the end, I'm not proud of it, but this was the first time I'd done the 'through-hole cup' method of soldering, so 39/40 connections seems like a pretty good average! I later switched out that red jumper wire for a thin bit of enameled copper wire, so it would fit in the case better.Īfter that snafu, things went well, though soldering a few of the SMD components (like the resistor pictured below) can be annoying. So, I had to bodge a separate GND connection to one of the other ground pins on the Zero 2. In a sick twist of fate, every single GPIO tested out fine except for the GND pin the Null 2 uses. You basically 'fill in' the through-hole on the Pi's GPIO pins, and hope that the solder makes a connection with the surface pad under the through-hole. I guess you could call it "blind cup-hole soldering". The first step is taping it to the board so it aligns with the pads on the board: The most nerve-wracking part was soldering the Pi Zero 2 to the Null 2. I also ended up using flux, solder, and some Q-tips to clean some parts with alcohol once I splashed flux all over them :)
Beszt handheld raspberry pi emu portable#
I finally have my own portable gaming handheld-and even better, I hand-made it! I even 'hand-made' some of the software, too, since the official Null 2 image-at least at the time of this writing-doesn't work on the Pi Zero 2 hardware! Video I guess out of a sense of jealousy, I decided the first thing I should do with Raspberry Pi's latest hardware, the Pi Zero 2 ( see my review here), is build myself a handheld retro gaming console.Īnd what better way than with the Null 2 kit (pictured above, from it's Tindie page), a kit integrating off-the-shelf components on a custom PCB, wrapped up nicely in a custom acrylic case.
Beszt handheld raspberry pi emu Pc#
I've played console and PC games, I've only used handhelds twice: once in middle school, when a friend let me borrow his Game Gear for a day, and last year year when my dad brought over his Nintendo Switch-which my kids quickly commandeered. Heck, as luck would have it I've never owned a Nintendo Switch, either.
As a kid, I never had a Game Boy, Game Gear, or any other handheld console.
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