I happened to be watching Youtube and came across Cinemassacre and their video about GameBoy carts and the desire to find a better case.
Well, of course I wanted to give it a go!
Version 1 was uploaded and swiftly replaced with the current version, version 2 of the design, though sadly I don't have any GameBoy or GameBoy Color carts on hand to test, and I relied on the Internet (ha... I know ) to locate the cart dimensions.
The idea is a case to hold your GameBoy cart, and you can interlock several together and or stack them on top of each other, thus that is the end goal I am aiming for.
Currently its a 1 cart setup, but I may expand it to a 2x2 or 4x4 cart grid so you may assemble, stack and display your carts.
Please let me know if you have any feedback, it's always appreciated.
Ok, I've had a chance to print a couple off and make test fits, everything is working... CLOSE. I shaved a few layers here and there on some of the joints so there is abit more wiggle room on the Z axis.
I'm debating changing the Y axis interlock as it's only a single nub on one side, and make it more akin to the X axis (side to side) mounting.
I am also tossing around the idea of opening up the top grove more, the idea is to give you a spot to possibly pull your game out from the tray.
And hopefully... I can find my box of Gameboy carts somewhere so I can test fit the games themselves. I did oversize the case abit (around .2-.4mm) so it wont be and extremely tight fit.
The slightly modified version released today on Thingiverse (2.2) is where I shaved abit off the Z axis interconnects, and I'm currently printing 3 copies of it. Version 2.1 I was able to print 2 copies of it and test interlocking together and it's a great fit!
Updated Version 2 - Still a work in progress
The purpose is to be able to snap them together, stack and organize your GameBoy and GameBoy Color games.
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Updated Version 2.1 - 2/14/19
I've corrected the stacking issue, all sections should snug together just fine now.
I've also included 2 versions, normal and "rounded". The rounded version adds a .6mm rounded edge at the bottom layer for smoother meshing between pieces.
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Updated version 2.2 - 2/14/19
I've made a couple of very minor adjustments, making some of the layers smaller so everything snaps together cleaner and more level.
I've also increased the size of the tiny nib in the top left that helps line up vertically stacked cases.
I also may get rid of the non-rounded version, the rounded is all I have been printing so far.
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Updated version 2.2 - 2/14/19
There was a very minor fix in the Sketchup files for the original case design, this wont impact 2.2 to 2.3 fitment, just cleans up the SKP files abit for the case.
I've removed the non-rounded versions, having the rounded edges on the first layer helps allow the sections to mesh together easier and I have yet to print / test anything but the rounded versions.
I've added border brace / frame sections, that are either 2 wide or 3 wide. This gives you an added layer of interlocking and adds a smooth border to your collection layout.
The 2WayEdges files are the 2 piece frame files to join 2 sections together, and in turn the 3WayEdges files are 3 pieces wide. This gives you several options to interlock and or alternate sizes to frame in your case layout.
Lastly, there is a CornerLock piece, this goes into the exterior corners of the frame pieces and fills in the gap / locks the corners together. I do plan on adding a quick center lock part to fill in the other frame gaps when joining multiple frame sections together that do not end in a outside corner.
And final plans are to add an upright base / feet, thus if you wish to stand you cart tower up and display your collection, you can snap the feet on and stand it upright.
(p.s. I'm debating adding an additional top/bottom tab layout, so you can snap them together in a pyramid offset, or the current square layout, leave a comment if you would like to see that update)
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I have printed off all Version 2.3 files and to great success! There are some very minor design updates that are needed for the frame sections (specifically the 3 way) to assure everything fits together correctly. I've noticed in my test build, the top 3way pushes the individual cartridge pieces apart by maybe .5-.8mm, and the top and bottom 3way frame sections are offset on the ends but just a couple mm.
I will be working on correcting this today and printing out the remaining frame sections to test various layout designs.
Lastly I need to clean up the corner connectors, as I added a bit of slop or give in the design of these pieces and it seems to not translate well into the fitment in the physical design.
Version 2.4 is complete, I am printing the fixed frame sections to test them and they should be ready here in a few hours!
I did snap another pic of version 2.3 with version 2.4 corners and it looks fairly decent, but the fitment issues with the light grey frame sections is clearly visible.
Lastly, I added GBA cartridge support to the cartridge piece, sadly it can only fit 1 GBA cart, I was really hoping 2 stacked would fit. So instead I did make a GBA filler with a spot for a label if you wish to add one.
Once I verify fitment of the new frame pieces, I will upload all version 2.4 files to Thingiverse. The cart holders from 2.3 and 2.4 will fit together, no interlocking changes have been made.
Version 2.4 is off the printer and test fitted!
Boy it is tight! I gave no tolerance for anything, it was a raw 1-1 fit in Sketchup, and with translating to physical form, its just a hair to tight.
It does all fit together, but the frame sections cause the whole ordeal to shift and twist / compress abit. In the end, this made it hard to remove and insert the game carts into the frame, so I made some slight changes and I am testing them on the printer now (version 2.4.1 frame sections).
I also did print out some test vertical feet, and decided I had too much slop in its fitment and design and I'm going to update those as well.
I should have more pictures tomorrow, I'm going to call it a night for now and let frame 2.4.1 print.
Version 2.4.1 has been test printed and its a great fit! I will say, once you start adding more and more sections and make the case larger... It may be a good idea to add a drop of CA glue here and there if you plan on keep it a long term layout for your case design.
The parts do snap together fairly snug, but depending on your printer and settings it may be a real tight fit.
I recorded some footage of it coming together, and as soon as I convert the video to a format Vegas will import them...sigh... I'll toss it up (crazy I've used that camera for weeks and oddly today the files wont import...)
Any way, here are some action shots 😉
Just a minor update for tonight.
I have changed the case version to version 2.4.2
In this build, the small lip on the inner walls of the cartridge piece has been removed. I also narrowed the inner walls (above the previous lip location) by 0.2mm on the left and right side.
This should help avoid any scratching of scuffing of your cartridge if the fit is too tight.
