Thousands of Retro Games in Your Pocket with this DIY Emulator!

Let's build the best size, no-compromise, retro handheld gaming console.
Go to www.expressvpn.com/snazzy to take back your Internet privacy TODAY and find out how you can get 3 months free.
Parts list:
Game Boy Null - snazzy.fm/gbnull
Raspberry Pi Zero W - snazzy.fm/pizerow
Battery - geni.us/xtWxIE
microSD card - geni.us/Qryny
Supplies:
Kapton tape - geni.us/0hXhZhm
.015" leaded solder - geni.us/CkU8IPS
Solder wick - geni.us/0whu
Amtech Flux (IMPORTANT) - geni.us/XJmkk
Inexpensive (but high quality) soldering iron - geni.us/wFeET8
Hakko FX-951 soldering station - geni.us/BXed
Hakko conical solder tip - geni.us/NSyDx56
Optional rubber work mat - geni.us/BDgd32m
Snazzy Labs uses 3D printing and amateur soldering (this video provides a 'how to solder' tutorial for soldering beginners) to create the world's coolest (and tiniest) handheld emulator using a Raspberry Pi Zero W. Enjoy thousands of retro games in your pocket with this fun DIY project!
Follow Snazzy Labs on Twitter - / snazzyq
Follow me on Instagram - / snazzyq

[@joel9240]

I am genuinely ridiculously tempted by this.

[@snazzy]

Do it! I had a blast building it, the thing runs great, I'm finding myself actually playing it (which is unusual for my DIY videos lol), and the price is right!

[@RetroMMA]

No sound? No thanks. No offense. Heh

[@thaddeussm8169]

Snazzy Labs you could probably set up sound using a micro usb to headphone jack adapter. Then it wouldn’t require much more if any extra space in the enclosure. I love RPi projects. If you like emulation/retro gaming you should look into Arduboy if you haven’t already.

[@user-iv3ef1df7s]

ThaddeusSM Andeoid supports emulators. Far easier than this with full sound.

[@mrcokez1]

go for it, i made mine with audio and its not that hard at all.

[@ShankMods]

This is a well made video, and probably the best pi portable console video I have seen to date. However, I do want to point out that you should NEVER cut both terminals of a lithium battery at the same time. The metal in the scissors is shorting the two terminals together, and a shorted lithium polymer battery can explode in a firey ball of infernal rage. This is extremely dangerous, so try not to do that again. Keep up the good videos!

[@wiggy8912]

Shank Mods you clearly haven’t seen very many Pi portables.

[@z32racer1]

I thought the same thing when I saw him cut it like that.

[@yashpatel878]

Ummm I think Wiggy is right, stuff like the "Minty Pi V3" by "Sudomod" aka "Wermy" is much easier to build, doesn't require mush saughtering at all, and much more premium.

[@slembcke]

Holy crap yes. I've melted wires in little RC models with batteries that size because I didn't bother to test for shorts before plugging them in. If that battery was much bigger you could have spot welded the wires to your cutters and had a burning battery. No joke! It would only take 10s of amps to do it for smaller wires.

[@joshuajefford3323]

Shank Mods hey shank i love your wii portables

[@em9594]

You need to mention DO NOT cut both the red and black wire at the same time if your cutting it off the battery! shorts happen INSTANTLY just for safety ONLY CUT ONE WIRE AT A TIME!!!!

[@enclaveofficer]

I learned the hard way cutting live wires together in a household. Never again.

[@Username-ym9tt]

it wasnt connected tho

[@em9594]

@@Username-ym9tt it was! He cut the wires right off the battery! If he hadn't gotten lucky and cut the wires clean, he could of fried the battery and caused it to explode!

[@thenugget3671]

Awesome advice! Thanks

Right, he was fortunate however because his battery has a BMS.

[@maybemc1498]

Weird flux but ok

[@xteensgames]

I see what u did there

[@23nguyenthanhlong49]

@@xteensgames that was smooth

[@mikeb6923]

Haha, this comment is gold! And your picture makes it even better

[@fezt.v.1569]

Ha

[@kirbystar1]

Pun

[@baardi2]

Video description: "Let's build the best size, no-compromise, retro handheld gaming console." No sound...

[@jensswieringa846]

I think sound aint that important imho

[@jayson1505]

Doesnt the pi have BT tho?

[@leonardodeluzio]

The Gameboy Null 2 has you covered. Two speakers AND headphone jack.

[@UnboxMaster]

This video is sponsored by flux...

[@UnboxMaster]

@@BhargavGV Most likely so...

[@sajadh4542]

BhargavGV dont be silly

[@happyarch5365]

Flux isn't s brand.

[@yashazare]

and tape

[@cthulhuhasrisen1009]

That made me chuckle, thx

[@manOmanyTrades]

Great video. I have been soldering since the early 90s and have always used rosin core solder which works great on large gauge wires and small pinned circuit boards but is impossible when using SMT components. Using separate flux is amazing and a total game changer. Thank you so much for that tip.

[@BikePackingPleb]

Ive been soldering for quite some time and ALWAYS had problems with ribbon cables, I was watching for fun and learned something that could have changed my life 10 years ago.

[@domino52o26]

I just think its the craziest shit ever that all the old games we used to play on those big heavy consoles can all, every one of them, be played on a tiny little device, it just blows my mind.

[@snazzy]

It is pretty wild! Especially when you consider the tiny little Pi Zero is what does 100% of the computational work. And they cost $10! Pretty cool.

[@domino52o26]

Yeah it's definitely incredibly cool.

[@Venatorion]

@Joe Blow Let's hope we get there... There's a lot of people worried out there in the world about world war 3. It dosen't help with how chaotic things are and that the news dosen't cover corruption too well, and all the infighting the western world is having, I swear someone wants to piss us off and get us to become aggressive with each other right. Hopefully things chill down, and people stop pushing AI Tech to much or looking into the new too dangerous potential modern world weaponry choices that can't be controlled in the modern world.

[@tonberryhunter]

Cell phones have been able to do this for about 10 years now. My 200 dollar cellphone runs PS1 fullspeed and even Dreamcast.

[@another3997]

@@tonberryhunter And does your smartphone have all those dedicated physical buttons rather than an inert touchscreen? When you play games, listen to music or watch video on your phone and flatten to battery, what happens when you need to use the phone? Carry a charger or spare battery? Might as well just have a separate device in the first place. Smartphones aren't the answer to everything. Why not have a console, tablet or laptop for better games on the move?

[@AaronHilton]

This is a really great build video! I've been doing electronics for ages, and completely missed the memo on the slick flux reflow trick for the ribbon cable. Nice!! 🤠

[@Natelok]

this video immediately made it to my re-watch list. I'm definitely going to have to get myself one of these soon. I was sad when the most reputable rom sites went down but with this I'll be playing all my favorite roms again in no time

[@sabin1981]

Not only was this an entertaining and informative video, but the way you describe and go through everything step by step makes things incredible easy. Great stuff! Thank you, subbed :)

[@alastairbutterworth3495]

“If you have rosin flux just throw that away” and now use this rosin based flux I’m promoting 😂

[@joshuak4553]

For audio, you have two options with the Pi Zero. Analog/pwm pins with a low-pass filter (and amp like the PAM8302) + adding a dtoverlay line to /boot/config.txt ........OR, a small USB sound card adapter. And a 10k potentiometer or something for adjusting volume

[@orrinbarabor1387]

It's so wonderful to watch someone discover the satisfaction and jot of proper soldering. If any of you aren't sure about this project because of the soldering; I urge you to do it. It will be fun, and rewarding when you get your awesome new toy at a fraction of the price you can buy these things new for. Enjoy!

[@XInfinity2024]

Good video and I have to say OMG that flux trick for the ribbon cable is freaking amazing! I will have to try doing this my self when I get into soldering.

[@PLr1c3r]

Did you just use flux on a capacitor? doc brown would be proud!

[@edstar83]

I c what you did there.

[@coler154]

its a resistor

[@stealthasf6903]

Well that's odd, Linus said that NordVPN is the fastest VPN...

[@egg4861]

Hmm

[@DTS214]

Linus>everyone else

[@alfredbanuelos7312]

almost as if he got paid to say that.... hmmmm....

[@godofwinetits3826]

that dude only says what he reads in his script, blame da script writers

[@KnuxKitsune]

I thought it was PIA

[@MrVidau]

It's crazy how charismatic you are. I'm absolutely never going to attempt this, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching the whole thing. That's gotta say something. Good job!

[@snazzy]

Thanks, Lucas! This comment means a lot. I try really hard to make videos entertaining for everyone-even those that don’t intend to actually do the project. :)

[@dstarr3]

No joke, this video is actually one of the best soldering tutorials I've seen on KZbin.

[@Chukijay]

If you’re here and follow Rossman, be sure to add a Milli-Paul amount of flux whenever possible.

[@snazzy]

😉

[@SianaGearz]

Look it isn't actually THAT much flux. Think of the magnification that guy is working under, it looks like everything is flooded but really it's just a little tiny droplet.

[@Souls4Roca]

doesn't change the fact that flux is magic!

[@Chukijay]

As someone that does the same thing he does for al living, it's a lot of flux. That's the joke, though. It's all good. He does work under some wicked magnification.

[@rodriguez8572]

J W wtf that’s my name am I high right now

[@YoutubePizzer]

Thank u for the hand holding throughout the video, I do like to be taught how to do this stuff while being entertained

[@dateraped.1323]

Me too thanks Dad 😊

[@pemirsa]

I don't remember why KZbin suggest me this video but I'm not disappointed. great video. complete & detail instructions, delivered in perfect pace. well done

[@GameIsMyOxygen]

Came for the DIY handheld, left with an itch to flux and solder everything around me. great video man! :D

[@HeyMarkL]

holy shit! Really cool video Quinn! I really enjoyed this.

[@snazzy]

Thanks a ton, Mark!

[@Null_Experis]

Correction: Flux is a weak acid that strips oxidization from metals when activated by heat. This allows the solder to adhere much better to the metal, as there isn't a metal oxide layer blocking it.

[@kevintran8966]

6:08 does that also work with other flux or just this one?

[@prismlightning]

That was crazy how you soldered that ribbon cable so fast!

[@karni60]

Thanks Snazzy Labs. first video ive watched from you guys. the host is awesome. keep him. Liked and subbed

[@Sonic6293]

While I don't have the patience for a DIY project like this, it's rather neat.

[@snazzy]

Thanks a ton. You should give it a shot anyways! Once I had the 3D printed parts, the whole thing really only took about 30 minutes. Fun weekend project. :D

[@fibreglassmonkey]

Glad you like it! Thanks for featuring it in a video :) You didn't fancy the acrylic case? (that Alister Savage at 6:33 is me)

[@snazzy]

Great build, man! Enjoyed it a lot. Hope I can help you sell a few more boards. Acrylic was cool, but I wanted to implement the 3D printing angle. :)

[@fibreglassmonkey]

At 3:25, you mention that some of the pins were mislabeled in the documentation. I just whipped out my multimeter and checked, they're all labelled correctly, I think my choice of colors is probably the problem, sorry about that.

[@snazzy]

Might be my fading eyes. Haha. Maybe numbering by pin? Idk. Sorry for the error. Great documentation, btw! 👍

[@carlosmarques8380]

this is honestly one of the best models of diy consoles iv seen so far, its gameboy sized but with nes, gb, gbc and gba for free, you could get a headphone jack to avoinf the space of the speaker and you could get audio that way

[@NicholasMaietta]

This looks like a fun project to build, and to use. I just may end up doing this. Thanks!

[@dylanmurphy7942]

Flux for president​

[@snazzy]

#Flux2020

[@zollotech]

Well done...Love it

[@snazzy]

Thanks Aaron!

[@leotac5737]

Great video! I really enjoy this series

[@JasonBolte]

Nice build. I may consider taking this on.

[@axMf3qTI]

"I don't solder" buys an Hakko.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

"I never solder. But when I do, I use Hakko".

[@tiskolin]

*a Hakko

[@skins4thewin]

Dude either has more money than he knows what to do with, or he's sponsored.

[@cthulewtrlyeh153]

He doesn't solder, he sodders 😂

[@seanelgie]

Or he hadn’t soldered much before, but wanted to start doing it more often, so decided to spend on the tools since he runs a tech channel.

[@TimeFX]

6:53 cut both wires one by one, or you are going to shorten the battery (if you shorten the batterys, it hurts them, but doesn't destroy them)

[@snazzy]

This is probably a good suggestion. Didn't even cross my mind. Thanks.

[@TimeFX]

No problem ^^

[@ciarfah]

smpl. TimeFX Minor nitpick, but I think you mean 'short'

[@TimeFX]

short circuit

[@stefanbehrendsen330]

Yeah, that part scared me a little.

[@VonDankDaFyd420]

This taught me a lot about soldering!!! Thanks!!

[@johnfitzgerald7032]

Going to be attempting this! Thanks for bringing it to my attention, yours looks pretty sweet! :)

[@elwoodwinn]

"There are three rules to soldering: the parts must be clean, the parts must be clean, and the parts must be clean" - My Dad (after recommending I use flux)

[@luisfelipebayardomelgoza4104]

I really recommend you get a finer nozzle for your MK3, I have a MK2 and printing with a 0.15 mm nozzle is just amazing. The level of detail is on par with resin 3D printers. and the nozzles are not even expensive at all. The only downside is printing time. But your printer has really good motors so you shouldn't have any issues, I haven't had any. Saludos desde guadalajara, tus videos son geniales.

[@snazzy]

All these parts were printed 0.25. Looks way better than 0.4, but I wanna go even smaller. ;)

[@baldowz]

Subbed! wish to see more projects from you this is an amazing video!

[@matthewdilger6755]

Great job and awesome build! Just be aware that flux is both conductive and corrosive. Make sure to clean the board with a small brush and some alcohol. Solves the problem easily.

[@Splackavellie85]

I’ve been trying to do something like this for over a decade, ever since running emulators on the GP2X and PSP Go. I’ve had every handheld ranging from the Nvidia Shield to the GPD Win. While the GPD Win 2 is pretty close to the perfect handheld gaming powerhouse for me, it’s also expensive as hell. I’m definitely going to try this! Would be perfect to give to the kids instead of my GPD Win 2

[@snazzy]

Agreed. This thing is as durable as all get out too. Would be an awesome build!

[@Splackavellie85]

Snazzy Labs Just took the time to actually watch the video, instead of clicking Like right after posting my reply. I’m definitely going to order the parts for this thing tonight, just have to shop around for the cheapest shipping to the Netherlands. Your NES-cartridge emulator is still working perfectly. Hopefully, this will turn out at least as well!

[@mynameisprivate158]

GPD Win 2 hahahah I can get a GTX 1060 powered 17 inch full laptop for the price of the GPD Win 2..... Thats a GPD Loose if you ask me!!

[@Splackavellie85]

myname is private Good luck stuffing a 17” laptop in your pocket. And good job on totally missing the point.

[@islasgalapagos8514]

Every time when someone tells me "Look, it´s verry easy" is because he knows how hard is it, ando is often hard.

[@CRAZYCR1T1C]

You have taught me so much about flux in this video!! Thanks

[@rexellate]

Thanks for this! I've been regretting never buying a Game Boy Micro back then. I would literally make this just to play classic pokemon games on the go.

[@Aepek]

Would be cool if when making case, did design on back or your name! Cool vid & day device. Now just wish had 3D Printer like yours, 😉 Can you get buttons that have a membrane or silicone backing on them for better "pcb contact"? Also, can you get a better display for this, and other mods? Cheers, A👍🏻

[@rushabhodedara4961]

8:10 “lol ya aint getting any password ya goons” 😂😂

[@Omizuke]

Plot twist: That it's actually the password. XD

[@megarobot4456]

Super nice to leave links appreciate it !

[@intbn]

you made that look so easy, great vid.. you stay snazzy san diago :)

[@darkhawk123]

Did you cover the HDMI port?

[@Techninjaspeaks]

wow man.

[@snazzy]

Thanks for watching, Kev.

[@StrikerXL_BE]

Nice video and cool little project!

[@MrKelsomatic]

In awe at the size of this emulator. Absolute unit.

[@mrbattleX]

I'm telling you, he's the tech version Doug de Muro

[@snazzy]

Or wait... Doug de Muro is the car version of me. ;)

[@bahotm]

@@snazzy If you are daddy, Doug is granddaddy. Sorry man.

[@georgemoralee5809]

Your voice is exactly the same

[@AnantoPamungkas]

I couldn't open the web ,oh this isn't doug

[@dawids4559]

Only this this guy isn't super annoying.

[@TechWithBrett]

So awesome! Since you have all the tools can I just buy the stuff and come over and you help me put it together? I'll bring lunch.

[@snazzy]

😉

[@alwaysfallingshort]

You're really encouraging me to get into soldering again, and I'd get a neat little rig out of it. Great video. I want audio though, is that just thicker, or does it change the other dimensions? Also, I'm not a big fan of tiny shoulder buttons. I like big beefy ones.

[@OGtalks]

Killer video mate !! Great work !!

[@juggawest]

how about Bluetooth headphones? is the pi have bt built in or a usb addon?

[@blakryptonite1]

Be careful. Nintendo is going ham on giving out copyright strikes for anything emulation-related, particularly related to their systems.

[@snazzy]

Reggie is my buddy, but I'll be on the lookout. Thanks. 👀

[@matrix12x]

Nintendo has lost in court multiple times in regards to emulators. However, Nintendo can and do protect their ROMs under trademark and copyright.

[@lazloboloni]

@Prometheus Can you share those awesome 16 gb games, please?;)

[@light_fos]

cough Emuparadise cough

[@asishmohapatra5038]

Prometheus where can I find your roms page ?? link please

[@kingheroknight]

This looks like a wonderful father and kids project!

[@handcraftjr2886]

The design is just Perfect!

[@TravellerHD]

This video has convinced me that flux is witchcraft. How did you not bridge the connections on that ribbon cable...

[@snazzy]

IT IS MAGIC!

[@domino52o26]

Surface tension and the pcb surface is coated with a solder repellant of sorts

[@iuliancalin22]

r/wooooooooooosh

[@FlyWithBurton]

that's just soldermask

[@megaman616]

was thinking the same! i use flux but had no idea i could do that lol

[@memoo9539]

"a liberal amount of flux" and Louis Rossmann in the same video hahah :D

[@OhSoTiredMan]

You need some more flux in your life

[@gonzalocabuche2124]

now i understand why i always sucked at soldering , you open my mind , i need to buy flux

[@MegaManNeo]

That's a sweet build actually. Wanna try it myself. Certainly no Gameboy Zero (which means null in German but you know, DMG), however I just love the small form factor that is like the GBA. Thanks for sharing this.

[@silvervalkiri920]

Have a pi 3 as well and make the SD card removal. Boom, you got a homemade switch hah

[@5ky502]

Can you recharge the battery or do you have to remove it once it dies????

[@cirkuitknight]

TcT Videos 101 it’s a rechargeable lithium polymer battery LiPo and is charged using the TP4056 board. Just plug in a micro usb charger and you’re good to go

[@5ky502]

Ok

[@OhSoTiredMan]

It is shown near the end of the video of installing the micro usb

[@lukasostaric7035]

Man, I absolutely love the flux trick! Thank you! :-)

[@snazzy]

Cheers!

[@elFlexor]

Soldering with Snazzy.. Everything is magic! :D

[@ssymessi]

What’s the battery life and how do you recharge it?

[@gustavo33413]

"Oh shit I forgot about the recharging stuff..."

[@shritanyenneti5622]

Just wondering, where do you get the games onto the Pi

[@J-wm4ss]

There's a ton of rom sites. Google them.

[@zay9050]

Go to r/roms on reddit, follow the rom link megathread

[@ImGriffinP]

Good video overall. Getting good at soldering takes a lot of practice. If you see yourself doing more surface mount stuff like those switches in the future, I would also snag a hot air iron and some solder paste as well. Those two will really make for clean joints. Also: Don’t cut both battery leads in the same stroke. That’s a great way to kill the battery.

[@Pompnumber]

This is so dope man, thanks!

[@JetBen555]

Do you know a similar kit with a better screen (IPS?)

[@joelsimpson7638]

Could you add a headphone jack without changing the form factor?

[@vargabazsaa]

With a little modification of the housing, and only if there is a big enough place on the motherboard to be cut out, but probably yeah

[@OhSoTiredMan]

I mean you would need to modify the circuit board and stuff which would make it cost more

[@Nexum120]

Great video! I had no idea you could do that with flux.

[@islasgalapagos8514]

Man you did an expert soldering!!

[@gwynndouglass3883]

"make sure your in a well ventilated room" Goes outside

[@qxTorii]

A PSP is by far the best portable for emulation and are super cheap nowadays, a cool project nonetheless.

[@madmax2069]

Nah

[@corsinivideos]

Yes, A PSP is about 100X better than this, this has no audio to start with lol

[@CommodoreFan64]

a PSP is better for sure, but if you already have a decent Android phone with a 32GB or higher micro SD card, I say a MOGA Hero Power controller with a built in phone clip, and battery that can also charge your phone is the way to go for $30 USD, but if you are on a tight budget you can get the original Moga controller for little as $5(Dollar General had them on sale over Christmas 2017), that uses 2 AAA batteries, but needs the MOGA universal app to work with non MOGA specific games, and emulators. and with both controllers you do get the phone clip, and 2 analog sticks/pads, and Hero Power has a D-pad, dual mode switch, and 4 analog triggers

[@corsinivideos]

Yeah suppose it depends. I got a pspgo with CFW and a GPD XD but actually find myself using the PSPGo a lot more due to the convenience of the UI, perfect PSP and PSOne support and small form factor, also wont eat into your phones battery when playing.

[@shake9246]

Although the psp is the cheapest option, a vita with henkaku is actually the best option atm for portable emulation, as you get native vita games (which can also be overclocked), psp emulation, ps3/ps4 remote play, Steam pc library streaming with moonlight if you have a nVidia GPU with GeForce Experience, as well as a whole slew of polished native emulators with retroarch.

[@harune_dot_exe]

This is amazing. Planning on making it one day

[@heavyq]

Subbed just because of this video. Thanks for the great tutorial. Time to convince the wife to let me buy a soldering iron!

[@bharatmadhok6773]

How about downloading an emulator on your phone

[@cleverestx]

I really want to do this, but a version with audio (headphone) capabilities.

[@randywatson8347]

The Dingoo A320 has always been my favourite. I see the inspiration.

[@MarsCarf]

This looks amazing.

[@mrmii6596]

Flux is love, Flux is life

[@OhSoTiredMan]

Don't delay buy today!

[@Gr3atsaga]

It was rather crass to leave out the fact that there was no audio device in the build until the end of the video. That should have been noted from the start. It also doesn't make any sense to do a project like this and only half ass it. On top of that, you have left your viewers wondering what would need to be done for audio as you just merely say "Oh, you can do it if you want". How is that acceptable?

[@jonathanporter5223]

Agreed.

[@WaffleStar28]

Great vid. You should post a DIY one with the sound option!

[@sixspeeddeath]

Bluetooth is on the Pi Zero W, and should be useable for audio. Cool vid.

[@arshpatankar]

i wonder if my school would let me build this as a side project.

[@cringer78]

Ender Blender ydvdtatnc

[@arshpatankar]

uwot

[@wargodsix]

I’d prob print the case in metal and if I can I’ll just cannibalize a real controller

[@paydie1206]

i really enjoyed your personality and cadence. Fly!

[@eosports1]

dude thats really cool! i love this!!!!

[@DimriPrajwal]

6:46 That's what she said .

[@harissk8772]

Hold there Michael.

[@megatrolltrollington]

there is nothing premium about 3D printed lattice.

[@another3997]

There's nothing particularly premium about injection moulded plastic either, but that doesn't stop it being used.

[@megatrolltrollington]

injection molded abs plastic is actually fairly premium.

[@fibreglassmonkey]

@@another3997 The device was designed to be used with a plexiglass case, premium enough?

[@OhSoTiredMan]

@@megatrolltrollington Definitely quite premium, makes stuff easier in my personal experience when doing personal projects.

[@3DJapan]

2:10 Thank you for using "the bomb" correctly.

[@mcdchickenbaconclubhouse9057]

Holy cow, you can go and start your own company now!!! Very impressive!