Wood Adds Class to a Game Boy
Sebastian Staacks was able to add a touch of sophistication to the console by creating this wooden Game Boy case.
The chunky design aesthetic of the '80s has made a big comeback thanks to the nostalgia of millennials and the original Nintendo Game Boy is a fantastic example of that style. But as iconic as that design remains, retrogamers still appreciate something a little different. Sebastian Staacks was able to provide that with a touch of sophistication by creating this wooden Game Boy case.
A few months ago, Staacks purchased a Genmitsu PROVerXL 4030 V2 CNC router. That is a hobbyist machine, but with decent specs that are more than sufficient for carving wood. To get a feel for his new CNC router, Staacks fabricated a custom wood Game Boy cartridge. That ended up getting quite a bit of attention in retrogaming circles and so Staacks decided to up the ante by fabricating this wooden enclosure.
All CNC machines, including CNC mills, routers, and lathes, need instructions to follow. Those instructions are usually g-code generated by CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) software. The g-code tells the CNC machine how to follow the toolpaths, the speed to move, the spindle motor speed, and so on. In this case, Staacks used a CAM plugin for Blender. That was an interesting choice, as Blender is mesh modeling software and not CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software like we typically see paired with CAM. But that plugin (and Blender itself) is open-source and free.
Staacks started with a 3D model of the standard Game Boy shell, then tweaked that to accommodate popular mods like an IPS screen. All of the electronic components and the plastic parts are new from the aftermarket. With the revised case design in hand, Staacks was able to carefully mill the two halves of the shell from walnut wood. He provides a tremendous amount of detail on that process for anyone that wants to replicate this project.
A little bit of manual finishing was required, including drilling a hole for the AC adapter jack. But most of the fabrication was automatic. Despite a few minor flaws described by Staacks, the final result looks fantastic. We don't think anything can compare to original Game Boy's blocky gray design, but this gives it a run for its money.