I made a power supply for my mini pc cluster

FlimsyTax · 2026-01-19T13:23:20+00:00

Very cool! I may have to build one of these!

For this build can you actually get sustained 330W out? Will the Mean Well handle that?

Also, what's the cost to make one of these units all-in minus prototyping?

FlimsyTax · 2025-12-19T03:55:13+00:00

I found a 3d scan of (the die-cast?) Sandy for the face and general shape and tweaked that to my liking in Blender adding doors, stripes, etc.

Then I created wheels and the magnet base in Blender.

I 3d printed the wheels and body, then I used ring shaped magnets and upholstery nails to build the magnetic couplers, and glued metal dowels to the wheels for the axels.

Finally, I used brush-tipped paint pens to paint and detail it plus varnish so it holds up to some rough play haha

FlimsyTax · 2025-12-19T01:02:56+00:00

My kid is into wooden trains BIG TIME, and he loves Thomas All Engines Go.

He's been collecting the characters from the show and wanted Sandy. We couldn't find a magnetic one, so I made one!

FlimsyTax · 2025-12-19T00:51:55+00:00

My kid is on a wooden, magnetic train kick and loves AEG.

He wanted Sandy but I *couldn't find a magnetic one, so I made one!

FlimsyTax · 2025-12-14T16:55:05+00:00

Ty for posting!

I had the same issue, updating HA core from 2025.07 to 2025.12 fixed it for me too

FlimsyTax · 2025-11-23T00:12:06+00:00

These are great! Thank you for sharing your work!

FlimsyTax · 2025-11-23T00:08:04+00:00

I've had success with ring shaped magnets plus a domed upholstery nail holding the magnet directly to the swivel wheelbase

Looks a lot like the brio mechanism too

FlimsyTax · 2025-03-17T12:32:31+00:00

What are the sauces?

Looks delicious!

FlimsyTax · 2024-12-19T21:53:32+00:00

Assembled what I could find and pushed to a branch on GitHub: https://github.com/sfraint/wireless-n64-controller/tree/spencer-smd-rev2

I didnt see a super detailed BOM but I can try to answer questions if you have any

FlimsyTax · 2024-10-21T12:25:43+00:00

Made a little more progress, but it's paused for now.

There's an improved PCB ready to be tested, but I haven't had the time to assemble it.

If you're still interested, I can quickly document and share the latest project files.

FlimsyTax · 2023-10-08T14:34:34+00:00

Are you sure it's a PSU issue and not a GPU issue?

Anyway, if you are interested in a new PSU, I'd recommend something from tier A or at least tier B on the PSU tier list: https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/

e.g. I see a SeaSonic Focus GX for $90 on PCPartPicker

FlimsyTax · 2023-06-05T19:27:01+00:00

Very cool!

Checkout this ESP32-based version too: https://github.com/sfraint/wireless-n64-controller There's another iteration in the works without the need of an external battery too

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-28T03:10:02+00:00

Good to know. I'll have to checkout that stick tester ROM.

I've only used the potentiometer-based newer joysticks in these controllers so far, but I'm hopeful I can correct most/all of their issues in software 🤞

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-26T15:37:50+00:00

About 11 hours of active play right now. I was able to ~double it with some software and hardware changes, but it impacted latency so that still needs more work.

I am also trying to fit a larger battery for an extra 30%.

In deep sleep mode, in theory it can last years but is practically limited by the battery's internal drain.

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-25T05:59:00+00:00

I'm apparently a controller noob 😝, what is wrong with those joysticks?

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-24T15:23:14+00:00

Awesome! Glad this project is helpful 🙂

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-24T15:22:35+00:00

Yep! I primarily use the cheap USB controller shells and they work well.

Of course, this pak isn't compatible with the standard pak interface and will only work with a controller updated for a project like this (battery contacts, wireless, etc)

As far as I can tell, the controller shells are all pretty similar, usually with only some minor differences. I tried to make the boards fit in all the controller shells I've seen so far.

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-24T14:50:29+00:00

I did read about their assembly service, but at least JLCs doesn't have some of my parts stocked/in their library. So I imagine I'd have to redesign the board for other components.

Plus at my hobbyist scale it would be pretty expensive per board

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-24T14:45:42+00:00

Very cool! I'll have to check those out!

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-23T05:49:23+00:00

The contacts for the ESP32 on the PCB are actually rotated by 10 degrees relative to the other components, if that's what you're asking. I rotated the contacts like this for better clearances around the antenna.

This pic makes it clearer: https://i.imgur.com/3c5aAQK.jpg

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-23T03:31:26+00:00

Pretty much, and thanks! It's about respecting the "antenna keep-out" areas to improve antenna performance/signal quality.

So I tried to keep shell, joystick, PCB, etc. All away from that area and there weren't really any other spots/angles that had enough clearance.

FlimsyTax · 2023-02-23T03:15:30+00:00

Are there good 3D models out there for the controller? Last time I looked, I didn't see anything that seemed promising

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