STEM: Build Your Own Handheld Gaming Console
In this 4 part class, learners will learn: the history of handheld game consoles, parts of the console, building your console and installing games on it.
Nathan Misener
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(6)
What's included
Class Experience
In this 4 week course we will cover the history and instructions on making your own handheld game console. We learn how handheld consoles came to be, what parts are in a handheld console, safety topics when building the console, learning how to solder, building the game console, and finally how to install games onto your new console. We will be using a existing game console kit from CircuitMess as seen here: https://circuitmess.com/nibble/ If you sign up you will get a special 30% discount code for the Nibble with the course. Class Summary Week 1: Handheld gaming history - Here we cover the history of handheld gaming, how the technology has changed, popular gaming systems and pioneers of the gaming industry. Week 2: Handheld gaming breakdown and safety guide for our build -In week two, we learn all the parts that make up a game console, how they work together. -We will go through a safety course one proper solder technique and safety concerns when going through our build. Week 3: Building our handheld gaming console -We now get to build our console. This class will be instructions on how to build the console, what to look out for when soldering and how to build the device. **Adult assistance is a must** Week 4: Installing some new games onto the system -We will install some new games onto our device, and we will also learn about what software is used for making new games for the game system. Class Interaction Each week you will watch a video with the course content on it. For weeks 1, 2 and 4 there will be homework that reinforces some of the information we learned in class. Week 3's homework will be the system build. I encourage communication between fellow learners with their progress, troubleshooting and why handheld gaming is an interest to them. Learners will team up for history homework where learners research a handheld device and find some interesting information about it and post it in the classroom. We will share our high scores from some of the learning games we play to encourage friendly classroom competition. Once the console is built, learners will take a short video discussing what they enjoyed about the project, what they learned and what they would like to improve on it, this teaches the learner how to do a miniature product review. Since this is a DIY project, most of the learning will be through hands on practice, but we have some facts and games to help solidify information that we've learned in the history, components, and safety classes. Learner Experience No prior experience is needed. We will learn how to complete everything through the course.
Learning Goals
Learners will learn:
-Basic soldering skills and safety
-Handheld gaming history
-Electrical components that make up a handheld game console
-Installing new software onto their device
Other Details
Parental Guidance
For the building part of the handheld game console, parent supervision is a MUST.
Since we will be soldering components together there is a safety risk. Soldering irons can get up to 480℃ in temperature, which is hot enough to cause harm to the skin, as well as a fire concern if left on and un-attended.
Our goal is to encourage our learners to learn this essential skill, but safety is a our first concern always. To ensure this, every student will need to complete the safety quiz before building.
Supply List
In order to complete the project, learners will need to purchase the Nibble build kit (https://circuitmess.com/nibble/). This includes all the necessary materials to build the device. When you have signed up, I can provide you with a 30% discount code for the nibble. They cost $79.99 (USD) or $99.99 (CAD) (Before tax and discount codes are applied) NOTE: This company is from Croatia, so depending on your location there may be import duties applied to it which will be different depending on your country.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
Our class is self contained and other than sources to information which will be provided in each class video, we do not need to use any external resources.
Our build guide video is enough to build the console, but if there are learners who prefer written instructions we can follow the instructions provided with the CircuitMess Nibble here: https://circuitmess.com/resources/guides/en/nibble-build-guide
Also if there are any issues that you run into with the product itself, there is a community that is happy to help here: https://community.circuitmess.com/
Nathan Misener
Joined January, 2020
4.8
6reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am a maker, college programming professor, computer technician, and hand held gaming repair person/modder. I am very comfortable around electronics and I like to teach safely first and foremost.
When dealing with electronics there is inherent safety concerns that we must address first before we get to the most fun stuff.Reviews
Live Group Class
$13
weekly or $50 for 4 weeks4 weeks
Completed by 5 learners
No live video meetings
Ages: 11-16
