In the modem housing I did as before and removed most of the post except one. From test fitting i found everything can fit with the one post left. This also allows me to attach the metal cover with the original screw and make the whole thing a lot nicer to look at and easier to insert and remove from the Dreamcast.
Also I took the first post that I removed and cut it to make two small post. I then superglued the small post so I could use them as mount points for the Raspberry Pi Zero W. Finally I cut a slot to allow the micro SD card to be accessible from the outside.
I circled in red what was removed and circled in black what was added.
The first thing is I have been trying to find a way to add the wireless information without using a another Pi. My end goal is to put in the microSD card and power it up and have it work. I have tried modifying the wpa_supplicant.conf but it never takes it and deletes the file when I boot up. I have attempted to do a headless bluetooth setup so I could then use Wi-Fi Configuration Wizard in a terminal from my phone or laptop but can never get it to connect. I have looked into a headless WiFi setup but foresee a problems with when trying to switching networks. Currently I have to resort to booting DreamPi on my Pi2 to enter my WiFi information and move the microSD to my Pi Zero. I am at a loss any help or guidance would be much appreciated.
The second thing I would like to do and should have something in the following months is to design a 3D printed moden case. This would allow us to keep the original plastic intact. This would also make a much nicer looking slot for the microSD card and more secure mount points for the Pi. Ultimately this allow for faster and easier prototyping and modifications in the future.
A few other things I have been thinking about is how to compact the wiring. The first thing I have been attempting to figure out is what kind of component is the two blue things on the modem PCB. The markings on both of mine are very small and faint and I can't make it out. I can't tell if they are capacitors or something else. These are the biggest thing in the case. They make positioning tricky and if they could be replaced with something that is smaller but equal it would make the whole design slimmer and cleaner. The second thought I have is maybe some kind of HAT that could be designed similar to this iUniker board. The idea is to make so only four soldered connection are required to the Pi Zero and potential include the rest of the components as well. I know the line voltage inducer could be made a lot smaller and if we could also add the USB modem this would make this project a whole lot simpler. I know the HAT idea is a long shot but I just want to mention it here to see if anyone even had the expertise to do something like that. The biggest thing in my eyes are the 3D printed modem case and finding a smaller equivalent to the blue components on the modem.
I hope you all enjoy my tinkering.
