Click here to find the latest Raspbian Wheezy download. For this guide, I’m going to download the zip file.

You will likely need to use an adapter.

If you’re using a Mac, you can use the following steps. If you’re on Windows, scroll below.

To open Disk Utility you can type cmd + space bar and search. Or you can use Finder to navigate to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

You’ll need to format the SD card to FAT-32. To do so you’ll need to click on the “Apple SDXC Reader” in the left column of Disk Utility.

Click the “Erase” tab.

Choose a name for the card (I chose Wheezy). For the format, choose MS-DOS (FAT).

Click “Erase” when you’re finished.

Using the df command we’re going to determine the mount point.

Type:

df -h

In the output, under the Mounted on column look for the name of your SD card. I named my WHEEZY so I’m looking for /Volumes/WHEEZY.

Then take note of the filesystem name in the first column. Mine is /dev/disk2s1. This is actually the partition name, but what we’re really concerned with is the device name which is disk2. Copy this device name.

For this step you can use either Disk Utility or Finder. In either case look in the left column for the name of your SD card. In my case it’s WHEEZY and click the eject symbol.

Hopefully by now the disk image is done downloading. By default, the disk image will download to your Downloads folder. Open up the Terminal application and type:

cd ~/Downloads

To locate the img type:

ls -lha | grep wheezy

You should see some output like this:

Downloads > ls -lha | grep wheezy
-rw-r--r--@   1 josephtyler  staff   990M Feb  2 14:59 2015-05-05-raspbian-wheezy.zip

Now unzip the image. Make sure to use the name of your file.

unzip 2015-05-05-raspbian-wheezy.zip

Go back to Terminal (ensuring you are in the same directory as before), and type:

sudo dd bs=1m if=DISK_IMAGE_NAME of=DEVICE_NAME

Make sure to replace the values for DISK_IMAGE_NAME and DEVICE_NAME. Mine looks like this:

sudo dd bs=1m if=2015-05-05-raspbian-wheezy.img of=/dev/rdisk2

Enter your password, wait until it finishes, and you’re done.

If you’re using Windows to format the Disk you can use the following steps.

Open Windows Explorer and find your SD card. Right click on the icon and click Format…. Make sure Fat 32 (default) is selected and hit enter.

Go here and download the app called Win32 Disk Imager. After downloading the program, click to uncompress the files, and then click Win32DiskImager.exe to launch.

In the Win32 Disk Imager, click the blue folder icon and locate the Wheezy image you downloaded. Then in the Device box make sure the drive letter for your SD card is selected.

Click the Write button to begin.

Before getting started, look for any signs of damage that might inhibit our ability to continue. Take count of any missing screws. When removing the battery cover, be extra cautious of battery acid damage.

It’s not uncommon to find these devices in storage with 20 year old batteries left inside. However, it’s not the end of the world if you’ve found battery acid! Check out our guide here on removing battery acid from your Game Boy.

Most Game Boys are held together using 6 tri-wing screws. However, some really early models were released with phillips screws. Determine which screwdriver you’ll need and remove all 6 screws from the outer Game Boy shell.

The Game Boy is made of two halves. These halves are connected with a delicate ribbon cable. This cable is very sensitive and responsible for handling display information. Any damage may cause irreversible damage to the Game Boy. Exercise extreme caution and gently unplug this cable from the back motherboard.

The back motherboard needs to be removed to install the bivert chip.

The board is held onto the Game Boy shell using 4 screws. Using a phillips screwdriver number 1, remove the screws. Gently pull at the back motherboard until it lifts from the shell.

There are two pins that need to be lifted in order to install our bivert chip. They are the 15th and 16th pins from the left. Using a hot soldering iron, heat the solder connecting the pins to the board.

Using tweezers (or a suitable tool), gently pry the pins up from the board.

Be careful not to break them or touch any other pins!

The bivert chip will align with soldering points on the Game Boy. Line up the chip to match the picture shown.

It’s time to solder this chip into place! The two pins will need to be soldered to the chip. Be careful not to solder them together. Consider using flux for a professional finish.

There are four additional holes that need to be soldered. All six soldering points are outlined in the photo above.

Note: The bottom right circle is for grounding. I used a wire to ground mine to the Game Boy, but you can also solder it to the blob of solder to the direct right of the pins—requiring no wire at all.

It’s time to screw the back motherboard back into its housing. Using a phillips screwdriver number 1, screw the motherboard into the shell.

There will be four screws used during this step.

Carefully place both halves of the Game Boy together to make sure everything fits securely within the shell. The ribbon cable will need to be reconnected.

Exercise extreme caution when handling this cable. Gently plug the cable into the back motherboard. Using an appropriate screwdriver, screw the Game Boy shell back together. There are 6 screws used during this step.

Congrats! You’ve got yourself a custom biverted Game Boy. Pop in a fresh set of batteries and give it a test.

Something not working right? Visit our official Game Boy troubleshooting guide!

Using 3D software of your choosing, design the model you want to create a mold for. You can also find a 3D model to use online. I’ll be using Blender to create a mold for the howchoo logo letter h.

I’ll be covering two distinct mold types and how to create them for your model. There are two part molds that can be easily assemble/disassembled. The other kind we’ll cover are known as flexible molds. These molds can be reused for casting purposes.

Two-part mold

Two part molds can make your model in two halves separately, or be combined to create the model all at once. I’ve created a two part block that can be scaled for your project and used for both methods. You can download the two-part mold from Thingiverse.

Using a 3D modeling program of your choice, overlap the custom model with the two part mold block and cut a hole with it. I’ll be using Blender to accomplish this. If you’d like to follow along with me, use a boolean difference modifier to cut the object from the mold. You can learn more about cutting objects with the boolean modifier here.

If you’d like the model to set as one piece, you will need to cut a hole in the block for silicone to pour in through. The two halves can be held together with rubber bands or tape. I created spherical notches to keep the mold perfectly aligned.

Flexible mold

Flexible molds are really neat because of their versatility. We’re essentially creating a mold for another mold. The final product will be a flexible piece of silicone rubber than be used for future casting. This is ideal for things like jewelry, cosplay, and other crafting needs.

To create a flexible mold, start with a block and position a smaller block to overlap with it. This block will form the edges of our flexible mold. Using a boolean difference modifier, cut a cavity from the starting block. Place the desired design inside the cavity. Consider the angle you use when placing the design, as this will affect the final mold.

Once you’ve created your mold design, it’s time to print it. Export your creation to an stl file and slice it with your favorite slicer. I’ll be using Cura to print these molds with PLA at 240° with a layer height of .2mm.

When the molds are ready, it’s time for casting. I’ll be using Oomoo 30 for this project, but I encourage you to experiment with other materials. Pour the silicone into the mold. Go slow and be careful to fill all of the gaps.

Be sure to give your mold plenty of time to cure. Carefully pull the silicone rubber from the 3D printed mold. You may need to finish up with a few final touches. Cut away any excess silicone and clean up rough edges with an X-acto knife. Congratulations!

If you enjoyed this project, check out our guide on how to 3D print custom stamps.