Catskull Electronics’ Teensyboy (USB for your Game Boy)
The ArduinoBoy project by Timothy Lamb (aka Trash80) has been an important part of Game Boy music production for years, allowing chip musicians to sync and control their Game Boy with any number of hardware or software configurations. Recently the ArduinoBoy code was updated to officially support the Teensy microcontroller and USB midi.Â
The first designer to take advantage of the update is Catskull Electronics. You may recognize the name from their other budget-conscious, utilitarian Game Boy devices such as the classic ArduinoBoy or the deceptively simple Analog Sync Adapter.
The Teensyboy continues Catskull’s no-nonsense approach with an ultra-compact footprint containing every ounce of functionality.
At approximately 1.5″ x 0.75″ the device is about the size of USB flash drive. Connections are made via micro-USB (which provides both data and power) and a GBC/Pocket type link port located on either end of closely stacked PCBs, keeping everything very compact and solid. A thick sleeve of heat shrink tubing protects components and gives a nice, grippy feeling to the device. A welcome touch when you may be fumbling around with sweaty hands during a rushed equipment setup before a show.
A small button on top of the device cycles through the various modes, each of which is labeled under its corresponding LED. One of these modes is the new Midi Map (here labeled Syncmap and Mi. Map in LSDJ) which replaces the previous Sync and Live Map modes. At the time of this writing I believe this is the only pre-made device available that includes this mode.
On the bottom of the device is another tiny button. Why would there be more than one button on an ArduinoBoy device? That’s the bootloader button and this one is actually update-able via its USB port! An excellent and considerate addition to this already generously priced item.
I’ve been putting the Teensyboy boy through its paces with Ableton and I’m very happy with it. The size is completely unobtrusive and the new Midi Map mode performs flawlessly with LSDJ. If it weren’t for the blinking LEDs it would be easy to forget that there was anything between your USB and link cables. That’s the sign of a well designed product.
Good job, Catskull. Keep it up!
CHECK OUT CATSKULL’S TEENSYBOY RIGHT HERE
DISCLAIMER: I received one of Catskull’s Teensyboys at around 30% discount for testing and review. There was also some Facebook discussion beforehand about what some of the desired features of a new arduinoboy device might be.
