Vintage Synth Repair

Hello Everyone,

I thought it would be a cool project to try and build my own synth 
or drummachine or vocoder.  Something on the lower end of the 
"difficulty" spectrum -- something that I can start off with -- know 
what I mean?  Novice type of stuff.

Ideally I want to build something that will give me some classic 
video game sounds.  Something like the old "CASIO VL-Tone."  I 
also like the sounds in the old (classic) NINTENDO Gameboy.  
So,  I purchased the NANOLOOP, but my eyes can't really handle 
the small screen of the gameboy -- I would prefer to use a synth 
with knobs.  Is there a way to buy the same type of sound board 
that's used in the GAMEBOYS -- and use that in some sort of  
synth construction kit?

Does anyone have any suggestions where I can find these sort 
of   "do-it-yourself"  kits?   I know I've come across these sort of 
things before [PAiA], but I never paid much attention to them 
before.   Now I really want a project like this.

Please send me URL's or links to PDF files so that I can find the 
right project for me.  Thanks in advance.   

Lastly, if  you've ever made your own gear, plese tell me all the 
tiny details from begining to end -- I'd totally love to hear your 
stories.  Thanks again! 

All right, later.

--EPHEKT