Mike Gualtieri posted this awesome tutorial on how to build a raspberry pi powered arcade machine.
A few months ago I came across the project on Adafuit Retro Gaming with Raspberry Pi, and thought it would make the perfect gift for my brother-in-law. I finally got around to building it with a few tweaks of my own.
Parts:
- 1x Raspbery Pi
- 1x Arcade Joystick
- 2x Arcade Buttons
- 1x HDMI to VGA adapter (assuming you don’t have an HDMI monitor)
- 1x USB A / Micro B adapter (for Raspberry Pi power)
- 1x USB wall wart (for Raspberry Pi power)
Other needs:
- Monitor or Screen (HDMI or VGA)
- USB Keyboard (for additional game buttons)
- A speaker
- A box/enclosure to mount the controls
Featured Adafruit Products!
Small Arcade Joystick: This snappy 8-way joystick beckons you to play with it! It is rugged, and not too large, reminiscent of a Pac Man arcade cabinet. Unlike the potentiometer-based 2-axis and mini thumbsticks, this joystick uses 4 snap microswitches so it’s good if you want a directional control but not the best choice if you want proportional output (that is, its either on/off not sensitive to small movement changes). Read More!
Arcade Button – 30mm Translucent Red: A button is a button, and a switch is a switch, but these translucent arcade buttons are in a class of their own. They’re the same size as common arcade controls (often referred to as 30mm diameter) but have some nice things going for them that justify the extra dollar. Read More!