Easiest DIY Arcade EVER - Part 1 - the Electronics

[Music] what is going on folks today I'm going to show you a special edition DIY project video where I will be going over they complete easiest guide yet on building your own arcade using a Raspberry Pi 3 so this project is going to be two parts this one be in part one where I go over all the electronics you'll need to buy how to set everything up how to build a control board and then part two will be building the actual cabinet and implementing what we accomplished in this video now the budget for this will be a little more than what I usually spend on a project but considering the staggering cost of gaming consoles and games these days you'll be saving a ton of money plus you'll be able to order everything you need off of one site and I'll show you how to save a few bucks along the way now keep in mind though I'm not being paid or sponsored by any of these products or sites it's just what I prefer to use because it works well for me in the past you can easily switch out parts of every you see fit and Sarah warning this is not a traditional build it is a very easy very straightforward beginners guide to making your own arcade so far traditionalists but I highly recommend you not watch but to get started I'm going to do some shopping so first thing you want to get is a Raspberry Pi 3 definitely look for one that has a power cable and a case this one here is only 50 dollars so all of that to my cart now you want to guess micro SD card I recommend getting one that's a popular brand and at least 32 gigabytes and comes with a little SD card adapter this is also a good opportunity to check and see if you have an SD card reader on your computer already if not they're very cheap and you can purchase here as well just look up SD card reader and find one you like next we'll need arcade controls the quick search came up with a few good options these here are only $20 in come in different colors as well as wires and a little chip that converts the buttons to USB I'm going to buy two so in my arcade can be two players and hey check it out free shipping if you prefer to have different controls feel free to shop around just make sure you get a chip that you can plug the buttons into that will lead to a USB cord a few people use I pack two controllers but they're a little pricey and confusing to set up in my opinion now before you check out the next thing you'll need is a screen to play the games on for this you can use a computer monitor or a small TV which you can buy new but they're easy and cheap to find locally through thrift stores or apps like let it go offer up Craigslist or even the Facebook marketplace which is what I prefer since you can see who's selling the products it's a quick search brought up a few good candidates and I found this monitor for only 15 bucks now keep in mind the size or type of screen doesn't really matter but you will need to find out if it takes either a VGA cable or a DVI cable if it doesn't accept an HDMI which is important because the Raspberry Pi 3 only accepts HDMI I need a VGA converter for mine but luckily they're inexpensive and you up here as well you will also need a USB Drive of any capacity a USB keyboard and speakers that's everything so go ahead and check out and let's get started putting it all together so the first thing we can work on is getting the micro SD card ready for the RPI just place the micro SD card in the adapter and then slide that into your SD card reader and we're ready to go now before we put anything on the card we'll need to format it from its factory settings to do this on either Mac or PC head over to SD card org slash downloads when that loads click on one of the download links on the left that associates with your operating system I'm currently on a Mac so I'll use this one but the process will be the same for the concede once it downloads it will be installed but it's a straightforward process once everything is ready run the program you'll be shown this screen and all you have to do here is select the SD card from the drop-down give it a name of retropie and hit format now that it's formatted you'll need to download the retro pie image we'll be using to put on the card just head over to retro pie org UK and whatsapp loads click the download link at the top and then once that page loads you'll want to click on this button here since we purchased the RPI three that's all we need from this site so while that's downloading let's also download an application that will allow us to write the image to the SD card I'll cover PC in just a second but while I'm still on a Mac Google apple pie Baker find the tweaking for all link near the top and then click the download button once those downloads run the program you'll be presented with this screen simply click on the three little dots next to where it says restore backup then just navigate to the GZ file that you downloaded from the retro PI site and select the file now just hit the restore back a button message now for Windows it's a little different but the process is still the same after following the previous steps to download the retro PI image as well as the SD card formatter formatting the SD card you'll want to look up win32diskimager and find the sourceforge.net link near the top once I page loads click the big green download button after downloads you will be prompted by the setup wizard for it to install you will also need one more program called 7-zip for this just go to 7-zip org and click the second download link at the top once that downloads double click the dot exe file to load the program and that's all you need there now just find the GZ file you downloaded from the retro PI site then right-click the file and you should now have a 7-zip option near the top hover over that and select extract here which will add the file where the current file already is which in my case is a desktop that will then give you an actual image file we will write to the SD card so using wind disk 32 imager select the little folder icon on the top right to navigate to the image file and then select it then making sure you have your SD card selected where it says devices at the top right of the window you can click the write button and then click Yes to confirm and it will begin to write and once that is complete you can disconnect the SD card and now we can prepare our USB Drive this process will be the same for Mac and PC and all you need to do here is plug in the USB Drive and once it loads just delete everything off of it next add a folder called retropie and that's it we won't need to add anything to it until later so just disconnect that ready to start setting up the hardware the start place the SD card into the RPI and grab your screen isn't close that into the wall as well as plugging it into the RPI then just plug in your keyboard and then put the power supply into the RPI after giving it a minute to boot up you will see it has detected a gamepad which is actually the keyboard now I'm going to be using a keyboard for this step and you can easily use a USB controller like this one that I got off eBay if you don't plan on making an arcade and you just want to play the games these are a great and cheap option but I'm just going to be testing everything out in preparation for the arcade here I'm just going to program in a few of the controls including the arrow keys start select and then the a B and XY buttons and then skipping the rest now that everything is working I'm going to plug in the USB Drive we emptied out earlier after giving the RPI a minute to fill the USB Drive with the necessary folders and directories scheme go ahead unplug the USB drive from the RPI while keeping the RPI powered on you will then take the USB drive and plug that into your computer so we can sell it games once the USB loads go back into the retro pipe folder you made earlier and now you will see new folders added just open up the roms folder and then this is where you'll drop in the corresponding game file to its console folder so all we need now is to find a games download now I only recommend downloading the game from the arcades that they never produce for people to buy or if you already own the game but you don't have a conflict play it since they're old and they usually break I own a copy of Super Smash TV so I'll be showing how I get the wrong for this game because I cannot wait to play it again it's been many years i console broke a long time ago and it's not like I can go buy another one or at least one that works so let's get started so let's just hop over to google and type in the name of the game the system it's on and the acronym rof which stands for read only memory in my case it's Super Smash TV Super NES are om that should give you the search results you're looking for just click on one of the links and find the download button it should be a zip file don't exhibit but rename it to the name of the game then open the roms folder on your USB Drive and place it into its corresponding console folder which in my case is a Super NES for now just disconnect to your USB Drive and plug it back into the RPI after giving it a minute to load and scrolling down and select quit then select restart after it starts back up just scroll over to where you see the gaming system you loaded and select it it should boot right up but if for some reason it doesn't work you may have downloaded a faulty wrong file to fix this just go back and download another rom file but from a different site and when it downloads just rename to something slightly different and out of the same way you did originally you will then be able to start playing the games but I'm going to begin building the arcade cabinet by starting with and controlled is that will determine the width of the cabinet now depending on the buttons you choose you will have to choose the board's thickness that's it unfortunately the buttons I chose only allow quarter-inch material while some other buttons allow much thicker material like this one I used on another project now for the material I recommend MDF or hard board but since we'll be covering this with vinyl at some point I'll just use this sheet apply that I already have on hand you will also need an 8 foot piece of 1 by 3 for the size the structure of the control board will be 2 13 by 24 sheets that make at the top and bottom so the buttons will go the sides will be a simple box by the 1 by threes with miter joints on the front which is optional the size stretch back about 22 inches which will attach the cabinet but the front portion will be flush with the top I'll start by cutting the two sheets 13 by 24 [Music] now I'll cut the front piece making sure it matches the size of the top perfectly to help I'll creep up on the cut just in case I'm off by a little bit I'll now cut the two sides at about 22 inches making sure they only have to pull retime degree cut on one end where it meets the front piece now I'll measure the inside length of the front piece so I can make a center brace for the back what I'm doing here is cutting two folds for the wires passed through later on now making sure everything is square you can start gluing and nailing everything into place make sure the back to Center break is flush with the top panel before gluing and nailing though marking where it goes will help now I'm just going to add in another set of brace for strengthening the top while that dries I'm going to start cutting the holes for the controls using template I made I'll first mark the centers with a pick and drill later this layout may look a little weird but it's modeled after the Super Nintendo controller with a little bit of design influence from the Raspberry Pi logo the template doesn't include the start from select button so I'll just measure a place for them at four inches and six and a half inches from the edge while being about four inches from the top now to make the holes you have a few options the least expensive being petal bit the larger buttons I'm using are one and an eighth inch thick while the smaller ones are only an inch which is this one here now a tip if you're using paddle bits make the initial pilot hole clockwise and then scrape off the first layer counterclockwise and then finish the hole clockwise again doing it this way will ensure you don't damage the surrounding area especially if you're like me and you choose achieve ply by mistake after you have all the holes drilled just give it a good sanding and go grab a base to bring them together I'm just going to be combining with glue and nails after cleaning off any excess glue I'm going to patch the holes with wood filler or spackle teams each one works just fine while that dries I can now cut the bottom access panel out this can be done a few different ways but it won't be seen so it doesn't have to be perfect I'm measuring mine to be about an inch from the edge and then making the cut with a bandsaw I'll then attached it the same way I attached the top now to keep the cutout in place I'm just using some picture frame clamps but again there's a few different ways you can do this to choose what's best for you after that's in place I'm going to flip it over and start sanding with 80 grit and then move up to 200 with a palm sander and what everything is smoothed out with a 200 grit I'm going to stand over the edges just a little bit by hand making sure I don't burn them too badly after that make sure you dust it off really well and prep for the paint I'll be using filler primer which works really well on soft woods like this and finishing it off with protective enamel for a glossy finish when you start painting make sure you get even coats letting it fully dry before sanding and more filling I recommend standing by hand with at least 300 grit and then finally before I put on the color I'll stand down the primer with 600 grit cleaning off any dust left over with a wet fiber list towel after the color coat fully cures sand out any run too late have gotten and clean with a wet rag again then you can put on one or two more coats after that we're sanding and cleaning it in between each coat and this is definitely a step where you want to go the extra mile because the more work you put into it the better the paint will look now that my final coat is cure I'm going to install the components by starting with the joysticks for this just Center it up with the hole mark one of the corners and then drill out the hole with a drill bit the same size as the bolts are going to be used in my case they are quarter-inch machine screws with small rounded head making sure that Joystiq aprons are off just drop one of the screws in hole and the feed it sticks onto the screw and then tighten down the nut making sure you Center the joystick as well you can then easily drill out the rest of the holes and tighten down the screws I find it easiest to use a screw driver on one side and a socket on the other now for the buttons they're pretty self-explanatory and snap right into place if for some reason the paint shrunk on the holes just use the sandpaper to open them back up so luckily with this kit the wiring is insanely easy they supplied small wires for the buttons ribbon cable for the joystick a chip to plug them all into and then a cord that plugs into the chip and then plugs into the USB ports on pretty much any computer since it's two-player I got two of everything to hook up the buttons just place the red and black wires onto the button terminals doesn't matter which one they go on since it's just a momentary switch what's nice about these is they snap right in place so they won't fall off accidentally then just plug the other end into the chip the ribbon cable for the joystick also works exactly the same way now however you order the buttons on the chip doesn't matter at all all that matters is when you hook up the other set of controls employment in the exact same way since they're the same type of controller so the RPI will pick up one controller and when you program the one it will automatically program the other now the wires don't allow me to attach the chip to the sides with screws so I'll need to use hot glue on corners and attach it the underneath side to the top once that dries all at the final chord which is news V cable and feed it through the holes I drilled out earlier and then attach the bottom panel all right so we're almost done all we have to do now is configure the controllers to work with the RPI to do this just make sure it's powered on and then grab the keyboard or whatever you initially set it up with and then plug in your new controllers and it doesn't matter which USB port they go to either so with your keyboard pull up the menu by hitting the button you programmed to be the start button now scroll down to where it says configure controls as menu will pop up and now you can put away the keyboard and grab your new controls just set any button to start the configuration I'm going to be referencing the Super Nintendo controller to mimic its layout [Music] [Music] all right so now that I configure the first set of controls the second set is automatically configure as well since I match the wiring and it's the same controller if anything is off by a little bit flip it over and make sure the wiring is good but otherwise you should be good to go all right so if everything goes well you can now start enjoying the first and hardest part of making your own arcade now if you don't have the tools resources or even interest in building a full arcade cabinet you can still use all the electronic components I've showed you today but at a much smaller container like this one I made a couple episodes ago it doesn't even need to be this complicated either you can literally put these controls and almost anything all you honestly need is drill a couple drill bits and free weekend but if you're like me and you want to make something even cooler coming up soon I'll have support to where I build the actual cabinet complements controls and everything we accomplished in this video but until then thank you for watching please subscribe if you haven't already find me on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what you were able to build thanks to what you learned in this video and I will see you in part two

Channel: Brett Withjack

Views: 238,894

Keywords: diy, do it yourself, howto, how to, how to make, diy arcade, woodworking, how to make an arcade, how to set up retropie, pc, mac, raspberry pi 3, raspberry pi arcade, easiest diy, easiest diy arcade, how to make a raspberry pi arcade, what do I need to buy to make an arcade, how to make a fight stick, diy fight stick, fight stick arcade, where to get roms, where to get arcade games, how to get rom games for arcade, raspberry pi rom games

Id: q2KNhY_6byE

Length: 18min 39sec (1119 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 20 2017