Hey there! In this instructable, we're spilling the beans on how we cooked up our Galaxy Game Arcade. For a solid 10 weeks (from Nov 13, 2023, to Feb 2, 2024, with a buffer week thrown in), we dove into the nitty-gritty of designing and building this Arcade. From meeting demands to making decisions, we're laying it all out for you. So, buckle up for a ride through our journey from idea to an awesome playable Galaxy Game Arcade!

Supplies

Monitor

Monitorcable HDMI>VGA

Coolfan

Arcade controlls set

Led-strips

Raspberry Pi

Powersupply Rasperry Pi

Purfoam

Paint/ spraypaint

MDF 6mm

Laser Cutter

Step 1: Getting the Supplies

We gathered all the necessary supplies, including a screen sourced from Marktplaats, a Raspberry Pi obtained from school, and the remaining components purchased from Amazon.

Additionally, we 3D-printed a casing for our Raspberry Pi to securely attach the cooling fan, preventing it from overheating.

Step 2: Design the Casing

We initially had an excellent design concept for the monitor surround. However, we encountered a setback as the laser cutter turned out to be insufficiently large. Consequently, we had to make adjustments to the design. in the attachment are the separate panels that resulted from this modification for your review. These are also the file types for the laser cutter.

Step 3: Setting Up Software

The next thing we did was install the software Retropie onto the SD card which made it accessible on the raspberry pi 3b, if you then put a usb stick into one of the ports and leave it in for a little while it will automatically format the usb with all the folder for the emulators after that you just have to go to a site from which you can download a emulator and then put the emulator into the right folder it will say what type of game it is usually if it says NES put it in the nes folder but watch out because sometimes is says nes version which doesn't necessarily mean it’s for the NES. ( see picture)

In this picture it has to go to the GBA folder not NES even though it says NES.

There is a online step by step guide you could follow so you don’t have to figure everything out yourself, linked here.

Step 4: Assemble Casing

The panels underwent laser cutting, and we constructed the casing using wood glue. We chose not to include ridges, as we intended to reinforce all the connections with expanding foam, enhancing the overall sturdiness of the case. Following this, we applied a blue spray paint base and meticulously hand-painted it with various shades of blue, purple, black, and grey.

Step 5: Installing and Programming Controls

Setting up the controls is not that hard, just ensure that if you're building a two-player arcade like ours, all the buttons and joysticks are oriented in the same direction. We ran into the problem where one joystick ended up having reversed controls compared to the original one. As for the buttons, connect them to the same ports as your other buttons, and you should be good to go without a hitch.

Assigning the controls in Retropie all you have to do is press the menu button then there is a option called configuration wich you can press to reassing buttons afther the initial one you get when logging in my advise would be to use a keyboard to start so you can set up everything in raspi-config.

Step 6: Finish Assembly

After connecting the buttons and placing the screen in the case, we proceeded to link the remaining hardware components. We incorporated LED strips and ensured all connections were properly plugged in. The sound system required adjustments in the Raspberry Pi setup. Ultimately, everything functioned smoothly and even withstood the demands of an open day.