With the advent of PlayStation, XBox, PC gaming

etc etc, the elders and the 90s kids at the Asylum seemed to miss the retro games we played as kids. Lets not forget the foosball table that is used so violently that it barely stands straight. So, a retro gaming arcade seemed to be the best fit for our nostalgia.

To build a badass like this for yourself, you’ll need

-12mm ply wood/particle board

-6mm MDF

-a 22” screen/monitor

-Raspberry Pi 3

-Lots of wires

-4 or 8 buttons (if single player or 2 player)

-1 or 2 joysticks (if single player or 2 player)

-computer speakers

-LED strips

-Ardiuino UNO

-nails, glue

-hinges

-Lots of powertools!!

Step 1: Step 1:The Furniture

Depending upon the screen size and players (1 or 2) make the box for the screen first. The screen is best mounted on a plywood panel attached to the bottom with hinges to adjust the tilt for the screen. The screen box will impart structure for the rest of the body yet

Step 2: Step 2: Button Panel

Drill holes a sheet of 6mm plywood. Four button holes and one joystick hole for single player and 8 button holes and 2 joystick holes for 2 players (well...obviously). We used 1”dia hole bits for all 10 holes.

Do make sure to put in the A,B,C and D on the panel. You can put alphabet stickers, doodle them on the panel or laser etch a few pieces of MDF (if you’re fancy).

Step 3: Step 3: Side Panels

With the screen, the control panel and the screen box ready, a relatively flexible material like 6mm MDF (if curves are your thing) is perfect to make an outer cladding which houses the aforementioned steps, giving your emulator the classic look. The side panels are important to create a visual funnel like effect to keep the concentration of the player on the screen and game. Paint the insides of the furniture matt black. We painted the outsides white so as to allow random doodles. The entire emulator is like a blank canvas waiting to be scribbled on.

Step 4: Step 4: Electronics

You will need a Raspberry Pi 3, lots of male to male wires, buttons and joysticks. Download the entire RetroPie package.

You can from here→ https://retropie.org.uk/download/

Step 5: Step 5: LED Panel

Well, nothing is complete without LEDs and no retro gaming arcade is tacky enough! The tack-ier the better! The strips are nothing but 3 RGB LED strips connected to the Arduino.

You can download the script here---> https://github.com/wyolum/TiM/tree/master/arduino...

The Arduino is independent of the Pi. Stick the LED strips to a piece of MDF. A translucent white The Arduino is independent of the Pi. Stick the LED strips to a piece of MDF. A translucent white polycarbonate sheet should diffuse the LED.

Step 6: Step 6: Speakers

Raspberry Pi comes with an inbuilt aux connection, which is perfect for speaker output. You can use any ordinary computer speakers. Plug in the power and aux and place the speakers behind the LED panel. To add to the look, cover the the underside with wire mesh.

Step 7: Step 7: Paint

Draw, paint doodle whatever you want or simply leave it white to let others go crazy on it! Use water based emulsion for a matt finish that holds other paints and pencil properly.

Step 8: Step 7: Play!!

Now that you’ve worked so hard, it’s time to put it to use by playing on it! RetroPie has a wide array of games like Contra, Super Mario etc etc. After callibrating the joysticks, setting the buttons, start playing and let the childhood memories come back! You are now a proud owner of a DIY RaspberryPi Gaming Emulator!