Raspberry Pi vs a 60 in 1 for a Cocktail Cabinet

[DHTech]

Your two choices for video are composite, which lets face it, is awful, or HDMI, which pretty much ties you down to a widescreen display that is the incorrect aspect ratio.

This is incorrect, I am running a 4:3 display with and HDMI to DVI adapter, you can also get HDMI to VGA adapters, they only cost about $5

[BobA]

Sure there are OLD tried and true ways of getting mame and other emulators to run but it is nice to see new ways of doing it without the overhead of atx power supplies and fans.   Love to see new way of doing a 100 in 1 board that does not cost alot of coin and is eco friendly.   The small form factor and the minimum power requirements will probably make some nice compact cabs.

[sharpfork]

This is incorrect, I am running a 4:3 display with and HDMI to DVI adapter, you can also get HDMI to VGA adapters, they only cost about $5

I had discounted the raspi as an option partially due to limited video options and reports of sound issues.  Can you tell us more about your setup?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[DHTech]

This is incorrect, I am running a 4:3 display with and HDMI to DVI adapter, you can also get HDMI to VGA adapters, they only cost about $5

I had discounted the raspi as an option partially due to limited video options and reports of sound issues.  Can you tell us more about your setup?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

My original idea was to run a Pi as I only wanted to run games such as Defender, PacMan, Zaxxon, Contra and the likes, so the early 80s arcade games, these the Pi runs with out any issues. The Pi is connected to a 4:3 Viewsonic monitor via a DVi adapter the audio is run into a small 12v auto amp and connected to some small 4" car speakers, control is via an iPac2. I'm running the lastest version of PiMame, which includes AdvanceMame, GNGeo, pcsx-reARmed and SNES9x all installed on an easily swappable SD card. The Pi I have overclocked from it's standard 700mhz to 800mhz, you can take them up to 1ghz but this shortens the lifetime. All roms are transferred to the Pi via ftp.

Pros:
Low Power
Completely Silent
Swappable SD cards
Very easy to set up
Cheap to buy
Easy overclocked

Cons:
Wont run the more processor intensive games
Limited front end
Older version of Mame
Limited on available emulators

I'm sure other will point out may more pros and cons, but those are just a few that come to mind.

[Haze]

My original idea was to run a Pi as I only wanted to run games such as Defender, PacMan, Zaxxon, Contra and the likes, so the early 80s arcade games, these the Pi runs with out any issues.

with incorrect blitter speed emulation and wrong slowdowns because the emulators are based on such old versions.

[TheShaner]

I think I may order a BeagleBone to do some testing. It is another option if a little more power is needed.  http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/45-beaglebone-black-is-another-raspberry-pi-rival/ .  For about $15 bucks more than the pi, you get 2g onboard storage, and a faster processor.  I have seen at least one MAME port built for it. 

[sharpfork]

I think I may order a BeagleBone to do some testing. It is another option if a little more power is needed.  http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/45-beaglebone-black-is-another-raspberry-pi-rival/ .  For about $15 bucks more than the pi, you get 2g onboard storage, and a faster processor.  I have seen at least one MAME port built for it.

In the space of cheapo android/linux boards, I like this one best for price/ performance.  Make sure you get the newer black version instead of the older version.  The Cubie board looks pretty nice too.

What kind of frontend are you thinking about using?

[TheShaner]

Yep, definitely getting the black version.  Not sure on the front end yet.  I suppose it depends on exactly how I end up configuring the device.

[shponglefan]

Your two choices for video are composite, which lets face it, is awful, or HDMI, which pretty much ties you down to a widescreen display that is the incorrect aspect ratio.

Um, you can get LCD monitors which are non-widescreen.

[Rigby]

Um, you can get LCD monitors w/ 4:3 ratios.

Really?  Most of the ones I find are 5:4, which is not quite the same, but acceptable.  1280x1024 monitors are becoming harder and harder to come by nowadays, though.

[TheShaner]

Ok, well, I have a BeagleBone Black on order now which will get here sometime next week.  We will see how it fares.  I've never touched linux before, so it will be interesting to see whats involved.  Might be a good opportunity to do a noob guide.

[shponglefan]

Um, you can get LCD monitors w/ 4:3 ratios.

Really?  Most of the ones I find are 5:4, which is not quite the same, but acceptable.  1280x1024 monitors are becoming harder and harder to come by nowadays, though.

Oops, you are correct.  I've amended my post.

[kahlid74]

Late to the party I know, but as an early adopter of the RaspberryPi it's a great computer for certain use cases.  It's not a great computer for a 1to1 MAME emulator as has already been discussed.  Further more stuff like the BeagleBone are better than the Pi for automation but I have uses for my Pi's.  I currently use one as a PH/ORD chemical guage for my pool.  The Pi Sits in a 3D printed box in my garage and is on the network.  I can get to the web page to view the PH and chlorine levels and it also sends alerts when I go out of the threshold for either.  The other Pi i use with a PiFace to control my furnace/AC.  It too is networked and utilizes schedules of when to heat/cool the house.  I can also control it via secure access while away from home in case I need to.

So yeah, you're going with the BeagleBone, which IMO would be a better choice than the Pi.  So you're all good.

[mcseforsale]

Can you explain in more detail the PH/ORD chemical guage setup?  A bit OT, but it sounds interesting..

AJ

Late to the party I know, but as an early adopter of the RaspberryPi it's a great computer for certain use cases.  It's not a great computer for a 1to1 MAME emulator as has already been discussed.  Further more stuff like the BeagleBone are better than the Pi for automation but I have uses for my Pi's.  I currently use one as a PH/ORD chemical guage for my pool.  The Pi Sits in a 3D printed box in my garage and is on the network.  I can get to the web page to view the PH and chlorine levels and it also sends alerts when I go out of the threshold for either.  The other Pi i use with a PiFace to control my furnace/AC.  It too is networked and utilizes schedules of when to heat/cool the house.  I can also control it via secure access while away from home in case I need to.

So yeah, you're going with the BeagleBone, which IMO would be a better choice than the Pi.  So you're all good.

[DHTech]

I've read that the BeagleBone has microHDMI output with limited resolution.

Currently the following resolutions are supported via the software:

 1280 x 1024

 1440 x 900

 1024 x 768

 1280 x 720

Saw this in a review:
Sadly, the HDMI output can’t compete with the Pi: video output is limited to 1,440×900 resolution at best, or 1,280×720 with audio. Compatibility, too, is poor: the official support channels show complaints that the HDMI output simply doesn’t work with some TVs and monitors, an issue we ran in to during testing of our review unit.

Worse still is an issue of quality control: the tiny micro-HDMI connector is located on the edge of the board, and is easily damaged – even at the factory. With UK supplies selling out quickly, there can be a considerable wait for a replacement.

[Rigby]

I've read that the BeagleBone has microHDMI output with limited resolution.

True.  The BBB supports what the chipset supports, and the chipset is limited.  The BBB would not be a good XBMC device.

If you can live with that limitation, though, it's a faster processor.

The next class up (two classes up?) has the very nice ODROID-X2 board which is full HDMI and supports Android and has a quad core 1.7GHz CPU.  Even modern MAME/MESS would run acceptably on this thing, I'm betting.  iMAME4ALL Reloaded would likely be excellent, since it supports OpenGL ES under Android.

[Chris John Hunter]

"

I think of one thing which is missing in this conversation is that there are different solutions for different situations.  There is no one single perfect be-all-and-end-all MAME solution.


For example, people have tossed out the idea of older pentiums.  But those have drawbacks such as increased power consumption, heat, size, incompatibility with newer storage devices, larger footprint, and so on.


On the other hand the Pi, while not the most advanced kid on the block is tiny, no moving parts, no heat issues, low power consumption.


It really comes down to what is more important to the person in question doing the build.  In the case of the OP, he specifically mentioned no moving parts.  So that mostly rules out an old P4. "

Exactly the point!
I agree with 90% of whats been said today. Common Sense chaps.

Horses for courses. Each to their own. I agree with BOB as well on this one. At some point some nifty compact cabs are going to come about because of these boards. I wonder what could be done if someone developed a one board pc specifically for this kind of setup, Mame and oldschool I mean.

[BobA]

Here is part 2 of Ben Heck putting the raspberry pi in a hand held game console.

Part 2

[Chris John Hunter]

Here is part 2 of Ben Heck putting the raspberry pi in a hand held game console.

Part 2

That's cool as ---fudgesicle--- and things will only get better with better versions of these boards appearing.


 

[TheShaner]

Here is part 2 of Ben Heck putting the raspberry pi in a hand held game console.

Part 2

That was really kick ass.  It really will be neat to see what these smaller form computers end up turning into as people jack with them.

[Maximus]

The android stick is due to arrive today.  The other bits may take a little longer.  Not sure exactly what the best use case is for this rig but it will be fun to hack together.

[Rigby]

Here is part 2 of Ben Heck putting the raspberry pi in a hand held game console.

Part 2

The RPi Model A would have been better choice since it's thinner and uses less juice.  The single-chip USB hub and Ethernet controller sucks down lots of electricity and is the hottest part on the board.  He also could have done the wiring without using the Teensy using the RPi GPIO, and while GPIO scanning is a slightly CPU-intensive method, it won't use as much power as the teensy.

But, all that said it is a great build and looks slick.  I wish they made IPS LCDs that size.  The LCD he used looked like a TN panel which are just rubbish.  I'd buy it anyway.

[Maximus]

Opened the box to some good old Engrish

[Maximus]

Tiny with a nice compliment of cables and adapters

[Chris John Hunter]

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what a RPI can do, if you don't want the world

Its a shame it doesn't say MADE IN ENGLAND
but then we don't make our own gadgets anymore.

[Maximus]

Dug up these bits that should go well with the stick. 4000mah rechargable pack and a bluetooth keyboard mouse combo

[ahofle]

Forget about a P3 or P4, I picked up a refurb Dell small form factor/pizza-box Core2Duo from newegg for $149 shipped a few weeks ago, including win7 home premium.  They are on there all the time.  More than enough power for even many modern games.  If "moving parts" are that much of an issue, get an SSD, although that seems like a waste of money.

[TheShaner]

Forget about a P3 or P4, I picked up a refurb Dell small form factor/pizza-box Core2Duo from newegg for $149 shipped a few weeks ago, including win7 home premium.  They are on there all the time.  More than enough power for even many modern games.  If "moving parts" are that much of an issue, get an SSD, although that seems like a waste of money.

I have a huge cab that plays pretty much every game, I don't need another.  I am trying to do something very specific here, and other than one vent fan, I am trying to avoid all moving parts.  I am assuming your Dell has fan or two in it.  It is also a lot bigger than I want.

I think it is funny how many people keep posting "Get a P4" or other full size PC's.  Is the title of the post unclear?

MaxiGriff - What OS is gonna run on that stick?  Are you going to try and do a mini build with it?

[twistedsymphony]

Your two choices for video are composite, which lets face it, is awful, or HDMI, which pretty much ties you down to a widescreen display that is the incorrect aspect ratio.

This is incorrect, I am running a 4:3 display with and HDMI to DVI adapter, you can also get HDMI to VGA adapters, they only cost about $5

IMO a VGA adapter is just as useless as HDMI for a MAME cab... I'd love to run one of these PCs in a MAME cab but for me using a real arcade monitor is a must... for that you'd have to run something like Soft15... which a VGA adapter wouldn't exactly support.

otherwise you're looking at HDMI to a VGA adapter and then through something like an iPAC... which at the end of the day would blow out any cost savings you might have had... not to mention the potential for introducing lag.

[Vigo]

MaxiGriff - What OS is gonna run on that stick?  Are you going to try and do a mini build with it?

I'm also looking forward to see what you do with that little android stick. 

I have been toying with the idea of making a little mini kiosk/coffee table thing for the wife by hooking something like that up to a touchscreen monitor. It would be a jukebox and a sort of multitouch game system. Thing is I have no clue if an on market touch screen would be compatible with an android hdmi device.

[Maximus]

MaxiGriff - What OS is gonna run on that stick?  Are you going to try and do a mini build with it?

Currently just flashed it to the Finless 1.5 custom ROM (Jellybean 4.2) with native 1080p kernel. I'm actually playing with it in work as an option for a cheap thin client to connect to our VMWare remote desktops at the moment, still just making sure it has a solid android base with everything working properly before I start trying to do other things with it.

It's nice that it runs off of 5v as it means it's a plug and play rechargable/portable solution. Also has wifi and bluetooth built in already, lets see your craigslist P4 come with all of those features. Another great bonus was I plugged a Rocketfish ethernet-USB adapter into it and it connected to our network instantly.

[yotsuya]

I'm just waiting for Shanghaiguide to finish the OpenJAMMA board. Problem solved.

[Chris John Hunter]

Here we go! Check this out!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pimoroni/picade-the-arcade-cabinet-kit-for-your-raspberry-p

[paigeoliver]

I'm just waiting for Shanghaiguide to finish the OpenJAMMA board. Problem solved.

Doesn't what he is trying to make already exist? That second board with the Jamma connector on it in the PC based 2 board stacks that make up the 1xxx in 1 and 2xxx in one boards seem to already be that.

[ahofle]

Forget about a P3 or P4, I picked up a refurb Dell small form factor/pizza-box Core2Duo from newegg for $149 shipped a few weeks ago, including win7 home premium.  They are on there all the time.  More than enough power for even many modern games.  If "moving parts" are that much of an issue, get an SSD, although that seems like a waste of money.

I have a huge cab that plays pretty much every game, I don't need another.  I am trying to do something very specific here, and other than one vent fan, I am trying to avoid all moving parts.  I am assuming your Dell has fan or two in it.  It is also a lot bigger than I want.

I think it is funny how many people keep posting "Get a P4" or other full size PC's.  Is the title of the post unclear?

Your original post said 'I am doing a cocktail cabinet' and listed two options for running MAME, both of which had drawbacks.  The small form factor PC I suggested is tiny compared to a normal case, very inexpensive, is very quiet, and eliminates the need to only run a few old 80s games which is why I suggested it as an option.  If your primary goal is a good cocktail computer it is worth considering...if your only goal is zero moving parts then not so much.

[Maximus]

So far I'm not very impressed with Mame4all. Donkey Kong struggles to maintain a steady 100% emulation speed on this quad core stick running Jellybean 4.2. Obviously this shows where the code is no where near optimized for the ARM architecture.

[paigeoliver]

You can grab an older passively cooled mobile based x86 system and boot off something solid state, either a USB stick or an SSD and still get no moving parts on PC hardware. An old windows based tablet would be ideal as it would cost about the same as a Pi, except be dozens of times more useful. and wouldn't take up much more room once you factor in all those cables and adapters I see sticking out of every pi setup.

Forget about a P3 or P4, I picked up a refurb Dell small form factor/pizza-box Core2Duo from newegg for $149 shipped a few weeks ago, including win7 home premium.  They are on there all the time.  More than enough power for even many modern games.  If "moving parts" are that much of an issue, get an SSD, although that seems like a waste of money.

I have a huge cab that plays pretty much every game, I don't need another.  I am trying to do something very specific here, and other than one vent fan, I am trying to avoid all moving parts.  I am assuming your Dell has fan or two in it.  It is also a lot bigger than I want.

I think it is funny how many people keep posting "Get a P4" or other full size PC's.  Is the title of the post unclear?

Your original post said 'I am doing a cocktail cabinet' and listed two options for running MAME, both of which had drawbacks.  The small form factor PC I suggested is tiny compared to a normal case, very inexpensive, is very quiet, and eliminates the need to only run a few old 80s games which is why I suggested it as an option.  If your primary goal is a good cocktail computer it is worth considering...if your only goal is zero moving parts then not so much.

[Maximus]

You can grab an older passively cooled mobile based x86 system and boot off something solid state, either a USB stick or an SSD

I like the idea but seriously doubt you'd be able to boot from a USB stick on these devices. I use MBR hacked USB sticks to boot and image boxes/servers on a daily basis and see many motherboards as new as 3 years old that cannot boot from these devices.

[paigeoliver]

Well a quick check on google shopping shows that you can get a 64GB SSD for $14. That is cheaper than an 8 GB USB stick at Walgreens.

[JDFan]

Well a quick check on google shopping shows that you can get a 64GB SSD for $14. That is cheaper than an 8 GB USB stick at Walgreens.

Yep - but as is par for Google shopping when you click on the compuvest link it goes to a 1gb DDR800 ram module for that price not an ssd drive !! (same as the $21, the $25 etc. !! )