Hello
First time user here. In februar I decided to build by own arcade control panel. Here is my first attempt to build it.
I really like this, and have been thinking about something similar. I like the idea of being able to move the control panel around independently of a standalone stand-up arcade given my circumstances (and for practice).
I have a couple questions -
What are the buttons on the front?
Can you speak to the built-in speakers?
Is this wireless?
Very nice work.
Buttons on the front are actually speaker amplifier. I control speaker with it.
Currently I am using raspberry pi 3 as an engine for arcade control. I made it in such a way, that I can use it also to control external PC if needed. In the back I have a switch which controls
what my internal USB hub controls. In the back I have a connector for external USB which can be connected to the PC. If i want independent behaviour then I just switch in the back to control
internal raspberry pi.
Control panel is stored in a special place in the living room, when not in use.
I use internal speaker exclusively as even that HDMI audio is an option. I just prefer it more and i have control over loudness at the tip of the finger.
Also I made a separate stand for external monitor. At my work i got an old (broken !!!!) monitor. I found out, that only control panel was broken so I ordered control panel for monitor panel from China and made
enclosure for the panel so everything is now wood. It really looks cool and I use it when my main 55 inch TV is not available. This is also the reason I built in the speakers as monitor did not have any
audio capabilities.
For network capabilities I currently use network cable, which is connected in the back in special passthrough network connector. I probably could use wireless capabilities of the raspberry pi, but I did not try this feature.
In the future I will replace raspberry pi with more powerful mini PC. Currently I have my eyes set to HADES CANYON NUC from intel, as its measurement fit perfectly for the space I have inside arcade control panel.
Arcade control panel can be opened from the front and is using some magnets to keep it shut. I made special handles for carrying control panel around the house.
The whole control panel took me about 3 month. I did everything from woodworking to installation and programming. I am just geek about this things. If you look at the picture you could see control panel sitting on little
coffee table which I made and is made from the same material I used for control panel. Unfortunately I did not do any documentation about process of building this stuff, but I am open to discuss it.