The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: pbj on June 30, 2018, 10:18:53 pm
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How many cabinets does one need that plays old games? X + 1
Anyway, knocked out the sides and cut the t-molding slot today. Not sure if I’m cutting down existing artwork or buying opt2not a new pair of silk ankle socks.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=368814)
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Smoothed out that bump on the top.
Framed and glued. Best I can do when it's 102 in my garage.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=368868)
:cheers:
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Looks like not much room, what you going to power it with? RPi?
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Weecade?
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Looks like not much room, what you going to power it with? RPi?
I’m afraid it’s much worse than that. We’re gonna party like it’s 2007 and shove a Jakks Pacific in there.
Weecade?
No. :bat
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I will be following this. I got one of those jakks which has pacman, galaga and one or two more games. (Or maybe Ms pacman.).
I need some sort of cabinet to put it in, so I may steal your idea.
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Jakks Pacific? Something like this??
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ms-Pac-man-TV-Games-Plug-Play-5-In-1-NAMCO-2004-JAKKS-Twist-Control-Joystick/382506653973 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ms-Pac-man-TV-Games-Plug-Play-5-In-1-NAMCO-2004-JAKKS-Twist-Control-Joystick/382506653973)
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Jakks Pacific? Something like this??
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ms-Pac-man-TV-Games-Plug-Play-5-In-1-NAMCO-2004-JAKKS-Twist-Control-Joystick/382506653973 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ms-Pac-man-TV-Games-Plug-Play-5-In-1-NAMCO-2004-JAKKS-Twist-Control-Joystick/382506653973)
Yep. As a matter of fact that one. I bought it off ebay a couple of years ago, been gathering dust since then. It works, but missing the battery cover, and I think I had to re-solder a broken wire on the video cable, it kept cutting out. I drug it out of my hoarder collection and took a picture of it:
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Never heard of it, but it looks like crap :laugh:
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Never heard of it, but it looks like crap :laugh:
Are you trying to take my job?
I am waiting to see what PBJ is up to...besides heat stroke.
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Weecade?
No. :bat
It's a weecade.
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Jakks Pacific? Something like this??
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ms-Pac-man-TV-Games-Plug-Play-5-In-1-NAMCO-2004-JAKKS-Twist-Control-Joystick/382506653973 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ms-Pac-man-TV-Games-Plug-Play-5-In-1-NAMCO-2004-JAKKS-Twist-Control-Joystick/382506653973)
Yep. As a matter of fact that one. I bought it off ebay a couple of years ago, been gathering dust since then. It works, but missing the battery cover, and I think I had to re-solder a broken wire on the video cable, it kept cutting out. I drug it out of my hoarder collection and took a picture of it:
We used to have one of those. It was surprisingly fun. My oldest took it to college and the kids on his floor played the crap out of it.
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Yeah, its Ok. I was thinking of putting it in a small bartop cabinet, but when I took it apart, I could see some problems getting it to all fit in a cabinet.
The joystick is a spinner too, so I figured I had to use it, and not a standard joystick. I think thats what threw me for a loop.
Im anxious to see how PBJ pulls this one off.
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Yeah, I will have to get creative with the joystick spinner. Couple of options there... use a real joystick and rig the Jakks one to a spinner knob.... modify a real joystick....
I'm a little more concerned about the marquee area. What can I say, you start losing your mind in 102. I'll come up with a solution that will annoy me but nobody else will ever notice.
:cheers:
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Not sure if I’m cutting down existing artwork or buying opt2not a new pair of silk ankle socks.
*ehem* Black silk ankle socks.
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... use a real joystick and rig the Jakks one to a spinner knob....
Hey i like that idea, provided you have enough real estate on the CP.
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Cool. Check out MarkVPs build using the same unit.
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What am I missing here?.... Why no pic, Oh yes Jennifer wants to see too.... Pics you big boo or it just didn't happen :applaud:
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Weecade?
No. :bat
It's a weecade.
It's worse than a weecade, its a Junker putting together junk stuffed with more junk. He may even snazz it up with free crap gift cards to claire's boutique.
I love it! I can't wait to see the end product!
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Turns out I framed the wrong side of one of the side panels.
Lol. Sigh.
Not sure if this will have a marquee or not but here's a rough draft I worked up during my mental health day today.
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Live a little and round off the top so you can put in a marquee. It will give you more room. Either Kerf it or use some thin bendy ply pieces.
You changed Jakks units?
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That thing is just so cute...Wouldn't change a thing. (Perhaps put weights in the bottom for ballast).
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Lovin the shape of that little fella.
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man you got 2 projects going on? I really need to get my ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- together and finish off Ginger 2.0
I like the shape, doesn't need a marquee. Love that little CRT.
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:applaud:
:applaud:
:applaud:
:cheers:
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Totally needs a marquee! Here's an extremely crappy visual
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:stupid
Definitely needs a marquee. Could be a good opportunity to do some small kerfing in that area to get the curve to match the sides. It could look pretty cute with a rounded top and a small marquee.
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I've been kicking around a few ideas. One would be to do a small Nintendo Vs style topper. Another is to do a marquee box like you see on top of the Golden Tees. Ideally lit up. Or get one of those cheesy LED sign things that can do animations and scrolling words. (they sell basic ones for cars for about $30 shipped now)
Or go Mappy style. Pics related.
I like the flat top because that means I can set a beer on it.
Will have to try kerfing a piece of scrap, though.
:cheers:
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I would try a 1/4” hardboard. I’m betting it would make the curve without a kerf. Double them up and it would be sturdy.
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Beer > Marquee
:cheers:
I've been kicking around a few ideas. One would be to do a small Nintendo Vs style topper. Another is to do a marquee box like you see on top of the Golden Tees. Ideally lit up. Or get one of those cheesy LED sign things that can do animations and scrolling words. (they sell basic ones for cars for about $30 shipped now)
Or go Mappy style. Pics related.
I like the flat top because that means I can set a beer on it.
Will have to try kerfing a piece of scrap, though.
:cheers:
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It’s a Jakks in a box. Why bother with a marquee? It plays yer bideo gamez just fine. Another vote for beer stoop.
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...but, it’s a bartop cabinet. Put your beer on the bar-top...
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maybe a topper but a legit boxed in back lit marquee?.....not worth it.
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Megatouch marquee...
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...but, it’s a bartop cabinet. Put your beer on the bar-top...
You know what would be sweet.....cupholders.
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I still think you should junk this thing out in style.... maybe wallpaper the bastard and mount a Jackalope on the top. :afro:
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Just glue a Pac-Man Amiibo on top and call it a day. Nice quick build though. You going to add glass?
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Some good suggestions, thanks. Yeah, the plan is to add glass. The TV is just perched on the edge of the control panel for photography purposes. The marquee question is going to dictate how it's angled.
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I do like the form factor for what it is worth. It looks more like an arcade cabinet than your standard bartop.
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Couple of bolt on options I'm considering. The ARCADE sign is like $12 shipped. I'd have to figure out how to pull off the light and mount on the bottom... seems like an impossible task to convey that to a Chinese seller.
Neon is $66.
Both are 12" wide so would fit fine.
:dunno
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You really want that glowing in YOUR FACE?
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Dont think you can pull the arcade sign apart, Pretty sure they are Etched into the plastic to give the glow.
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Dont think you can pull the arcade sign apart, Pretty sure they are Etched into the plastic to give the glow.
Word. It would make more sense to cut the plastic to fit.
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The clear acrylic is usually just friction fit into a base that contains the LED strip. There are probably little set screws in the base to tighten against the clear acrylic piece. You could pop out the acrylic and flip it over. At least on the ones I have used. I could make you a custom one.
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Kind of like this.
They look much better in person.
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=371919;image)
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=149895.0;attach=371921;image)
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Can you do a sign that says multicade and has Dragon's Lair art on it?
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absolutely.
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Make it flashy like I did in my old boombox.
https://youtu.be/Ih5A2SZkIJQ?t=33
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Seems like opt2not could dash out something thematically appropriate pretty quickly.....
:bat
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Seems like opt2not could dash out something thematically appropriate pretty quickly.....
:bat
You already have the perfect side art from him
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:stupid
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I already have a dedicated Konkey Dong.
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We can talk about the art when you’re ready.
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Marquee issue resolved itself once the monitor was mounted. There's 2.5" of space up there. I'll put something translucent behind the bezel and shove a light back there.
Getting the monitor mounted was much harder than anticipated and unfortunately I had to take the back of the case off, but it's rock solid. My wife was horrified I drilled holes in a SONY. It's not the 80s! This was $12 from Goodwill!
Anyway, getting very close. Usually at this stage I'd take the entire thing apart and prime all the wood but meh. That tube ain't coming out.
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Chipboard? I didn't know you were using that. How is it?
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It's fine. Cuts easily. Feels sturdy.
The joystick was a Christmas present, and after agonizing over the various Plug & Play games, I realized it had the best game selection. And it has that cool coin return button thing. So, I couldn't bring myself to hacking it up.
I may eventually migrate to a Pi Zero, but I really liked the idea of using something that boots in 10 seconds and is idiot proof. I busted out some Amazon gift cards and picked up one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0104G9K4Q/ (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0104G9K4Q/)
It drops Pole Position and replaces it with "Pac-Man 256." Otherwise the game selection is identical. Menu looks nice, blah blah blah. Also gives me a theme (aforementioned Pac-Man 256) to run with on the artwork. I'm gonna root around the scrap pile for joystick, buttons, power supply, but we're zeroing in on the hardware part of this build.
:cheers:
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It's fine. Cuts easily. Feels sturdy.
The joystick was a Christmas present, and after agonizing over the various Plug & Play games, I realized it had the best game selection. And it has that cool coin return button thing. So, I couldn't bring myself to hacking it up.
I may eventually migrate to a Pi Zero, but I really liked the idea of using something that boots in 10 seconds and is idiot proof. I busted out some Amazon gift cards and picked up one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0104G9K4Q/ (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0104G9K4Q/)
It drops Pole Position and replaces it with "Pac-Man 256." Otherwise the game selection is identical. Menu looks nice, blah blah blah. Also gives me a theme (aforementioned Pac-Man 256) to run with on the artwork. I'm gonna root around the scrap pile for joystick, buttons, power supply, but we're zeroing in on the hardware part of this build.
:cheers:
That is a nice selection of games. Those "plug and plays" are really underrated. This is turning out to be quite the interesting project.
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How are you handling the 4x AAA battery usage that toy requires? Is there some hackery you have in mind to connect this thing to a PSU? From the batteries required, it looks like it runs on 6v.
Actually, how are you powering the whole cabinet? Are you planning a 1-Switch solution?
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How are you handling the 4x AAA battery usage that toy requires? Is there some hackery you have in mind to connect this thing to a PSU? From the batteries required, it looks like it runs on 6v.
Actually, how are you powering the whole cabinet? Are you planning a 1-Switch solution?
They have a pretty good tolerance for V normally - SInce the batteries run from 1.5V to 1.0V over time as you use a normal battery (rechargeables run at 1.2V each and drop off instead of slowly losing voltage like a normal battery does) so the Voltage requirements usually will be a minimum of about 4V up to about 6V - SO usually they can be run on a simple 5V circuit easily ( so a battery pack - 5V off a Molex connector or USB connection from the monitor/TV works with most of them )
For mine using the same Pacman Plug and Play I used a simple 7805 Voltage regulator to get 5V off the 12V supply for the 7" dvd player slave screen ( they use very little amperage so pretty much any 5V supply works fine with them - http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,139689.msg1444799.html#msg1444799 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,139689.msg1444799.html#msg1444799)
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I was going to throw in some cheapy off-brand iphone charger and power this cabinet off a switched power strip. As JDFan said, this thing will probably run off anything from 3-9V.
Here's a bezel I'm playing around with.
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I was going to throw in some cheapy off-brand iphone charger and power this cabinet off a switched power strip. As JDFan said, this thing will probably run off anything from 3-9V.
Here's a bezel I'm playing around with.
Like the bezel !
3V is a bit of a stretch - IIRC mine stopped working just under 4V but any USB charger psu will be plenty.
- Now you have me thinking about updating mine ( bought a couple 5V 7" displays a while back for $20 each that also run on 5V ) So could swap out the monitor in mine with one of them and run the entire thing on one of the battery packs I have laying around making the thing portable !
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Bezel needs a little tweaking but it's close. I printed it as two overlapping pieces, each about 10 inches tall, and stitched them together with tape on the back. Black border below the marquee area needs to be dropped about an inch. I've got some scrap there now. The nice thing about this art design is you can play with the vertical height fairly freely.
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Something seems off...Jenn would think perhaps cut, section and shorten the sides a little make the marquee smaller, recess it a bit, overhang the top about an inch, And if you got time the side art something random and small like Ms pac pushing a shopping cart or something,
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Something seems off...Jenn would think perhaps cut, section and shorten the sides a little make the marquee smaller, recess it a bit, overhang the top about an inch, And if you got time the side art something random and small like Ms pac pushing a shopping cart or something,
Was thinking maybe move the instruction cards down and enlarge them so they are more readable something like attached ( needs some adjustment to the outline dots also but just for an idea )
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The sides are really, really narrow. I like the moving the instruction cards idea. Maybe I just do a single row of dots down the sides (centered and slightly enlarged), move pacman and ghost to top on either side of text, instruction cards along bottom. That would let me put edge strips on the sides of the plexi without covering any art.
Anyway, for what I paid ($0) it's okay.
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It plays Galaga... Sonofabitch...
Something seems off...
Vertical games on a horizontal monitor will do that. But it's still cool.
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I wouldn't dream of having a cabinet incapable of playing Galaga. Galaga, Street Fighter 2, and Centipede are the only games that have ever been consistently and specifically requested, and that's about at 70/20/10 split.
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Here's another version. Simpler art, more accurate measurements.
What do you guys think?
:cheers:
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Looks pretty good - though some of your large dots do not line up on the 2 sides as you can see in this pic with the grid lines. Also are the large yellow dots supposed to have the Black showing through ?
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Are you a big fan of Pac-Man 256?
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I like the concept, still missing the scorcards, and pacmans...I still think however since the machine is so small cutting the top off that art and recession it a bit as a marquee (yes a 3 sides bezel) would actually incorporate the art with design, and would loose that Home Depot look.
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I like the cleaner, simpler look. :cheers:
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Consider using the same center-to-center spacing for all dots -- large and small, vertical and horizontal.
Scott
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I've attached the .xcf (Gimp) file. I think the alignment is pretty close now.
Jennifer - are you proposing I do this like a shadow box / diorama? ???
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Alright, this is probably gonna be it... The gap between the bottom of the screen cutout and the dots is wider than it is up top, but with the screen positioning it is what it is.
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The vertical spacing looks a bit excessive.
There's enough room to easily add a fourth dot on the four vertical segments.
Scott
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Looking good man!
You guys are pretty good on the artwork, that is something that I lack a lot of.
This project wants me to dig out the parts and finish up the lucky 8 lines slot machine I have had on the back burner for how long? 4 years?
Could use some serious artwork help on that.
Maybe I will do a project announcement on that and solicit some art help. (I may have already started one, gotta go way back and double check.)
Dont want to derail your project thread here, just DaOld Man rambling again.
This project is looking good and starting to take shape.
I like it.
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Yeah pbj, you don't need me to help on artwork, you've got volunteers already! :cheers:
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The vertical spacing looks a bit excessive.
There's enough room to easily add a fourth dot on the four vertical segments.
Yep, you're right. Oh well. I've abused the poster printer enough.
:cheers:
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:cheers:
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I've attached the .xcf (Gimp) file. I think the alignment is pretty close now.
Jennifer - are you proposing I do this like a shadow box / diorama? ???
**Jenn laughs, It would seem that way but no, Just split the panels and recess the top one back 3/16" inch or so, and then light it from a overhanging light diffuser (like a tiny billboard)....However no need, what you got there is pretty sweet now. ;D
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Hm. That would have been interesting. I'm trying to decide if I want to backlight the logo or not.
Edit - well, dang it, looks pretty good. I'm going to mask off everything except the ghost, logo, and pacman.
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This is why you don't throw away the misprints...
Two rattle can coats on the back...
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There we are... This is how it looks with an LED flashlight behind it.
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There we are... This is how it looks with an LED flashlight behind it.
Time to go to Harbor freight and pick up a couple of those LED flashlights they give away with a purchase - a quick rewire and you'll have plenty of LEDs to put back there :cheers:
http://widgets.harborfreight.com/wswidgets/common/displayCoupon.do?week=4518&campaign=b&page=free_coupon1.html&cust=99999999999&keycode=1021&single=true (http://widgets.harborfreight.com/wswidgets/common/displayCoupon.do?week=4518&campaign=b&page=free_coupon1.html&cust=99999999999&keycode=1021&single=true)
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That's a thought and Harbor Freight is very close to my house. Usually I prefer to use cabinet lighting with fluorescent bulbs but those are apparently an endangered species now. I've got 14" of width in there, which is 2" too narrow for their cheap light bar.
New Pacman Connect and Play showed up. It's ugly and difficult to control, will have no regrets tearing it apart. The emulation is better and the interface more polished. More importantly it doesn't appear to have a screensaver so now I don't have to add a circuit that does an input every 5 minutes. The menu doesn't cycle the image much so I wouldn't leave it in for days at a time, but should be okay in home use. If you boot up a game I think it changes up enough to avoid burn.
:cheers:
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Went to Harbor Freight. Busted out another $20. But now I got lights and a power strip. Honestly, one of those flashlights was enough, but I bought a second one and an LED cabinet light. The cabinet light doesn't have a toggle switch but does fire up in the dim setting if you jam in the power button.
Decided to go ahead and pull the tube out and prime the entire thing...
:cheers:
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^^^ cool sleigh bro
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I was thinking a baby bassinet :lol
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^^^ cool sleigh bro
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U8Q-Sh1fyiU/UcZ_FqTiuOI/AAAAAAAAPpg/xHqv2dB45hU/s320/coolrunnings.gif)
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Heh. Now I can't unsee it.
Anyway, cut back door, drilled control panel, got it all put together, wired up, ready to go. Yeah, lots of polishing and painting to be done, but meh I got a party Saturday.
And... The pacman joystick pcb quit working..
So that's going back to Amazon and now I ponder future direction.
:dunno
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3 hours later and I still hate using Raspberry Pis for cabinets. Think I'm going to try my luck again with another Pacman joystick....
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Does it play Gauntlet Legends?
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Nope.
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3 hours later and I still hate using Raspberry Pis for cabinets. Think I'm going to try my luck again with another Pacman joystick....
A quick check on Walmart.com shows most of the stores in your area have them in stock for $19.77 - so picking one up should be quick ! :dunno
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3 hours later and I still hate using Raspberry Pis for cabinets. Think I'm going to try my luck again with another Pacman joystick....
I feel your pain. I hate it too but they are cheap and they fit anywhere so... yeah.
:dunno
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3 hours later and I still hate using Raspberry Pis for cabinets. Think I'm going to try my luck again with another Pacman joystick....
What is giving you the grief?
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3 hours later and I still hate using Raspberry Pis for cabinets. Think I'm going to try my luck again with another Pacman joystick....
A quick check on Walmart.com shows most of the stores in your area have them in stock for $19.77 - so picking one up should be quick ! :dunno
You are as bad as my wife about blowing the punchline.
:bat
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3 hours later and I still hate using Raspberry Pis for cabinets. Think I'm going to try my luck again with another Pacman joystick....
What is giving you the grief?
The fact that he's using a pi... :lol
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Yeah, so, the Pi. The interface on Emulation Station is fine on a console-like setup, but I don't like it on cabinets. I've yet to find a theme that works well in 4:3 setups. They take forever to boot up. Unless you spend tons of time on customization, they've got lots of ugly loading screens. Pre-made images have lots of stupid problems like misspelled words, thousands of crap games, and long lists of stuff like, "Pac-Man ROM Hack Europe ver 1.30 (Midway)" clunking up the screens.
I grabbed another PacMan joystick yesterday, took a little more time desoldering switches and making cleaning solder connections. Then I hook it up and the screen is all goofy. Then I try fresh batteries and it's fine. And now I'm wondering if the problem with the first one wasn't low voltage.
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Yeah, so, the Pi. The interface on Emulation Station is fine on a console-like setup, but I don't like it on cabinets. I've yet to find a theme that works well in 4:3 setups. They take forever to boot up. Unless you spend tons of time on customization, they've got lots of ugly loading screens. Pre-made images have lots of stupid problems like misspelled words, thousands of crap games, and long lists of stuff like, "Pac-Man ROM Hack Europe ver 1.30 (Midway)" clunking up the screens.
You nailed it. I haven't seen a 4:3 image that is even remotely good which has led me down the path of trying to make my own... and it is driving me crazy. I don't know how to load a custom theme (assuming I even knew how to make one). I also don't really know the difference between each of the MAME emulators (that are sort of combined into one "arcade" folder). I'm pretty sure there's no one size fits all setting and I'll have to individually configure each game to run with the proper emulator, map the proper buttons, etc.
I have figured out how to remove the boot screens as well as the text/code and raspberry pi logo on boot up. That's about it though! What I also don't like is that there is a second layer of "folders" in Emulation Station meaning, I can boot to a gamelist, which is great, and exiting a game brings me back to that gamelist, which is also great, but exiting again brings you up another level to console emulators (which I don't want/need) as well as the general Raspiconfig menu which I definitely don't want because things will get messed up. The whole thing is clunky and was obviously made to play as many games as possible but there were absolutely no design/functionality considerations.
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Deleting the ROM folders for the console emulators will get rid of them. Putting it in kiosk mode will get rid of the Raspi-Config option.
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Thought I was losing my mind tonight.
Turns out the TV joystick doesn't like my TV when it's plugged into a garage outlet. I think those outlets are wired backwards from prior shocking experiences.
Also turns out the joystick isn't super crazy about a 5V power supply.
If I run an extension cord into the house and power the joystick off batteries... It's fine. Also fine on other TVs.
Makes me think that first joystick I returned was okay.
:banghead:
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I think those outlets are wired backwards from prior shocking experiences.
:scared
Set your multimeter to VAC and check Hot to Ground (around 117VAC) and Neutral to Ground. (around 0VAC)
- Hot = black wire ==> brass screws on that side of the outlet
- Neutral = white wire ==> silver screws on that side of the outlet
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Domestic_AC_Type_B_USA.jpg)
Scott
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Well, it passes that test. I've had problems with reading 50VAC between power switches and the cement floor in my garage. My solution has been to use double pole switches.
:dunno
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Also turns out the joystick isn't super crazy about a 5V power supply.
What 5V supply are you using - and have you checked to ensure it is providing 5V ( some of the cheap Chinese 5v wall warts seem to provide much lower than their 5V rating.)
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Couple of junkers from old cell phones or trash piles or whatever. They read 5V with the multimeter.
With another CRT, the joystick plays fine but has a few minor graphical glitches with a 5V supply.
With the CRT in my bartop, the joystick boots up and then crashes at the menu.
With batteries, it's 100% on both CRTs.
:dunno
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I am no electrical engineer by any stretch of the imagination so my ideas here are worthless (unless they work and then I want credit). I would try either a Ferrite Filter on the 5v wall-wart cord (and maybe the CRT cord also) or a 12v-5v Step Down Converter with a 12v wall-wart. Put a Ferrite on everything!
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Couple of junkers from old cell phones or trash piles or whatever. They read 5V with the multimeter.
With another CRT, the joystick plays fine but has a few minor graphical glitches with a 5V supply.
With the CRT in my bartop, the joystick boots up and then crashes at the menu.
With batteries, it's 100% on both CRTs.
:dunno
I had similar issues with 5V on my build. I thought I fried it when it stopped booting up. When I switched out the power supply to one of those universal ones that output 4.5V instead of 5V it started to work perfectly. Yeah, really weird.
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Whats the amperage on that power supply? Voltage could be dropping off under load.
Some of those cheap supplies are not voltage regulated and probably dont have a real good filter.
Also check to make sure the wire that's supposed to be positive really is positive.
Make sure it puts out 5 vdc and not 5 vac
And last, you can try connecting a 200 uf or so electrolytic capacitor across the power supply leads, rated at least 10 volts, to act as a power filter, more like a ripple smoother.
4 AA batteries supply 6 vdc when fully charged and connected in series, so 5 vdc should work.
I would suspect a bad power supply, or incompatible.
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A digital multimeter, especially the good ones, put almost zero load (amperage wise) on the voltage source being tested.
This can be very misleading because though it reads correct on the mutimeter, the voltage could be drastically falling when a load is put on it.
To be really sure, you should read the voltage while the supply is hooked up to it's load.
But first confirm polarity is correct, (+ and -)
also that the amperage rating on the supply is high enough for the load,
and that it puts out DC not AC.
It should give you this info on the label.
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I had similar issues with 5V on my build. I thought I fried it when it stopped booting up. When I switched out the power supply to one of those universal ones that output 4.5V instead of 5V it started to work perfectly. Yeah, really weird.
Dude, thanks for posting this. Seriously. I'm about to lose my damned mind. I've run out of time to work on it under next week, so now it's just gonna sit there and taunt me. But at least I know it's not just me.
A digital multimeter, especially the good ones, put almost zero load (amperage wise) on the voltage source being tested.
This can be very misleading because though it reads correct on the mutimeter, the voltage could be drastically falling when a load is put on it.
Fair enough, I haven't measured the supplies under load. I'm using a Fluke which I understand is the best. I've tried a 1A and 200mA supply, both measure around 5.2VDC without a load on them.
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Fair enough, I haven't measured the supplies under load. I'm using a Fluke which I understand is the best. I've tried a 1A and 200mA supply, both measure around 5.2VDC without a load on them.
I would think 1 amp should be good enough. The 200 ma might be a little weak.
A AA cell should be able to supply 500 ma (1/2 amp) for about an hour or so. 4 AA's connected in series still supplies same current that 1 cell will.
I would think the battery should last longer than an hour or so in those games, so I doubt the games draw 1/2 amp.
One thing could be ripple or noise.
Batteries have no ripple thus no noise. A power supply on the other hand, can produce ripple and noise, based on how well they are designed, rectified, regulated, and filtered.
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PBJ - the 5v thing may be because a cell phone chargers 5v outputs like 700ma, and the Pi3 needs at least 2ma. I use a 2.5ma unit with mine and no issues.
In regards to setting up on a cabinet - Emulation Station is okay - but Attract Mode is where it's at! You have a lot more freedom IMO.
The issue I found was trying to get file names to play nice. There is a way to do it in Emulation Station, when you scrape the data, one of the formats will show only the game name, though it's never 100% - depends on the gamelist file that contains all the metadata... I had to edit an entire system worth of metadata because it was the only way I knew how to do it.
What I found next was much easier, and looked better in my case:
Install attract mode on your pi, update everything, and make your own layout using AM builder. What I did was I added all the games to my Pi, the Video Snaps and the Wheel Art. My build fires up and goes into Attract Mode displaying a full screen video snap with the wheel logo overlaid above it. Very clean and simple. No metadata. Almost gives a feel of a specifically built design, but it was quite simple and straightforward.
Here is a link to the AM Builder:
https://goodiesfor.me/attractmode/builder/
It outputs a layout.nut file you unzip and simply add in with existing AM themes in its own folder with a cool name for your new theme. Play around in the builder and you'll see its pretty easy to figure out, and there is a 4:3 and 3:4 option. It takes some trial and error, but once you have all your roms and snaps, cycling through layouts isn't that bad.
There is an Attract Mode forum with an FAQ that walks you through everything you need to do, as well as providing links to download (although I think a version of AM is now offered in the optional or experimental packages in RetroPie). I do not want to start a migration, but perhaps a movement where people aren't so intimidated by the Pi and what it can do.
PM me if you have any questions and I ghost on this thread.
(Please don't think I hate ES. I don't and actually use it for console games... just doesn't look as good in a cabinet)
edit: I also want to add that the Pi performs best if the screen rotation is handled in RetroArch, not on the config.txt file on the Pi. If you're going vertical it's worth doing. To do this, make your AM theme sideways - when it loads up "normally" it will be rotated for your vertical cabinet. The up down left right inputs are mapped in AM so when it asks you to "next game" on the config in AM, you pick the directions of the joystick, so it's all coherent. I dunno if this makes sense, but came to me when I recalled Pac-Man is a vert game, dunno if your monitor is tho.
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If setting up a Pi is as painful as reading that post... Now I know why Jim hates using them.
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Got an Amazon gift card, ordered one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O9MIHMS (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O9MIHMS)
I'm hoping that throwing in a higher voltage supply and cranking it down to 6V will give me the power I need...
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday we'll find out.
:cheers:
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If setting up a Pi is as painful as reading that post... Now I know why Jim hates using them.
Sorry guy, you can proofread the next one lol... Just trying to help the guy and be thorough. My bad. Apologies.
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Seems like a hellava lot of trouble just to play Galaga in horizontal orientation.
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Please delete this post, clicked wrong button again.
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I couldn't recommend the official power supply more: https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-universal-power-supply/ (https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-universal-power-supply/)
And if you power something through USB, use a powered USB hub like this one: https://thepihut.com/products/7-port-usb-hub-for-the-raspberry-pi-discontinued?variant=763067941 (https://thepihut.com/products/7-port-usb-hub-for-the-raspberry-pi-discontinued?variant=763067941)
Till I used those I had so much issues. Now nothing.
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I couldn't recommend the official power supply more: https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-universal-power-supply/ (https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-universal-power-supply/)
And if you power something through USB, use a powered USB hub like this one: https://thepihut.com/products/7-port-usb-hub-for-the-raspberry-pi-discontinued?variant=763067941 (https://thepihut.com/products/7-port-usb-hub-for-the-raspberry-pi-discontinued?variant=763067941)
Till I used those I had so much issues. Now nothing.
I agree 100%, but I thought we were discussing power for the Jakks joystick game PBJ bought.
Everything I posted above pertains to that, and not to the RPi.
Sorry if I added to any confusion other than my own.
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I give up on the joystick. Works great on one TV at 5.8V, on the other TV the voltage drops and it's glitchy. I'm returning it to Walmart and reconsidering my direction in life.
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Just use batteries. You’re only gonna play it for a month anyway before it ends up under a pin. :cheers:
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No.
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I got more choked up than I'd care to admit when I finally got this going...
Pi 3, comic book 4:3 theme, zero delay encoder = works
Disabled the onboard wifi and have about a 20 second boot time to menu.
Now I gotta rom hack pacman to start at level 255 and we're just about there..
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Comic book theme is the best!
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Lookin good man!
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I got more choked up than I'd care to admit when I finally got this going...
A lot of us here know that feeling. :cheers:
Glad to see this moving along.
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Pi 3
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
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So I recut a new blank control panel. I have 12.25" by 2.75" to work with. I'm gonna have to find some small buttons for coin / start.
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Yeah, so, the Pi. The interface on Emulation Station is fine on a console-like setup, but I don't like it on cabinets. I've yet to find a theme that works well in 4:3 setups. They take forever to boot up. Unless you spend tons of time on customization, they've got lots of ugly loading screens. Pre-made images have lots of stupid problems like misspelled words, thousands of crap games, and long lists of stuff like, "Pac-Man ROM Hack Europe ver 1.30 (Midway)" clunking up the screens.
You nailed it. I haven't seen a 4:3 image that is even remotely good which has led me down the path of trying to make my own... and it is driving me crazy. I don't know how to load a custom theme (assuming I even knew how to make one). I also don't really know the difference between each of the MAME emulators (that are sort of combined into one "arcade" folder). I'm pretty sure there's no one size fits all setting and I'll have to individually configure each game to run with the proper emulator, map the proper buttons, etc.
I have figured out how to remove the boot screens as well as the text/code and raspberry pi logo on boot up. That's about it though! What I also don't like is that there is a second layer of "folders" in Emulation Station meaning, I can boot to a gamelist, which is great, and exiting a game brings me back to that gamelist, which is also great, but exiting again brings you up another level to console emulators (which I don't want/need) as well as the general Raspiconfig menu which I definitely don't want because things will get messed up. The whole thing is clunky and was obviously made to play as many games as possible but there were absolutely no design/functionality considerations.
If you use MAME4All instead of one of the lr emulators then the control settings for MAME are entirely separate from those for the Emulationstation UI.
I'm currently building a Pi Zero based Bar stick, and I am setting it up as follows:
For MAME, configure controls as normal. Quit button is a separate button mounted on the cabinet.
For Retropie itself I am only configuring up, down and button A.
There is a second admin button round the back of the cabinet that I will map as 'start'.
All other buttons will be skipped during configuration.
When I quit a game in MAME, it will take me back to the game list. I won't be able to back out of the game list, because none of the buttons will be mapped to the B button.
When I want to shut down, I will press the 'start' button on the rear of the cab, and use the joystick and the A button to select shut down from the menu.
It is also possible to add a safe shutdown button to the Pi using the GPIO ports.
I'm not going to do it this way, because I want to keep the cabinet as modular as possible to make future upgrades easy.
The idea is that I can keep upgrading the Pi as and when new models are released. This will be a lot easier if everything is done through the encoders rather than modifying the Pi itself.
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That's an interesting approach. Have you tried putting Emulation Station into kiosk mode? It eliminates the ability to mess with the settings....
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PBJ, I like that you're embracing the pi. I recently did a new build using the Candy240p theme. It's top notch and I really like it for ES themes.
Mixed feelings out there on the Pi, but once you learn it, it's kind of a breeze to mess with. Especially if you're good at backing things up before tinkering - which I am not, hence my new build lol.
Are you still running 240p? There is a thread that explains how to basically get pixel perfect emulation and how to deactivate 240p when you're in ES. Let me know and I'll see if I can find the link.
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That's an interesting approach. Have you tried putting Emulation Station into kiosk mode? It eliminates the ability to mess with the settings....
Yes, kiosk mode is pretty useful if you have multiple emulators and young kids.
The reason I'm doing it this way is twofold:
1. I'll be bringing this machine to my job's holiday party, and will be used by young kids and people who have no experience with Retropie.
I used to bring a bartop to these parties, and learned the hard way that these people will manage to find button combinations I never knew existed.
The way I am setting it up is even more restrictive than kiosk mode in that it will be impossible to even leave the game list. You're either in the game list or you're in a game.
Hopefully that will make it sufficiently idiot proof and I won't have to babysit the whole evening.
2. My bar stick is going to have a USB port on the back so that I can plug in a keyboard for administrative tasks.
That will give me instant access to all settings etc without having to back out of kiosk mode.
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Oh man... Thought kiosk would lock you out of anything but game lists and games. Now I see that isn't the case... More stuff to learn I guess :banghead:
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Kiosk mode? Very interesting.
Why am I just now hearing of this?
Also PBJ: Where did you download that comic book theme?
I cant find a link that works.
:banghead:
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Kiosk mode? Very interesting.
Why am I just now hearing of this?
Also PBJ: Where did you download that comic book theme?
I cant find a link that works.
:banghead:
IT is on the rpi themes database so can be directly downloaded - Here is an ETA PRime video that goes through how to download and install it -
Sorry... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6skqBiKk6rA#)
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Video not showing on my side of the world
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Video not showing on my side of the world
https://youtu.be/6skqBiKk6rA
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thanks!
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Oh man... Thought kiosk would lock you out of anything but game lists and games. Now I see that isn't the case... More stuff to learn I guess :banghead:
That's almost correct. It does give you an extremely cut down menu though. I can't remember exactly, but I think it lets you adjust the volume and shut down.
This is absolutely fine for most uses, but I can guarantee that if I leave these options available at my work party, I'll spend all night readjusting the volume and having people come over asking why it shut down.
I also want to prevent users from even leaving the game list. There will only be one system on there (MAME) so there's no need to be able to go back to the system select screen.
Bear in mind that these parties have a very large number of people present - I think we have 70 people already confirmed this year and and by next week that's probably going to rise to close to 100.
The arcade machine is very popular, but it really does get a shakedown.
If there's one thing I learned from taking my old bartop to these parties, it's that someone will find a button combination that should not exist and does something really annoying, and do it over and over again.
The only time they won't be able do it is when you ask them to show you what they did so you can figure out how to fix it.
I usually burn 4-5 sd cards with my MAME image so that I can get the machine up and running again quickly if something goes badly wrong. I haven't had a corrupted card yet, but I like the peace of mind.
For regular home use or small parties, kiosk mode will work absolutely fine.
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Sounds like the problem I always had with Ultimarc products and the shift key. Only way to prevent it was to cut the wire on my jamma harness and wire player 1 start to another input, then remap mame and my front ends. It was astonishing what people could do in Windows by pounding buttons.
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Are you still running 240p? There is a thread that explains how to basically get pixel perfect emulation and how to deactivate 240p when you're in ES. Let me know and I'll see if I can find the link.
Definitely interested in reading more about that...
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Sounds like the problem I always had with Ultimarc products and the shift key. Only way to prevent it was to cut the wire on my jamma harness and wire player 1 start to another input, then remap mame and my front ends. It was astonishing what people could do in Windows by pounding buttons.
Interesting. I think I've got something like that going on with my Felix cabinet that is wired with a J-Pac. It has become extremely unreliable at party's.
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This is absolutely fine for most uses, but I can guarantee that if I leave these options available at my work party, I'll spend all night readjusting the volume and having people come over asking why it shut down.
You can always add a mausberry switch circuit to your RPi and start it up or shut it down with a switch, maybe located behind the cabinet?
That is if you are using a RPi.
If you are not writing anything to the RPi (high scores, etc), people say its ok to just cut the power to it to shut it down. (Also with a switch in the back).
And as far as volume control, you can add a audio pot in your amplifier input line and hide the pot too. Adjust it for the situation and forget about it.
That way you should be able to disable these functions in your retropie setup. But i havent fooled with Kiosk mode yet, so cant say this for sure.
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This is absolutely fine for most uses, but I can guarantee that if I leave these options available at my work party, I'll spend all night readjusting the volume and having people come over asking why it shut down.
You can always add a mausberry switch circuit to your RPi and start it up or shut it down with a switch, maybe located behind the cabinet?
That is if you are using a RPi.
If you are not writing anything to the RPi (high scores, etc), people say its ok to just cut the power to it to shut it down. (Also with a switch in the back).
And as far as volume control, you can add a audio pot in your amplifier input line and hide the pot too. Adjust it for the situation and forget about it.
That way you should be able to disable these functions in your retropie setup. But i havent fooled with Kiosk mode yet, so cant say this for sure.
You don't even need to buy that power circuit, you can just wire up a momentary switch to a couple of GPIO pins and set the software to shut it down.
I don't want to do it that way though, because I want to keep this cab as modular as possible, with everything controlled through the encoders.
Who knows what computer will end up inside it in five or ten years? I don't want anything specific to the Pi in order to keep it as flexible as possible for future modifications.
As for the volume control, that's going to be done via whatever TV the bar stick is plugged into.
I'll eventually install an amp and speakers, but I'm in a hurry to finish this project in time for the party.
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Shutting it down like you speak of doesnt actually turn the power off to the RPi like the mausberry does. But to each his own.
Looks like you have a plan, good luck getting it done before your party.
Now PBJ: hows that pacman coming along?
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If you go here and get the download, you drop in 2 files into the MAME rom, and bam you're starting on level 255.
https://www.highscoresaves.com/pacman-level-255-with-free-play-option.html (https://www.highscoresaves.com/pacman-level-255-with-free-play-option.html)
Once I get that going on the Pi, it's a matter of stripping out ROMs and crap I don't want.
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Throws up a CRC error that clears and boots on its own after 5 seconds.... We're in the final stages.
:cheers:
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Accidentally unmap UI Cancel in Mame? There is no solution besides starting over and reflashing your SD card. Well, there's probably a solution but you'll never find it in the breathtakingly unhelpful retropie forums. I'm actually astounded at what I was reading.
Oh well. Here we go again...
Also - drilled a new control panel.
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Accidentally unmap UI Cancel in Mame? There is no solution besides starting over and reflashing your SD card. Well, there's probably a solution but you'll never find it in the breathtakingly unhelpful retropie forums. I'm actually astounded at what I was reading.
Oh well. Here we go again...
Also - drilled a new control panel.
IF you go back into the tab menu again and reset it there -- it takes doing it twice in order to set it since the first time when you clear it it also takes the escape key press as the return but that clears the setting then going back in and pressing escape again will reset it - then stay on that line and press enter again and you'll get back in to set another button if that was what you are trying to do.
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I meant I unmapped Tab. What can I say, it was an angry post. :lol
Got mame going again but it wouldn't display any roms unless I jumped to the command line and used sudo mame.
So, I reflashed. On hour 2 of my life gone tonight. And counting.
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I was embarrassed at how long this sat unplayable, so wrapped some stuff up tonight. Despite some moments of weakness where I bid lots of money on piles of plug and play joysticks, I never won an auction and went back to a Pi.
Joystick is some Sanwa I bought on this forum. Countersunk to bottom, those weird wood insert nut things holding it. Zero delay encoder. Added 2 10mm buttons - insert coin and player 1 start. Pressed together is exit (another thing I hate but no space on this panel for more). Arcade buttons are mirrored off each other.
Needs paint, art, finishing, but it's plug and playable now.
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Nice to see this is still happening Jim, are you painting it black or yellow? In some long dim memory I seem to recall you're not fan of yellow.....
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Can you paint it MsPac blue, but put pacman on the side and call it pacma'am ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOkdR7on6Ok&t=6s
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Got tired of looking at this. Threw a coat of equipment yellow on it.
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PBJ.... Looking good!
Here is the link to the 240p directions. There is a TV service command or something like that which allows 240p emulation but 480 on the ES menus.
http://filthypants.blogspot.com/2017/03/raspberry-pi-240p-composite-output.html?m=1
Sorry for delay. Hope it helps.
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Time to button this thing up. Printed out a stencil, cut it up, taped it down, and ripped off opt2nots idea of using pennies as weights.
For the other side, I’ll weigh it down more in some areas, but paper towels and lighter fluid cleaned up a lot of the overspray. Very pleased with how this came out.
:cheers:
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Time to go tag some utility boxes and concrete barriers! :cheers:
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That.... actually sounds fun.
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Actually remembered to flip the stencil for the second side.
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Looking good! :cheers:
And I fully endorse Pac-Man vandalism. :lol
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Threw a quick coat of black on the control panel and this is more or less complete. Right now the power cord is dangling out of a vent hole, and I might slap an overlay on it. Other than that, good to go.
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Alright, power cord situation was offending me. Put in one of those lighted toggle switches.
:cheers:
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I like it. So how much you going to flip this for?
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You’re the coastal elite, you tell me. I can have it on a pallet tomorrow.
:lol
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Small form = check
Real CRT = check
High quality controls = check
I’d say you could get the same, if not more than an A1up. :lol
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Added another Harbor Freight light, cut resistor value to 34 ohms on power supply. Looks amazing with no resistor but the lights get hot. This is okay, you can at least see it glowing in a lit room now.
Before and after pics... I'm still not 100% satisfied but it's closer.
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That is great! It's got it where it counts. The rest is so perfectly rough. 8)