The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Mungo9000 on February 09, 2012, 07:14:00 pm
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Hi All,
Today I completed a miniature Pac-Man cabinet built around a Gameboy Advance.
I took photos throughout the build and now that it's a success I'll share with you what I did.
To begin with, here's the finished unit within a retro-gaming advert.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/Retro%20Poster%20Portrait.png)
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To begin I bought a second hand GBA SP and a few components. I began with an Arduino prototyping control set. It seemed a good idea at first and I did have it working, but it turned out to be lousy later on.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj1.jpg)
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The first step was a bit of paper-engineering to try and figure out what I was going to build.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj3.jpg)
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Once I'd figured things out, I designed on paper before putting into the computer to print out a final plan.
I ended up using Adobe InDesign (?) which is DTP rather than a CAD program. It sounds weird but it really worked for me; I know InDesign backwards.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj4.jpg)
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Once the design was ready to go it was time to cut some MDF. 4mm thickness seemed perfect for the job.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj8.jpg)
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Let's put the GBA inbetween to gauge the distance and get busy with the glue.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj9.jpg)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj10.jpg)
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With the glue dry, things look like they're going in the right direction.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj12.jpg)
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Very cool. Keep the build coming.
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Big Mistake!
I had an analogue joystick. I did try it with the GBA and found that it worked.
BUT... I only tried it in one direction. Later I would discover that this whole control system was useless.
My instincts were already telling me that this wouldn't work, but after I tested it and had a positive outcome, I kept on going with a flawed design.
(This image is the Arduino control board, cut in two and set at two different heights. It would have been brilliant if it had worked.)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj19.jpg)
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Despite the error, things are looking good.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj20.jpg)
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On the back panel I fitted a power socket and the on/off switch.
So far so good.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj21.jpg)
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With the GBA stuffed inside, I got my first taste of how it was going to look and I suddenly felt really excited. (After all, this is my very first arcade project.)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj22.jpg)
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Whilst this was ongoing, I got to work on the graphics.
I absolutely love Namco's "Pac-Man Collection" for GBA. This rom includes various Pac-Man games but the jewel in the crown is Pac-Man Arrangements, I was going to try and make something special for "arrangements" but after a while I decided the graphics should be for the collection as a whole and be very generic and instantly recognisable.
(Pac Man Arrangements was released in arcades as "Namco Classics Collection volume 2". If you wish to try it in mame, the rom is ncv2.zip)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj23.jpg)
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Once the first coat of paint was on, the cabinet just came alive.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj26.jpg)
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I decided to change the buttons from the Arduino board with something more suited to the overall design of the unit.
I got these fantastic chrome edged push-to-make buttons from Amazon UK (Miniature Round Push Button, Yellow
by Electrovision)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj27.jpg)
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I planned to print my own stickers onto a sheet of adhesive-backed, A4 laser-print gloss.
I'd spent time matching the sticker colour to the cabinet colour and had a perfect match.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj28.jpg)
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Every time I added something to the cabinet, it looked more and more like a genuine arcade machine.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj32.jpg)
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With the cabinet looking good, it was time to get to work on the GBA.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj33.jpg)
This is a very delicate soldering job. Be prepared to spend a lot more time on this than you imagine if you want nice and neat soldering.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj34.jpg)
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Cut the red wire....
The solder joints are held in place with hot-glue.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj35.jpg)
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I was originally inspired to build this after seeing a youtube video of the worlds smallest Space Invaders. Worlds smallest Space Invaders arcade machine (maybe) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiO08w9Y558#ws)
But I think I made one great design innovation over that original.
In the original Space Invaders video, changing cartridges was a big deal and required dismantling the unit.
I realised that if I could figure out how to keep the basic shape of the GBA inside the cabinet, then carts could be swapped out through the base. It seemed like a good idea so I adjusted the design to see if I could make it work.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj37.jpg)
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Then I hit my first really serious problem. It wasn't a big deal but it sure made me feel miserable.
With all of the pushing and pulling, and despite being delicate and gentle, I damaged the ribbon cable going to the screen of the GBA. There was no way to repair it and I had to order a replacement.
My screen is proper broken :embarassed:
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj38.jpg)
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Whilst waiting for the replacement screen I got to work on the livery.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj39.jpg)
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With a new screen I got back to work and now ran into the problem of the analogue joystick.
I'd always had reservations about it, but once I connected it, it just didn't work.
In this image you can see a piece of white prototyping-breadboard (between the GBA and multimeter). I had planned to hard wire the controls in the cabinet and join them to the GBA by simply plugging them into this breadboard. It was an easy way to connect things and turned out to be a great time-saver.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj40.jpg)
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I ordered a replacement joystick and got to work puttting a square peg in a round hole (literally).
The joystick is manufactured by "Grayhill Inc." and the part is a series 04A joystick.
I ordered the part from Digikey.com and it was sent from America to the UK. This made the shipping more expensive than the part itself (altogether about £22 for the joystick - for comparison, the GBA was only £17). When I installed the joystick I found it was faulty. This bothered me because I knew that by the time I sent it back and paid all of the shipping on the replacement it would have been a major expense. However, I spoke with digikey via their live-chat and they arranged to send a replacement part free of charge. My experience of their customer service was brilliant and I mention it here for what it's worth.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj42.jpg)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj43.jpg)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj44.jpg)
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I was noticing that my stickers were already looking shabby so I decided to remove them and try to find a better replacement.
After some experimenting I found that the stickers I was making were good, but became superb when coated in clear sticky-backed plastic.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj45.jpg)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj46.jpg)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj47.jpg)
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I was now just about ready for the final stretch.
First I fitted and cradled the new (working) joystick.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj48.jpg)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj49.jpg)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj50.jpg)
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I replaced all of the stickers and set all of the buttons. Then connected them to the breadboard to try everything.
Playing games on the cabinet controls was a great moment; even if the electronics was still outside the cabinet.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj54.jpg)
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The final task was to ever so gently squeeze everything into the cabinet and reconnect the controls to the breadboard.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj55.jpg)
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Here is the 'almost' finished unit stood next to a coffee mug. Suddenly you realise how small it is when you have something to give it scale.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj56.jpg)
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FINISHED! :laugh:
ZOMG, that felt like it took forever. Finally it's done and playing beautifully. Despite being small it offers a surprisingly good gaming experience.
As this is my first build I would really appreciate your comments and naturally, I am open to any questions you may have.
Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this, I do appreciate it. :)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj58.jpg)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj59.jpg)
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj60.jpg)
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Wow that is pretty cool. Awesome job. I like that! :applaud:
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:notworthy: :notworthy:
Mungo9000, this thing looks amazing! You must have lots of patients to work on something like this, I would have chucked it out the window after the first failed attempt.
So what next? ;D
:cheers:
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:applaud: I love seeing these mini projects, i admire you guys who can build something at such a small scale and have it look so amazing.
I also think its a great idea using a GBA, there was some great classic arcade ports on that system, would even be worth getting one of those flash carts so you wouldn't even need to change the games, just select from a list like on a full size mame cab ;)
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Tip of the hat, that turned out GREAT! :applaud:
Love these mini's, remind me of the little Coleco units that always seemed to stop working.
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Great stuff!
I'm in the process of building a mini too, and have ordered the same joystick.
Very nice finish, you should be proud! :applaud:
ps. I think it may be time for a dedicated 'mini' on the forum?.
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Nice job, it probably took a lot of patience.
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Nice cab! You can never get enough of Pac Man & Ms Pac Man.. :)
I can confirm that the Digikey joystick is really good, I used it too for my tiny Ms Pac cabinet (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=117840.0 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=117840.0)). Wiring everything is always a nightmare in these small projects.. welcome to the burned-finger club!
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With the cabinet looking good, it was time to get to work on the GBA.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj33.jpg)
This is a very delicate soldering job. Be prepared to spend a lot more time on this than you imagine if you want nice and neat soldering.
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/leemcgeorge/pacman/proj34.jpg)
I'm having major issues witht the joystick!! Could you give me some advise please?
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Very good!!!! I love it, I had fun building my MK mini to. I had the same Idea with a pac-man mini, I have the GBA just sitting collecting dust, I need to get on it!!
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I'm having major issues witht the joystick!! Could you give me some advise please?
Cypher33,
What kind of issues? (Specific inquiries/details help. So do pics if you're not sure how to describe something -- "+ Additional Options..." just below the text editing window when replying.)
If it helps, here's the datasheet for the Grayhill 04A joystick:
http://www.alliedelec.com/images/products/datasheets/bm/GRAYHILL_INC/70217130.pdf (http://www.alliedelec.com/images/products/datasheets/bm/GRAYHILL_INC/70217130.pdf)
Grounds/commons go to the center pin.
Scott
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That's an awesome little cabinet you have there :applaud:
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Great job! :applaud:
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:applaud:Brilliant!!
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I'm having major issues witht the joystick!! Could you give me some advise please?
Scott,
I really appeciate your response to my vague description regarding the joystick. I've wired the digistick the same way as best that I can work out from the pictures but for some reason it still wont work. Thanks fo the PDF by the way. I've soldered so many times now that I'm worried I may have damaged the gba board.
I'll try and post some pics to see if you think I've done it wrong.
Lewis
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Great looking project!
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I've wired the digistick the same way as best that I can work out from the pictures but for some reason it still wont work. Thanks fo the PDF by the way. I've soldered so many times now that I'm worried I may have damaged the gba board.
Before you do any more soldering/desoldering try these checks:
Verify no crossed wires/shorts.
1. Power the system down.
2. Put multimeter in Ohms.
3. Connect the meter leads to the joystick to verify very high resistance (>1 MegOhm) between the 10 pairs of pins listed below. There should be no shorts (1-2 ohms) unless the joystick is pressed.
1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5
2-3, 2-4, 2-5
3-4, 3-5
4-5
Verify joystick is functional.
1. Power the system down.
2. Put multimeter in Ohms.
3. Connect one lead of your multimeter to the center pin and the other to one of the outer pins.
4. Meter should read open.
5. Press joystick in all 4 directions. (U, D, L, R) Only one direction should read a short. (1-2 ohms)
6. Change multimeter lead to different outer pin, repeat steps 4 and 5.
7. Repeat step 6 until all outer pins have been checked.
Scott
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I've wired the digistick the same way as best that I can work out from the pictures but for some reason it still wont work. Thanks fo the PDF by the way. I've soldered so many times now that I'm worried I may have damaged the gba board.
Before you do any more soldering/desoldering try these checks:
Verify no crossed wires/shorts.
1. Power the system down.
2. Put multimeter in Ohms.
3. Connect the meter leads to the joystick to verify very high resistance (>1 MegOhm) between the 10 pairs of pins listed below. There should be no shorts (1-2 ohms) unless the joystick is pressed.
1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5
2-3, 2-4, 2-5
3-4, 3-5
4-5
Verify joystick is functional.
1. Power the system down.
2. Put multimeter in Ohms.
3. Connect one lead of your multimeter to the center pin and the other to one of the outer pins.
4. Meter should read open.
5. Press joystick in all 4 directions. (U, D, L, R) Only one direction should read a short. (1-2 ohms)
6. Change multimeter lead to different outer pin, repeat steps 4 and 5.
7. Repeat step 6 until all outer pins have been checked.
Scott
I remember the first time I tried soldering the digi mini joystick I held the soldering iron on the ground pin for to long and It messed up the connections on the inside. I ended up buying a couple of these because I suck at soldering. If your running out of soldering points you could always trace back a little on the GBA and scrape away to open up a new soldering points, just be careful not to over due it.
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I've wired the digistick the same way as best that I can work out from the pictures but for some reason it still wont work. Thanks fo the PDF by the way. I've soldered so many times now that I'm worried I may have damaged the gba board.
thanks scott, this is just the sort of help I need. I'm gona crack on this week and follow your instruction. I'll let you know how I get on ;)
Cheers again,
Lewis
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Hello , i'm try to build my own mini arcade using GBA SP as you described.....
but i think i damaged the button
(http://imageshack.us/a/img843/2741/img2012100602212.jpg)
... :cry: :cry: :cry: :banghead: :banghead:
any chances to repair it? :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
anyone welcome for suggestion...please help this is my only one GBA ..thanks
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Yeah, I see what you did.
I'm not sure if it's FUBAR or not, I never peeled back the buttons that far. My guess is that it isn't. I can see four contact points in each corner where the button used to be, but I can't see anything in the middle, this suggests to me that the button press is making a contact between the top two corner contacts and the bottom two.
Looking at your image closely, the top two seem connected and I would make a guess that these are the switch and the two lower corner contacts are the common/ground.
You need to power up the unit and try putting a piece of wire between the top and bottom contacts to see if it works.
This is a super fiddly job but the end results can be great.
Good Luck.
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Well done, an excellent build and a great way to learn some lessons before thowing yourself into a bigger cab. In fact you'll probably find a bigger cab easier in many aspects due to the tiny scale you were forced to work at on this build.
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Yeah, I see what you did.
I'm not sure if it's FUBAR or not, I never peeled back the buttons that far. My guess is that it isn't. I can see four contact points in each corner where the button used to be, but I can't see anything in the middle, this suggests to me that the button press is making a contact between the top two corner contacts and the bottom two.
Looking at your image closely, the top two seem connected and I would make a guess that these are the switch and the two lower corner contacts are the common/ground.
You need to power up the unit and try putting a piece of wire between the top and bottom contacts to see if it works.
This is a super fiddly job but the end results can be great.
Good Luck.
Thanks for your advice..
will try to connect 4 contact point
i will report as soon as i fix it
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What was the PN for the buttons?
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Welcome aboard, Wooodyii2.
What was the PN for the buttons?
Based on this post (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,117840.msg1249190.html#msg1249190), I think he used these (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Miniature-Round-Push-Button-Yellow/dp/B000L1ORHA/).
Scott