Arcade Machine PLANS!

[pcstru]

Looking good - and it does remind me ...

 

Vinyl comes in All sorts of colors and finishes, you can even get stuff you can print on (I've never tried it but since it's used on the sides of vans it must be quite robust!). Some big block space invader graphics in bright colors might look good.

 

Another thing I've done in the past is machine text/logo's into clear polycarbonate sheet which is then lit from the edge with (concealed) LED's. Like these. Using that technique for something might look good fronting the overhead. You could even run some RGB leds from the PI.

[Joanne]

OMG that would look totes amaze! I was gonna just laminate some sign and back light it with these - 5V USB LED Lights Strip 5050 RGB White PS4 PC TV Laptop PC Computer Car Kitchen | eBay

 

Might be something I could figure out at a later date

[bald_pig]

I'd be inclined to use the 5050's with a proper power supply than those USB ones, also means you can use RGB LED's and a controller

 

One idea would be to use the RGB LED's with one of those backlight programs, would be pretty cool

[Jaan]

I use RGB controllers on ours to match the themes of the cabs.

 

Bartop

 

Invader

[bald_pig]

Like this:

[JJonas]

@bald_pig Thats really cool. How do I do this?

 

edit: found it https://michaelrogger.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/ambient-light-with-raspberry-pi-raspbmc-boblight/

Edited June 7, 2016 by JJonas

[pcstru]

I'd be inclined to use the 5050's with a proper power supply than those USB ones,

The advantage of USB should be that the voltage is tightly regulated. Of course a "proper supply" should be well regulated but I've seen some supplies provided with 5050 strips put out over 14V into the load - which for 12V strips will overdrive the LED's and quite quickly degrade the output.

 

WS2812's are an interesting alternative to RGB strips, each LED is individually addressable through a single wire interface. They are a bit more expensive but not prohibitively so. Probably not drivable from a PI directly because of timing requirements but easily supported by a cheap Arduino board (I have a little plan to put a long string in my hedge and then use a PI with a camera and some image processing to try and track passers by and have them followed by a single lit led).

Edited June 7, 2016 by pcstru

[bald_pig]

The advantage of USB should be that the voltage is tightly regulated. Of course a "proper supply" should be well regulated but I've seen some supplies provided with 5050 strips put out over 14V into the load - which for 12V strips will overdrive the LED's and quite quickly degrade the output.

 

WS2812's are an interesting alternative to RGB strips, each LED is individually addressable through a single wire interface. They are a bit more expensive but not prohibitively so. Probably not drivable from a PI directly because of timing requirements but easily supported by a cheap Arduino board (I have a little plan to put a long string in my hedge and then use a PI with a camera and some image processing to try and track passers by and have them followed by a single lit led).

 

I have a strip of addressable LEDs and an arduino down in tech for their next project, the school wants an LED clock -.-

[Joanne]

You guys are seriously over estimating my dedication. The reason I have gone USB for the lights is that everything is run off a USB hub - so just makes it easier to power and is more eco friendly (LOLZ - asif I've ever cared before). I'm also not massively confident with running other programs alongside the emulation station, I think I might lose some of the processing power and I sure as hell aint buying another pi!!

 

Nice ideas though, do keep them coming. Even though I won't do them, I like reading about them

[bald_pig]

Seems to be quite low on resources, I might have to try this myself lol

 

https://hyperion-project.org/wiki/Introduction

[Joanne]

Also I don't know how to run other programs alongside the emulation station!!

[pcstru]

Also I don't know how to run other programs alongside the emulation station!!

That should be easy enough. The programming for the LED's should pretty basic and is a good entry into interfacing the PI to the real world (a single LED would be about as simple as it gets - RGB LED's are just three LED's, which is the same difficulty but a more work, (i.e. it's not three times as difficult). A driver program shouldn't be a noticeable drain on resources.

[Joanne]

Mr Pete did some spraying tonight and it looks a lot better than expected! Going to get some stickers, I have a choice of pacman, space invaders and tetris. Kinda thinking I might get some custom ones printed too... but we shall see!

[Joanne]

OMG, we are SO CLOSE now. Mr Pete just has to spray 2 doors that he forgot about...

[Dos_Box]

That looks sooooo awesome!!

[Joanne]

I need to design a marquee... dunno what to call it.

[DJ-1701]

You spent so long designing this awesomeness and you have no name for it?

[Joanne]

Maybe Doomcade or DoomPi or Emulation Station (of doom)...

[southhamster]

That is such a cool thing. Can you bring it to BETT next year so we can have go?

[ChrisH]

That is such a cool thing. Can you bring it to BETT next year so we can have go?

 

Might be a bit too big and heavy for that lol.

[southhamster]

Might be a bit too big and heavy for that lol.

 

Especially if @Joanne is coming by train...

[pcstru]

I need to design a marquee... dunno what to call it.

It is looking really good. Get the pi to display a sad robot face between plays and say random things like "Brain the size of a planet and they turn me into a games machine" and call it Marvin. ;-)

[Joanne]

normally I do come by train because parking is so expensive! I'd need a really good sack truck! Do you think it would fit through the tube styles too? LOLZ

[ICTDirect_Dave]

normally I do come by train because parking is so expensive! I'd need a really good sack truck! Do you think it would fit through the tube styles too? LOLZ

 

You could always situate it on our stand We'd ship it there and back (and not play it constantly, honest...)

[Joanne]

I'd be too scared of it getting scuffed or something!! If I change my mind though... I'll let you know! Might have to put a box at the side of it 50p a go. Money goes towards building another hahah!