Super Game Pi

[Busti]

Hey people,

I want to share with you a project that I am enthusiastically working on: The Super Game Pi (SGP), designed by Adafruit Industries.

http://youtu.be/f_zp42fQ-dQ

I initially wanted to make the PiGrrl console, but then I found this one. The project is described as (https://www.youmagine.com/designs/super-game-pi )

In this project we’re building a handheld gaming console! This DIY gadget has 12 buttons, an analog joystick, stereo speakers and a 5” HDMI display. We’re using the Raspberry Pi A+ and RetroPie image. We call it.... Super Game Pi!

With a 5" true HDMI screen, the Pi can run Emulationstation so you can play just about any emulator. Ports and PC games are also supported as long as you can update the Pi to run proper libraries and dependencies. By default, the RetroPie image includes all the libraries to run a hand full of retro emulators (NES, SNES, Apple II, PC, GB, GBA).

I got very enthusiastic of course! Here is why I am making it:

1. I wish to make a handheld gaming console, to play games.
2. I wish to save money in the long run, by being able to play games I normally cannot, without paying market value for them, without spending hours on ebay or amazon to hunt for good deals, etc.
3. I wish to learn about electronics. How to work with them. How to hook them up. How are these components designed? What design choices are important? Etc.
4. I wish to learn about 3D printing. This is an upcoming technology. All aboard the 3D printing hype train!
5. I wish to get more experience in Linux. The raspberry Pi works on Linux, so it requires some programming expertise.
6. I am making a log for future reference, as this is a form of knowledge retention, but will serve as an excellent source of knowledge/inspiration for new designs.
7. Bragging rights
8. It is going to be FUN

So I ordered all the components I need from Adafruit, Amazon, Ace hardware store,and I started 3D printing. I am very much in the early stages, but if you like to see more, I will keep this thread up-to-date!

In this picture you find the 3D model as I edited in Autodesk 123D Design. Next to that, the printing set-up at my university. Lastly, you see the raw printed parts. I still need to give those some finishing.

Please share your thoughts on the project. This is my first project working with electronics, so I will be taking it slow.

Would someone in the comments please tell me how to show pictures (not through this website, I have a file size limit), and how to show youtube videos? That would help.

Edited December 7, 2015 by Busti

[Pocky]

Well for youtube videos you can do

insert some random youtube link here

Seems like you're already figured out how to put pictures in your post so I don't have to do that.
Anyway I really like what you did with the case, it's nice to give it your own spin if you're doing a project. It'd be interesting seeing pictures of your progress, so go ahead an post them, I don't see any problems with not doing it. Looking forward on what you're planning to do with it.

[BrutaLotus]

Hmm, doesn't look bad, but I've seen better, for example at the Gamescom in Cologne (Köln), there was one which looked like a far more evolved Version of the Nintendo DS lite.

That thing looked so packed of functions or buttons, that I thought it looked too good, so it would be nice to see a handheld console that can do a lot and is easy to use^^

And, does it get a case for transporting it? 'cause it looks like the analog sticks are sticking out and could break.

It works like this with the following:

[###] <= instead of ### do /spoiler

(if there is a function to do that in the comments automatically, I dunno about that)

[Busti]

Here is my second update: Software configuration and initial set-up! I have not yet done the finishing on my 3D printed parts, but I did go ahead with all the software related stuff.

Download: http://blog.petrockblock.com/retropie/retropie-downloads/

Instructions: https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/First-Installation

OR http://emulationstation.org/gettingstarted.html

To install the necessary software on the Pi, I need a microSD card. The SD card was not recognized, though I have a port for it; I had to reinstall the driver for it. Worked immediately. Yet the next day, Windows made over 15,000 registry edits as part of an update, which is probably why I couldn’t read the SD card anymore the next day. I bought an SD card reader, which is very convenient.

After being repeatedly warned of buying SD cards online (lots of fake products!), I decided to verify the SD card using h2test2.exe, which writes data to the SD card, then reads it back as verification. Any unexplained losses in capacity/ writing speeds, or defective regions are to be identified. The real product has no issues passing this test. H2testw was downloaded from (http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/H2testw.shtml). Results are good.

Warning: Only 14751 of 14752 MByte tested.

Test finished without errors.

You can now delete the test files *.h2w or verify them again.

Writing speed: 7.48 MByte/s

Reading speed: 14.0 MByte/s

The retropie was downloaded as a .gz file (Version 3.2.1), which is compressed. WinRAR was used to unzip the .img file, used for installation. Next, the software Win32 Disk Imager was downloaded to burn the image to the SD card (http://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/). The instructions include the following note, which is entirely true and correct:

In Windows, the SD card will appear only to have a fairly small size once written - about 55 to 75 MB. This is because most of the card has a partition that is formatted for the Linux operating system that the Raspberry Pi uses which is not visible in Windows. If you don't see this small directory with files such as kernel.img then the copy may not have worked correctly.

The last part of the SD setup was a minor edit to the config.txt file, which formats the operating system to match the resolution of our display. The file is found in ~/boot/config.txt.

Setup of the Pi

In this step, the software configuration is completed while operating the Raspberry Pi. As such, all the basic components for this setup must be connected and tested. An effort was made to make the workspace dust-free (using alcohol wipes) and to lower the chance of an ESD (electrostatic discharge), by working on a hard flat surface. The basic setup is shown as:

After hooking up all the connections, the Pi booted up succesfully, started EmulationStation, after which I played Doom for 5 minutes. Success! Next, the software was to be configured for use within the SGP. Here comes the Linux programming. First, we set up the Wifi module for internet. This is done by editing the WPA_supplicant. WPA stands for Wi-Fi protected access. With the command ifconfig, we can determine the IP address of the Pi and other things. As a note, the Pi did not recognize my keyboard keys as I see them. Notably, the “ was switched with the @. This nuisance may stem from a language setting I am not aware of?

With the IP address of the Pi known, it is now possible to configure the Pi with remote access. The program “Putty” is used to create an SSH (Secure Shell) connection with the Linux-driven machine. The login is standard: pi, raspberry. Now we have complete control of the Pi, so we can do anything from our laptop. First, we install Adafruit Retrogame. It is not very big, and seems to mostly be an edit to have retropie work with some Adafruit projects, including the Cupcade and PiGrrl. By editing the retrogame.c code, we can specify the inputs for out SGP! We denote specific button values to a specific GPIO # connection of the Pi. The next step is to make it so that this file is run every time we start the SGP. The rc.local (run-control for local objects) will specify which programs to start after startup is complete. Here, we add the command to run retrogame. The last step, (10-retrogrames.rules), appears to specify some input controls. This is beyond my current understanding, but is described as:

“Note that by default retrogame won't work with SDL2 applications that depend on evdev for input events. Specifically this means applications like the latest version of RetroPie and EmulationStation won't be able to see key events generated by retrogame. However you can fix this issue by adding a small custom udev rule to make retrogame keyboard events visible to SDL2.”

So, what about the time feature? If I want to play Pokemon, I would love to use time. The Pi gets his time information from the internet connection, so all I need to do is change the timezone to US/Central time. I do not know if this will work, because this is not a hardware clock. I will find out after I finish the project...

$ date

$ sudo ln –sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/US/Central /etc/localtime

So far my progress on this project. I mapped all teh SGP keys for the software, and cannot do any more software configuration until I install the actual hardware. Next step: finishing the 3D printed parts. I would add more pictures, but I cannot. I am exceeding the memory limit for my account. Would somebody please advice on a good alternative way to show pictures on this thread?

Edited December 13, 2015 by Busti

[BrutaLotus]

hmm, maybe post it in another forum like deviant art, or something similar,

(I don't know the limit of uploadable stuff there or anything else from it except that people upload pics there)

and just post the link here.

[Busti]

Oh I totally forgot I had this thread. I am actually very far done in this project. but it's coming together beautifully.

I learned some stuff the hard way:

1: Tutorials are incomplete. I had to combine multiple tutorials to find all the steps necessary to get the software working

2: You should always check the design you are going to build. The power circuit I build is somewhat underpowered, so I am in the process of fixing that.

3: This thing is going to be SWEEEEET! Already played some Pokemon Emerald, Super Mario, and Doom on it.

It might take me a while though for it to be completely finished. Ordering new parts takes weeks.

[Pocky]

Oh I totally forgot I had this thread. I am actually very far done in this project. but it's coming together beautifully.

I learned some stuff the hard way:

1: Tutorials are incomplete. I had to combine multiple tutorials to find all the steps necessary to get the software working

2: You should always check the design you are going to build. The power circuit I build is somewhat underpowered, so I am in the process of fixing that.

3: This thing is going to be SWEEEEET! Already played some Pokemon Emerald, Super Mario, and Doom on it.

It might take me a while though for it to be completely finished. Ordering new parts takes weeks.

Oh! Nice! Cool to see some more progress pics.

I'm interested in what you'll do in order to make more room because doesn't that mean you'd have to 3d print a new case? Unless that isn't too hard for you then go wild.

Anyway, I should try saving up to build one myself, I'd like to play some doom on the go

[Busti]

Thank you!

The PCB in the bottom center is what regulates output current and voltage, called the Powerboost 500C. You see the battery (blue) is plugged into it.

I will replace that PCB with another that allows 4x more output current for the same voltage.

Since this new PCB does not have a way to charge it, I will need a little charging circuit (a second, very small PCB).

And unfortunately that means the power switch has to be replaced as well.

You can see that the frame has room for a small PCB next to the Powerboost. I will need to make some attachment holes and an access hole for this to work.

EDIT: I'm open for suggestions on how to make a carrying case. I prefer a hard one.

Conceptually, I like something like this:

It is just an aluminum box with added foam. I could make a cutout in the foam for the joystick.

Maybe a MAGNUM gun case will work, pretty darn sweet box: http://www.homedepot.com/p/MAGNUM-17-3-4-in-x-9-in-Aluminum-Handgun-Case-8479/203287659

Edited February 24, 2016 by Busti

[Busti]

Hey everybody. This week I finally finished the super game pi! I wish I could go into all details, but I am all stuck in planning my wedding. So, a later post will highlight more cool stuff. Here is the product:

http://imghub.org/image/NIvQ

I put on a lot of game boy (original, color, Advance) games, which all work wonderfully. I also put some SNES games on there. I haven't tested much, but most (not all) games work smoothly.

I love it!

[Pocky]

Hey everybody. This week I finally finished the super game pi! I wish I could go into all details, but I am all stuck in planning my wedding. So, a later post will highlight more cool stuff. Here is the product:

http://imghub.org/image/NIvQ

I put on a lot of game boy (original, color, Advance) games, which all work wonderfully. I also put some SNES games on there. I haven't tested much, but most (not all) games work smoothly.

I love it!

Looks great! Really like the simplicity in the design, as I'm not a big fan of over the top stuff.

Got any other projects in the future?

[Busti]

Thank you.

I am going to enjoy it for a while, and probably next year I will rebuild this device with a number of design improvements.

I will reprint the case with just a tad more space, but most importantly I'll make some changes to make it structurally durable. Also, I have plans for volume control and separate headphone output.

In the short term, I am going to tinker with my laptop, that recently died on me.