Please help, arcade machine.

NurseAngela

Hi I’m brand new here so please go easy! I was advised to ask on here as you guys are real experts.

To cut a belt long story short my husband left me and my son and he was in the middle of making an arcade machine with him. My dad is finishing the cabinet with him but I want to do the arcade system with him.

I know a little about computers but this is brand new to me. I have a few questions if that’s ok?

which is the best raspberry pi to get for Retropie?
do I need a case for the Pi?
where do I get the joysticks and buttons from, and can you get them already wired up to connect to a pi?
is there anything else you would recommend getting like speakers etc?
what’s the best power supply for the pi?

I realise it’s a lot of questions and I might be out of my depth but my son has gone through so much recently that I’m determined to do this with him no matter how long it takes. If You are able to answer and I don’t reply straight away it’s because I’m on shift and I apologise but I’ll reply as soon as I can.

Thank you for reading and any help you can provide.

Voljega

@NurseAngela said in Please help, arcade machine.:

which is the best raspberry pi to get for Retropie?

pi4 or pi3b+

do I need a case for the Pi?

if it's for an arcade machine, not really

where do I get the joysticks and buttons from, and can you get them already wired up to connect to a pi?

you can't get them already wired although the wiring is pretty easy, you can get all of that from any arcade shop

is there anything else you would recommend getting like speakers etc?

yes speakers are necessary

what’s the best power supply for the pi?

the official one is the way to go

NurseAngela

@Voljega thank you. I have tried reading up on which pi is the best and was thinking of getting the 4 are there any issues with this and retropie? I just want the easiest thing to set up and run for him.

NurseAngela

I was thinking of getting the pi 4 B (4gb) with Ethernet is this suitable?

pjft

@NurseAngela We're here for you.

I imagine others can share previous guides that can come in handy here, from older posts in the forums, but lots of us have done this in the past.

Let me build on @Voljega 's reply and add some more comments:

I know a little about computers but this is brand new to me. I have a few questions if that’s ok?

which is the best raspberry pi to get for Retropie?

The Pi3B+ is a solid choice. Thoroughly tested by now, and has been in use for several years.
The Pi4B is more recent, and even RetroPie on it, while being fairly stable these days, is still under development. For the most part it should be good, and it does offer some extra performance. Your choice, really - do you know what kinds of games you'll be playing?

EDIT based on your reply: if you're going for the Pi4B you probably don't need the 4GB model, the 2GB is good enough.

do I need a case for the Pi?

Correct, probably not as it's going to be inside the cabinet. But it's a personal choice. You may start without it.

where do I get the joysticks and buttons from, and can you get them already wired up to connect to a pi?

Agreed. You will likely need something to connect them to, and then you'd connect them to the Pi. A popular choice around the forums has been the types of DragonRise USB encoders. I got this one back in the day, but it seems to be unavailable now:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01IQTN1NO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Either way, the principle is that you'll connect the buttons here, and then this to the Pi.

The joysticks and buttons can likely be ordered from stores or Amazon. If you're in the UK, the folks at https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/ were reliable, back then, and have everything you'll need. I'm sure other stores are good as well - I just don't have experience with them.

For joysticks, Sanwa are a good choice, same for buttons.

is there anything else you would recommend getting like speakers etc?

Speakers are needed, unless your screen already has speakers, but either way they can add better sound quality. You may want a simple 3.5mm cable speakers (same connector as computer headphones) and connect it to the Pi or your screen, if it has such a socket. I imagine there are other setups, but I don't have first-hand experience with them, once again.

I'd recommend getting a USB pen drive for holding the games, rather than having them in the SD card. And a SD card for the Pi, together with a HDMI cable to connect to the screen.

The Pi does not have a power on/off button, so I also have a power switch plugged to the power outlet where I connect the arcade Pi/screen/speakers, so with a single switch I can turn it on.

what’s the best power supply for the pi?

The official one indeed. Usually you'll find these in packs - power supply, USB card, Raspberry Pi.

Do ask more questions as needed, but we hope the project goes well.

NurseAngela

@pjft that’s really helpful thank you so much, I’m leaning towards the pi 3 now that you said that. I am so new to this and I can’t thank you enough for the detailed reply really means a lot and I’m so grateful.

Impman66

The Retropie "software" for the Pi is still a little bit in it's infancy, and there are still a few issues that people have reported from using it. The best and maybe cheapest option, would probably get the Pi 3B+, as this has been around for some time and the Retropie build for it is the most stable.
You have definitely come to the right place for help though, not only from the forum, but also for the Docs pages, which offer step by step guides on doing practically everything to do with getting you up and running for the arcade build.
There are many places to get the bits required to do the build, but remember Google is your friend, and there are a lot of experts on here who are always willing to help.
As Voljega and pjft have alluded to, there are always ways to get help and advice, and I pretty much echo theirs. Don't be daunted about the wiring up of things, it really is easy to do, there are even instructional videos online. Plus involving your son in the build, is an ideal way to help him through a tough time, and bond more.
When buying the buttons play close attention to the size, as they are different, 30mm is probably best (that the diameter of the button), depending on what size holes the arcade cabinet has of course - again have a look online. But also the size of the button in height - you don't want anything too long, or it may not fit. It may be best to buy them in a package deal rather than individually.
If you are worried abou speakers and getting them connected then just use a monitor/TV with built-in speakers.
It may also help if you could post a pick of your arcade cabinet that you have so far, that way the guys and gals on here that are really, really good (I'm not, I am still learning, but with help on here have built an arcade fight stick), can give a much better idea of your options moving forward.
Good luck for the build, but most of all ENJOY it.

NurseAngela

@Impman66 thank you so much I didn’t realise there was a docs section with guides that’s really helpful and appreciate your kind words my son is really struggling at the moment so like you said this is really helping him. I will post pictures of the cabinet as soon as it’s finished.

Clyde

@pjft said in Please help, arcade machine.:

If you're in the UK, the folks at https://www.arcadeworlduk.com/ were reliable, back then, and have everything you'll need.

I can second that for Germany, too, at least before the Brexit. But I guess it will only add the possibility of import taxes for Europe now. I got nearly everything for my DIY arcade cabinet from AWUK except for the cabinet itself, its screen, and the Pi.

You should also look here in the forum for threads about other people's cabinet builds. The next best thing to learning by doing is learning from other people's doing (and their mistakes). :)

edit: As for struggling, such a project can really help getting your mind off it. My cab did the same for me when I suffered over the temporary loss of a very close platonic friendship with my ex-girlfriend because her new partner couldn't bear it even after a couple of open talks with both of us. He's already history and we both have new partners by now, but that doesn't diminish the help I had from my project.