My "Portable" 2-Player build

Waylander

I had some spare time over Christmas so I finished my 2-Player portable console.
It's a full size 2-Player console with the addition of a 1-Player trackball.
Running on a Pi3 with a HDMI connector on the back so I can just plug it into any TV or Monitor. I'm going to take it into work to get it running on a projector - Space Invaders on a projection screen, can't wait!

This is the front - It has a handle so you know it's portable ;)

The trackball is a little bright at the moment - I'm considering dropping one of the LEDs off.
I

And the back .....

Just power and HDMI connections. One fan with the other grill being a vent (out).

And the inside - Running the Pi3 with an I-PAC 2 as the interface.

There really isn't much to it - Retropie makes the software so easy its just a case of adding buttons and a couple of joysticks.
Job Done :)

edmaul69

@Waylander if you have the fan blowing in as you stated i would turn the fan around to blow out. If you want to truly dissipate the heat. Blowing in you cant guarantee you are pushing the hot air out the other side. With it blowing in you will most likely trap the hot air in over the pi. Also on a hot day you can just cook the pi. Nice job btw.

ebtalk

@Waylander nice job. What are the dimensions?

columboscoat

"Portable"... ha, yeah! Cool build.

Waylander

@edmaul69 Now there is a discussion topic! To Suck or to Blow?
In a normal PC Case configuration I totally agree with you that the fan should be sucking air out of the case.
In my situation though, there is so much empty space inside the case that I don't believe it matters. The main thing is getting the air flowing around the case and there are so many exit points that I'm confident that I can do that with the fan sucking.
To be totally honest, I'm not even sure I need a fan at all. The Pi was not running particularly hot even without the fan - and that is in the middle of Summer in Australia so I think I'm good.
The main reason I put the fan that way was to (possibly) help keep dust out of the buttons. In theory I am blowing air out of any hole and that includes the buttons so maybe it will help to keep them clean.
Thanks for the input though - all feedback is good :)

Waylander

@ebtalk The panel is about 930mm x 380mm. It's about 160mm High.

Waylander

@columboscoat Yes, I took portable literally. I can pick it up and carry it around.
It's certainly not small though. I wanted 2 people to be able to play together comfortably without crowding and to also have that single player track ball in the middle. Funny, the trackball was there just so I could play Marble Madness and Missile Command - a fairly expensive addition for just 2 games!

columboscoat

@Waylander It was def not a criticism. It's as portable as a bar-top. With the added benefit that player 2 has the space to actually play.

Waylander

@columboscoat I didn't take it as a criticism!
It's interesting - I'm an engineer by trade and the discussions I have had through the design and build process has been a hot topic at work. The first time I had a problem with the build I was berated at work for not having a formal Design Review which would have isolated the problem earlier and hence allowed me to correct the design before going into build.
We engineers are a strange lot .......

FlyingTomahawk

Nice build and cool idea putting the Pi in there so that it becomes somewhat portable.
Regarding the cooling fans, I wouldn't worry too much about it, the Pi won't get really hot and I doubt that the sticks, buttons and track ball will generate any heat unless you play Track n Field and push the buttons so extreme fast that they start to heat up. ;-)
But if it is really that important to have cooling why not flip one fan around? You have two of them so let one suck air in and the other blow air out.

columboscoat

@Waylander Failure to plan is planning to fail.. or you just wing it like the rest of us. The best engineers should be able to think on their feet and troubleshoot at source.

Waylander

@FlyingTomahawk There is only one fan - two identical vent filters but only one fan. You're right though, the only heat source is the Pi and even when I have been running it on the desk for other projects I have it in the "official" Pi case which has no airflow what so ever. I'm pretty certain heat isn't a problem and the Pi will shut itself down if it gets too hot anyway.

Waylander

@Waylander One thing that isn't obvious is the addition of "Shutdown" and "Reset" buttons for the Pi on the side.
I actually had a single incidence of a corrupted SD Card. I'm not sure how it happened but to ensure it wasn't an improper shutdown I added a safe shutdown button on the side.
I have a small Python script running which monitors a GPIO pin on the Pi and calls shutdown when pressed. Runs on an interrupt so no CPU overheard.
Then to reset (rather than power cycle) I soldered a header onto the Pi reset pins and added a switch for that.

LiqwdE

@Waylander

Nice build, I went lazy. Bought a tank stick and shoved my pi2 inside lol