xxfesterxx Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 So how easy are these to setup from scratch? Wanna put one together for little brother. Any of you guys do this? Any info would be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadmonkey Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 (edited) I have one setup, it's really not too bad/hard. A couple tips I have are: Get this to start.. it'll have everything you need minus the case to get started: https://www.amazon.com/CanaKit-Raspberry-Micro-Supply-Listed/dp/B01C6FFNY4/ Make sure you have an actual power on/off switch that you can power the pi with because unplugging while live will kill the OS/SD card. get an SD card that's at least 16 GB for all of the games use the included adapter and a SD Card/USB reader to load the ROMs onto the pi, don't try to set up NFS or samba unless you know what you are doing. Buy one of these, it will really help with setups/on the fly troubleshooting: https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-920-007119-Wireless-Keyboard-Connected/dp/B014EUQOGK/ Narrow the games/systems you want to have installed on the pi, and make sure the roms work nicely. The last thing you need is to get stupid excited and load something like 50,000 games onto it and have it never used because trying to find a game that you want to play will take forever, the rom doesn't work,. or you ed up just playing the same 5 games over and over again. Get a cool case: https://www.amazon.com/Functional-POWER-Button-Retroflag-Rasberry/dp/B073ZC4TZY/ - this one comes with a power/reset buttons built in, which is pretty rad. Here's a cool guide to help you get off the ground: https://howchoo.com/g/n2qyzdk5zdm/build-your-own-raspberry-pi-retro-gaming-rig https://howchoo.com/g/zjm4zwzjzgi/pi-retrobox-build-your-own-diy-raspberry-pi-arcade-joystick https://howchoo.com/g/mwnlytk3zmm/how-to-add-a-power-button-to-your-raspberry-pi In the end, this shit is a huge rabbit hole. Pick a plan and go with it, there are literally an infinite amount of things/tweaks you can make and it'll leave you with zero start. go with something basic and as you learn more and time goes on you (or your brother) can make the adjustments/upgrades you want to make the perfect system you desire. If not you could end up with a half built system that doesn't work and about $500 down the drain. Take it slow and easy. Don't rush it and try not to get frustrated, I don't know how many times shit didn't work the way it was expected to when I do any of my projects. each challenge is a learning opportunity and lesson in troubleshooting. You'll get there though. most importantly, have fun! Edited December 4, 2017 by roadmonkey Sidney Crosley and The Saint 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxfesterxx Posted December 4, 2017 Author Share Posted December 4, 2017 Wow thanks for all that? Anyone see those ad cards on eBay hat claim they have everything you need software wise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadmonkey Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 (edited) 32 minutes ago, xxfesterxx said: Wow thanks for all that? Anyone see those ad cards on eBay hat claim they have everything you need software wise? No prob! I have done a couple random projects besides the retropi and honestly found it all to be a bit overwhelming at first with all the information out there, but once I get started things became more clear. Don't bother with those. You can load up the OS and Roms yourself with the couple software packages the guide has. If you have a windows box, get https://sourceforge.net/projects/win32diskimager/ to format/install the retropi OS. Much faster than waiting for someone to do it for you and then sending you the card. One more thing, Look for a reputable electronic parts store near you. They will have everything you want and hopefully some answers to help you with specific problems. the one I go to here in the Bay area is in Berkeley (Al Lasher's Electronics http://allashers.com/) They always have various wires, solder, tools, LEDs, and other components for sale and dude is legit knowledgeable about just about everything. He's helped me out a few times when I've been stuck Edited December 4, 2017 by roadmonkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadmonkey Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 Just found this that will probably make things waaay easier for ya: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075ZZ1VLZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxfesterxx Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 (edited) That looks epic so from that what do I need to do? Get sd image and install? Edited December 5, 2017 by xxfesterxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roadmonkey Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 1 hour ago, xxfesterxx said: That looks epic so from that what do I need to do? Get sd image and install? Yup, get the SD card, use a program to install the retropi image to the card, plug it into your TV and power it on. I would also get a USB controller to play the games with You will need to do some initial setup things but after that, you should be good to go. Just be aware that with the case without the power/reset switch, you will need to shut down the system from within retro pi and then unplug it. The guides I linked to above have more detailed info also this one. https://lifehacker.com/how-to-turn-your-raspberry-pi-into-a-retro-game-console-498561192 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shitty Rambo Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 It's not bad, however I have experience with Linux so it wasn't a super difficult project to figure out. Chances are you already own 50% of the stuff you'll need to do a build (5v micro USB power supply, hmdi cable, USB controller, etc.). Kits aren't always cheaper than buying things piecemeal, hit up DealExtreme and eBay for cheaper components. Anyways, here's the most concise guide if come across. Simple and right to the point - https://lifehacker.com/how-to-turn-your-raspberry-pi-into-a-retro-game-console-498561192 I do suggest you don't dump 20,000 ROMs onto it and call it a day. Dig through the catalogs of games and only put the good stuff on there. No sense in scrolling through 75 modded versions of Pokémon when you know exactly what you're looking for. Also get a couple secondary cards and do other projects like an OSMC machine or Pi-Hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxfesterxx Posted December 17, 2017 Author Share Posted December 17, 2017 So I bought that kit on amazon. Got it up and running. Pretty easy process. Got NES SNES SEGA N64 GB running. Iam sure there are tweaks I can do but got it working for my little brothers Xmas present. Gonna buy the better case etc if I build myself one. roadmonkey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cardboard_Robot Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 (edited) Check out Arcade Punks. They have a ton of prebuilt images people share. They have a specific section for Raspberry Pie frontends. I've used plenty of the 32gb images posted there. http://www.arcadepunks.com/retro-pi-downloads-page/ Edited December 20, 2017 by Cardboard_Robot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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