Anyone have a Raspberry Pi powered cabinet/bartop ?

[GeorgeGlass]

Look up the attract mode images. There's a 32gb one. Even a 200gb one.

[mike boss]

Look up the attract mode images. There's a 32gb one. Even a 200gb one.

Doing a little research now. So many options, hard to tell what is the best one.
I'm going to continue to look.
I'd like to find one with the console gaming (NES, SNES, N64, Sega stuff) and MAME.
That would be fantastic.

From what I understand you need a certain ROM set for MAME and the Pi.

[mortron]

I am a pi guy...

My suggestion is to build your own image. Youll spend a day learning how to do it, but then youll be able to fix things and tweak things just right without always asking for help. The first time you have people over and it goes down, youll be thankful. I never understood the sense in downloading 200gb of stuff youre gonna use 10% of... lots of unnecessary things to have screw up on ya IMO.

Floob has a nice Attract Mode image and there is an experimental one in Retropie itself. Or you can stick with Emulation Station.

I run a vertical CRT with Classics and Shmups off the AllKiller lists on Arcade Controls. 150 games that all are vertical, fun and get played. Even then, I add and subtract the odd game, and its so simple because I learned how to do it.

Back up, and do it often. Copy and paste text commands into a word document, like a cheat sheet.

The wiki (github) says Pi3 is best with the recommended emulators LR-Mame2003 and LR-FBA, or at least thats what i use. It may have changed, but I have no issues on current build. I think its version 0.78 and 0.39 respectively. Manually building a romset isnt that hard from what ive read, but have never gone that route.

Libretto core emulators have done me well for all the consoles. If you look im sure there is a guy who needs "no introduction" that has fairly good console ROMsets. There always is someone out there. Theyre less picky than MAME IME.

For MAME: Some games are better in one emulator vs the other. Best to stick them into Arcade folder and pick between emulators at the command prompt. Some of my roms will play in both, and I have tried a few of both sets, to see which performs best.

People act like it takes a ton of work, but its not that bad. I know my front end looks pretty good to me, and its totally catered to me. No image is gonna be perfect, but one you make for yourself will be way better than 200gb of junk... YMMV.

[mike boss]

I've done a lil research and seen some really cool stuff.
I liked the original stock PI image that I have, and I've found a few skins I like. (Carbon comes to mind).
I have some R O M sets that I'm happy with, containing mostly US games.
Honestly if I could find the required MAME set I'd be cool with the stock image.
It would give me NES, SNES, I'd probably add select favorites from N64 and PS1. Smaller sets like Sega Master System, NEO GEO, and Turbo GRFX 16 I'd keep the full US sets on the Pi image. It's just finding the MAME set.
I don't even mind the idea of going between SD cards to be honest.
For some reason I've always wanted FULL sets vs simply adding my favorites per console. I don't know why that is, just is!

I have my Sega Genesis Pi case done now, for that as noted I used a 32GB image I found online. I was able to DL it as a torrent which was cool (and easy). But in my bartop I'd like the install to be more arcade based. So I guess to simplify, the Genesis build would be console gaming, the bartop arcade.

I'll continue to educate myself and read more. But honestly time is a huge thing for me. The wife HATES all this stuff and it's like whenever I migrate to the basement I'm called up for something. LOL ! Finding a ready to go option serves me best for now. But again, for $15-20 per SD card I could always swap cards in and out as needed.....like changing a game cartridge.

Any other tips, tricks I'd appreciate guys. Thanks

[mortron]

I've done a lil research and seen some really cool stuff.
I liked the original stock PI image that I have, and I've found a few skins I like. (Carbon comes to mind).
I have some R O M sets that I'm happy with, containing mostly US games.
Honestly if I could find the required MAME set I'd be cool with the stock image.
It would give me NES, SNES, I'd probably add select favorites from N64 and PS1. Smaller sets like Sega Master System, NEO GEO, and Turbo GRFX 16 I'd keep the full US sets on the Pi image. It's just finding the MAME set.
I don't even mind the idea of going between SD cards to be honest.
For some reason I've always wanted FULL sets vs simply adding my favorites per console. I don't know why that is, just is!

I have my Sega Genesis Pi case done now, for that as noted I used a 32GB image I found online. I was able to DL it as a torrent which was cool (and easy). But in my bartop I'd like the install to be more arcade based. So I guess to simplify, the Genesis build would be console gaming, the bartop arcade.

I'll continue to educate myself and read more. But honestly time is a huge thing for me. The wife HATES all this stuff and it's like whenever I migrate to the basement I'm called up for something. LOL ! Finding a ready to go option serves me best for now. But again, for $15-20 per SD card I could always swap cards in and out as needed.....like changing a game cartridge.

Any other tips, tricks I'd appreciate guys. Thanks

Anyone with 2000 posts COULD afford the kind of time needed to do their own pi build... if they wanted to

MAME on Retropie is easy... yet, nobody will RTFM. Totally worth it. Depending how regular you are, it can be learned on the toilet.

https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki

specifically youre looking for this:

https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Arcade

You mentioned having used a 32gb image... im curious how they are set up, like do ALL the ROMS work? Are there lots of dulicates? Ive never grabbed one because I always planned on using that as my fallback, and never needed it, but know some 32gb Images had good following (for whatever reasons, not sure, could just be size).

Carbon is OK, but youre just skimming the surface... Comic is a cool theme for Emulation Station, as well as Retrorama. Attract Mode is also available in the experimental section of RetroPie... and can be employed fairly easy for that Robospin goodness all the kids like. I use a Cools them in Attract Mode on my vertical 4:3 cab, just the game logo and fullscreen video snap, and am happy with it doing 240p on a CRT TV. Switching back and forth between Attract Mode and Emulation Station is simple.

Also, a Pi can be worked on remotely and such, you could do lots downstairs from upstairs... pull some houdini sh!t on the wife next time she yells for you, cuz youre already there working all quiet and stuff

[Q B]

had my eye on a raspberry Pi to load up retro pi. Mainly to hook up to a CRT tv for all the old 2d fighters and beat em ups! and i guess anything else. I know I can search for the answer but has anyone done it this way successfully. Would I use composite or component for best image. And using a xbox 360 stick to play with.....

[mortron]

The Pi can be hooked up to a TV, Arcade Monitor, LCD, whatever.

You're in luck, as I said right in my post - 240p via composite is possible. I believe its now as easy as adding like 2 lines to the config file. You just need a cord with the right pin out for the 3.5mm A/V connector (They aren't all the same - the Zune cable is good - unlike the Zune itself). That is your only non HDMI option on the Pi3, and quite frankly I can live with it for now. If you wanna spend some $$$, there is an RGB "hat" that goes on the GPIO pins that can allow Component 240p, as well as composite and I think S Video? There is a VGA666 connector that costs like $7. You can use HDMI to Whatever converters... there is a ton of options now.

Just for clarity - Component > Composite - but not all component inputs run a 240p IIRC... some are 480i only.

The XBox360 controller works fine with RetroPie, just go in and set all your buttons and shortcuts - takes 30 seconds from the one pop up menu.

Literally EVERYTHING people have been asking is covered in that wiki in my previous post and laid out as simple as its gonna get. You also have the rest of the GitHub page, which is loaded with tons of extras. The RetroPie forums also have some very good advice there and many problems I have had were solved by existing threads over there.

[Q B]

The Pi can be hooked up to a TV, Arcade Monitor, LCD, whatever.

You're in luck, as I said right in my post - 240p via composite is possible. I believe its now as easy as adding like 2 lines to the config file. You just need a cord with the right pin out for the 3.5mm A/V connector (They aren't all the same - the Zune cable is good - unlike the Zune itself). That is your only non HDMI option on the Pi3, and quite frankly I can live with it for now. If you wanna spend some $$$, there is an RGB "hat" that goes on the GPIO pins that can allow Component 240p, as well as composite and I think S Video? There is a VGA666 connector that costs like $7. You can use HDMI to Whatever converters... there is a ton of options now.

Just for clarity - Component > Composite - but not all component inputs run a 240p IIRC... some are 480i only.

The XBox360 controller works fine with RetroPie, just go in and set all your buttons and shortcuts - takes 30 seconds from the one pop up menu.

Literally EVERYTHING people have been asking is covered in that wiki in my previous post and laid out as simple as its gonna get. You also have the rest of the GitHub page, which is loaded with tons of extras. The RetroPie forums also have some very good advice there and many problems I have had were solved by existing threads over there.

Thanks for your reply. It just seemed a bit overwhelming all that info you listed previous to this response, but I will check it out and seek what I need to know for this to work.

[mortron]

Thanks for your reply. It just seemed a bit overwhelming all that info you listed previous to this response, but I will check it out and seek what I need to know for this to work.

To get 240p you add one line to boot config:

sdtv_mode=16

And you will have 240p on the 3.5mm output. Make sure you unplug the HDMI first... I think it will override the 3.5mm if not.

As for the front end, I run mine in 240p using a theme that works, but there is other commands that will allow it to switch to a higher resolution in the front end before going back to 240p in game.

The top 7 or 8 bullets on the RetroPie wiki tell you almost everything you asked and get you playing games quickly. Being proficient takes time, but it's not the struggle most make it out to be.

No harm in trying. I like having a nice clean collection and having control over it means a lot to keeping things neat. Maybe that isnt something youre after, but feel like learning RetroPie would be rewarding for everyone. Worst case, you get frustrated and just throw an image you downloaded on there.

[mike boss]

Just bumping up an old thread here.
Wondering if anyone has any cool builds using a Raspberry Pi ?
I see people quite stoked with the new Pi!

I've got 2 Pi 3B boards, one I cased in the Sega Genesis USB hub. Great build with Recall Box........... but it doesn't save my MAME configuration.
I actually used the same Pi build in my Punch Out bartop.... but it has to go. I can not for the life of me get the MAME config to save.

I'll actually be trying my luck at a scratch build. I attempted to move over the games via my Wi-Fi network, but it was too too too slow.
I'm going to see if I can hardwire it and try again. The build was great, clean, simple theme, awesome background music, all the art, everything scraped... but again not saving the config sucked ! Hopefully I can extract all the elements I want from it.

[Cornchip]

I'll be taking the plunge soon with a RGB-PI (PI GPIO to Jamma adapter). I already have the 3b+ and the RGB-PI just arrived in the mail from Spain. After that, things are up in the air as far as a CRT is concerned. I had my heart set on a 13", but they seem to be a rare thing to get a hold of with a decent tube. Might be able to tube swap a 13" with the right chassis....but I'll give it a try. In case you haven't seen the RGB-Pi before....here's a link.

http://www.rgb-pi.com/