Gorgeous Controller Contains Raspberry Pi Arcade
JamHamster's custom Raspberry Pi arcade/controller is as beautiful as they come.
Those of us in the maker community may claim to champion functionality, but the truth is that we're suckers for form just like everyone else. A sophisticated robot will get our attention, but throw a bit of lipstick on it and we'll be drooling. In this community, lipstick comes in the form of beautiful industrial design. Even the simplest projects benefit from a well-designed enclosure. JamHamster is a master of the art and showcased their skill in a recent Raspberry Pi arcade controller project.
Raspberry Pi single-board computers are perfect for arcades, because they're small, affordable, and run retro video game emulators very well. All you need for a Raspberry Pi arcade project is the computer and a USB gamepad — you don't technically need an enclosure at all. But a nice case gives your machine the appearance of a real production device. Most of us 3D-print those cases, but JamHamster broke out some serious craftsmanship for this project.
The electronic components inside of this controller are typical for a project like this. There is a Raspberry Pi with composite video output and analog stereo audio output. The joystick and buttons connect to the Pi through the GPIO pins. The buttons also connect to an Arduino Pro Micro, so the controller plug into a PC through USB and bypass the Raspberry Pi entirely. But what really stands out is JamHamster's enclosure design.
JamHamster chose a retrofuturistic art deco aesthetic, with polished aluminum and glowing light. The enclosure body is a sandwich construction with alternating layers of aluminum and orange acrylic. The translucent acrylic allows LEDs to shine through, while the high-polish aluminum provides a mirror finish. The joystick handle and button caps are also polished aluminum and custom machined by JamHamster. This project sets a lipstick bar that makers will struggle to exceed for years to come.
