Gaming – RxBrad.com

Handheld Gaming Gadgets

July 5, 2023December 9, 2019 by Brad

A collection of handheld game consoles and controllers. Included are a Steam Controller, a DualShock 4, two classic Game Boy-based handhelds, a classic Game Boy Advance-based Freeplay Advance, an Xbox One controller, a New Nintendo 3DS XL, an an 8BitDo SNES30 controller.

I enjoy putzing around with homebrew / homemade handheld gaming devices. I’ve built Raspberry Pi Zero systems inside a classic Gameboy shell. I’ve pieced together a Freeplay Zero in a Gameboy Advance shell. And I’ve purchased a premade Anbernic RG-350 straight from China. They all have their pros & cons. I just wanted to summarize some of my experiences here.

Arcade Cabinet: Putting It Together

July 5, 2023June 8, 2018 by Brad

Partially-assembled arcade cabinet, lying on its side on a pair of sawhorses

I’ll preface this part with a warning. If I did it again, I don’t think I’d do it this way.

Arcade Cabinet: Control Panel

July 5, 2023October 26, 2016 by Brad

Arcade cabinet, sitting outdoors, with photo focusing on two-player control panel

Here, I outline how I assembled the control panel for my arcade cabinet.

Arcade Cabinet: Marquee

July 5, 2023October 21, 2016 by Brad

The marquee serves no real functional purpose except to look really freakin’ cool. Building this part wasn’t exactly rocket surgery (although I had a couple struggles)

Arcade Cabinet: Screen Panel

July 5, 2023October 19, 2016 by Brad

Section of arcade cabinet which serves as the bezel for the screen.

The screen area is made primarily of 1/2″ MDF, with several trim pieces to keep a glass panel in place.

Arcade Cabinet: Speaker Panel

July 5, 2023February 7, 2016 by Brad

A speaker grill, above the monitor on an arcade cabinet. The grill is a rectangonal panel covered completely in black speaker fabric. On the right side of the panel is a cutout, giving access to the volume & power controls for the speakers mounted behind the panel.

I just realized that I’ve been seriously negligent on my arcade cabinet updates. I actually finished it a few months ago!

Next up: The speaker panel.

Arcade Cabinet: Administration Panel

July 5, 2023August 6, 2015 by Brad

An administration panel for an arcade machine. It is covered in protective Plexiglass, and has four buttons on it: Select, Exit, Menu, and Pause. There is a 7-inch screen in the center with a label beneath it reading "Information".

My cabinet has an administration panel below the monitor, which offers basic navigation functions for starting / stopping games. It also has a 7″ LCD that displays the controls for the current game.