Abra PI-ARCADE User manual

PI-ARCADE

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Table of Contents
TABLE OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................ 3
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................................. 3
1 - BILL OF MATERIALS .................................................................................................................................. 4
1.1 - REQUIRED TOOLS........................................................................................................................ 4
2 –ASSEMBLY .......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 –ARCADE BOX..................................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 –BUTTON & JOYSTICK WIRING........................................................................................................... 5
2.3 –RASPBERRY PI CONNECTIONS .......................................................................................................... 9
2.3.1 –POWER, HDMI, ETHERNET ........................................................................................................ 9
2.3.4 –GPIO ........................................................................................................................................ 10
3 –SOFTWARE ....................................................................................................................................... 11
3.1 –OPERATING SYSTEM DOWNLOAD ........................................................................................... 11
3.2 –REQUIRED SOFTWARE.............................................................................................................. 11
3.2.1 –SD FORMATTER ................................................................................................................ 11
3.2.2 –DISK IMAGER .................................................................................................................... 11
3.3 –SD FORMATTING ...................................................................................................................... 12
3.4 –SD IMAGE .................................................................................................................................12
4 –CONFIGURATION.............................................................................................................................. 12
4.2 –CONTROLS ...................................................................................................................................... 12
4.3 –AUDIO............................................................................................................................................. 14
4.4 –INTERNET ACCESS .......................................................................................................................... 14
4.5 –SOFTWARE UPDATE ....................................................................................................................... 15
4.6 –EMULATORS ................................................................................................................................... 15
4.7 –ADDING ROMS ............................................................................................................................... 16

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TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1- Box Template ................................................................................................................................. 5
Figure 2 - Signal Wire .................................................................................................................................... 5
Figure 3 - Button Ground Wire ..................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 4 - Joystick Ground Wire .................................................................................................................... 6
Figure 5 - Button Ground Connection........................................................................................................... 7
Figure 6 - Button Signal Connection ............................................................................................................. 7
Figure 7 - Joystick Signal Connection ............................................................................................................ 8
Figure 8 - Joystick Ground Connection ......................................................................................................... 8
Figure 9 - Box Wiring..................................................................................................................................... 8
Figure 10 - SD Card Slot................................................................................................................................. 9
Figure 11 - Power, HDMI, Ethernet Ports ..................................................................................................... 9
Figure 12- Raspberry Pi Ports........................................................................................................................ 9
Figure 13 - Raspberry-Pi Pinout .................................................................................................................. 10
Figure 14 - Power, HDMI, Ethernet Connection ......................................................................................... 10
Figure 15 - Raspberry-Pi Connection .......................................................................................................... 10
Figure 16- Controller Template................................................................................................................... 13
Figure 17 - Retro Pi Configuration .............................................................................................................. 13
Figure 18 - Controller Configuration........................................................................................................... 14
Figure 19 - Software Updates ..................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 20 - Emulators.................................................................................................................................. 16
INTRODUCTION
Feeling retro? Well so do we! This ABRA Arcade Kit will blast you back to the past all within the
comforts of your own gaming station. The added bonus is no tokens required to play!
This guide will show you how to connect the buttons and joystick and turn this simple cardboard
box into a realistic game station emulator.
The kit is driven by a Raspberry Pi microprocessor (Version 2 or 3) running Port Pi Arcade
operating system. Port Pi equips the Retro Pie, Emulation Station, RetroArch and Retrogame
emulators. You can also re-image the SD card to run similar operating systems such as PiPlay,
Lakka and Recalbox. Follow these instructions for connecting the pins, screens, power and ethernet
and you’ll be playing your old favorite games in no time.
The emulator supports multiple gaming platforms (Sega, Atari, NES, N64, NDS, Macintosh) and
will run any legally obtained ROMs (a computer file which contains a copy of the data from a
read-only memory chip, often from a video game cartridge)
The emulator allows you to configure the buttons in any order and adjust settings like screen
resolution and audio. The Raspberry-Pi connects to any HDMI screen.

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1 - BILL OF MATERIALS
1 x Arcade Style Joystick [GAMES-05]
6 x Arcade Style Button
Black [COM-09339] White [COM-09340] Blue [COM-09337]
Red [COM-09336] Yellow [COM-09338] Green [COM-09341]
1 x Female-Female Jumper 40x12” Wires [793-ADA]
100 x Solderless Terminal Lugs ¼” [12-1610-100]
10 x M3 Mounting Screws [FIT0061]
1 x SD card loaded with Porta Pi operating system software
[BBB-16GB-10]
1.1 - REQUIRED TOOLS
Raspberry Pi 2 or 3
HDMI cable (or RCA or VGA)
Monitor Screen and Speakers
Box Cutting Knife
Hobbyist Screwdriver
Wire Cutters/Strippers
Handheld Multi-meter
Wire Crimping Tool
Hot Glue Gun

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2–ASSEMBLY
2.1 –ARCADE BOX
The first step in assembling our Arcade kit is to prepare the box. Conveniently, the box this
product came in was designed to be easily converted into the arcade. Carefully cut out the
slots for buttons and joystick. However, feel free to use any box or casing you have in mind or
re-arrange the buttons and joystick any way you like.
Figure 1- Box Template
2.2 –BUTTON & JOYSTICK WIRING
Once your case is prepared, we can move on to wiring. In this step we are creating custom cables
which can be a little bit tricky. (The longer the wire, the easier it is to connect in the box.)
Figure 2 - Signal Wire
You will need 10 of these. Make sure all are working before proceeding.
1Cut off one end of the wire and strip it to expose the bare wire (a few mm)
2Twist or fold the bare wire so that it seems large enough for crimping
3Place the red crimp connector in the crimping tool and feed the wire into the socket (not too
far)
4Squeeze the crimping tool to crush the connector and fix the wire in place. (repeat if
necessary)
5Give the wire a gentle tug to check it does not come loose.

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6In dire situations, a dab of solder, hot glue or shrink wrap can ensure the wires are properly
fastened.
7Check the wire was done properly by testing its continuity/conductivity with a multi-meter
(use the meter in diode mode and place the leads on either end of the cable. If the screen
shows a value or beeps, your connection is good.)
Figure 3 - Button Ground Wire
You will need 1 of these. Make sure all are working before proceeding.
Follow the same steps as above except for stripping and tying 2 wires together before crimping
leaving only 1 female connector at the end for the Raspberry-Pi. Color-coding is a good idea here.
This cable is for grounding all the buttons together. Make sure to check the continuity at each
connection node and the whole length of the cable.
Figure 4 - Joystick Ground Wire
You will need 1 of these. Make sure all are working before proceeding.

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Repeat the same step as above with 4 connections. This cable of for grounding the joystick
switches. Color-coding is a good idea here. Make sure to check the continuity at each connection
node and the whole length of the cable.
Figure 5 - Button Ground Connection
Connect the common grounds of all buttons (bottom pin) with the cable we made. Color-coding
is a good idea here.
Figure 6 - Button Signal Connection
Connect the button signal wires (2nd pin) using the wires we made before. These wires will connect
to the Raspberry-Pi.

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Figure 8 - Joystick Ground Connection
Play with the joystick and identify each direction of motion with respect to how it will be mounted
in the box. (Don’t worry if you get this backwards, you can re-assign the directions in the software
later). Using the joystick cable we made before, connect the common ground cables (you may have
to bend the tabs a little bit)
Similarly for the buttons, we now connect the signal wires for the joystick. (You may have to bend
the tabs a little bit.)
Figure 9 - Box Wiring
Figure 7 - Joystick Signal Connection

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With all the wires connected, we can insert the hardware into the box. Screw in the buttons and
screw down the joystick.
2.3 –RASPBERRY PI CONNECTIONS
At this stage, we wire the Raspberry-Pi and seal up the box. Place the Raspberry-Pi inside the box
at a convenient location that allows all the wires to reach it as well as has easy access for power,
ethernet and HDMI cables. Trace the Raspberry-Pi outline with a marker and cut out the ports for
the power, ethernet and HDMI cables. We suggest putting these where they won’t interfere
with the game play. It may be wise to skip ahead and load the operating system and emulator
software onto the board before fastening it inside the arcade box. (Or cut out a small slot
underneath the box to get quick access to the SD card port)
Figure 10 - SD Card Slot
2.3.1 –POWER, HDMI, ETHERNET
Figure 12- Raspberry Pi Ports
Figure 11 - Power, HDMI, Ethernet Ports

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2.3.4 –GPIO
The Raspberry-Pi is easier to program with nothing connected. After you’ve uploaded the
operating system (skip ahead to Section 3-SOFTWARE section), we can connect the GPIO
(General Purpose Input Output) pins as should below.
Figure 14 - Raspberry-Pi Pinout
Figure 15 - Raspberry-Pi Connection
It is a good idea to connect all the wires securely before finally fastening the board and sealing the
box. We’ve also labeled each button so we can easily identify if it needs repairing
Figure 13 - Power, HDMI, Ethernet Connection

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3–SOFTWARE
*** The ABRA PI-ARCADE kit comes with a pre-loaded SD card with the software
operating system (Porta Pi) already installed. Simply insert the SD in the Raspberry-Pi,
connect the wires and power the unit. You can skip ahead to Section 4 - Configuration to load
games and setup the controllers. This section is for re-loading the software in case the disk
image becomes corrupted or you wish to add new software. Never remove the SD card when
the Raspberry Pi is ON ***
The Raspberry-Pi is easier to program with nothing connected. After you’ve uploaded the
operating system you can return back to Section 2 - Assembly. For easy access, perhaps cut
a small hole in the bottom of the box to get the SD card in and out easily.
3.1 –OPERATING SYSTEM DOWNLOAD
This project runs the Porta Pi Arcade Emulator suite available for download here:
http://www.retrobuiltgames.com/porta-pi-arcade-help/porta-pi-software-os-download/
Be sure to choose the correct version for your Raspberry Pi and to extract and save the files
in an ideal location.
Alternatively, you can choose to upload different platforms at this stage. The following steps are
identical. We will go through the steps of formatting and imaging the SD card next.
3.2 –REQUIRED SOFTWARE
The next few steps require some useful tools to make the process go a little easier. It is
recommended to download them all now and have them ready. Extract (unzip) and save these files
in an ideal location. This manual is available on the ABRA website for easier access to the
links. Simply search for “Pi Retro Arcade”
3.2.1 –SD FORMATTER
Please go to https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_4/ , Scroll to the bottom of the webpage
and select the blue box to begin downloading the software. The left box is for Windows and the
right box is for Mac. Linux users can use Gparted or other formatter you may have readily installed.
3.2.2 –DISK IMAGER
Please go to https://etcher.io/ , to download the image writer. The green circle on the web page
will ask what operating system you wish to download and install for. Select your operating system
(Windows, Mac, Linux) and bit processor (32 or 64).

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3.3 –SD FORMATTING
It is always good practice to format a MicroSD card (old or new) before flashing a new operating
system (OS) onto it. Formatting wipes the previous contents off the disk and prepares the hardware
for now data entries. To prevent SD card corruption, always “Safely Remove Hardware”
when the SD card is connected in the computer. Never remove the SD card from the
Raspberry-Pi when it is powered ON. If the SD becomes corrupted, repeat the Formatting
and Imaging steps.
Insert your MicroSD card into your computer using an SD Card reader. Open SD Formatter
software. It should automatically detect your MicroSD Card. Select the Option button. Select the
Format Size Adjustment as ON from the drop-down menu and press OK. Once you are certain this
is the correct device drive, press Format and wait for it to complete. It will then prompt you with
a pop up stating “Format is complete”. Verify the SD contents are empty. Safely remove hardware.
3.4 –SD IMAGE
Re-enter the SD card in your computer. Open Etcher software. Press on the blue button to select
the image. A window will pop up asking to load the operating system. Locate where you have
saved and extracted the previously downloaded Porta Pi OS. Upload the .IMG file and press
“Open” button. It will then prompt to select the MicroSD card. It should automatically find your
MicroSD card and skip to the next process. If you do not see this behavior, please check to see if
you have correctly inserted the MicroSD card into the computer. Once you are certain the drive is
correct, press flash and wait for it to complete the burning process. It may ask for some
permissions, enter “agree” or “okay”. This may take several minutes.
The SD can now be inserted into the Raspberry-Pi. Once the Raspberry-Pi is powered on, a green
flashing LED will indicate that the system is being loaded. Once the flashing stops, your OS is
fully operational.
4–CONFIGURATION
We are almost ready to start playing. The kits is assembled and programmed. All that is left is to
follow these simple configuration settings.
4.2 –CONTROLS
A crucial step in the gaming setup is calibrating the controls properly. Once the system boots for
the first time a welcome screen appears and asks for user input. The next step is to assign controls
for each button. Below is a photo of our recommended button layout however you can re-map and
rename the buttons however you please. This step can be repeated in the RetroPie Configuration
Menu. You can also plug in a USB controller or keyboard to play these games.

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Figure 16- Controller Template
Figure 17 - Retro Pi Configuration

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Figure 18 - Controller Configuration
For each command, press the corresponding button or joystick direction you wish to assign.
If you wish to skip a command, simply hold down a button for 2 seconds. You may not assign
the same button to 2 commands.
4.3 –AUDIO
Audio is an important part of the video game experience. If you have connected your HDMI cable
to a small compatible television set then your audio should be ready to go (provided the game
ROMs includes audio). Simply plugging the HDMI into a computer monitor without speakers will
not provide any audio.
Alternatively, headphones or speakers may be plugged into the Raspberry-Pi’s audio jack directly.
For those who seek the genuine retro gaming experience, you can plug the unit into a CRT
television via the audio jack and RCA cables.
4.4 –INTERNET ACCESS
Internet access is an added bonus to your kit but is not essential for basic functionality. Internet
connection can be useful for updating software or for adding features to your setup.
Raspberry Pi Model 3 can detect Wi-Fi and connect wirelessly to your home router network.
Raspberry Pi Model 2 does not incorporate Wi-Fi compatibility but the internet can be connected
to physically via an Ethernet RJ45 cable plugged to the internet jack or home router.

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4.5 –SOFTWARE UPDATE
The Raspberry Pi community is constantly expanding and contributing its developments. This
means that there are frequent updates to this software package which can be downloaded. It is a
good idea to check them out every month or so. This process does require an internet connection.
Navigate to the Configuration page for RetroPie. Using the arrows and keys, access the
“RETROPIE SETUP”. Select “U Update all installed packages” Update time may depend on the
size of new additions and could take a few minutes.
Figure 19 - Software Updates
4.6 –EMULATORS
In the same RetroPie Configuration –RetroPie Setup Menu, we can configure which emulators to
equip. Select “P Manage Packages”. Next select Experimental or Optional packages. We
recommend “opt”.
A list of emulators will appear and simply select the ones you wish to install. This may take several
minutes.

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Figure 20 - Emulators
4.7 –ADDING ROMS
Now that we have an assembled arcade box, working buttons, screen display, audio and running
emulators, the last step is to add ROMs to our system. The ROMs are the game data themselves
and must be obtained from a reliable and legal source which expands beyond the scope of this
tutorial. Save these ROMs in a folder on your computer.
The ROMs are added to an SD card using a similar imaging technique. Format the SD drive to get
a fresh drive. Create a new folder called “retropie” on the SD and insert it into the Raspberry Pi.
Wait for the flashing light to stop.
Remove the SD and re-insert it into the computer. The ‘retropie’ folder will now have 3 sub folders:
‘BIOS’,’Configs’, and ‘ROMs’. Place your previously downloaded and saved ROMs folder into
this folder. Put the SD drive back into the Raspberry Pi and wait once again for the light to stop
flashing.
Restart the Raspberry-Pi and your game ROMs will be selectable from the main menu. Plug in a
keyboard into a USB slot on the Raspberry Pi, and press F4 to exit the emulator. In the terminal
window, enter the sudo reboot command to restart your system.