Gorgeous case. Few thoughts I had while watching your build: - Speakers: I'd definately purchase a high end 2.1 PC speaker set, disassemble from its casing and add subwoofer/left+right speakers - making a hole on the bottom of the case covered with a grill for the SW speaker, and 2 holes on the top (or one on each side) for the L+R speakers; - Front controls: I'd make them functional - e.g., to operate the controls on the 10" LCD monitor's control board. - USB location: I'd position the RPi so that the USB ports would be available from the outside (e.g., one of the sides), so for example, installing an external keyboard or a different gamepad/joystick would be much simpler to do. Those are things I'd definately want to do if I was going to build this cabinet for myself.
Nothing I would change, and you cannot even tell that there was any damage to the veneer at all. Great work, and love all the details that you thought were important like the knobs, and the feet. Beautiful and functional too!
When I veneer, I find it easy to cut out those shapes, like where your speaker holes are, with a drywall plunge router on a low setting. It works like a charm on old fancy radio cut-outs. Great work, though all around!
Cool project and great result. I love these kind of "see as we go" projects. It's like solving a whole bunch of (mini) puzzles while creating something beautiful.
I enjoyed this video. I liked being able to go along as you were figuring things out and having to redo different portions. You are a clever and talented guy. Nice work.
Yeah it's always nice to see the design process and the mistakes along the way, you learn WAY MORE that way and it makes ya feel like your along for the ride.
Nice recovery on the veneer. As for improvements, think about making those knobs functional. Easy additions would be a power switch and volume knob. More advanced options might be rigging up something to control the screen brightness and maybe even somehow have a "channel" knob that's used to select the games.
Love the cabinet..... If I were to replicate your idea, I'd probably replace the front fake knobs with retro style LED's for power indication, as well as a retro push button for power, and a retro volume knob for volume. That way the knobs are functional as well as decorative.
Awesome process and tools. I build with a similar spirit, but with less varied and effective tools. I really need a table saw and the mounted router bit.
I really like how it turned out! I think you achieved the look you were going for. The buttons on the front and the grill cloth look great! I think the gold/black paint on the edge was a nice touch too.
Brilliant man. One of those knobs could adjust speaker. Love the build. Back in the day, I did a cherry wood humidor PC that was on the NYT mag. But building wood from scratch... I cannot. lol. Would love to have one of these for the kids!
This was really cool! I've got an old Defender cabinet that I'm hoping to put a RetroPie setup inside, and this gave me some great ideas for how to solve some problems I had in conceptualizing
I really enjoyed this video. A member of the family built an arcade cabinet. It is about 5 or 6 foot high and two can play some of the games. He did a great job of building it. These would make great Christmas gifts. Keep up the good work. (Please)
That build is amazing. I have always loved the "old wood box" TV look from the 50's and 60's. You asked for some feedback so here is mine. 1) It would be cool if you routed a switch to one of the front buttons, and maybe a volume knob to another. 2) Think about routing a USB port to the side of the box or the front in one of the grills for easier use of a corded gamepad and to add new ROMs to RetroPie using the USB service that it provides.
Everything looked great. Good first time build. Suggestions. 1. Bezel the screen. The gold would look great with a bezel facing the viewer. 2. Stereo speakers. Your missing out good audio on some games. 3. I saw others say 4:3 but yeah finding a 4:3 hdmi screen is hard. You probably will never use the rest of the screen except in menus in retro-Pie. Might want to load Kodi. 4. Wireless. Get a Bluetooth dongle and pick up a pair of controllers from 8bit-do.. 5. Make a matching wood arcade stick for mame games!
Very good job... would you be willing to due another one with some small modifications to it.... one use solid pine wood, two create an on/off switch, three add 2 small speaker, also front or side USB ports for controller and a Bluetooth add on for wireless controller and last two or one small fan on rear for ventilation.... also what screen model did you use for your project....
I've been a huge fan of emulation since around 2001 and have been following all types of mods, emulation handhelds, arcade cabs, ras.pie builds etc ever since and I have to say this is one of if not the most uniqe snd impressive designs I've seen to day. I've really loved all the raspberry pie arcade cabs tgats have been popping up since the boards been out but me personally have never found any arcade type or form factor atractive and pleasing to the eye, but this bro u nailed it. The retro tv/radio vibe just pours from the thing and it's spot on a such a sexy piece of hardware, shit more like a piece of furniture thats more of an art piece, very very impressed.
Gotta be some kinda functional buttons like power switch or screen color/saturation adjustments, or volume up/down etc. Not those black ones only do decoration. Besides, how does your wired controller reach the pi?
Clearly a lot of love went in to this build. It looks like you've got a great workshop there and clearly have a great eye for detail and a keen sense of 'doing it right'. Inspiring. I didn't know what to expect when I stumbled across this video. Perhaps more of the internals side of things. I was pleasantly surprised. More than anything it's a great show of techniques for cabinet design and build - especially given you were making up a lot of it as you went along. There were only two things I was a little surprised about. (1) You use nails for almost everything you didn't use glue for - were you ever worried about splitting the wood? and; (2) you chose a 16:9 aspect ratio screen when the game at the end has a narrower aspect - shame to put all that effort in and then live with black bars either side 'at runtime'!
Thanks! Yeah I wanted to focus more on the cabinet than the internals because setting the pi up was super simple and quick and there are tons of tutorials on that already. 1. I wasn't worried about splitting because I covered it with veneer so it hid any blemishes. 2. It's hard to find a 4:3 screen that wasn't an old CRT monitor so I just went with the 16:9. The black bars don't bother me really but it would have been better to have a 4:3 screen.
What a neat idea! Here's a couple ideas to extend your truly amazing work: Port access: it would be cool to have a slide panel that reveals access to the USB and ETH ports. Using an extension for the micro SD to put it near the ports (if possible, a full size SD slot to make it easier). Rechargeable battery: The coolest thing to bring into a long RV trip, like portable TVs or Portable Record Players. A Handle: Keeping with the portable motif. Yes a tablet to watch movies or play video games would be "easier" but your works looks like a fantastically nostalgic way to watch streaming services (now that one can download their content). Cheers!
Very slick and clean looking retro TV man! I would probably put a little audio amp that controls the volume for the knobs to be functional and maybe a power on/off switch there too.
stumbled across your channel. Man you are one talented bloke. so many projecta ill have to add to the to do list (that the mrs will be overjoyed about).
I woulda had some I/O out the back and had the knobs function, maybe volume, power a couple selection buttons for the retro pi. Just a thought, it's great already though, I'd love to own it as is!
Yeah to be honest I just wasnt sure how to do it so I didn't attempt it in fear of screwing the front face up. I appreciate the feedback and the support (in your other comments too, btw!). Thanks man.
i want ask..is possibile to use it with a laptop monitor.i mean.i have my old laptop that not work anymore..i could use it as a case ..raspberry would be able to use the laptop monitor for work and all other part like speaker?
you'd need a control board for the laptop lcd and an amplifier for the speakers. so yes it's very possible to make a raspberry laptop, if you've got the competence
To help a little I added the little heatsinks to the chips on the pi. I will keep an eye on the heat and if it becomes an issue I will stick a little fan in it. Thanks for watching!
Bravo!!! Nice work and my points for you are 10/10. I never belived that I know everything but I believe am very good on it. The nice on your video is that you gave me a very good tip and great ideas to build retro devices!!Thanks a lot. I will stay waching!
I was thinking of making something very similar just today as my wife and I are planning our living room. We need to build a few book shelves, set up for a turntable, and because we use a projector for movie nights, I was thinking of a small console with built in screen for the Raspberry Pi. My preference would be wood, like you have done here. Great stuff. My only question, where do you plug in your controllers?
Hey, Nice video! Definitely will be making this and will be similar to yours. As I was watching your video I saw that you added speakers. Where did you get them? I couldn't find it in your description. Does anybody have any ideas what I can do for sound? I would actually like the knobs to control the volume.
Very nice Cabinet top marks :), Veneer is always a difficult thing to work with. Steam in the iron helps bending it, As for your speakers well you could of done better, They sell a lot of good quality lower priced speakers these days, Like a small sub/tweeter/crossover mix, or even car speakers , Like the the sub could of been on the bottom and the tweeter/mid range out the front . A small tube amp kit could of worked nicely also the tubes glowing on the top, They sell DIY tube amp kits on aliexpress.
Gorgeous case. Few thoughts I had while watching your build:
- Speakers: I'd definately purchase a high end 2.1 PC speaker set, disassemble from its casing and add subwoofer/left+right speakers - making a hole on the bottom of the case covered with a grill for the SW speaker, and 2 holes on the top (or one on each side) for the L+R speakers;
- Front controls: I'd make them functional - e.g., to operate the controls on the 10" LCD monitor's control board.
- USB location: I'd position the RPi so that the USB ports would be available from the outside (e.g., one of the sides), so for example, installing an external keyboard or a different gamepad/joystick would be much simpler to do.
Those are things I'd definately want to do if I was going to build this cabinet for myself.
Nothing I would change, and you cannot even tell that there was any damage to the veneer at all. Great work, and love all the details that you thought were important like the knobs, and the feet. Beautiful and functional too!
When I veneer, I find it easy to cut out those shapes, like where your speaker holes are, with a drywall plunge router on a low setting. It works like a charm on old fancy radio cut-outs. Great work, though all around!
Cool project and great result. I love these kind of "see as we go" projects. It's like solving a whole bunch of (mini) puzzles while creating something beautiful.
Don't notice the crack at all! Snazzy looking cabinet. Love it!
Thanks!
I enjoyed this video. I liked being able to go along as you were figuring things out and having to redo different portions. You are a clever and talented guy. Nice work.
Thank you!
Yeah it's always nice to see the design process and the mistakes along the way, you learn WAY MORE that way and it makes ya feel like your along for the ride.
That is a beautiful build! I love the idea of modern electronics in the shell of a 70s look. Cool stuff.
All you need is a small set of rabbit ears to top it off. Great work
Nice recovery on the veneer. As for improvements, think about making those knobs functional. Easy additions would be a power switch and volume knob. More advanced options might be rigging up something to control the screen brightness and maybe even somehow have a "channel" knob that's used to select the games.
30s of the beginning of the video was enough to get my like. Congratulations!
Love the cabinet.....
If I were to replicate your idea, I'd probably replace the front fake knobs with retro style LED's for power indication, as well as a retro push button for power, and a retro volume knob for volume. That way the knobs are functional as well as decorative.
Fake rabbit ears would be cool. However it's awesome already
The paper scribbling, to get the screw placement is a really good idea!
Awesome process and tools. I build with a similar spirit, but with less varied and effective tools. I really need a table saw and the mounted router bit.
That turned out great for going at it with no plans. That's how I like to build.
Well done, who gave him a thumbs down. This is craftsmanship at it's best.
I really like how it turned out! I think you achieved the look you were going for. The buttons on the front and the grill cloth look great! I think the gold/black paint on the edge was a nice touch too.
Thanks Bruce!
Now here's an artist. Holy moses I'm stunned!
Appreciate the kind words!
Brilliant man. One of those knobs could adjust speaker.
Love the build. Back in the day, I did a cherry wood humidor PC that was on the NYT mag. But building wood from scratch... I cannot. lol.
Would love to have one of these for the kids!
Very nice project, really enjoyed listening to your work process. Looks great.
Thank you!
This was really cool! I've got an old Defender cabinet that I'm hoping to put a RetroPie setup inside, and this gave me some great ideas for how to solve some problems I had in conceptualizing
Looks like a cute little retro tv - nice one!
I really enjoyed this video. A member of the family built an arcade cabinet. It is about 5 or 6 foot high and two can play some of the games. He did a great job of building it. These would make great Christmas gifts. Keep up the good work. (Please)
awesome work brother!
Appreciate it!
That build is amazing. I have always loved the "old wood box" TV look from the 50's and 60's.
You asked for some feedback so here is mine.
1) It would be cool if you routed a switch to one of the front buttons, and maybe a volume knob to another.
2) Think about routing a USB port to the side of the box or the front in one of the grills for easier use of a corded gamepad and to add new ROMs to RetroPie using the USB service that it provides.
Everything looked great. Good first time build.
Suggestions.
1. Bezel the screen. The gold would look great with a bezel facing the viewer.
2. Stereo speakers. Your missing out good audio on some games.
3. I saw others say 4:3 but yeah finding a 4:3 hdmi screen is hard. You probably will never use the rest of the screen except in menus in retro-Pie. Might want to load Kodi.
4. Wireless. Get a Bluetooth dongle and pick up a pair of controllers from 8bit-do..
5. Make a matching wood arcade stick for mame games!
Thanks! I am actually making the matching gamepad soon.
Very nice. Have you given any thought to connecting the knobs to the Pi?
Good work but i have two question: where you put usb in case? and why you dont make this button in top work, to power on and vol up etc
Very good job... would you be willing to due another one with some small modifications to it.... one use solid pine wood, two create an on/off switch, three add 2 small speaker, also front or side USB ports for controller and a Bluetooth add on for wireless controller and last two or one small fan on rear for ventilation.... also what screen model did you use for your project....
craftsmanship at its finest... I love it!!!! you should have customized your gamepad as well
Thank you! I'm actually working on a customized gamepad as we speak ! Subscribe and stay tuned!
+Sean from SimpleCove subscribed!!
+Sean from SimpleCove how long did the job take minus time lapsed lol
It took me about a week working on it after work.
I think it's looks brilliant, well done a great job.
I appreciate it Eden!
I've been a huge fan of emulation since around 2001 and have been following all types of mods, emulation handhelds, arcade cabs, ras.pie builds etc ever since and I have to say this is one of if not the most uniqe snd impressive designs I've seen to day. I've really loved all the raspberry pie arcade cabs tgats have been popping up since the boards been out but me personally have never found any arcade type or form factor atractive and pleasing to the eye, but this bro u nailed it. The retro tv/radio vibe just pours from the thing and it's spot on a such a sexy piece of hardware, shit more like a piece of furniture thats more of an art piece, very very impressed.
Thank you! That's awesome to hear! I've got a couple more builds coming up that may interest you as well, so stay tuned!
Cool idea - like the unique project idea, gets you thinking. Keep it up!
Gotta be some kinda functional buttons like power switch or screen color/saturation adjustments, or volume up/down etc. Not those black ones only do decoration. Besides, how does your wired controller reach the pi?
Very nice build. What I was wondering is is there a way to make those knobs on the front do something such as on/of switching and or volume control?
Clearly a lot of love went in to this build. It looks like you've got a great workshop there and clearly have a great eye for detail and a keen sense of 'doing it right'. Inspiring.
I didn't know what to expect when I stumbled across this video. Perhaps more of the internals side of things. I was pleasantly surprised. More than anything it's a great show of techniques for cabinet design and build - especially given you were making up a lot of it as you went along.
There were only two things I was a little surprised about. (1) You use nails for almost everything you didn't use glue for - were you ever worried about splitting the wood? and; (2) you chose a 16:9 aspect ratio screen when the game at the end has a narrower aspect - shame to put all that effort in and then live with black bars either side 'at runtime'!
Thanks! Yeah I wanted to focus more on the cabinet than the internals because setting the pi up was super simple and quick and there are tons of tutorials on that already.
1. I wasn't worried about splitting because I covered it with veneer so it hid any blemishes.
2. It's hard to find a 4:3 screen that wasn't an old CRT monitor so I just went with the 16:9. The black bars don't bother me really but it would have been better to have a 4:3 screen.
This is awesome. I think a small faux "rabbit ear" antennae would be really cool.
Yeah I agree. Thanks for watching!
Excellent video and so well edited. great lighting etc etc. Subbed!
Thank you!
What a neat idea! Here's a couple ideas to extend your truly amazing work:
Port access: it would be cool to have a slide panel that reveals access to the USB and ETH ports. Using an extension for the micro SD to put it near the ports (if possible, a full size SD slot to make it easier).
Rechargeable battery: The coolest thing to bring into a long RV trip, like portable TVs or Portable Record Players.
A Handle: Keeping with the portable motif.
Yes a tablet to watch movies or play video games would be "easier" but your works looks like a fantastically nostalgic way to watch streaming services (now that one can download their content).
Cheers!
Looks so good. Great work
Wow, nice build!
Wish I had acess to tools like yours so I could build a similar build.
Love the design. Really cool build here!
Thank you!!
Very interesting build Sean! I have to try that heat lock glue. Looks like it worked out very well!
Thanks Guy! Yeah it worked out well, just not the person applying the veneer lol.
Dude you are the man, that build is so awesome.
Very slick and clean looking retro TV man! I would probably put a little audio amp that controls the volume for the knobs to be functional and maybe a power on/off switch there too.
Thanks! I agree with your suggestions and I will probably make it in version 2 of the console.
Do you have plans for this, or any wiring diagrams or photos for the raspberry pi? @SimpleCove
Absolutely amazing mate! Great built!
stumbled across your channel. Man you are one talented bloke. so many projecta ill have to add to the to do list (that the mrs will be overjoyed about).
Glad to hear! Thanks for watching!
Nice craftsmanship, looks amazing great job.
Thanks!
hi How did you setup the speaker? does it have an amp or directly connected to the pi?
Great work! Very pretty cabinet!
If I had your skills and expertise, for the empty space, I would included a tiny shelf as storage for my NES cartridges. This video was very inspiring
subscribed!
Thank you! I've got a couple more builds lined up around this topic so stay tuned!
I am thoroughly impressed!!!!
Hey, you could use some Wood Filler in this little gaps and then fine sand it! This would go for a more uniform surface (Sorry for the English)
That looks very nice.
nice setup. I wouldn't change a thing on the build. nice work
Appreciate it Johnathan!
very nice work. one question . how do you plug in your controller??
Classic!
Thanks for doing it!
You're welcome!
Awesome cabinet dude!!
This is amazing,well done
After making this, have you noticed its hard to get things done like eating?
very cool ,looks great
Thanks man!
super cool man! I saw the veneer breaking on instagram so I was curious about hte final result. fantastic!
Thanks dude! Yeah I was a little concerned but it came out great. Thanks for watching!
Pretty cool looking, I would like to build a full arcade but finding the time and the tools have been an issue. Good build!
Thank you!
that's awesome dude. thanks for the sharing. i definitely think you succeeded.
Great work. Good size too!
Thank you
Awesome! I'm going to make a project based on your work, but I'm going to use an old PC that I have.
Great job brother how much coast this consol if i want one like this to made it for me ? and can i play any game of my chose ? thank you
i seriously want to get into crafts like this
Beautiful piece. Congratz!
Thank you!
What a great build this was, thanks for sharing mate. Looking to watching more you. Subbed!!
I appreciate your support.
looks awesome. reminds me of coleco vision
Amazing work
Appreciate it!
Really great build, nice work!
Appreciate it!
I woulda had some I/O out the back and had the knobs function, maybe volume, power a couple selection buttons for the retro pi. Just a thought, it's great already though, I'd love to own it as is!
Yeah to be honest I just wasnt sure how to do it so I didn't attempt it in fear of screwing the front face up. I appreciate the feedback and the support (in your other comments too, btw!). Thanks man.
This is fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
Looks badass dude. Great job.
Thank you!
Whoa that is awesome. It probably was really hard.
Yeah it was tough for sure. Thanks for watching!
Really cool looking man.
this is a god tier build
jesus - raspberry pi all over my face
i want ask..is possibile to use it with a laptop monitor.i mean.i have my old laptop that not work anymore..i could use it as a case ..raspberry would be able to use the laptop monitor for work and all other part like speaker?
you'd need a control board for the laptop lcd and an amplifier for the speakers. so yes it's very possible to make a raspberry laptop, if you've got the competence
hi there buddy how much would it cost me for you to build one of these for me I live in the UK
I don't build things to sell unfortunately. Thanks for watching!
awsome!! you might want to add a little fan to keep the pi happy and cool.
To help a little I added the little heatsinks to the chips on the pi. I will keep an eye on the heat and if it becomes an issue I will stick a little fan in it. Thanks for watching!
Really nice build. Thanks for the video.
Thanks Joseph!
Bravo!!! Nice work and my points for you are 10/10. I never belived that I know everything but I believe am very good on it. The nice on your video is that you gave me a very good tip and great ideas to build retro devices!!Thanks a lot. I will stay waching!
I was thinking of making something very similar just today as my wife and I are planning our living room. We need to build a few book shelves, set up for a turntable, and because we use a projector for movie nights, I was thinking of a small console with built in screen for the Raspberry Pi. My preference would be wood, like you have done here. Great stuff. My only question, where do you plug in your controllers?
In the back. In the video I show me cutting a door
Beautiful build mate.
Thanks!
Looks gorgeous!!
Hey,
Nice video! Definitely will be making this and will be similar to yours. As I was watching your video I saw that you added speakers. Where did you get them? I couldn't find it in your description.
Does anybody have any ideas what I can do for sound? I would actually like the knobs to control the volume.
Thanks! I just found a cheap set of PC speakers and ripped them out.
A jewel, nice work
Looks great - top work!
Need to build one of these using an old CRT!
you just need to put fan on your pi and overclock it ;) some usb ports would be nice too so you dont need to open back side to acces them
This is f'ng awesome! Nicelly done!!!
Thanks!
Sweet project! It really turned out nice Sean!
Thanks for watching Donny!
Very nice Cabinet top marks :), Veneer is always a difficult thing to work with. Steam in the iron helps bending it, As for your speakers well you could of done better, They sell a lot of good quality lower priced speakers these days, Like a small sub/tweeter/crossover mix, or even car speakers , Like the the sub could of been on the bottom and the tweeter/mid range out the front . A small tube amp kit could of worked nicely also the tubes glowing on the top, They sell DIY tube amp kits on aliexpress.
It looks great man
Great job and well put together video.
This is unbelievably cool. Thanks for sharing. Loved watching this.
Do you just use wireless controllers, or how does that work?
I cut a hole in the back door in the video for running the cables through it. Thanks for watching!
very nice dude, it's a artwork. Awesome!