Accurate Emulation Arcade

Note: The Accurate Emulation Arcade is best enjoyed by those who are totally new to retro gaming. It is designed to portray an idealized experience of early computing with the best CRTs and (comparatively) infinite storage space, mulling over historical frustrations and limitations.

Amazingly, almost every home computer, arcade machine, and video game console under the PSOne can be emulated; even on a cheap little Raspberry Pi. However, while software and hardware can be easily emulated, the magical experience of using a buzzing CRT monitor, mechanical keyboards, a nice Atari joystick, and a case that looks the part for the 80's just can't be replicated.

However, collecting every single one of these machines is incredibly expensive, and you'll also have to suffering through all of their unsavory downsides (rare and slow floppy disks, weak CPUs); modern workarounds are absolutely not cheap (CFFA cards, Apple ][Pi, etc).

Thus, I had a concept of an "Accurate Emulation Arcade", which would recapture the experience of using an 80's home computer, video game console, or even a tabletop arcade all in one; but emulate all the software and hardware with a Raspberry Pi, so there's no need to suffer through the incredible cost and maintenence issues of ancient hardware. You could run anything from Atari to Apple ][ to NES to Amiga to PSX; but retaining that CRT buzz and the joystick. Retro games simply feel right on a Trinitron CRT; it's what it was designed for.

Since I had a spare Apple ][e case with keyboard, I made it into a (bizarre, but spacious) case for my Raspberry Pi, which emulates good ol' 8-bit computer and arcade games in an authentic Monochrome Green screen Monitor ][ CRT and mechanical-keyswitch environment. It even supports Atari joysticks through a USB adapters (since Apple ][ joysticks were hard to wire and weren't as good anyway).

Inception

The $35 Raspberry Pi is surprisingly powerful enough to emulate any system under the PSOne. I had already heard of similar projects, such as the PortaPi for Arcades; but there was no equivalent for home computers. There were projects to retrofit the Apple ][ or Amiga with the Raspberry Pi for floppy disk emulation, but it relied on expensive, collectible, functioning machines.

It all started when I found an Apple ][e (with monitor and floppy drive) at a liquidation auction for $80. Unfortunately, when I brought it home, apparently I accidentally snapped one of the keystems during delivery. I had to pay another $30 for an entire keyboard, since the keystems had to be desoldered, and they did not sell my weak, white keystems on eBay (only improved black barrel ones which don't fit).

The spare keyboard just happened to come with an entire Apple ][e case. Later on, I managed to desolder and repair the snapped keystem (by 3D printing a replacement), so now I had an extra, empty Apple ][e with a working keyboard.

To get the keyboard working with the Raspberry Pi, I purchased the Retroconnector Apple ][e Arduino USB Keyboard interface. It worked right out of the box.

Casings

Different kinds of casings (and displays) give completely different kinds of experiences. I decided to make three, to fit each specific era of computing and gaming.

• 70's Computing (Monochrome CRT)
  • Apple ][ - I chose an Apple ][e casing since it was cheap, common, and extremely spacious. It also was bundled with a nice little green screen monitor that fit well with the style.
  • Commodore 64/VIC-20 - Another great alternative is a C64 or VIC-20 (both used the same style of casing). Just remember to bring in the Retrobright.
• Early 80's Computing (Basic Color CRT)
  • Amiga 500 - Amigas look quite nice (after you apply retrobright on them, anyway). And if you're frustrated with fumbling around on an NTSC machine, might as well repurpose it for something else.
  • Atari ST or Atari XE - The Amiga's primary competitor, with that winning slanted design.
• Late 80's/90's Computing (Trinitron Color CRT)
  • Apple ][c - The Apple ][c might be a far more portable fit for the Raspberry Pi. Just put it in place of the floppy drive.
  • Apple ][GS - Cheap, and looks great with that Snow White design.
  • IBM Personal Wheelwriter 2 - I used this broken typewriter as a casing thanks to it's Model M-style buckling spring keyboard, and (generally) flat cover.
• Laptop Era (HDMI) - The day we currently live in. Maybe in the future, when smartphones and tablets have taken over, we might need a Laptop casing to get a feel for the past.
  • Motorola Lapdock

Apple ][e (8-bit)

The Apple ][ casing (with green monochrome Apple Monitor ][) is designed to emulate early home computers and video game consoles, generally from around the 70's; such as the Apple ][ (of course), the Commodore 64, the Atari 800, Atari 7800. It also functions as an awesome authentic green-screen terminal, for Linux. However, the monochrome monitor, while awesome, makes it suitable only for games and programs that don't use color.

• Apple ][e Keyboard (no keypad) A moderately good mechanical keyboard. There's no click and it's silent, so it's more akin to Cherry MX Red than the buckling springs I prefer. However, gamers usually prefer the smooth Red switches anyway. Use Retroconnector's $45 Apple IIe Keyboard USB adapter to plug this in to a computer/Raspberry Pi.
• Apple Monitor ][ - A green screen Monochrome CRT monitor used for that classic 80's terminal look. It uses NTSC Component output and flashes quickly for it's time; compatible with the Raspberry Pi (though Model B+ units will need a camcorder to RCA jack adapter). It's great for the basic Pong, but also the 80's "haxx" feel of a terminal. The FISH Shell on Linux fits well with it. However, it obviously has no color, so look to the next generation for
• Atari Joysticks - These analog joysticks are cheap, but amazing. It's for games that only needed one button. Thanks to a USB adapter, you can plug in two joysticks.
  • While we could use an Apple ][ joystick to fit with the style, they simply weren't as good, aren't as common, and require more expensive USB adapters.
• Accessories Storage - The Apple ][e's extremely spacious, "luggable" case allows it to hold a ton of accessories along with the tiny Raspberry Pi board; making it a perfect all-in-one emulation station (though you should take out most of the stuff, since the monitor is sitting on top of the box!). The PSU slot even makes a great place to mount a surge protector, to power anything inside. The expansion card holes can be used for letting extra wires out. The Raspberry Pi's ports can be mounted in the Cassette tape/Video out slot.

IBM Personal Wheelwriter 2 - Gutted (16-bit)

The IBM Personal Wheelwriter casing (with Sony Trinitron) is designed to emulate rich, vibrant color graphics for the amazing Amiga, Atari ST, and Apple ][GS 16-bit home computers, and any video game console that was primarily used before the advent of LCD flat panel displays (NES, SNES, N64, Genesis, Saturn, PSX).

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I found this thing for $10 at a liquidation store. Unfortunately, the typewriter mechanism was clogged up, and I had no idea how to fix it, so I stripped it all out. Neither did I have the will or need to; the store just happened to have fully-functional Wheelwriter 1000 for $20. What this thing did have was an amazing buckling-spring keyboard, just like the legendary IBM Model M; so it was a no brainer.

It's a little larger than the Apple ][e,

• IBM Buckling Spring Keyboard - This typewriter came with a very nice buckling-spring keyboard that recalls the IBM Selectrics of old. I've developed a USB Controller for the Wheelwriter keyboard, adapted from PhosphorGlow's IBM Model M Teensy USB Keyboard.
• Sony Trinitron PVM Series - The Trinitron-type Monitors are some of the very best CRT tubes ever produced, so they are the go-to TV if you want vibrant colors. The PVM series are based on RGB BNC cables, and you can easily buy a VGA to BNC adapter to use with these vibrant monitors. Check this guide for more info on using it with retro gaming.
  • The Wheelwriter has a solid flip top door and should hold a nice CRT monitor on top (the smaller PW2 and W1000 may need some plating and stabilizers though).
• PS3 Controller - While we could try to get expensive NES/SNES USB controller adapters; why bother when you can use a PS3 Controller? Sure, it might seem anachronistic, but it's cheap and common, has the best buttons, has rumble features, and comes with two integrated analog joysticks.
• Nunchucky - For Atari/Home computer joystick games, it might be better to use the Wii Nunchuck, which is incredibly easy to find, accurate, and cheap. Use the Nunchucky Breakout with an RPi or a Teensy pins to turn it into a USB joystick.
• Accessories Storage - "It's even got a door! What is this, a console, or a walk-in closet?" - AVGN. Like the Apple ][e, the massive space in the gutted Wheelwriter makes it great for holding accessories or wires in (for packing and lugging, obviously). However, the door may need to be strengthened, and set up with a latching mechanism to make it practical to lug around.

Motorola Lapdock (HDMI)

A very nice little 13" IPS portable HDMI display, with it's own battery, USB keyboard, and touchpad for on-the-go usage. It turns your Raspberry Pi into a laptop! Due to the serious failure of Motorola's Webtop initiative, these nice builds can be found for just $50 or so on eBay.

Though at this point, you might as well use a real laptop. But in the future, if laptops ever get consigned to the past (quite likely in the decade of smartphones and tablets); maybe people will need this setup to bring back the experience.

For playing modern games in full color and high resolution.

Teletype Setups

Before CRT monitors became cheap and useful enough for text, computer terminals for mainframes usually used typewriters to print output and commands right onto text. It was magical; and slow and clunky.

Daisywheel Teletype Casing

A casing; of sorts. Unlike the others, this system should be a daisywheel printer, connected to a Raspberry Pi for serial terminal/teletype/printer usage. It is particularly amazing to go back to an older time where the mechanical and electronic came together as one; in the teletypewriter, which used a roll of paper instead of a TV tube to display output from a mainframe.

Normally, I would prefer the IBM Wheelwriter itself for a teletype system. Unfortunately, very few of those machines came with the "PC Printer Option", which added a serial card. A keyboard + Raspberry Pi with an IBM/Xerox/Commodore/Apple ][ daisywheel printer (which works exactly like a typewriter, just no built in keyboard, and remove the top cover for viewing) is the next best thing. Might need to set it up with a driver that types in real time...

IBM Wheelwriter Teletype/Printer

The IBM Wheelwriter is the last, and greatest typewriter of it's day. It has buckling springs that are designed to recall the mechanical feel of the IBM Selectric. It has word erasure, and word processing capabilities; more expensive models have page reprint, form filling and floppy storage capabilities. Others have handy LCD displays, and the 5000 series even has VGA monitor output!

IBM Wheelwriters are generally incredibly cheap at liquidation stores (since they are in low demand), but surprisingly expensive on eBay ($100-300) and elsewhere ($500-1000) due to shipping and markup for a specific (rich federal/lawyer) audience. It's for hardcore collectors only; or lucky laymen.

You can buy your own reconditioned models (for hundreds of dollars!) at Heaster and Lawson or from Batchelor Business Machines. Extra ribbons and correction tape are extremely common and dirt cheap, at $8 apiece.

Unfortunately, Wheelwriters that came with a PC Printer Option installed were rare and expensive in their day, though they did sometimes come as default with the more expensive Wheelwriter 3000 or 5000 models. Most Wheelwriter models support the Printer Option expansion (check the Lexmark manuals for more info), though there two different types for the large (WW5, WW1500) and the small (PWW2, WW1000). Photos and installation instructions can be found here. Someone who is handy with an Arduino might be able to create an alternative.

Generally, the good ol' PostScript Daisywheel printer drivers on Windows and Linux should work fine. Also, you will have to figure out how to interface a serial terminal to it on your own, since there is little documentation and few people have tried it.

IBM Selectric Teletype

If you really want to get vintage and mechanical, it is possible to convert a 1960's IBM Selectric into a teletype/printer. It takes a little bit of wiring and juryrigging to set up (but not as much as you might imagine, thanks to the Selectric's mechanical binary arms). However, the result is simply amazing; plunging you into an earlier time of mainframes and telex terminals.

RGB/SCART Monitors

Unlike lame old NTSC component broadcast signals, RGB sends the raw color info to the TV. This results in the clearest picture quality possible. In Europe, nearly every TV came with a SCART input.

Unfortunately, in the US, RGB output systems never gained a foothold in the consumer market. On the other hand, you can find high quality Sony Trinitron PVM and, better yet, BVM television sets on eBay quite easily. These (once) incredibly expensive sets were commonly used by newscasters, hospitals, video production, and other professional venues

The downside is that while the TV sets are common (especially in California), the costs of all the converters can strain your budget. Not to mention that the TVs are heavy and fragile, so make sure you take out insurance and prepare to pay a lot for decent shipping.

But the display is what really makes a game great. The experience is worth every penny; it's the very best CRT display you can ever get, and it's worth playing games in their original environment.

• Sony Trinitron PVM
• Best CRT and RGB systems for Retro Gaming

BNC Converters

Don't let the BNC plugs scare you away, they are simply more secure, high quality jacks, but can be converted to RCA and VGA jacks with no loss. You can even connect an NTSC component cable to the "Scan" jack, by using an RCA to BNC adapter.

Since VGA is an analog output that is basically a condensed version of RGB, you can just plug in any random computer into a Trinitron PVM/BVM (perhaps even your gaming rig), by using a BNC adapter.

If you are using a Raspberry Pi; grab the newest Model B+ (the one with 40 pins) and plug in Gert's GPIO VGA Breakout Board; and then a BNC converter. The breakout board provides analog output with no lag, at maximum quality. Unfortunately, since Gert's VGA board is under production, and it's a "some assembly required" kit. You will need to put in a preorder with a holdover time of 1 month; on the other hand, since the design is open-source, you can easily build your own.