If you have a Raspberry Pi connected to the TV in the living room to play the odd game through its emulators, pay attention to this table because it can be the ideal complement and the envy of all your friends. Although if they don’t stop going to your house later with the excuse of having coffee with you when they really just want to play, it is not our fault.
The perfect table for the Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi can be used for just about anything you can think of. From creating a versatile multimedia player to a network storage system as well as various home automation and robotics projects. However, one of the main uses and where it performs best is related to the emulation issue.
As you may already know, this small board is capable of emulating classic video game systems such as arcade games or 8 and 16-bit consoles. That is why it is normal to find a multitude of accessories related to the subject, from cases with the design of retro consoles to gamepads. Although one of the best is undoubtedly this Coffee Table.
Created by the Love Hulten company, this coffee table hides its biggest secret in its main drawer: two controls in true arcade style . Thanks to them, once connected to the Raspberry Pi you could play MAME classics or other systems on the TV in the living room whenever you wanted and in a very similar way to what you could experience in the old arcades (assuming you are already a certain age) .
Attractive? For us it is. The problem is that to get one you have to ask for it in a personalized way and that can increase the cost. But having seen how it is, why not create your own. Do you want to know how you could do it and what you should take into account? Keep reading.
How to Build Your Dashboard with Raspberry Pi Controllers
To build a table like Love Hulten’s, all you need is a bit of skill, patience, and the necessary components. The latter is the easiest to achieve, because Amazon sells numerous arcade kits consisting of one or more joysticks and their respective pushbuttons (buttons).
The only thing you should know is that these controllers offer two different connection options. On the one hand there are those that go directly to the GPIO connector and require a bit more configuration. And that complicates a bit for those who do not have much knowledge. And on the other there are kits with boards with a USB controller that is much easier to connect.
The latter are the ones that we recommend purchasing. They are not much more expensive and there are all kinds of them, both in terms of design and for one or two players. Some interesting options are these that we leave you below.
Once you have your Raspberry Pi, the drivers and everything is working correctly, the next step is to create your own table. Here if you have skill and the necessary tools you could create your own design. Or, much easier, adapt one already manufactured.
If you are looking for one with a drawer, just make sure that the height allows you to insert both the joysticks and the buttons . So, with a little patience, you will be able to build your own coffee table and play your Raspberry Pi in a different way.
Finally, since you are creating your own table, remember that you can add other options such as a USB HUB to connect traditional wired gamepads or even a keyboard and mouse. Here everything depends on what you want or not to complicate. But it sure is worth it and you get that accessory that all your friends will want to have later.