Bartop RetroBrik / DupsStation ​

This one-player bartop arcade was largely built using recycled materials. It features a system dedicated to emulation, from the earliest consoles up to the Nintendo 64.

It was built with the help of Patrick Abati (sitelec.org).

Later, I gave it to my cousin Thibault, which was an opportunity to create a new decoration, take a look:

Cabinet Construction ​

If you wish to build it yourself, plenty of tips are available on the GitHub page and the Sitelec page of the project.

Cabinet ​

The plans were designed using FreeCAD. Here’s a preview of the design (interactive 3D view):

The structural parts were made of 16mm plywood panels, as this material is resistant to warping over time and to ambient humidity. The control panel was made from 1cm MDF, covered with a 0.75mm plexiglass sheet, bent to cover the entire visible area.

The screen protection is made of glass, plexiglass was avoided as it tends to get micro-scratches during cleaning.

Hardware ​

Here are some details about the hardware used.

Display ​

The screen is an LP097X02 panel, which was used in iPad 1 and 2. It was chosen for its 4:3 aspect ratio (well-suited for retro games), image quality, and good viewing angles. It is driven by an HDMI-to-LVDS controller board.

System ​

The system is a Raspberry Pi 3, powerful enough to emulate older consoles up to the Nintendo 64.

Audio ​

The audio setup includes two small speakers under the marquee and a larger speaker inside the bottom of the cabinet for bass. The amplifier is a 2.1 model connected directly to the 2.5mm audio jack output of the HDMI-to-LVDS board.

Power Supply ​

The whole setup is powered by an SFX power supply, chosen for its compact and standard format, and the availability of multiple voltage lines (3.3V, 5V, 12V).