Friday, February 10, 2017

Raspberry Pi (RetroPie) Old Skool Case LED Mod

As is apparent with my TableTop Arcade build, I really like turning Raspberry Pi micro computers into Retro Gaming systems.  I also have some smaller systems that just plug directly into a TV.  Recently found a case that is a perfect fit for these types of systems.

Old Skool NES case for Raspberry Pi 3




Its a really nice looking case, and fits with the Retro Gaming theme perfectly.  Very simple install, and everything lines up as it should. The only gripe I had,  was there is a small hole next to the fake power buttons, that would typically be a power indicator.  The case has the hole, but no LED. So... time to MOD!



I have a bunch of small Red LEDs, so set to work figuring out how to connect it to the Pi, so it will light up when the system is powered on.  Here is the pin layout of a Pi 3. I decided to tie into the 5v & GND locations to power the LED. 



I first tested on a breadboard to verify which resistor I would need.  The  LED I am using requires input of 1.5-2v so I went with a 100 Ω + 5% resistor to step it down from 5v.  If you want the LED to be less bright, just use a larger resistor. I then used a hot glue gun to secure the LED to the case. 




With that done, powered it up, and it looks Great! Really pleased with how well it turned out.




Here is a quick video showing the boot up process, and the initial "Boot Video" I have setup on my system.





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