Retro Gaming on Bald Engineer

Surface Mount Rework Tools | Workbench Wednesdays

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 03:21:42 +0000

In this element14 Workbench Wednesdays episode, I review tools provided by Weller which are suitable for surface mount soldering. Throughout the soldering series, I have been using mini-projects to see how the gear works. Making this particular video was special to me. The subject was a TI-85. Back when I was a kid, one of my first soldering projects was to replace a capacitor in the TI-85. At the time, all I knew is that the change would make it run faster. I didn’t know why I just knew it worked.

Watch this video on YouTube

Raspberry Pi Startup Script Tutorial

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:03:46 +0000

The last couple of weeks I have been making progress and posts on my RetroPie build. I’m putting a Raspberry Pi inside of an actual SNES (well Super Famicom). Part 1 covered the schematic for a Soft Power Controller. In Part 2 I broke down the RPSPC state machine. This 3rd and final post of the series is a Raspberry Pi startup script tutorial. It covers how to make scripts run at startup and shutdown.

Raspberry Pi Soft Power Controller - The Circuit

Wed, 03 May 2017 23:18:56 +0000

The RetroPie project enables retro-gaming with a Raspberry Pi. All of the Pi models have enough computing power to emulate the major 8-bit and 16-bit computers of the 80s and 90s. With the Pi 3 I have even been able to play PS1 games with no problem. My current project is to put my Raspberry Pi running RetroPie into an old Super Famicom (SFC), or SNES, case. The catch? I want the original SPST power switch to work. And by work, I mean allow the Raspberry Pi to shutdown properly when the switch goes into the off position. To accomplish this task, I am building a Raspberry Pi soft power controller.

7805 is at the heart of a Super Famicom / Super NES

Sun, 16 Apr 2017 00:37:01 +0000

When I made the AddOhms Tutorial on Linear Regulators, I made a comment about the 7805. I said it may be one of the most important Integrated Circuits (ICs) ever made. That’s a bold statement. The 555, 805, or 7400 might all qualify for such a distinction. My feeling about the 7805’s importance is because it is a chip that is still popular today. It is used, or at least was used, in so many applications. And it is the heart of many 5V digital systems.

Wolfenstein 3D on Gameboy Color

Tue, 20 Dec 2016 15:00:41 +0000

Wolfenstein 3D defined the FPS genre in a way no one could have predicted. Just like the Gameboy defined portable gaming in a way no one could have predicted. Cartridge based computing and gaming offered something that disk (or disc?) based media never could: additional hardware.

Check out the 240p Test Suite

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 14:00:29 +0000

Learned about it in this video from the YouTube Channel My Life in Gaming. Some of their videos are a bit more technical than the general “retro review” style, which is why I started watching. In their RGB 300 Video Series, they covered a homebrew project called “240p Test Suite.” This project includes a number of test graphics and patterns to help in adjusting the settings of a modern TV. Even more impressive are the systems it covers:

The Bernoulli Box - Where Physics Met Storage

Thu, 25 Jun 2015 06:30:11 +0000

Back in the 1990s, a 1.44mb floppy disk was a reasonable storage size for most documents. For bigger documents or backing up an internal hard drive, other options were necessary. You might remember the Zip Drive, but that wasn’t the first large portable media. The Bernoulli Box was the precursor to the Zip Drive. It used custom media that could store 10s to 100mbs on portable disks. Well, portable compared to carrying around an entire hard drive. Operating using the Bernoulli principal, the drive’s head never comes in contact with the “floppy” material inside the protective case.

Watch this video on YouTube

Machine Learning with Super Mario Brothers

Mon, 22 Jun 2015 14:00:02 +0000

Using a learning algorithm known as NEAT, this Super Mario World play through is an example of a machine learning how to beat the level on its own. Using an evolutionary process, a neural network was built–or learned–to complete the level. The name of the program used to control Mario is called… Mar-I/O. N: Neuro E: Evolution of A: Augmenting T: Topologies The initial play through is fascinating as well as the breakdown of what is going on. Well worth the 5 minutes.

Watch this video on YouTube

PacMan theme in 10 different styles

Fri, 06 Feb 2015 15:16:31 +0000

In the mood for some retro game music? Check out D Wave’s YouTube Channel for a fresh take on some retro game tunes. The PacMan melody is good. You might also like his take on the SMB Theme.

Watch this video on YouTube