The Project

Step by step instruction!

1. Installing Rasbian

   1. On a windows based Computer, navigate HERE to install the latest version of Rasbian OS. Be sure to download the desktop version as a .zip file. This may take a while as the website restricts the download speed.

   2. Once downloaded, navigate to the file and right click on it to extract the file. It should extract as a .img file.

   3. Navigate HERE to download Etcher. Select the Installer appropriate for your machine. Then install the program.

   4. Insert the micro SD card into the computer, Ensure any wanted data is transferred elsewhere as this process will erase and format the card.

   5. Run Etcher and select the rasbian .img file, and select the correct micro SD card drive, then select flash.

   6. When it is finished your SD Card is ready to be inserted into the Raspberry Pi.​​​

2. Setting up the Raspberry Pi Device

   1. Install the heatsinks. This LINK is a great tutorial on installing it.

   2. Insert the Rasbian microSD card into the microSD card port.

   3. Insert the Raspberry Pi into it's case according to the case instructions.

   4. Connect the HDMI port from a TV or Monitor into the HDMI port of the Raspberry Pi.

   5. Connect the Mouse and Keyboard to the USB ports of the Raspberry Pi.

   6. When ready to start the Raspbian operating system, connect the microUSB power cable to the microUSB port of the Device. This will start up the Device.

   7. By default the login password is "raspberry".

   8. Connect to the internet via the Wi-Fi by going to the top right of the screen, right clicking on the internet symbol, and selecting the appropriate wireless network.

   9. Once connected to the internet, open up a command Terminal by going to the top left corner of the screen and select Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal. In the terminal, execute the command "sudo apt-get update & sudo apt-get upgrade". This will update the operating system to the newest version. 

   10. Set locality settings by going to the Terminal and executing the command "sudo raspi-config" then select "localisation options", then "change locale". Under locales to be generated, arrow down to "en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8" and hit enter. Hit enter again and it will load the new locality settings. Select "Finish" to exit the configuration.

3. Install RetroPie

   1.  ​In a Terminal on the Raspberry Pi, execute the command "sudo apt-get install git lsb-release" to install the latest version of the RetroPie setup scripts.

   2. execute the command "cd" to move up a level in the Raspberry Pi system. Then execute the command "git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup.git" to download RetroPie Source files.

   3. Navigate to the newly created folder by executing "cd RetroPie-Setup". Then modify the permissions of the install file by executing "chmod +x retropie_setup.sh" and finally execute "sudo ./retropie_setup.sh" to start the installation process.

   4. The previous command may take a while to fetch and download any other needed files, when it is done a new window will pop up with information on the RetroPie software. Press enter to navigate the various screens, it may prompt you to add user"root" to "input", select yes and in the main menu, select "System Reboot"  

   5. If you had to restart due to adding "root" to "input", open a new command prompt and execute the the RetroPie setup again. Once at the main menu, select "Basic Install" and press enter to install the base packages for the RetroPie, note this can take over 10 min. depending on your internet speed.

   6. Once the install has finished, the RetroPie is ready to start. When you are ready, execute the command "emulationstation" to reboot the system into RetroPie.

4. Downloading ROMs and ISOs​​​​

   1. Warning this step can be considered a ethical grey area, because there may be copyright restrictions on ROMs/ISOs ​​in various different countries, it is suggested that you only download and use ROMs/ISOs on video games that you have already own.

   2. In order to speed up the download process, I suggest using a computer other than your Raspberry Pi to download your desired ROM. If you install them onto a USB drive, it is simple to transfer them to the Raspberry Pi.

   3.  The two websites I recommend using to download are completeroms and loveroms. They provide a straightforward way to download the desired ROMs and if you use both at the same time, you can speed up the downloading process.  NOTE: Both of these sites contain popups to advertisement websites, if they ever open a new window, just CLOSE IT AND IGNORE ANYTHING THE POPUP SAYS, then continue searching. These sites provide games that are in different regions, make sure to download USA region games when possible.

   4. If any downloaded ROMs/ISOs contain a .7z, .rar, or .zip file extension, they will need to be extracted before they can be used. If you don't have a file extraction program installed, I recommend 7-Zip. Simply install 7-Zip and then right click the file and select extract.​

   5. Once you have the files extracted and loaded on a usb drive, plug the USB device into the Raspberry Pi. While still in the Raspbian OS, It should prompt you to open File Manager to view the contents of the USB drive. In a separate File Manager, navigate to /home/pi/RetroPie/Roms. This will be the location where you game files will need to be stored. You will place the extracted folder or file in the appropriate location depending on the game system that they were meant for. After you have moved the ROMs to their appropriate locations, reboot the system into RetroPie and the system should automatically detect the added games.

5.  Configure RetroPie

   1. Once you have added all the desired games into the roms folder, you are ready to boot into RetroPie. In Terminal Navigate to the setup folder by executing "cd RetroPie-Setup". Then execute "sudo ./retropie_setup.sh" to start the setup menu. Navigate to "Configuration / tools" then "autostart" and select "Start Emulation Station at boot". Exit the start up program, and type the command "reboot" to restart into Emulation Station.

   2. Make sure that your USB controller is plugged in upon restarting the system. The first time you start RetroPie, A controller setup prompt will begin. Hold down A on the desired device to run the button configuration setup. This will map all of the needed buttons for the system to your controller. 

   3. Now you should be ready to play your games! Navigate to the appropriate system to select the game you want to play, and select the game you want to play. A configuration prompt may come up but it will go away if you ignore it.

   4. Your game should now load!

   5. Some Tips!

      1. When you are done playing a game, or if it freezes for any reason, press the "Start" and "Select" buttons at the same time to go back to the main menu. NOTE: You will lose any unsaved progress.

      2. If at any time you need to switch back to the Raspbian OS from RetroPie, navigate to the main menu, press "start", navigate down to "Quit" and Select "Quit Emulation Station" and then select "Yes". This will exit into a Terminal-like interface. Simply type "startx"to get back to the Raspbian desktop.

6. Play your Games!

   1. You should now be ready to play any games that you want to install onto your Raspberry Pi!

   2. If you ever get stuck or confused, click HERE for offical RetroPie Documentation.

7. (Optional) Adding an easy On/Off switch

   1. While this step is not necessary, It can be useful to add a switch to your Raspberry Pi to turn it off while it is plugged in.

   2. Note this requires basic electronics knowledge and may require soldering if you want a good permanent solution.

   3. Navigate HERE for an article on exactly how to set up the hardware.

​

​