About

MAKERbuino is an open source handheld game device you can build yourself (it’s fully DIY). Besides that, it is also an educational device shaped like a game console.

It comes in a kit form (not assembled) - you get a box with all the electronic components necessary for building your own portable game machine. 
To build your own MAKERbuino the only things you'll need are some basic tools and an interest in technology.

MAKERbuino is EDUCATIONAL

MAKERbuino is an educational device disguised in the shape of a game console. Its purpose: to motivate people to explore, learn and create something new in a fun and interesting way.

MAKERbuino is CHEAP

MAKERbuino’s price equals the price of an average newly released game console video game. The idea is: instead of buying your kid, a nephew, a sibling or a friend a video game, you can buy him/her a MAKERbuino for the same price and motivate him/her to learn something new and enter the wonderful world of DIY electronics.

MAKERbuino is COOL

Forget the newest iPhone or the latest PlayStation, you will be the main hipster around after you show this one to your friends - a game console you've built and customized yourself! 
OK, it has a low-res screen and 2kB of RAM but you've made it with your own two hands, it's unique, it's retro, it's cool.

MAKERbuino is FUN

Electronics is easy... really! We're in the 21st century... teenagers build their own game consoles at home using online tutorials and cheap components from china. Try building your own game console, you'll see how much fun it is.

You'll need some basic tools and equipment for assembling your MAKERbuino:

• regular soldering iron (nothing super expensive is required) and some solder
• diagonal cutter pliers
• regular screwdriver
• desoldering vacuum pump (optional, but is really helpful if you make a mistake in soldering)

MAKERbuino plays GAMES

The MAKERbuino kit comes with an SD card loaded with numerous fun retro games which you can play as soon as you assemble your MAKERbuino. More games can be downloaded from an online MAKERbuino games gallery.

Every game in the games gallery is open-source and available with a downloadable Arduino source code along with a compiled.HEX file. 
In other words, you can take a look at the code of every MAKERbuino compatible game, learn something new, change the code and implement parts of the game code in your own game project.

You can make your own games using our Arduino library and share them with other makers on the MAKERbuino games gallery. Our programming toolkit along with our Arduino library was made especially for programming video games using Arduino IDE. 
It makes easy to:

• develop in-game menus and other GUI-related content
• play and develop sound FX and background music
• draw, display and animate bitmaps
• emulate MAKERbuino games on your PC

MAKERbuino does MULTIPLAYER

Playing games on a game console you've made is fun. But you know what's even more fun: having a multiplayer gaming party on retro DIY game consoles.
You heard it, MAKERbuino game consoles can connect with link cables, exchange data, and play multiplayer games.
The consoles communicate using i2c communication - a type of communication protocol used to interface microcontrollers with sensors and other microcontrollers.

Since i2c is serial, you can chain more than 2 MAKERbuino consoles together using link cables. Theoretically, you can connect up to 128 MAKERbuinos together and make a massive multiplayer match.

MAKERbuino has a BUILD GUIDE

MAKERbuino's detailed build guide leads you through the process of building your own game console. Here you can check out our current build guide used for beta tester kits.

We've designed the build guide with the purpose of teaching you something new, not only showing you how to assemble things. Every now and then, the build guide gives you some useful and educational info about the things your are doing (e.g: "Now you have to find a 10k resistor and place it on the spot marked R2. This is what the resistors look like.... Resistors are used for.... This is how you read a resistor....).

What you will learn with MAKERbuino?



• how to solder 
• what are the basic electronic components and what are their functions 
• how can electronic components be connected and why
• what are microcontrollers and some basics of digital electronics
• how to program a microcontroller in C/C++
• what are 3D printers and how to modify and design your own unique 3D printed casing
• how to extend beyond MAKERbuino’s capabilities by adding various expansion modules

MAKERbuino is HACKABLE

See all that pin headers on the MAKERbuino board? They're used for connecting hardware add-ons. MAKERbuino is based on Arduino UNO. Therefore, it's compatible with lots of hardware expansion modules. You can easily plug in some LEDs , switches and photoresistors or some more complicated modules like accelerometers, gyroscopes or RF transceivers...

MAKERbuino was meant to be hacked. Our goal is to encourage people to become creative makers and explorers of the wonderful world of DIY electronics. MAKERbuino allows you to develop your hardware and software skills. Make video games, explore new hardware solutions, learn from numerous tutorials and share your work with the community. Change the button caps, code a Pokemon-like video game, connect a GPS module, turn your MAKERbuino into a robot car…get creative.

SPECIFICATIONS

• CPU: ATmega328 @ 16MHz (same MCU used in Arduino UNO)
• Display: Nokia 5110 84x48 monochrome graphic LCD /w white backlight (adjustable with a built in potentiometer)
• Sound: 0.5W speaker with 4-channel audio generation, 3.5mm headphone connector, hardware volume control 
• Input: 7 pushbuttons with replaceable button caps (D-pad + ABC buttons) 
• Storage: 32kB of FLASH program memory, 2kB of RAM, up to 2GB SD card for loading and saving programs (HEX files) and data
• Communication: serial UART port, i2c, SPI
• Battery: single cell LiPo, 3.7V, 600mAh, charged with your regular micro USB smartphone charger 
• Dimensions: approx. 13cm x 6cm x 2.5cm (depending on the casing, hacks, mods, expansions…)

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

• MAKERbuino PCB
• laser CNC cut acrylic casing (has three pieces)  
• ATmega328P-PU microcontroller
• 28 pin IC socket (for the ATmega328)  
• Nokia 5110 graphic LCD breakout board
• Li-Po charger board with micro USB port (TP4056 charging circuit)
• Li-Po battery, 3.7V, 600mAh with male JST connector
• female JST battery connector  
• 128MB SD card preloaded with games (for storing, loading and streaming files and programs)  
• SD socket
• 16Mhz crystal
• 3.3v voltage regulator (MCP1702-3302E)
• 4 pin angle anti-reverse pin header (for i2c ports) x2
• 3.5mm headphone socket
• 2N2222A NPN transistor
• 100uF capacitor x3
• 100nf capacitor x2
• 22pf capacitor x2
• 100Ω resistor
• 10kΩ resistor x2
• 4.7kΩ resistor x2
• 2kΩ resistor
• 1kΩ trim-potentiometer x2
• 1N4148 diode 
• big clicky pushbutton with corresponding button cap x7
• mini slide toggle switch x2
• 8Ω, 0.5W, 28mm diameter speaker
• ISP port angle header pins
• Serial port angle header pins
• Breakout port angle header pins  
• FTDI USB to rs232 adapter board (a board for conneccting your MAKERbuino to the computer)  
• set of screws, nuts and spacers needed for fixating the screen and the casing