In this article, I am not going to take one side in the eternal confrontation between PC gamers and console players, but will only talk about a convenient way to organize your home streaming service.
Many people prefer to use a powerful PC or gaming laptop for games, but displaying images on a large screen may be a problem. In order not to be tied to the installation location of the system unit, not to drag expensive HDMI cables throughout the apartment and not to carry your laptop between different TVs, you can set up a special gadget for streaming games.
This thing is suitable for quickly “forwarding” a picture to any TV panel in the house, it will be convenient for working with a projector, and in some cases it will even allow you to go play with your neighbors.
Let's take as a basis the long-running Steam Link and its official software package for the Raspberry platform. This way you can play any of thousands of game projects, and if necessary, you can even launch a third-party application not from the Steam catalog for online streaming.
What you need to set up your streaming service
◼ Single-board Raspberry . The Pi 3B/3B+ or Pi 4B models will fit. We do not recommend using weaker versions of your computer.
On topic: The complete history of the development of Raspberry Pi
◼ Power supply 5V/3A minimum.
◼ memory card of 8 GB or more, not lower than class 10.
◼ Any game controller . It is better to use a joystick with a radio receiver; for Bluetooth models, additional software settings may be required.
◼ Don’t forget about a high-quality HDMI cable to connect the “raspberry” to your TV or projector.
This minimal set of components will allow you to display the image from your gaming PC to any other device in the house and play without restrictions. For a better connection, we recommend setting up a wired network connection for the Raspberry Pi or, at a minimum, using a model with 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
Preparing ourselves, preparing the workplace, preparing the tools
Yes, the matter is not difficult, but it requires respect, first of all, calm but thoughtful preparation:
- Prepare a comfortable workspace - preferably a clean table so that nothing gets in the way.
- Prepare several Phillips screwdrivers, or bits - actually, one is enough, but, as usual, you never know which one will be the most convenient, so have several just in case.
- For cleaning, use a very mild soap solution, if alcohol, then no higher than 70%, but you will need to use it very carefully, literally “on the corner of a cloth.”
- And also for cleaning - a clean, lint-free cloth.
We also prepare ourselves - wash our hands thoroughly, there is no question of any greasy heels
How to Set Up Steam Link on Raspberry Pi
1. Download and install the official Raspberry Pi Imager utility for downloading and unpacking raspberry images. The application is available for MacOS, Windows and Linux.
2. Launch Raspberry Pi Imager and select the appropriate OS version in the Operating System field. We will need a Debian Buster based system from the Raspberry Pi OS (Other) section. This could be Raspberry Pi OS (Legacy) or Raspberry Pi OS Lite (Legacy) . Please note that the latter does not have a graphical interface and is configured exclusively via the command line.
3. In the Storage field, indicate the connected memory card and click the Write button.
4. When the Raspberry Pi Imager has finished recording and checking the image, you can install the memory card in the Raspberry and connect it to a monitor/TV/projector for setup.
5. Next, we perform the initial settings of the Raspberry Pi. To do this, you will need to connect a keyboard and mouse to the microcomputer or establish an SSH connection.
To download and update all the necessary components in the Terminal, enter the following commands one by one:
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get upgrade
We are waiting for the download and update process to complete.
6. After updating the components, enter the command to install the Steam Link service:
sudo apt-get install steamlink
7. When the installation is complete, launch the utility using the desktop shortcut or the “steamlink” command. This will ensure that the application is working and will reload all the necessary components.
8. Now you should set Steam Link to autoload every time the system starts. This is done using the command:
sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart
After which the autostart file will open for editing. You need to add the following line at the very end:
@steamlink
Press the keyboard shortcut Control+X and confirm making changes to the file.
9. The last setting will be to activate the Wait for network connection at Boot option. Activating the setting is necessary so that the system first connects to the network, and only then launches applications and services from startup. This ensures that all necessary services start correctly and Steam Link works correctly.
You should enter the command:
sudo raspi-config
Then, in the main settings section, find the specified option and activate it.
10. Enter the command to reboot the device and apply all the settings made:
sudo reboot
If everything is done correctly, the Raspberry will reboot and the Steam Link application will automatically start. All that remains is to connect the gamepad you are using to the Raspberry Pi. Although the single-board device has a built-in Bluetooth module, from my own experience I will say that radio joysticks interact best with it. The USB receiver is automatically recognized by the system and everything starts working without the need to adjust parameters.
In the case of a Bluetooth gamepad, you will have to tinker with finding and installing the necessary components for each specific model.
Important warning: is it worth starting at all?
Before you begin, you need to be very clear about why all this is happening: cleaning the PS3 joystick—is it really just out of purely “sporting” interest to find out what’s inside.
- The PS3 gamepad does not work at all, then it is simply useless to get inside, you will not have original spare parts, and installing a self-propelled gun will only cost you more. Repairing a PS3 joystick with your own hands is almost a hopeless task.
- If the buttons are acting up, then opening it will only help because this same visitor effect will appear, what is called “blow and spit”, just open it and put it back together again - and everything works.
- We need to install a new battery, this one is completely worn out, it doesn’t work, and that’s it.
Preparatory part
The higher the quality of the drawings, the better
If the project is tailored for a specific aircraft, then first of all you should find technical documentation for it, including drawings, and take photographs of the cockpit. The following resources can help: Ebay, Avsoft, eFlightManuals, EsscoAircraft, FlightManualsOnCD.
It is also worth browsing through the communities of cockpit builders for a specific aircraft: A340 project (files section), B767 dimensions, B777 dimensions and 47 Simulator (pictures and files section).
In construction, you may need design programs; free ones can be found on FreeByte.
The dashboard is the face of the project, and it should be beautiful
The dashboard contains switches and instruments and is always visible.
When designing a dashboard, the first step is to decide on the layout of the panel. If the plans are for the cockpit of a real aircraft, then it is best to find the original drawings with technical documents and find out the shape of the panel, the location of instruments, switches and their types. There is no need to save time here: the panel is in the foreground.
Technical documentation can provide some information about the panel layout, however, it is not always possible to find information about its actual dimensions. The way out is to search additional Internet resources, for example, on Varxec and Pietila, or to a seller of dashboard components on Ebay, and determine the dimensions of the panel itself by recalculation.
You can also buy ready-made sketches of panels in full size. These can be found from suppliers such as Hispapanels, Flightdeck Solutions, Engravity.
Inscriptions on the panel should be applied using special equipment, which is not always at hand; in this case, self-adhesive stickers should be used instead of engraving the panels. For example, lettering made by 3M ScotchMark. Another way is to use inscriptions printed on paper placed between two sheets of plexiglass.
An area that requires special attention is the panel lighting. The principle is that the inscription lights up when the panel lighting is turned on. This cannot be reproduced without the use of professional equipment and materials. However, there are good alternative approaches: F16Simulator, Biggles, Hans Krohn, and xFlight/F16.
Case design for every taste
There are many options for constructing a simulator cabin, and the general rule is: the more the body is closed, the higher the level of realism. Other important criteria include: transportation without the risk of damage, dimensions with which the machine can fit through doorways, ease of use and ease of upgrading (since there may be a desire to do better). If you ultimately intend to install everything on a moving platform, then your task is to make the frame strong enough.
Any available materials can be used to achieve the desired effects. This can be chipboard of various densities, round nails in the place of rivets and multi-layers of multi-colored paint to create a worn effect.
You can also buy parts from real airplanes. Resources that can help with this include: BoneYard2U, Desert Air Spares, Scroggins Aviation, Warbird Parts, and Konfederate Klassiks.
How to make a USB joystick for PC with your own hands
The first creation method is for PlayStation models. Take and cut off the very end of the wire from the manipulator. Solder all wiring except red to the LPT port with the following configuration:
- The upper 12-pin row: black from the manipulator and gray/black from USB - in the fifth and sixth (together) from the left.
- Bottom 13th contact row: orange - second from the left, yellow - third from the left, blue - fourth from the left, green - second from the right, brown - fourth from the right.
Garage controller based on NodeMCU (ESP8266)
I'm tired of the Arduino in the closet, dangling on wires. Yes, and from working with contactors, it takes a reboot and can freeze.
It was decided to switch to something more interesting and the choice fell on NodeMCU with ESP8266 on board.
I wrote the program in the evening, since the source code from the first version remained. The plus minus logic is the same, but with modifications.
The layout turned out something like this.
The controller is in the box below, the power part is on top
All covers are closed, the controller is running
For the server part I decided to completely rework everything.
Only the structure remains almost the same. This time I decided not to mess around, but to do everything beautifully. In OOP PHP, everything fits into one class.
Well, with the web interface I decided not to overthink it, I made it primitively, for myself.
For you, my few readers, I have posted all the sources on Github (https://github.com/rsgrinko/nmcu-garage-controller). So study it :)
So, it’s decided - let’s get started
If you still decide to at least clean the inside, then, armed with attentiveness, accuracy and calmness, let’s get started and sort it out:
- We turn the joystick with the keyboard down, select a screwdriver and unscrew all the screws, there are 4 of them. The screwdriver must be selected not only according to the size of the screws, but also according to the diameter of the screwdriver shaft itself; if it is too wide, it may not fit into the depth of the screws, in any case not you need to push the screwdriver down with force, you will damage the passage to the screws.
- When all the screws are unscrewed, we carefully loosen the case and remove it, before our eyes we see the battery in the fixing frame.
- We take out the battery connector and remove the frame, unscrew the two screws securing the frame from the board.
- During the disassembly process, we carefully note the location of all the parts; in no case should we forget “where and what used to be,” although there will be few parts.
- Next, unscrew the screw securing the electronic board and the two screws holding the motors on the right and left.
- Carefully pulling out the connector, we remove the structure - the board plus two motors.
- We got to the keyboard.
- Now you can check the condition of the rubber keys, wipe them and the entire internal space, and replace them if necessary.
Completely disassembled joystick
After assembly, you can start cleaning the outside of the gamepad. For these purposes, use only a cloth slightly moistened in a soap solution, and no drips, just lightly moisten, but the movements are confident, not giving dirt the slightest chance.
Gentlemen, please help me repair the joystick. I really like to put pressure on the keys)) the “fastening” of the button is broken, I don’t even know what to do, the button doesn’t hold on now. I glued it instantly, but it certainly didn’t help. MB do you have an effective way to hold this button?
No duplicates found
MB do you have an effective way to hold this button?
Don't try to hold it back. If she's meant to go, she'll go. And no amount of deduction will help. Resign yourself and move on with your life
God. on the same or these buttons - like shit at the bathhouse ..
