Laptop Arcade Dock

Original link... Laptop Arcade Dock by coolfuton - Thingiverse

NOTE:Added V2 files (better stability) and files allowing for printing without logo and adding logo separately

How many of us don't have an old laptop sitting in a closet or in the garage not being used for anything? Not many, right? Well, here is something you can do with that old laptop that you might enjoy if you like retro gaming and are on a tight budget. The unit will accommodate laptops from 14 to 17 inches. It has a built-in mechanism that will automatically center the floating control shelf (just 2 rubber bands). You need only obtain a few items. A list follows below...

1. Arcade button and joystick set for ONE user (>>>eBay<<< or >>>Amazon<<< are good sources). This costs around $30.00 US at the time this was written. Prices do change over time. Find a source within the continent you live so you don't have to wait an eternity...NOTE: I am told that joystick mounting screws may not come with your joystick. You may need to find mounting screws in addition to the items below
2. 2 rubber bands (used to center the floating deck)
3. Super glue (dollar store is a good source)
4. Adhesive felt pad circles (dollar store again)
5. Small zip ties (you guessed it, dollar store again)
6. Some kind of filament... depending on the infill used in printing, it's hard to say how much filament you need. I used 10% infill in my mockup and it didn't use 500 grams total. If you want yours to be sturdier, use a higher infill ratio.
7. A 3D printer able to print at least 210 by 210 mm. I have files for both that type of printer and ones that print only on larger print beds (350mm+). The "regular" files will print on an Anycubic Mega S or an Ender 3 using the "no bed adhesion" setting.
8. A USB flash drive with BATOCERA linux installed. See https://batocera.org/download and https://batocera.org/how_to_install for details. Like me, remember that they don't get money for using their stuff. Please be nice to them. I told them you might drop by.
9. A laptop (EWaste laptops are great candidates for this project!)
10. A rubber mallet (or similar) if you print the "regular" files

Get the items shown on the list above. No need to go crazy spending cash. A basic build should cost about 35 to 55 dollars US not including the cost of filament, electricity and the 3D printer. It all depends on how much the price of the joystick and buttons goes up. Lately it's trending higher. Please see the links in the first item on the supply list to search.

You could actually print these files while waiting for the joystick to arrive. The intent is to print these in the orientation they currently exist in (i.e. the current side that faces down). Printing can take several days and varying amounts of filament depending on the infill levels. Make sure you use higher temperature filament if you plan on leaving your dock in direct sunlight or it will warp. Since this design was originally created to print on a large capacity 3D printer, I also took the liberty of cutting the files into smaller pieces so that they will fit on a 205x205mm printer bed. The files are labeled according to size, orientation and amount. Make sure to only print what you need and note that some parts need to be printed as-is and then mirrored and printed again. If you do not know how to mirror a part in your preferred slicer, please take some time and learn how. Please note that I did add a neat logo to the face of the build. It is shown in the STL files but not on the build mockup picture. Please let me know if you would rather not include the logo and I could be persuaded to remove it assuming you don't want to do it yourself. I have added files so that for a "regular printer" you need not print the logo embedded on the center piece.

READ THIS PART ENTIRELY BEFORE ASSEMBLY

There really aren't any instructions on how all the bits go together. The build has very few pieces and I believe that, based on the completed unit picture, it should be easy enough to figure out how to assemble it. The slide rails can be secured a couple of ways. They are designed so that you can put a small screw in the end to expand the end of the rail. Depending on the version of the sides you printed, you may also use zip ties to help secure them. And finally, you can use various types of glue. I would recommend using more than one method to ensure yours does not come apart when in use.

If you printed the "regular" files, make sure to find a rubber mallet or something similar. This can be used to tap the two parts to each side together. You will notice that the "regular" files use a pin and slot configuration to initially secure them together. As long as you are careful and take your time, this should work just fine. Use the zip tie connectors to further secure the two side pieces together.

Before securing the rails, make sure to test fit the sliding parts together. Sanding may be necessary or in the very least, put the two pieces of each slide together and work them back and forth until the motion becomes fluid and has minimal resistance. A small amount of lubricant can also be used but make sure that the plastic you used in printing these is not soluble in the lubrication solution you use.

Mount all the joystick and button hardware and TEST (see below) before assembly and then test fit all the parts to ensure they look and feel right. When mounting the floating deck with three zip ties, be careful not to make them too tight or they will hinder the sliding mechanism. I hope you obtained a large bag of these ties because your first time you may waste a few getting this right.

When preparing to install the floating deck, make sure to place 2 large felt circles on the underside of each end. This helps to tighten the tolerances and makes the floating deck slide more smoothly.

When you are ready to mount the floating deck and secure the rubber bands, make sure to be very careful how much torque you place on the band mounting points. If you place too much stress on them, they will snap off which will require that you either reprint the parts associated with the broken mounts or you will have to attempt to glue these which I can tell you rarely ends well. Once secured, you can use a dab of hot craft glue to secure the band adhesion to the mounts if necessary.

It helps to do the BATOCERA install to a USB stick BEFORE you assemble the dock. This way you can troubleshoot connections and orientation as noted below. Make sure to follow their instructions. Newer laptops may need to have SECURE BOOT turned OFF before they will boot into BATOCERA. So, if it doesn't boot the first time, re-check the instructions and keep trying.

For me, wiring the buttons and joystick was the most challenging. The instructions (in the one I purchased) didn't tell which buttons go to which plugs on the USB encoder board included with the button set. This caused significant trial-and-error testing. The best way to test this is to boot BATOCERA, plug in the USB encoder with everything plugged in based on a guess, open a game, test, unplug the USB encoder from the laptop, change which plug the button(s) are plugged in to, plug back in the USB encoder and keep testing the game. Doing this over and over eventually yielded the result I wanted. If you have issues with the joystick mounting holes not matching up exactly, you may need to adjust them using either a soldering iron or drill. If you are careful, this should not be a big deal. I had to angle the screws in my prototype slightly to mount the joystick securely. You may also notice your joystick is mounted upside down. This of course is also a pain but simply unscrew it and remount the joystick. When all is said and done, you will like the results.

Happy gaming!!!