Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W brings Lego Pacman to life, as maker and developer Matt Brailsford modifies Lego's model into a working arcade cabinet.
I’m looking at a modified Lego Pacman arcade cabinet, and I don’t know whether to be impressed by the work that’s gone into it, or completely blown away by the fact that the original kit is, in fact, a functional game – complete with animated ghost characters. It’s not until you twist and turn the Lego Pacman model that you notice the game’s maze and “screen” have been replaced by a 10-inch HDMI display, and its accompanying circuitry powered by a Raspberry Pi Zero W.
The original Lego Pacman kit is available on Lego’s official website for $269 / £230, and I’d be hard pressed to say it’s worth that much money. However, the work of Maker and developer Matt Brailsford changes that equation entirely, with the Raspberry Pi Zero W helping to bring the retro arcade experience to life in a Lego case.
Brailsford’s build replaces the original Lego Pacman maze and “screen” with a 10-inch HDMI display from Pimoroni, and connects it to hidden inputs created using Pimoroni’s Tiny 2040 and its Lego joystick and buttons. He says that he used custom 3D printed Lego bricks to connect the joystick module and the Lego joystick, and for the push buttons.
Brailsford has also created a custom arcade coin slot, which is illuminated to show the power status of the cabinet. The software powering the build is powered by RetroPie, which is running arcade version of Pacman via Mame. You can find out exactly what Brailsford has used in his build over on his blog.
The rest of the build has been left stock standard, with RetroPie install being slightly customized with Circuitbeard boot splash screen, and Pimoroni On/Off shim used for safe power up/down of Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W.
This Pacman arcade cabinet build is a great example of what you can do with a Raspberry Pi Zero W, and I’m sure other Lego fans will be keen to replicate Brailsford’s work. If you want to find out more about the Raspberry Pi Zero W, check out our in-depth guide.
