

Console01
Custom PCB for Rob Cai's Arduino VGA games
- Size
- 50 × 47 mm
- Copper layers
- 2
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 17
- Nets
- 23
- Pads
- 107
- Tracks, vias
- 202, 17
- Pours
- 1
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 4
- Created
- 12 Mar 2017
- Updated
- 4 Mar 2021
Overview
Console01 is an open-source printed circuit board by tiefpunkt, from the tiefpunkt/arduinoretrogames repository on GitHub. It is a 2-layer board of 50 × 47 mm with 17 parts on 23 nets, routed with 202 tracks and 17 vias.
Its parts include 9 connectors and 4 resistors.
README
README.mdArduino Retro Gameconsole
Rob Cai published two Instructables in which he used an Arduino to emulate some old-school videogames. I didn’t want to build the project on protoboard, so I designed these PCBs for that.
Hardware
The hardware of the retro videogame console is made up of a mainboard, and two different controller types.
The Mainboard
The mainboard runs the video games, and connect to the VGA monitor, one or two controllers, and to power. It's made up of an Arduino Pro Mini, a few resistors, some more connectors, and possibly a buzzer for audio.
Parts
| Part Number | Type |
|---|---|
| R1 | Resistor 470Ω |
| R2 | Resistor 470Ω |
| R3 | Resistor 68Ω |
| R4 | Resistor 68Ω |
| P1 | Jumper 2x3 for color setting (see below) |
| P2 | Jumper 2x3 for color setting (see below) |
Colors
The arduino outputs two color signals, and you can choose, which colors those should represent on the monitor. To do that, you have the two color jumpers in the bottom right corner of the board. You can check out our recommendations in the table below.
| Game | Color1 | Jumper Setting for Color 1 | Color 2 | Jumper Setting for Color 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tetris | ??? | : : [:] | ??? | : [:] : |
The Controllers

Depending on the game you want to play, two different types of
controllers are necessary. One has one button and one knob
(potentiometer), the other one simply 4 buttons. Both are based on the
same PCB, just with different parts put in place
Part number | Description | Necessary for | Necessary for |
|---|---|---|---|
D1 | 5mm LED | (x) | (x) |
J1 | RJ12 connector | x | x |
R1 | Resistor 150Ω | (x) | (x) |
R2 | Resistor 1kΩ | - | x |
R3 | Resistor 1kΩ | - | x |
R4 | Resistor 1kΩ | - | x |
R5 | Resistor 1kΩ | x | x |
RV2 | Potentiometer 10kΩ | x | - |
RV4 | Potentiometer 10kΩ | - | - |
SW1 | Pushbutton | - | x |
SW2 | Pushbutton | - | x |
SW3 | Pushbutton | - | x |
SW4 | Pushbutton | x | x |
R1 and D1 are for an optional LED which lights up when the controller is connected to the mainboard.
Software
The games for the Arduino Retro Videogame Console are made by Rob Cai, and can be found on Instructables
Resources
License
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Parts
17| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 470 | Resistors_THT:Resistor_Horizontal_RM10mm | R1, R2 |
| 2 | 68 | Resistors_THT:Resistor_Horizontal_RM10mm | R3, R4 |
| 1 | 7-12V | Connectors:BARREL_JACK | CON1 |
| 1 | Arduino Pro Mini | ArduProMiniTKB:ArduProMini-6 | uP1 |
| 1 | Buzzer | Buzzers_Beepers:Buzzer_12x9.5RM7.6 | BZ1 |
| 1 | Color 1 | Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_2x03 | P1 |
| 1 | Color 2 | Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_2x03 | P2 |
| 1 | Pl1 Pins | Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x06 | P5 |
| 1 | Pl2 Pins | Pin_Headers:Pin_Header_Straight_1x06 | P4 |
| 1 | Player 1 | Connectors:RJ12_E | J2 |
| 1 | Player 2 | Connectors:RJ12_E | J3 |
| 1 | Power | Connectors:USB_Micro-B | P3 |
| 1 | Video Out | w_conn_pc:DB_15F-VGA | J1 |
The 15 most common of 17 parts.
Questions
How big is the Console01 PCB?
It measures 50 × 47 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the Console01 use?
17 parts. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.
Where can I download the Console01 KiCad files?
From the tiefpunkt/arduinoretrogames repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is hardware/console/console01.kicad_pcb. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the Console01 design in my own project?
Its repository states no licence, so its author keeps all rights: ask tiefpunkt before reusing the design.
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