Build a Video Game Console on a Breadboard
Ever wonder how your phone or game console works inside? Are you interested in learning more about computers or video games but don't know where to start? This class was made for you!
This class takes a hardware-first approach to introducing what is going on inside of your electronic devices. Starting out with basics of connecting a small electronic circuit to a battery, and then diving right into how to connect an OLED screen and a controller you wire together yourself to a pre-programmed tiny computer. The class is taught using breadboards for wiring everything together, which doesn't require any soldering knowledge to use.
After this Make and Take Class you will walk out of the class having wired together your very own small gaming system running an open-source video game!
NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY - BUT EXTRA CHALLENGES FOR THOSE EXPERIENCED!
Complete beginners are welcome and encouraged to attend, for those with experience we'll provide some supplemental challenges for those with programming or electronics experience.
Skills You'll Learn
- If you bring your Laptop (Optional) You'll learn how to program new games into your console.
- The different parts of an electronic circuit
- The difference between parallel and series circuits
- How electronic devices detect when a button is pressed
- Brief introduction to how digital screens work
- What is Open Source and the difference between Open Source hardware and software
About the Instructor
Jason Altekruse is a professional software engineer with a hobby interest in both hardware hacking and video game programming. He has built websites, databases and video games in a variety of programming languages for a variety of platforms. He created an open source website aimed at helping math teachers and students called freemathapp.org
