Electrical engineering student, Tim Lindquist, used his knowledge to create his own Nintendo Switch lookalike. The result: Meet “NinTIMdo RP”.

Tim Lindquist, an electrical engineering student at Iowa State University, created a device that replicates Nintendo’s Switch game console. To build it, Lindquist was using a Raspberry Pi, Autodesk Inventor and a 3D printer. The result is a custom 3D printed casing with a very similar look – but it runs retro games instead.

Lindquist used a Raspberry Pi computer and the free Raspberry Pi-OS Retropi to create his “NinTIMdo RP”. Some gamers/makers with some useful know-how have begun developing DIY versions themselves. However, one of the best designs is from Tim Lindquist.

“The goal was to create a console that was functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. I use what I learned with 3D modeling to make professional looking cases to house my circuits. Buttons were constructed using tactile components behind a stripped facade,” he explains on his blog. He adds: “Buttons are wired to a microcontroller and finally to the motherboard so games can be played.”

However, don’t bother trying this at home unless you’re a very experienced maker – it requires many of skills to build it. Check out the time lapse:

How Lindquist Created the NinTIMdo RP

Lindquist began by creating a 3D model of a “professional looking case” using Autodesk Inventor. You can download the case 3D model from his website.

Inside the case, Lindquist mounted a regular Raspberry Pi 3 running the game-centered OS Retropi. The software contains the emulators for most classic game consoles.

You can find both the code and the bill of materials on his website too. Lindquist has also included two USB ports for extra controllers, a mouse or keyboard, and five LED indicators that indicate button presses. A micro USB charges the internal 10,000 mAh battery (that should give you quite some gaming time).

He adds that as well as uploading files, he is now working on a tutorial for anyone who is interested in creating their own. Check out his website for more information.

Source: Hackaday