<work in progress!>
Here is a rough draft on what’s involved in setting up your own neighborhood joy machine.
This guide assumes you’re comfortable with basic Linux terminal commands, soldering is optional, and the whole thing can be built for under $150 depending on what you have lying around.
Hardware
- Raspberry Pi 3B
- Pi Zero 2 W works, but the need for an OTG microUSB to USB adapter or (powered) hub very quickly gets you to the price of a 3B or 3B+
- Thermal printers
- I *highly* recommend a model with an auto-cutter
- You’ll need to disable the paper-out alarm, which is super annoying. Some (Netumscan) can be done with a Windows tool while others (Rongta) require flipping a hidden dip switch.
- I highly recommend phenol-free paper; some states have started outlawing paper with BPA/BPS.
- Buttons
- There are lots of options here; I used a USB arcade button controller so that my buttons could light up without me having to wire up GPIOs, having support for a joystick, etc.
- Displays
- TBD
- Cameras
- TBD
Software
I’ve written my own ‘paperOS’ that I plan to harden and open source for public installations.
Installation
Enclosure
Details coming soon — in the meantime, the Humble Beginnings page shows the evolution from cardboard box to proper wooden enclosure.
Power
Details coming soon — my setups run on standard 5V USB power, with some field sites using weatherproof outdoor outlets.
Networking
Details coming soon — Field Site 01 uses home Wi-Fi; remote sites use a cellular hotspot or tethered phone.
My first Pi Zero 2 W with e-ink display got stolen (which actually saved my sanity in the end), so plan to secure things with hidden and/or tamper-resistant screws.