Looking into making a giant trackball. Something like 8-10” in diameter. Anyone have references for something like this? Would prefer to use rotary encoders instead of an optical mouse so thinking roller bearings on the underside.
Sketch by @just404it.bsky.social
We're overdue for ConEd oversight. We lost power for 48 hours in January and our bill is HIGHER than usual? How do they keep getting away with this?
@chiosse.bsky.social @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social i'm sure we're not the only ones affected by loss of revenue due to ConEd's negligence.
I hadn't opened TotK for 2 years but had to do it
Alright Casty it’s time to visit the big stable in the sky
For the back panel, I cut two keyholes for mounting and cut vent holes in what would become the "door" (though I opted to just leave this panel off for MAGFest)
In retrospect I should have cut some vent holes in the top and sides as well, as the PC gives off a fair bit of heat in the small space
I didn't anticipate the size of the power supply for the PC so I had to sand it down to fit in the laser-cut hole
Instead of the Circuit Playground which is what the jam suggests for beginners, I used the Adafruit Itsy Bitsy board which also allows for HID inputs. The code uses the Keyboard library in Arduino to simulate key presses for each switch (switch on= key held down)
I used makercase.com to design an acrylic box using my Glowforge laser cutter and 1/4" acrylic. The LCD screen had four mounting holes, so I created two struts that spanned the width of the box to hold it in place. Here's what the guts look like
In Discord, the devs voted for light switches so I set out to design the cabinet using 5 light switches, a button for "confirm" and buttons to select games from the launcher.
There's a build guide on the Flip Out itch page if you want to build your own!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
The screen can be powered via USB-C so it's plugged into the PC for power. I had to get a right-angle HDMI because the port is on the side of the screen and needed to conserve space. I got a USB-C panel mount extension to plug in the power supply to the computer
I had a 7" screen kicking around from prototyping mini Scrapeboard and I bought a teeny tini mini PC that I knew would fit inside the cabinet. Here are the links for those:
a.co/d/a5w2UyD
a.co/d/d3enzfu
I wanted to build a console for the game jam games that would eventually be wall-mounted and live at @wonderville.nyc Here's a demonstration of how it works showing Up To Go Down by @dxtr.se and Wesna
In late 2025 @mag-indiearcade.bsky.social teamed up with @arcadecommons.org to run a game jam called Flip Out - games made using 5 toggle switches. This is the second alt.ctrl game jam following 2024's Lever Up jam.
You can play the games made from this jam here:
itch.io/jam/flip-out
This trip is primarily for Novelty Automation but if anyone has other London rec's send em over!
Planning another spring break trip and doing my usual embarrassing google search
Great to see you!
It’s Tuesday and I think I’m finally done unloading stuff from Magfest? Here’s some highlights
All panels will be archived at some point by Magfest just not sure when! Will make sure to post it when it goes live
I’m doing a 10 year retrospective on my ITP class @newarcadeitp.bsky.social today at @magfest.org - come watch at 5:30!
Both games are here! You gotta find the giant chainstaff in MIVS!
It’s a dungeon crawler morning at MAGFest @brin.town @mossmouth.bsky.social @tigerthelion.bsky.social
Seems like a good time to pull this out again
Applications are now open for the Spring 2026 Wondercab Residency! Have you ever wanted to see your game in the arcade? Consider applying! Deadline is January 31st at 11:59pm
wonderville.nyc/wondercab-ap...
I realized this right after I posted it! I misremembered and assumed it was you always doing great tech reviews
Saw a review from @aftermath.site for the Echo Mini mp3 player and I’m excited to get back to iPod life. This feels like the best way to move away from Spotify, plus all of us geriatric millennials have huge music libraries from the early 00s already
Waiting until midnight seemed irresponsible
Just got word that the toilet at @wonderville.nyc is clogged. If I start plunging at 11:55….
Finally upgraded mine this year and they’re so much nicer!
We're looking back on another great year - 2025 had so many great events and games. Here's our year in review
www.wonderville.nyc/2025wrap
