Overview

The Elecfreaks Retro:Game Arcade Kit is an exciting and interactive educational kit designed to help you explore programming and electronics while having fun with classic arcade games. This kit offers hands-on experience and the satisfaction of building your own mini arcade console.

A link to our Kevs Robots Review with scoring is available here:

About the Manufacturer

Elecfreaks is a Chinese company known for creating innovative and user-friendly learning tools for electronics and programming. Their products, such as the Retro:Game Arcade Kit, are designed to encourage self-learning and inspire creativity in students, hobbyists, and educators.

Target Audience

The Retro:Game Arcade Kit is designed primarily for those new to programming and electronics. It’s suitable for students, educators looking for engaging teaching aids, and hobbyists who want to dive into the world of electronics and programming in an enjoyable and interactive way.

Onboard Features and Specifications

The core of the Retro:Game Arcade Kit is the micro:bit, a compact, powerful microcontroller designed for education. The Arcade Kit features a joystick for controlling game elements and two push buttons to act as function buttons.

The Arcade Kit includes an RGB LED strip for a colorful light show, an OLED screen to display the games, a buzzer for generating sound effects, and a vibration motor for haptic feedback.

Programming Languages

The Elecfreaks Retro:Game Arcade Kit can be programmed using MakeCode, a block-based coding platform designed by Microsoft. It offers a straightforward and intuitive interface that is perfect for beginners. The kit can also be programmed using Python for more advanced users looking for extra control and complexity.

Fun Projects

The Retro:Game Arcade Kit provides a wealth of possibilities for creative projects. Users can design their own arcade games, ranging from simple classics like Snake or Pong to more complex projects like a mini-version of Space Invaders or a maze navigation game.

The included hardware can be used to add extra features to your games - for instance, the RGB LED strip can be programmed to change color based on game events, and the vibration motor can provide feedback to the player.

GPIO Pinouts

The Elecfreaks Retro:Game Arcade Kit doesn’t have conventional GPIO pins since the components are all integrated into the kit. However, the micro:bit that forms the heart of the kit has 25 external connectors (including 3 analog/digital pins, 3V and GND, and 19 GPIO pins) allowing for expansion and extra components if desired.

In conclusion, the Elecfreaks Retro:Game Arcade Kit is a fun, engaging platform for learning programming and electronics. With a combination of classic gaming nostalgia and hands-on building, it offers a uniquely entertaining way to dive into the world of digital making. Whether you’re a student, teacher, or hobbyist, this kit offers an exciting journey into the world of coding and hardware.