TMNT Party Wagon Arcade Cabinet

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I often wished the arcade cabinet for the TMNT games looked like the Party Wagon, thought I would share my weird idea today. This design made more sense when 4-player cabinets were huge and had large CRT televisions inside, but you could put a driving cabinet inside to make this an actual vehicle of sorts (similar to this old design of mine).

The blast shield folds up to reveal the screen, controls, and marquee. Otherwise it would look like the Party Wagon is parked in your living room.

Tried my best to make it look built of plywood and t-molding, so I do feel this is a very plausible design. Hatchback struts would be needed to hold the blast shield up, and the wheels would need to come from a riding mower, methinks.

Arcade Keychain

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I own a few of these Tiny Arcade toys made by Super Impulse, and they live up to their name. However they are still too big to function as a keychain, one of their intended features (see more here), so I made this redesign of sorts. This version is smaller, and has a rounded shape so it will be easier to pocket.

A new feature I added was a key that plugs in and activates the video game, eliminating the need for a power switch. This feature mimics the “insert coin” function from original arcade machines.

Kiddie Ride Flight Stick

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To fully experience Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, you need a serious flight stick. Behold, a design based on those kiddie rides of yesteryear! If you are not aware, a “kiddie ride” is a coin-operated machine, usually located in a mall or department store, that allows a toddler to ride a small vehicle or animal. These rides aren’t as fun as they look.

This is merely a joystick with a toy plane attached. Holding the tail will allow you to tilt the plane in all directions, so the plane in-game will mimic the behavior of this flight stick plane.

Turning the rudder will… turn the rudder in-game. That takes care of all 3 axis of movement! Many joysticks can be rotated as well, so the plane could be turned in this fashion too, if the rudder is a pain to use.

The coin box can operate as the acceleration thingy planes use…looks like a big lever? It’s a bit gimmicky but that is what this controller is about. There are a few buttons on the stand as well.

This was a fun design, I enjoyed making it. When I first started my goal was to make an accessible flight stick (like this accessible steering controller) and it was pretty basic: a small plane balanced/perched on a raised stand, which can be pivoted and turned with a single finger. It couldn’t work, the user would be constantly adjusting the plane and it would be tedious and slow.

Power Adapter Game Console

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Inspired by this neat Nintendo Switch dock, I thought it would be fun to fit an entire game console into a power adapter. The idea is not so far-fetched, nowadays you can get a 4K computer to fit in a tiny box.

This wall adapter features a tiny wireless controller, about the size of the 8bitdo Zero 2. It stores in a small compartment, where it also docks and charges.

After plugging this into the wall, all that is needed is to run an HDMI cable to the TV. Only one cable to deal with! I currently have a Raspberry Pi Zero as my travel kit for gaming, and it needs an HDMI cable, the power adapter, and a wired USB SNES controller to operate. It’s often a tangled, bulky mess.

Speaking of the HDMI cable, I designed the shape of this device to act as a spool for the cable:

With the power prongs folded up, this would make for such a compact kit. I believe it would be small enough to be sold in vending machines at airports and hotels.

For this design I think a bunch of included 8-bit and 16-bit games would complete the package. An SD Card slot for adding games would be welcome too. If you want to be really fancy, this could include wi-fi and streaming apps. A variant with 2 controllers can be done as well.

Kitchen Appliances With Privacy Glass Doors

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Privacy Glass (a.k.a. Smart Glass) is a neat invention, it converts clear glass into a frosted pane at the flick of a switch. This technology can be applied to a couple of common kitchen appliances in very interesting ways.

First up, the dishwasher. Most of the time, the glass will be frosted to conceal the dirty dishes within. After a wash cycle is complete, the glass will turn clear to denote the dishes are now clean. Once the dishwasher is emptied, the glass turns frosted again (weight sensors can determine the dish racks are now empty).

As for the fridge, the front door would be frosted most of the time. When someone approaches and trips a motion sensor, the glass door turns clear and the interior light illuminates, showing off all the food contained inside.

Probably the biggest reason we don’t see glass doors on fridges and dishwashers is because people don’t want to see a million condiments or filthy dishes all the time, but the Privacy Glass allows for a look inside when the occasion calls for it.

A similar approach could be applied to the microwave door and oven door, but I don’t see Privacy Glass being all that handy in either scenario, unless people don’t like seeing the insides of these appliances for whatever reason.

UPDATE (Nov 5th 2020): LG released a fridge called the InstaView a few years ago. I can’t tell if a dark tinted glass or privacy glass was used, but the basic functionality is the same. I’m not sold on the knock-knock interface, I’d rather tap or swipe on the glass like a smartphone instead.

Bomberman Controller

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Remember those Jakks Pacific plug-and-play consoles? Same deal here with the Bomberman character. Thought it would be fun if there was a button on top of the joystick, ideal for placing bombs . The side ear button serves as the secondary button used by the thumb, and is on both sides for righties and lefties.

It would be neat to have 4 or 5 of these controllers, in different colors to match each player. Such a set would be a fun game for parties. Bomberman used to be THE party game before Smash Bros. came along and stole its thunder.

IKEA All-In-One Tool

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This contraption combines two Allen wrenches, a screwdriver, and a small hammer (for finishing nails) to help assemble IKEA furniture. I like the idea of having a dedicated IKEA-branded tool on hand, for assembling new stuff or dismantling furniture for a move. The hammer can be replaced with a socket wrench system too.