How do you interface with your hardware? MPF supports a lot of platforms and you can add your own by implementing the platform interface (in python). Alternatively, you could implement the Backbox Control Protocol (BCP) and only use MPF-MC (MPF media controller). Bother ways are possible. The former is probably easier and more flexible. Here is a short overview over the architecture: http://docs.missionpinball.org/en/dev/displays/mc/index.html of MPF and MPF-MC. You can find a simple platform implementation here (for the RPi): https://github.com/missionpinball/mpf/blob/dev/mpf/platforms/rpi/rpi.py. If you want to maintain it separately from MPF we also support external platforms in another module: https://github.com/missionpinball/mpf-demo-platform.

Jan

Prospekteur if you want to use arduino with MPF, a simple setup (to start) would be to emunate keyboard strokes using arduino. There a probably tons of resources for that but have a look at http://mitchtech.net/arduino-usb-hid-keyboard/ to start.

In any case, I hope that you share your project here or somewhere we can read about it.

Is the Arduino powerful enough to play videos? Have you thought about one of those mini PCs like in TNA?

MPF is not running on the Arduino. The Arduino will interface to a PC (such as the up board used in TNA) via USB. There are multiple ways to connect MPF to hardware platforms. Usually, the platform author writes a few lines of python glue. Alternatively, the platform can implement the existing serial LISY protocol (http://docs.missionpinball.org/en/dev/hardware/lisy/protocol.html).

In this case where the game logic runs on the Arduino instead of in MPF more options exist. Implementing BCP (as mentioned above) or USB HID are a few of them. Writing a few lines of python glue is probably still the cleanest option but other ways exist. This is certainly not the primary usecase for MPF.