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Homemade Arcade Cabinet

Homemade Arcade Cabinet
Welcome! this is my first attempt to create a MAME arcade cabinet from scratch. I built this thing some years ago and just decided to upload it to instructables.com

I tried to take as many pictures I could to show the step-by-step creation process.
This project has many interesting topics in which I worked: woodworking, design, electronics, painting, programming.

If you like this project please comment!
 
 
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Step 1Cabinet construction

Cabinet construction
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I think a good blueprint is a must as a good starting point for this project. I wish I could created a 3d design but I only know a little bit about 3d tools. If you take this approach a good -and free- software to play with is Sketchup from Google.

I chose the way of hand drawing designs. Since I wanted to build an old-fashioned cabinet I looked up to the Taito cabinets designs (Alpine Ski or Jungle King for example)

Since I couldn't find any full sized blueprint of the cabinet I liked to build, I had to create it by my own. First of all, I got a small picture of the side view of an "alpine ski" and printed it out in a deskjet printer. 

After slicing the silhouette of the side view I took a small piece of squared paper and draw the design there.
The next part was easy. All I had to know was one of the measures of the real cabinet (for instance, the length from the floor to the control panel) and apply a simple rule to calculate the other values.

I got one of the measures from a cabinet installed at a restaurant. The height from floor to control panel was 92cm.

The height from the floor to control panel in the small picture was 5cm

With this data I calculated the depth of the machine, by measuring the depth of the small picture (which was 6cm) and applying the formula that gives the measure of the real depth:

real cabinet side depth = 6 * 92 / 5  = 110cm

I got all the measures of the side view with this method and created a blueprint of the cabinet sides as the construction starting point.

Based on the blueprints I started the process cutting the MDF sheets for both sides of the cabinet. Every cut was made with the circular saw except the curved cut of the upper sides. I didn't have any tool to make that kind of cut so I had to build it by my own. I did this by using a saw blade fixing one end as an axis and attaching the jigsaw to the other end. This kind of cut must be performed with a lot of care and in very slow motion because the jigsaw blade can easily get twisted.

After both sides were ready I sanded the borders to get a smooth surface.

Next, I created the inner frame. This part is the reference to build the rest of the cabinet because the control panel will be positioned just over this frame.

The distance between both cabinet sides is 66cm. I got this measurement from the control panel prototype created before. Although the cabinet can be narrower I this measure is very comfortable for two players with six buttons each.

After fixing both sides to the frame, I started with the control panel construction, as you can see in the next step.
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29 comments
Dec 9, 2011. 7:22 AMGreasetattoo says:
Great instructable, Carl..
Here is mine I am making..

It is a MIME, PINBALL..
Mar 3, 2012. 7:18 PMMuniosi says:
Wow, that looks really cool. You should post an instructable or at least a video when you're done. It looks amazing,
Feb 3, 2012. 3:22 AMdrake221 says:
thats cool might make this for the kids put there xbox 360 in it
Oct 27, 2011. 12:36 PMscottinnh says:
Awesome job, Carlos. You did very well making this from scratch, without blueprints.

I would be a little concerned about using fiberboard, if your operating environment has moisture. That's not a problem for you maybe, but on a basement floor (even if it is "dry") it would be an issue. Fiberboard just wicks up any moisture it can get. Rubber feet will help, raising it off the floor.

I would love to build one of these, but in a cocktail format cabinet.
Feb 6, 2011. 1:34 AMmaclinfuehr says:
If that saw blade driven by a drill lol
Oct 27, 2011. 12:38 PMscottinnh says:
That's no saw blade, it is a sanding disc!
Jan 23, 2011. 6:51 PMadrian116 says:
Im really new to this whole thing. Do you think you could some how explain exactly what to do for a fellow amature? Brilliant project by the way.
Jan 26, 2011. 1:36 PM17jrobinson says:
I dont get it ether
Jan 23, 2011. 6:57 PMadrian116 says:
Sorry ignore that comment I skipped the keyboard step. But would you make a list of all the games?
Dec 15, 2010. 2:37 AMkenobr100 says:
thats brill !
how much did that cost you to make?
Dec 13, 2010. 10:14 PMnolte919 says:
I don't suppose you'd post your marquee artwork as a downloadable file? And did you print it on regular paper or use some sort of transparency?
Oct 15, 2010. 8:54 PMMikey8567 says:
Not to be a stickler but that isn't a neon light. It's a florescent light. And a 13w florescent light is the same output as a 60w incandescent light bulb. But over all this is a great instructable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oct 16, 2010. 7:58 PMMikey8567 says:
Yea I'm a electrician by trade (Many other trades under my belt too LOL) and I've dealt with a lot of voltages ranging from .01 vdc to 10k. a lot of the electronic ballast's for florescent fixtures take multi voltage inputs. I've been replacing most of my projects with LED so I don't have to change out builds as much. Good job on the project!
Oct 15, 2010. 8:56 PMMikey8567 says:
Might include a warning that #1 the input to it is 125 VAC and the output to the bulb (via the ballast) is around 8k-10k VAC so a electrical shock warning to all the users.
Oct 14, 2010. 8:02 AMgdhenson says:
great work
Oct 13, 2010. 3:42 PMrc jedi says:
Wow! very nice. I plan on doing 1 soon. great project. thanks for shareing
Oct 12, 2010. 6:05 AMldb477 says:
You mentioned the image was flipped in the tv and did not look right. Just fyi there's a plug inside your tv called the yoke connector that connect to the large mess of windings on the back of the tube. There are only 4 wires on this connector so its easy to find, and it goes straight to the main board inside the tv. The four wires basically control the height and width of the image, and if each correspoding pair is reversed, they will reverse the image. Flipping it horizontally AND vertically will make the screen perfectly upsidedown. Your supplier may have only flipped it vertically which would have accounted for the "mirrored" image (which many of the old arcade cabinets used along with an actual mirror to reposition the video screen to a more natual position, while keeping the tv itself tucked away where there is more room).
Oct 12, 2010. 6:23 AMldb477 says:
Wow, I am thoroughly impressed. I work as a gameroom technician for an arcade and I have to say your craftsmanship surpasses most of the arcade games that I work on that are from professional companies. My favorite part is the pull out keyboard tray, well hidden!
Oct 11, 2010. 5:46 PMironsmiter says:
I like the finished product.

I especially like your keyboard controller hack.


You said "Most of the older TV's in my country has composite (RCA) inputs and not s-video"

Just so anyone trying this knows, there are MANY many many s-video to rca cables available. In fact, my last 2 video cards came with them, in the box. You can even hack one together with an old p/s2 cable, and an rca jack. Just a matter of hooking up the correct pins.

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