Portable Arcade Control Panel

For some time, I've wanted to build my own arcade controls to relive some of my favorite games from when I was a kid.  Due to space, time, and budget constraints, I decided to forego building an entire arcade cabinet and instead opted for a portable box to house just the controls and wiring.  This allows me to take my arcade experience anywhere!

Step 1 Gather Materials

Materials Used:
 - 3/4" MDF
 - High impact acrylic plexiglass
 - 30" Piano hinge
 - Diamond plate vinyl decal
 - Chrome t-molding
 - Wood screws
 - Machine screws
 - T nuts
 - Wood glue
 - 2-player arcade control set (purchased from xgaming.com )
 - 2 1/4" Trackball assembly
 - Tackball mounting plate
 - Decorative 8 ball
 - Ultimarc Mini-PAC with wiring harness
 - Wire
 - Crimp-on quick connectors
 - 6 pin male and female wiring harness
 - Black spray paint

Tools Required:
 - Power drill
 - Jigsaw
 - Router
 - Hole saw
 - 3/4" forstner bit
 - 1/16" slot cutter router bit
 - Hammer
 - T square
 - Measuring Tape
 - Bar clamps
 - Pencil
 - Utility knife
 - Sweat
 - Braun

Comments

[mastermakoko]

just what the doctor ordered,a simple place to play arcade games but not as complex as making a cab>>>>nice!

[YoChuck]

Thanks so much, and I'm glad you enjoyed the instructable!

[mastermakoko]

no,thank YOU for giving me an inspiration on my controller,couldnt even wire mine,not till i find yours!cheers!

[NaturalCrafter]

I love your version where as my husband bolted the electronics for a gauntlet underneath the coffee table to keep it out of the way and then the controllers were stowed away till time to use. It was very popular for many years.

[YoChuck]

Haha! I love those old 'cocktail style' arcade machines! Best of luck keeping the new coffee table safe from harm... err... awesomeness. :D

[NaturalCrafter]

I don't mind the fun projects, it keeps life interesting.

[NaturalCrafter]

Oh oh! My new coffee table has a removable glass panel..ummm he just read this instructables over my shoulder and ah...Honey??

[skipernicus]

IMPORTANT: MDF dust is extremely bad for your lungs - wear some kind of filter protection!

[YoChuck]

Fantastic point to make. Using the circular saw in particular kicked up a TON of dust. While we're on the subject of safety, eye protection is a must as well.

[skipernicus]

MDF is great to work with, but the dust is really pernicious - it generates microfine dust, which isn't so good for you to begin with - but since MDF is made with urea-formaldehyde, it will goof you up.

[wandering otaku]

While technically it's portable in the sense it isn't a huge arcade cabinet, this still seems like it's quite heavy to me and not that portable. How heavy did this turn out to be?

I like it though.

[YoChuck]

Just weighed in at a svelt 37.5 lbs. About a large bag of dog food... It's definitely more bulky than heavy.

[wandering otaku]

Wow. Not bad. It does have the look of it being much heavier than that. Handles would probably be a good idea to make it easier to carry, like you mentioned.

[YoChuck]

It's very manageable. I've had to make lots of adjustments to it since taking the initial pictures, and also to add the coin button to the front, so I've carried it through the house several times over. I've definitely considered adding handles though...