Table Top Touchscreen MAME Arcade

This project started more so because I had a lot of parts that could be utilized in arcade more so then my desire to own my own MAME Arcade. So my goal was to spend as little as possible and utilize as many parts/materials I already had available. 

Built around an old 15" Elo touch screen CRT monitor, which was free, there is a slight burn in of some poker game still on the screen but it barely noticeable and you can't beat free. Downside is it has a 14ga sheet metal case, along with the CRT the weight is immense. The cabinet has a slide out keyboard tray, 20w RMS Amp with 2x 3.5" 2-way speakers, DVD-Drive, 2.4ghz AMD Athlon, USB connected hot keys via a QuickKey Adapter, front-mounted USB, Firewire and audio line in for MP3 players. It offers controls for 2 players with 6 buttons, 1 start button and a joystick. The buttons are all Wired With RGB LEDs and are controlled using a Chromation Systems 48 Channel Mono / 16 Channel RGB LED Controller

Runs Windows XP that has been optimized for the touch screen interface. A custom Processing based Touch Screen Application Launcher was created for use with this, it starts when the computer boots up.

More info and Details can be found on the Table Top Arcade Cabinet Webpage

All the Mario, Pacman, Space Invaders, MAME and/or any other copyrighted graphics/works that were used in this project are property of their respective owners.

Step 1: Supplies & Materials

Cabinet:

• 1 1/4 sheets of 4'x8' 1/2" thick MDF, needed a bit more than one 4x8 sheet. just a few pieces. I salvaged 3 sheets from a junk pile.
• 2'x4's, a single 8ft will work.
• 2" - 2.5" Wood Screws
• Sandable Wood Filler
• Wood Glue
• Masonite for monitor face
• 22"x11" 1/2" thick fine/smooth MDF for
• Quart of Latex, Black Semi-Gloss or Gloss
• Printed pattern for cabinet

Electronics:

• A PC that can handle the MAME and other software, I used a AMD Athlon 3300+ with 1gig RAM and a 40gig HDD. It was free after presumed dead.
• Keyboard
• Monitor, touchscreen, used Elo CRT, got it free.
• 12x white LED arcade buttons, got them from e-bay, These Kind
• 1x Red LED arcade button
• 1x Blue LED arcade button
• 2x Arcade Joysticks, got  mine off eBay for $27 for the pair shipped.
• 12x Common Anode RGB LEDs
• LED Controller such as 48 Channel Mono / 16 Channel RGB LED Controller or a LEDWiz
• QuickKey Adapter - Instructable
• ribbon cable for wiring the LEDs - Buy 50-strand
• Xin Mo Arcade Adapter - very easy, comes with all the wires ready to use ArcadeParadise
• Amp and Speakers or Computer speakers to hack(cheaper), I used a Lepai LP-20-20A+ Amp and 2x Pyle PLX32 3.5" speakers, got them from Amazon

Tools:

• Table Saw or hand circular saw, Table saw will help immensely though.
• Jigsaw with proper blade for MDF,  I used 15 TPI.
• 24"+ Bar Clamp
• Drill with various bits
• Countersink bit
• a few clamps of 3"+ inches
• Power Sander
• Files
• Sandpaper
• Paint scraper, for wood filler
• Hole saw for buttons and speakers
• Stuff for painting, brushes, rollers ect.

Hardware:

• Various Screws, Nuts, and Bolts
• 2" wood screws
• 10-12" Drawer Glides
• Standoffs for mounting the motherboard, with matching screws
• Long Hinge
• Push to Open Magnetic Latches

Comments

[JerryBoi831]

Hello i have been searching EVERYWHERE and emailing TONS of people but nobody helps. I have it built all the way but just need to know how to wire the monitor, mobo, speakers, and marquee light together so that they all turn on at the same time from one push button on the back. Please reply asap or if anyone else can help, please email me to "[e-mail]". thanks

[ChromationSystems]

All the lights and audio amp are hooked up to the PC's power supply from a spare Molex(Hard drive and CD-Drive) connector, so when I hit the computer's power button it starts the power supply which turns on the lights, the audio amp and the monitor turns on when the PC boots. But if you are using speakers with their own PSU you will need to find a power strip with a on/off switch and set the computer to boot when it gets power.

[MrPapaya]

I've read through several times. Also visited your website. I can't find any details on the dimensions of the side panels. Since you've included details for every other piece of wood, I'm guessing this was just an oversight. Although I could just approximate my own from the photos, I'd rather not reinvent the wheel. I might have to make a slight modification depending on how my monitor fits, otherwise I see no reason not to follow your dimensions.

Other than that, I think I follow everything else and am ready to start building.

[ChromationSystems]

It was an oversight, since I had full size print of the side panels that I used. I amended Step 2 with a diagram that shows the lengths.

[Tomcat94]

This is great! 4.5 stars, plus, I've added this to the "Arcade Machines" guide.

[mikeasaurus]

Awesome build, thanks for sharing!