Retro gaming is fun, unfortunately vintage consoles are expensive and the games are even worse. Emulators are a great place to start, but simply running them on a PC sort of takes away from the experience. I like concept of the classic console rebuilt using modern hardware as this is a reasonable middle-ground between the rising cost of vintage hardware and modern emulators. I set out to build an all-in-one custom arcade machine that has each console and is easily select-able.
Cabinet
It’s better to go big. I decided to go with a full size arcade cabinet. To minimize cost, I planned on only buying two sheets of medium density fiberboard and all the pieces would then be cut out. Below is the template for a 4′ x 8′ sheet that includes everything needed to make a simple cabinet.
These sheets of MDF can be pricey, so cutting everything out of only 2 pieces greatly reduces the overall cost.
You can see here where I laid the boards on top of each other and cut them out together.
Using a square and a tape measure, I drew the arcade profile onto these MDF boards. Then I took a bandsaw and cut out the shapes. Almost all of the material was used. Very little scrap was left over.
To make the pieces fit together, each will need to be cut with angled edges. Then everything is fastened together using wood glue and screws.
Next I made a bracket to attach the monitor to the cabinet on the inside.
The pieces are then assembled using wood screws and wood glue. A nice coat of paint too.
I also began to work on the internals and the monitor. HAPP makes great arcade parts and can be purchased for not a lot of money.
A fresh coat of black paint does it justice and with the blue trim it looks even better. Due to a time crunch to enter this arcade machine in a showcase, I did not quite finish it and the computer was a Raspberry Pi running PiMAME [since renamed to PiPlay]. Casters were added to help roll it around.
The internal wiring was time consuming as each button had to be wired back to the controller. I had everything mocked up
