How to Make Your Own Arcade Machine

Building an arcade cabinet involves some tool-based construction as well as wiring.

Making an arcade machine requires a little bit of work in building and wiring, but the results can be worth it for a nostalgic gamer. Upright arcade units have mostly been phased out, but current technology lets gamers install their PCs with hundreds or even thousands of games, thanks to MAME (a software called Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator). The PC installed with MAME makes a perfect addition to a game room, den, youth group meeting place or rec center. And while such devices can be purchased, building one yourself will save thousands of dollars.

Things You'll Need

• Cabinet kit
• PC
• Monitor with speakers
• Controller

Instructions

1. Purchase an arcade cabinet kit. These kits can be jukebox (or bar-top) based, traditional upright units or more elaborate, multi-piece cabinets. These cost anywhere from $300 to $1000 dollars, depending on how complicated they are, and all require a fair bit of work to construct. Good sources to purchase these are found on the Web at Mameroom Designs, Dreamarcades or Arcadeshopper.

2. Find a controller that suits your gaming needs. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, build one yourself. Either option will end up costing around $200. Building one from scratch involves ordering joysticks, trackballs and buttons and wiring them to a motherboard. Good, pre-made controllers for this express use include X-Arcade and SlikStik. Insert the controller on the cabinet's dashboard.

3. Place a PC in the base of the cabinet, and wire the controller as an input device to it. Place a monitor in the top of the cabinet and wire it to the video output of the PC. This controller is now your only manner of inputting data to the PC, so make sure it is already installed with a MAME emulator and plenty of read-only memory (ROM). One good, free, legal place to obtain this software is Mamedev.org.

4. Finish the cabinet cosmetically. Take a look at the room it'll be going in and base your design decision on how it will look with the decor. Arcade cabinets tend to have large blank sides that traditionally featured gaming artwork. These designs can be painted-on. Vintage coin grates and lighted marquees can be purchased from sites like Mameroom to give the arcade machine a more vintage look.

Tips & Warnings

• The PC doesn't have to be very high-powered, because MAME software has a low memory requirement. But good speakers will give the machine more authenticity.

• Make sure the arcade machine is plugged into a good surge protector. PCs can easily fry with a sudden power surge.

References

• "Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine"; St. Clair, John; 2004.