MameGamers - Mame Arcade Cabinet Making & More

Remember the days when heading down to your local arcade to play Pac Man or spend hours playing Tetris to break that high score. Well I do, and now I can re-live the days in my own living room. But the best part is when someone beats my score I can reset them.

Well to kick off this series I will be taking you through a detailed step by step instruction manual on how to construct your very own, professional upright arcade machine. I will be working on this project with my old man, who has 25 years experience as a joiner and carpenter. Special thanks to him for his help with this.

So before we begin I must warn you that this is a lengthily and delicate project which can take up to 6 months or longer to complete. This project is still currently in development at the time of writing this but has so far taken 3 months to get to stage 5 (Painting & Artwork).

Planning Is Key

The most overlooked part of this scale of project is planning. Deciding to build an arcade machine can be a very difficult task and without proper preparation can be a costly project. You will need to weigh up the option of purchasing an existing built arcade or constructing your own. Without planning you could overlook important factors which must be taken in to consideration.

Budget

First thing is first, what is your budget? How much do you want to spend on your arcade and how much can you source through spare parts or scraps? These are the things you need to ask yourself before starting your project. A typical project can cost between $200 – $400 US.

The Style

So after considering your budget you will want to start thinking about what type of machine you want. Do you want to replicate an original machine from back in your childhood, or maybe create something unique and special to you? A great place to have a look at different styles of arcades is Jakobud.com, you can also find exact plans for original arcades and best of all its 100% free. Thanks Jakobud!

Materials

So after you have finally sorted your arcade plans out and the style you want to create you will need to sort your materials for construction. It is extremely important to have your materials prior to embarking on your “arcade journey” this will help you complete the project more efficiently and save you time and money.

Here is a typical list of materials for an arcade machine.

1. MDF
2. Laminated Glass
3. Screws
4. Bolts
5. Castors (Wheels)
6. Hinges
7. Locks
8. Perspex
9. Old PC (or Jamma Board)
10. Speakers
11. Arcade Controls (Joystick(s), Buttons, Trackball)
12. Coin Mechanism
13. Keyboard Encoder (or Keyboard Hack)
14. Florescent Light
15. Power Strip (Power Board)
16. MDF Sealer

Here is a typical list of tools you may need when constructing your arcade.

1. Router
2. Clamps
3. Cordless Screw Driver
4. Electric Saw
5. Right Angle Ruler
6. Measuring Tape
7. Chisels
8. Builders Bog/Putty
9. Router Bits
10. Hole Saw Bits

Electronics

So after having everything sorted you will need to think about what is really going to power your arcade machine. Most people go for an old PC dedicated to running MAME (you can read about it here). This is the easiest way and the best for a personal set up for your home. If you prefer a more authentic set-up you can run a Jamma Board inside your machine. Personally if this is your first arcade machine I would opt for a MAME set up, simply because this is low cost and easy to do.

Most people will have an old PC sitting around the house this is the best thing to use to get started. You will need something with a little grunt but nothing extreme. This is what I recommend;

• Pentium 3/AMD or higher with 1.5Ghz +
• 1 GB Ram or more
• 64mb graphics card or better
• Onboard sound card
• Windows XP

You can read more about the software in another article by me. Mame Installation & Configuration

You can experiment with these and find something that is good but not overly good. Remember you are playing mostly games from 1980 – 1996.

Controls

So the most asked question in the arcade community is how to build your controls. You have a few options when it comes to this, and simple it comes down to time and money.
You can opt for purchasing an X-Arcade TankStick which is costly but everything is there for you and they do offer a lifetime warranty or you can purchase parts and construct a control board yourself.
The TankStick is a much quicker and easier way to have a fully functional arcade controls, but if you want to learn more you can build your own. I highly recommend purchasing your parts from XGaming and constructing your own panel. They offer warranty on all their parts.

You can purchase all your parts from a few places online. Here are just a few;

• X-Gaming (The All in one solution) – We highly recommend them!
• Ebay
• Ultimarc (Keyboard Encoders)
• HappControls

Encoders

After sorting your controls you will need an encoder to connect them to your PC, thanks to bob he has also explained this for us.

Next you need to decide how you are going to hook your controls up to your computer. The easiest way is to get a keyboard encoder. Basically you hook the micro switches from the buttons or joysticks to your encoder and when the micro switch is pressed it sends a keystroke like a keyboard. Most encoders hook up with to your computer through ps-2 or usb. X-Arcade offers a great encoder that is used in their Tankstick Controller which is known for its reliability and ease of use. The only downfall is that it only has 28 inputs on it. Enough for 20 buttons and two joysticks. Another great keyboard encoder is the i-Pac from Ultimarc. They offer several different models to suit any arcade you think about building. After taking a look at the encoders at Ultimarc, I decided to use their i-Pac2. It is built for running MAME specifically and out of the box is programmed with the keys by default in MAME. All you have to do is hook the buttons up the appropriate connection on the board and your up and running. It has 32 inputs. Which only 28 are needed for the control panel I plan on running. But leaves 4 extra down the road for either 4 buttons or 1 joystick, like a true 4-way for games that were originally played that way.

You can purchase the TankStick from X-Arcade and that will have everything you need to get started (joysticks, buttons and encoder).

Screen

So another thing to consider is your screen, how you view your video games is everything. As Bob explains in another article (Building a Bartop Arcade: Planning) he discusses the pros and cons of screens.

Conclusion

So have you got everything planned? As Bob explains in his other article it is extremely important to carefully plan your project before starting it. You must have your parts ready prior to construction this can help you finish with flying colors. Before you know it you will have your arcade machine up and running.

Stay tuned for next week’s article on simple construction and design.