Bulding an old school arcade machine

Steve-French

What A Rush!!!
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I was born in 1980, so I got to experience the arcades growing up and spent my fair share of time in them as a kid. A friend of mine has been building these kind of as a hobby and selling them for around $500 bucks.

They run off a $35 raspberry pie computer and run emulates. I have an arcade stick that I play emulators with on my computer, but one of these would go good in my man cave. He said they cost him around $250 to build.

I'm a carpenter by trade and am pretty nerdy so I could build and program one of these by myself, but he would sell me one for $450 and I think it would be worth spending the $200 extra dollars to just have him do it.

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66e06b04-6f88-4478-babd-9c6be4575441.png



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Really cool hobby.

On a similar note, here's the GOAT arcade machine:

0000541_xmen-6-player-x-men-x-men.jpg


If you had five partners playing this monster, you guys were an untouchable gang of toughs.
 
Really cool hobby.

On a similar note, here's the GOAT arcade machine:

x-men%20arcade.jpg


If you had five partners playing this monster, you guys were an untouchable gang of toughs.

I remember I took back like $20 worth of returnables and sponsored myself and 3 other friends to play and beat Ninja turtles.

71%2Bvq7Ig3gL._SY679_.jpg


Some of these DYI arcade machines can get pretty nuts though. Something like this would be sweet if you had the room for it.

4_Player_Arcade_Machine_Mame_Ready_to_play_With_computer_and_all_electronics_01_in.jpg
 
I remember I took back like $20 worth of returnables and sponsored myself and 3 other friends to play and beat Ninja turtles.

71%2Bvq7Ig3gL._SY679_.jpg


Some of these DYI arcade machines can get pretty nuts though. Something like this would be sweet if you had the room for it.

4_Player_Arcade_Machine_Mame_Ready_to_play_With_computer_and_all_electronics_01_in.jpg
A lot of ingenuity with these machine designs.

I miss arcades in a bad way. That atmosphere is totally irreplicable at home with consoles.
 
A buddy of mine buys junk/surplus arcade machines from Japan. He restores them and has basically an arcade in his own home.
 
A lot of ingenuity with these machine designs.

I miss arcades in a bad way. That atmosphere is totally irreplicable at home with consoles.

He let me borrow one for a couple of weeks and I propped it up on an old sewing machine table in my basement. It sounds kind of weird, but they are way more fun to play standing up. He had SNES, NES, Sega Genesis, and Mame (arcade) emulaters built in, but you can up load any system to it. A lot of nes games transfer surprisingly well to the arcade style cabinet.

I was rocking...

Wrestlefest
18188-WWF_WrestleFest_(US_set_1)-1486896490.png


Ninja Gaiden
18hf7e8ewq8cajpg.jpg


Robocop
hqdefault.jpg


Punchout
punchout-spot2.gif


MK II
latest


Street fighter 2
105328-Street_Fighter_II:_The_World_Warrior_(World_910522)-1481842115.jpg


Superman
superman_screenshot.png


Hat trick
9a40310d-1bd2-43fd-a0bc-98fdb7d140a8.png


Galaga
13050-Galaga_(Namco)-1490984885-thumb.png
 
He let me borrow one for a couple of weeks and I propped it up on an old sewing machine table in my basement. It sounds kind of weird, but they are way more fun to play standing up. He had SNES, NES, Sega Genesis, and Mame (arcade) emulaters built in, but you can up load any system to it. A lot of nes games transfer surprisingly well to the arcade style cabinet.

I was rocking...

Wrestlefest
18188-WWF_WrestleFest_(US_set_1)-1486896490.png


Ninja Gaiden
18hf7e8ewq8cajpg.jpg


Robocop
hqdefault.jpg


Punchout
punchout-spot2.gif


MK II
latest


Street fighter 2
105328-Street_Fighter_II:_The_World_Warrior_(World_910522)-1481842115.jpg


Superman
superman_screenshot.png


Hat trick
9a40310d-1bd2-43fd-a0bc-98fdb7d140a8.png


Galaga
13050-Galaga_(Namco)-1490984885-thumb.png
Wrestlefest, Ninja Gaiden, MK2, and SF2?

You da man.
 
Pretty bad ass arcades were done when I was a kid but you could play the machines at the local liquor store or burger joint. I don't think I'd ever play it so it'd be lost on me. Love going to the barcade though!
 
TS you are awesome!! I was born in the early 80's too and I'd love to get into this kind of thing.
 
I knew someone who had a full size mame machine in his 'man cave' and that thing was awesome. I've never played the smaller versions.
 
TS you are awesome!! I was born in the early 80's too and I'd love to get into this kind of thing.

The hardest part would be making the cabinet which you can purchase a blue print for online. There is no sodering or anything involved as the wiring for the buttons snaps together. You can even buy the cabinets for around 100 and put it together yourself. Really if you wanted to get started all you would need.

$67
il_570xN.1571582677_js2q.jpg

https://www.etsy.com/listing/619523...MIyMbI_eu13AIV0oh-Ch0Piw7qEAkYAyABEgLc8PD_BwE


Two sets of buttons $32
s-l640.jpg

https://www.ebay.com/i/372038613422?chn=ps

Raspberry pie computer $35
upload_2018-7-23_14-28-54.jpeg
https://express.google.com/product/...campaign=gsx&dclid=CNOTkqnttdwCFQg7TwodSUoFRg

LED monitor you can usually find these at goodwill or other thrift store for like $20 or for even a couple dollars online.

$3
31gQXnDV2gL.jpg



vga to hdmi adapter $8
41KqDnKzBsL._AC_US218_.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_3?url=search-alias=electronics&field-keywords=vga+to+hdmi&sprefix=vga,electronics,203&crid=27W9UZ9G40ZHY

Plexiglass $20 Not necessary, but ads a nice touch
plexiglass-lexan.jpg


power strip with long cord or power source if you want to have a on off switch. Power strip is good enough though $16
41AMF69R5WL.jpg


Top light (also optional) $16
white-westek-bar-strip-lights-usl11hbcc-64_1000.jpg


Some old computer speakers for sound you can also find these online or at a thrift store for around $10. Or just ask around people usually have an old set of these lying around.

412-HbslD0L._AC_US218_.jpg



Oil based latex primer and paint. $20

upload_2018-7-23_14-51-35.jpeg

Harware such as hinge for the back panel, monitor mounts, and screws and such $20

All in all $247 dollars
 
The hardest part would be making the cabinet which you can purchase a blue print for online. There is no sodering or anything involved as the wiring for the buttons snaps together. You can even buy the cabinets for around 100 and put it together yourself. Really if you wanted to get started all you would need.

$67
il_570xN.1571582677_js2q.jpg

https://www.etsy.com/listing/619523...MIyMbI_eu13AIV0oh-Ch0Piw7qEAkYAyABEgLc8PD_BwE


Two sets of buttons $32
s-l640.jpg

https://www.ebay.com/i/372038613422?chn=ps

Raspberry pie computer $35
View attachment 410785
https://express.google.com/product/...campaign=gsx&dclid=CNOTkqnttdwCFQg7TwodSUoFRg

LED monitor you can usually find these at goodwill or other thrift store for like $20 or for even a couple dollars online.

$3
31gQXnDV2gL.jpg



vga to hdmi adapter $8
41KqDnKzBsL._AC_US218_.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_3?url=search-alias=electronics&field-keywords=vga+to+hdmi&sprefix=vga,electronics,203&crid=27W9UZ9G40ZHY

Plexiglass $20 Not necessary, but ads a nice touch
plexiglass-lexan.jpg


power strip with long cord or power source if you want to have a on off switch. Power strip is good enough though $16
41AMF69R5WL.jpg


Top light (also optional) $16
white-westek-bar-strip-lights-usl11hbcc-64_1000.jpg


Some old computer speakers for sound you can also find these online or at a thrift store for around $10. Or just ask around people usually have an old set of these lying around.

412-HbslD0L._AC_US218_.jpg



Oil based latex primer and paint. $20

View attachment 410789

Harware such as hinge for the back panel and screws and such $10

All in all $237 dollars


Holy shit man thanks for that!!!
 
Cool thread, you should definetly build your own. It would be a fun project.
 
Really cool hobby.

On a similar note, here's the GOAT arcade machine:

0000541_xmen-6-player-x-men-x-men.jpg


If you had five partners playing this monster, you guys were an untouchable gang of toughs.
Konami also made TMNT and the Simpsons beat-em-ups.

acb.jpg
 
Cool thread, you should definetly build your own. It would be a fun project.

Yeah I know I could do it, but my friend has made 5 of them already and has it down to a science as each one he builds gets better. Plus he's put in a lot of work and I wouldn't mind helping him out. There kind of a tricky thing to sell as you can't sell them with games loaded unless it's for a close friend. Then if the person isn't techie they want to keep asking questions about loading games, emulators, button configurations... etc.

He dropped like a grand all at once and ordered several button sets, raspberry pies and other materials. He also built all of the cabinets at once kind of assembly line style. He scored on the monitors for them too as goodwill had a 50% of day and an office had donated a fuck ton of old lcd monitors there,so he got them for a song. Plus I build shit all day at work, so I'm kind of sick of putzing with tools when I'm on my own time.
 
Yeah I know I could do it, but my friend has made 5 of them already and has it down to a science as each one he builds gets better. Plus he's put in a lot of work and I wouldn't mind helping him out. There kind of a tricky thing to sell as you can't sell them with games loaded unless it's for a close friend. Then if the person isn't techie they want to keep asking questions about loading games, emulators, button configurations... etc.

He dropped like a grand all at once and ordered several button sets, raspberry pies and other materials. He also built all of the cabinets at once kind of assembly line style. He scored on the monitors for them too as goodwill had a 50% of day and an office had donated a fuck ton of old lcd monitors there,so he got them for a song. Plus I build shit all day at work, so I'm kind of sick of putzing with tools when I'm on my own time.

I guess you could just give him a hand assembling it, and then see how to load games and emulators etc. onto it.
 
I guess you could just give him a hand assembling it, and then see how to load games and emulators etc. onto it.

I know how to load the games and stuff on it. I have a shit ton of emulators and roms saved on a hard drive. I actually spent a few hours loading games the first one he made. Plus he has two assembled and ready to go right now.
 
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