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AdminGG's Arcade Build
Welcome to my first ever Arcade Machine build
Hey all of TVGF! Today I'll be introducing you to a new project of mine that I am about to get completely underway with. About a month ago I decided it would be pretty sweet if I had my own full size arcade machine in my garage. I started investigating the many ways you can go about building a machine like this.
So now I'm going to be building an arcade machine, all from scratch. Buttons, joysticks, wiring, cabinet building, I'm doing it all!
I'll be covering the entire build and configuration of the machine in this thread over multiple posts.
CONTENTS
Part 1: This post
Part 2:
Parts List and initial pricing
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=2934#pid2934
Part 3:
Control panel layout and Arcade design specs
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=2965#pid2965
Part 4:
I) Arcade cabinet frame
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=2981#pid2981
II) Arcade cabinet panels and housing
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3004#pid3004
III) Arcade cabinet panels and housing cont.
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3048#pid3048
Part 5:
I) Button and Joystick placement
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3095#pid3095
II) Button and Joystick placement
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3191#pid3191
Part 6:
I) Painting and Wrapping
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3260#pid3260
II) Painting and Wrapping - Gloss coat
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3533#pid3533
Part 7:
I) Custom vinyl wrap designs
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4082#pid4082
II) Wrapping the arcade
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4084#pid4084
Part 8:
Control setup and button configuration
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4111#pid4111
Joystick and trackball mounting
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3921#pid3921
Part 9:
Finishing touches
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4202#pid4202
Shelving
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3803#pid3803
Screen install
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4002#pid4002
Light Guns
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4289#pid4289
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4494#pid4494
Part 2:
Parts List and initial pricing
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=2934#pid2934
Part 3:
Control panel layout and Arcade design specs
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=2965#pid2965
Part 4:
I) Arcade cabinet frame
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=2981#pid2981
II) Arcade cabinet panels and housing
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3004#pid3004
III) Arcade cabinet panels and housing cont.
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3048#pid3048
Part 5:
I) Button and Joystick placement
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3095#pid3095
II) Button and Joystick placement
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3191#pid3191
Part 6:
I) Painting and Wrapping
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3260#pid3260
II) Painting and Wrapping - Gloss coat
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3533#pid3533
Part 7:
I) Custom vinyl wrap designs
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4082#pid4082
II) Wrapping the arcade
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4084#pid4084
Part 8:
Control setup and button configuration
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4111#pid4111
Joystick and trackball mounting
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3921#pid3921
Part 9:
Finishing touches
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4202#pid4202
Shelving
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=3803#pid3803
Screen install
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4002#pid4002
Light Guns
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4289#pid4289
http://thevideogameforum.com/showthread.php?tid=390&pid=4494#pid4494
Virtual Tour of the completed Arcade:
Part 1: Project Overview
The arcade machine I want to build is going to be classic and old school. I am going to build a full size standing arcade machine capable of running several arcade games and game systems up until the PS1 era.
I want to keep this arcade build as cheap as I can. After watching many videos I was sold on the idea of using an old desktop computer that would be more than powerful enough to run all the classic games I wanted. This way I would already have 80% of what I needed and would only have to worry about sourcing some wood.
However, after a lot more research, I decided on slightly different alternative, that was both cheap and would provide me with a bit of a challenge. My arcade machine will be running on a Raspberry Pi 2.
Whats a Raspberry Pi?
If you have not heard or seen one yet, a Raspberry Pi is a low cost microcomputer that runs on Linux. It has many applications and a lot of people use them for various projects as they are so easy to work with and can be used to make all sorts of cool things.
Now I've got a Raspberry Pi 2 which was just released this year:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/ras...2-model-b/
It's quite an impressive machine, with double the RAM of the previous model:
- A 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU
- 1GB RAM
- 4 USB ports
- 40 GPIO pins
- Full HDMI port
- Ethernet port
- Combined 3.5mm audio jack and composite video
- Camera interface (CSI)
- Display interface (DSI)
- Micro SD card slot
- VideoCore IV 3D graphics core
I was attracted to the idea of using a Raspberry Pi after discovering a project called RetroPie.
What is RetroPie?
RetroPie is an awesome free open source project that turns your Raspberry Pi into a retro-gaming console:
http://blog.petrockblock.com/retropie/
I'll be using Retro Pi v3.0 beta 4, unless a newer version is released while I'm working on building it all.
RetroPie uses a program called EmulationStation which is a collection of multiple gaming emulators from the arcade era up until the PS1 era.
You basically install the RetroPie image onto your RaspberryPi and you have an instant front end for running all your arcade games with pre-installed (but not configured) emulators.
RetroPie can run all of the following emulators:
- Amiga (UAE4ALL)
- Apple II (LinApple)
- Atari 800 (Atari800)
- Atari 2600 (RetroArch/Stella)
- Atari ST/STE/TT/Falcon (Hatari)
- Apple Macintosh (Basilisk II)
- C64 (VICE)
- Amstrad CPC (#CPC4Rpi)
- Final Burn Alpha (RetroArch/PiFBA, RetroArch/FBA)
- Game Boy (RetroArch/Gambatte)
- Game Boy Advance (GpSP)
- Game Boy Color (RetroArch/Gambatte)
- Sega Game Gear (Osmose)
- Intellivision (jzIntv)
- MAME (RetroArch/mame4all-pi, RetroArch/mame4all)
- MSX (openMSX)
- PC – x86 (rpix86)
- NeoGeo (PiFBA, GnGeo)
- Nintendo Entertainment System (RetroArch/FCEUmm)
- Nintendo 64 (Mupen64Plus-RPi)
- TurboGrafx 16 – PC Engine (RetroArch/Mednafen/pce_fast)
- Ports
- CaveStory (RetroArch/NXEngine)
- Doom (RetroArch/PrBoom)
- Duke Nukem 3D (eDuke)
- CaveStory (RetroArch/NXEngine)
- ScummVM
- Sega Master System / Mark III (RetroArch/Picodrive, Osmose, DGen)
- Sega Mega Drive / Genesis (RetroArch/Picodrive, DGen)
- Sega Mega-CD / CD (RetroArch/Picodrive, DGen)
- Sega 32X (RetroArch/Picodrive, DGen)
- Playstation 1 (RetroArch/PCSX ReARMed)
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System (RetroArch/Pocket SNES, snes9x-rpi)
- Sinclair ZX Spectrum (Fuse, FBZX)
I've already started collection rom sets for each of these systems too:
Total roms and size:
What will you be using for controls?
To keep the retro arcade feel, I will of course be using classic arcade buttons and joysticks. I found a supplier online that deals specifically in arcade machine parts.
My goal will be to have a 2 player arcade machine setup. This will require 2 arcade joysticks, 8 buttons per player, insert coin buttons, and player 1 and 2 buttons. I am also going to incorporate a classic arcade trackball for use with classic games like Missile Command and Centipede.
All these buttons and joysticks has to be manually wired to an arcade controller board and then connect to the Raspberry Pi via USB to work. This is going to be a lot of configuration work, as well as trial and error.
I have thought about finding some old NES, SNES, and PS1 controllers (for example) and the appropriate adapters so that I can hook those up to, but that might be something I look into when it's all done.
What will you be using for video out/display?
As I said before, for the most part, I really want to keep this arcade build as classic and old-school as possible. I'll be using a 27" CRT TV for playing all the games on. People are literally giving these away for free on places like TradeMe, so it cost me nothing to obtain and I can probably get one the same way should it ever break.
How will you build the arcade cabinet?
My current plan uses sheets of custom wood to build the arcade cabinet with. At a rough estimate I'll need at least 4 sheets of custom wood to build the cabinet with. This will probably be the most expensive part of the build too.
That's all for now. In my next post I'll be covering the parts list for this build and provide costing for everything. 90% of what I need I have now as I've been ordering everything over the last 3 weeks. Really all I need is the wood to really get started.
This is an ambitious project and I'm looking forward to documenting it all here!
Liams Wrote:make a car out of scrap metal from genie lamps