Bartop Arcade Machine

A Bartop Arcade Machine from scrap

Another project based on scraps and left over parts.

A Mess of Parts
This was an emulation based arcade simulator with many games and was a lot of fun. 

So much so in fact, it prompted the purchase of our second proper Jamma machine and more parts to upgrade the first one! 

The idea here is not to get into the details of how mame works and where you might get roms. So don't ask!

The point is more of a personal build diary about this spur of the moment, 'use what you have' type DIY build scenario.

The Brain

Although initially setup to use an old windows based P3, it worked fine but the physical size was just too large for my already built cabinet, I switched the PC out for an original xbox without too much of a headache.

The Cabinet

If you look at the side of the machine you can see it is a non-traditional shape, this is because the curve was traced exactly from the topside to the bottom side of an old computer desk.

The shape almost resembled an arcade machine so it started there.

Using the top piece directly on the bottom and drawing around it gave me the two sides. Then the remaining parts were made up of what was left.

The frame was screwed together with butt joints and corner blocks and the outside was lightly sanded to create a better surface for the paint to grip to. There is no edge banding/t-strip. just sanded then painted edges. If you have MDF and a router... Even Better!
Round it off and keep sanding and painting for a smoother, more professional finish.

The Screen/Bezel 

This was made from a masked and spray painted glass from a large picture frame!

The back was mounted to an off-cut of plywood
the measurements are the same square mounting, 100mm for all LCD TV's.

 The control panel 

Was left over from a full size machine (original was modified for 6 buttons).

The controls break down to 9 Normally open micro switches for each player with a common ground. It's an easy pad hack or an equally cheap USB Joystick encoder if you are using mame.

You could also use a hacked usb keyboard, This involves tracing out some of the key matrix and replacing the keys you need with buttons. It's that simple.

In my case, I already had the joysticks and buttons laying around but there is no rule which says you must use a certain type of button. in which case you could probably get a 2 player setup for about £10 using standard cheapo panel mount switches.Even less if you opt for a dedicated cabinet of something like space invaders which only has 3 buttons.

The monitor 

was an old LCD TV DVD combo.
Worth noting, because unlike PC monitors TV's don't go into standby and wake up when you power on.

TV's need to be told to come on, as with many low power standby appliances, The TV relied on a 5v logic signal being fed to the correct place on the PSU.

After checking the grounds were common with the Computer and the TV, It was easy to establish which trigger the ON for the TV.

Using two forward biased signal diodes from each device (just in case), I wired up the standby power switch of both the TV and the computer to one side of a single SPST Momentary Switch. The other side is tied to ground. and it all comes on together after pressing a single button.

The Marquee

The one thing I did buy was the StreetFighter 2 marquee sticker to add that finishing touch.
The light behind was usb powered and also comes on when the computer does.

Many hours of fun! Works even better with whiskey.