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Build an arcade machine at home

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Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#21

Post by oso2k »

munificent wrote: post #15
glxxyz wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought it was a prototype until I got to the end of the article, I was looking for the finished version in something more permanent. Yes there's no requirement to own a circular saw etc.- as well as hand tools the hardware store will accurately cut wood to sizes you specify for a small fee.

> the hardware store will accurately cut wood to sizes you specify for a small fee. Home Depot and, I think, Lowes will cut for free here in the US. But I wouldn't rely on that for any kind of precision sizing. If you need tolerances within, say, 1/4", you're rolling the dice if you rely on a near-minimum wage employee who couldn't care less doing the cutting for you.

I just got some wood cut for another project last night. They're usually pretty good about accuracy, in my experience. I think it all depends on the HD or Lowes employee you get. But I was very happy with the 48" and 66" cuts the gentleman I worked with last night made. Choosing between minimum wage or my novice, unpracticed hands, I think I'll take their hands when I can. As fun as it is to cut wood. :D

Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#22

Post by nogabebop23 »

glxxyz wrote: post #5
falcolas wrote: post #2

I can't see that cardboard lasting more than a month of regular use. Arcade buttons are hit hard , and the substrate needs to be able to withstand those forces. Given that you can source basic hand tools (which can do almost everything power tools can do) for a low price, this particular cost saving measure doesn't have a great ROI.

I thought it was a prototype until I got to the end of the article, I was looking for the finished version in something more permanent. Yes there's no requirement to own a circular saw etc.- as well as hand tools the hardware store will accurately cut wood to sizes you specify for a small fee.

Big box stores are NOT going to cut with the precision and fiddly shaped pieces you need to make this worthwhile though. Even using a circular saw is going to result in something that looks, well, home made. Using hand tools for symetrical cuts would be a nightmare. You really need a table saw and if you want to do t-molding, a router. I've built a couple and and as I quickly found out on my first one, this is more a wood-working project than anything else. I used ikea cupboard doors as base material and the finish is excellent, but very hard to work with (chipping) and you need to plan your cuts to avoid exposed edges.

http://dochstader.com/arcade/

Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#23

Post by glxxyz »

oso2k wrote: post #21
munificent wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the hardware store will accurately cut wood to sizes you specify for a small fee. Home Depot and, I think, Lowes will cut for free here in the US. But I wouldn't rely on that for any kind of precision sizing. If you need tolerances within, say, 1/4", you're rolling the dice if you rely on a near-minimum wage employee who couldn't care less doing the cutting for you.

I just got some wood cut for another project last night. They're usually pretty good about accuracy, in my experience. I think it all depends on the HD or Lowes employee you get. But I was very happy with the 48" and 66" cuts the gentleman I worked with last night made. Choosing between minimum wage or my novice, unpracticed hands, I think I'll take their hands when I can. As fun as it is to cut wood. :D

Yeah it's worked out fine for me too, those awesome wall mounted panel saws are more accurate than any table saw- but our experiences are both imagined apparently ;)

Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#24

Post by nogabebop23 »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #11

If this gets people making and playing with Raspberry Pi's — awesome. Over 15 years or so I've built perhaps 9 or 10 MAME (later Retropie) cabinets because I enjoy iterating. Often I begin the cabinet in cardboard. Perfect way to prototype. If you get people to that stage, the cardboard-aided-design stage, the next step (replacing with wood) is easy. I think people who have never built anything of significance often…

I agree with your progression, with a little more detail:

* emulators on your desktop * harware like a RPi and maybe add dedicated USB controllers * cardboard mock-ups (I use particle or panelboard for mounting the controls) * permanent version in wood, metal, plastic, etc.

FWIW, I find the screen bezels and access points (doors, etc) the trickest parts. Mock-ups let you experiment with the dimensions and size easily.

Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#25

Post by flatiron »

pizza234 wrote: post #7
flatiron wrote: post #3

i built a mame machine in college and we loved that thing. it was just an ikea cabinet with an xarcade stick and a computer monitor hung on the wall with an old computer inside but man did we play that thing. I even remember ordering the MAME roms on a DVD set online and having them shipping. i always dream of building a new one but its not like i live in a house with 5 other dudes have parties every night of the wee…

The design proposed by the article is very interesting - it's cheap and compact (in an amusingly humorous way, I find). Considering it's not demanding in terms of space, it can be built and used as "filler activity" with children. While the geek's dream is certainly playing arcade games on a real-world cabinet for hours, with a child, it can be an activity to do more or less frequently on small sessions (e.g. half ho…

very true. my six year old is way more into her tablet and the games there in than normal controller video games. she does enjoy a bit of sonic 2 but that's because she can race me on the screen and it doesn't involve much more than "go forward and jump over stuff."

as for the activity, i think much older than 6. my daughter would get very frustrated wiring the controller and all of the computer stuff would be way over her head. but i remember being 12-13 and installing Linux in the mid 90s so somehwere between 6 and 12 i guess kids get the patience to sit down and tinker!

Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#26

Post by LeoPanthera »

It's worth pointing out that if you want to run MAME, specifically, RetroPie is a bad choice, as is using the Raspberry Pi in general.

MAME's architecture does not lend well to it being converted into a core. Several features get weakened, disabled, or broken, and they generally don't function the way they're supposed to, especially with respect to controller input.

The version of MAME available for RetroPie is considerably older and outdated. Many of the features have been altered or disabled in order to make MAME work on less powerful hardware.

Even a low end PC running the latest version of MAME (222, at the time of writing) is going to give you a much better experience.

Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#27

Post by ubercow13 »

flatiron wrote: post #3

i built a mame machine in college and we loved that thing. it was just an ikea cabinet with an xarcade stick and a computer monitor hung on the wall with an old computer inside but man did we play that thing. I even remember ordering the MAME roms on a DVD set online and having them shipping. i always dream of building a new one but its not like i live in a house with 5 other dudes have parties every night of the wee…

MAME has become more demanding over time as its accuracy has increased, rather than less so.

Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#28

Post by CharlesW »

madengr wrote: post #14

You can get unfinished cabinets of furniture grade plywood. I wanted mine to look like a nice piece of furniture (wife approved for living room), and it does, after much sanding, staining, and sealing. Extra modifications too, replacing plastic with glass and aluminum. https://youtu.be/rl0-a76yN0M I don’t see how a RPi is going to work that well. I’m running a 4k monitor at over 60 Hz (freesync) with CRT emulation, a…

> You can get unfinished cabinets of furniture grade plywood.

Mind sharing sources you'd recommend?

Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#29

Post by jhbadger »

LeoPanthera wrote: post #26

It's worth pointing out that if you want to run MAME, specifically, RetroPie is a bad choice, as is using the Raspberry Pi in general. MAME's architecture does not lend well to it being converted into a core. Several features get weakened, disabled, or broken, and they generally don't function the way they're supposed to, especially with respect to controller input. The version of MAME available for RetroPie is consi…

It all depends on the era of game you want to play though. At least for me, I can't imagine a retro game I would want to play that a Pi couldn't easily handle, given that my idea of a retro game is Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong, and the like. Granted, if your idea of a retro game is a PS2 game from 2001, your mileage might vary.

Re: Build an arcade machine at home

#30

Post by falcolas »

dfxm12 wrote: post #19
falcolas wrote: post #2

I can't see that cardboard lasting more than a month of regular use. Arcade buttons are hit hard , and the substrate needs to be able to withstand those forces. Given that you can source basic hand tools (which can do almost everything power tools can do) for a low price, this particular cost saving measure doesn't have a great ROI.

You don't just need hand tools, but also materials, space to work and the wherewithal to do some woodwork. I agree, it's better to do something right the first time, but I don't think it's wise to let constraints like this get in the way of starting & finishing an exciting project for fun. At the end of the day, even with cardboard, you'll still have a working videogame setup, as well as some new, transferable skills…

If you're already putting €250 and a fair bit of effort into the project, another €50 of wood isn't exactly going to go amiss. I've also worked with wood and hand tools indoors, it just requires a good vacuuming to clean up. That's one of the nice things about hand tools, they're less prone to throwing a lot of dust up into the air.

Personally, I'd be pretty honked off to be €250 into a project that breaks down into un-usability in such a short period of time.

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