[sadeter]

My Dad is turning 50 on November 15th. He grew up going to arcades in the "Golden Age" and was one of those guys that could play Ms. Pac-Man on one quarter just about as long as he wanted. So for the last few years I've been thinking about building him a MAME arcade cabinet for his 50th birthday. I started really looking into how to do it about a year ago, and I began to form my plans.

I decided to refurbish an old arcade cabinet instead of building one from scratch due to time and money. I also decided to use a Raspberry Pi instead of a PC. I thought it would be cheaper and I'd wanted to try using one since I read about it. I actually have enough spare computer parts that I probably could've done a PC for about the same cost after all the extra stuff I've gotten for the Pi.

Parts

• Raspberry Pi
• Raspberry Pi Clear Case
• Rasperry Pi Heatsink Kit
• Micro SDHC 8gb
• Adafruit Low Profile SD to Micro SD Adapter
• Enermax 80mm Fan
• Bgears 80mm Fan Grill - 2 Pack
• 60mm to 80mm Fan Adapter
• 4-Port USB Hub
• USB Wifi Adapter
• PS/2 Keyboard
• USB Mouse
• Ultimarc Mini-Pac
• 3 Red Ball Top 8-Way Joysticks
• 24 Pushbuttons - Asstd. Colors, Player 1 & 2, and Square Coin Return Credit Button
• 3" Imperial/Betson Trackball
• Trackball Mounting Kit
• Spinner
• Wiring
• Barrier Strips
• Power Strip
• 27" LCD Monitor
• Low Profile Monitor Mount
• Arcade Cabinet
• 3/4" MDF - For Control Panel, Monitor Mounting Panel, Monitor Bezel, and Cabinet Repair
• Black Paint
• Replacement Coin Door
• Replacement 4" Speaker Speakers and Amplifier
• T-Molding
• 5M White LED Strip SMD 5050
• Plexiglass - For Monitor Glass and Marquee
• Custom Artwork

This is my first build log so any advice, comments, or tips about the build or how I post it are greatly appreciated. Just please be gentle.

 

[sadeter]

Table of Contents

1. Cabinet Arrival

2. Raspberry Pi Hardware

3. Raspberry Pi Software

4. Control Set 1 Arrives

5. Control Panel Initial Design

6. Control Panel Artwork

7. Control Set 2 Arrives

8. Marquee Artwork

9. Kickplate, Bezel, and Sides Artwork

10. Plexiglass Arrives

11. Assembly and Party

12. Control Panel Wiring

13. Super-High Trackball Mount

14. Sound and Lighting Installation

15. Front Kickplate Panel

16. Monitor Bezel

17. Coin Door and Finishing Touches

18. Final Pictures

 

[sadeter]

Cabinet

About 9 months ago I talked to one of our game techs at work (I work at a Bowling Alley / Arcade) about trying to pick me up a cheap cabinet to refurbish next time they went to an auction. When I mentioned this to one of our other game tech a couple of months later, he told me he had an old multi-game cabinet (originally Golden Tee) that he'd gotten to build one for himself but had never gotten around to it and that I could have it for free! One really busy summer later, after looking at some pictures of the cabinet to check it out, I finally went and picked it up.

Before I picked it up.


I'm going to take out the light fixture and put in LED strip lighting so I won't have to worry about changing bulbs.


Took it home and started gutting it. I like how this control panel and electronics mounting panel slides up and out like this for easy access to work on it.






Back with door off.

I'll have to cut a new piece of wood for that section above where the door goes. Somebody cut it out at some point for some reason.

It actually has some other parts too. I just didn't take any photos of them yet. Forgot.

The marquee brackets and speaker cover/mount are the main ones cause I won't have to track them down and buy them.

 

[sadeter]

I guess this will just be my practice build log for me to enjoy.

Not too much posted so far though.

Should get updates from the work on the Pi itself posted tomorrow. Maybe there will be some interest then.

 

[sadeter]

Raspberry Pi Hardware



I didn't really like how the SD card sticks out of the case so far so i got a low profile micro SD adapter.





The problem was it didn't fit in the SD card slot in the case.



A little grinding with my dremel fixed that.





I knew I'd have to overclock the Pi for some of the games to run properly, and since this is going into a cabinet for my dad, I don't want to worry about it being slow or unreliable.

So, in order to make sure that it would stay as cool as possible, I added heatsinks and a fan.





The case would fit a 60mm or 70mm fan but 80mm fans move a lot more air with much less noise, so I found a 60mm to 80mm fan adapter on Ebay for $4.

The fan and adapter are just as thick and about the same size as the Pi.



I used my dremel to cut out the fan hole and drill the pilot screw holes in the case. Wasn't a great job, but I had to cut around some of the supports in the case, and when I tried to smooth it out, the grinding bit kept eating into the side at one spot. You can't tell once the adapter is screwed on though, so I'm not worried about it.







Got it all put together and I have to say I was kind of impressed and amused at the same time. I turned it into a tower case!

The fan is blowing in to keep fresh air and positive pressure in the case for those who are curious.

 

[GREG MISO]

I am interested It just took a bit for my to find the log. Good luck and cherish your time with your father. I just lost mine and wish I could have done something this awesome for him!

 

[NvNw]

Hi, just a recomendation, you should make some holes on the side of the pi case so the air flow can get out from there. How is right now the fan will fighting the inside pressure that is pushing out and it will make it louder and less efficient.

Good luck with your build.

 

[sadeter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GREG MISO

I am interested It just took a bit for my to find the log. Good luck and cherish your time with your father. I just lost mine and wish I could have done something this awesome for him!

Thanks. I try to spend as much time with him as I can. Sorry to hear about your father.

I've been really excited working on this for my dad. Every time I see him, I have to stop myself from asking his opinion about how the controls should be done or how the colors and artwork should look. I want him to love it, but I also want it to be a surprise.

Tonight I'll get an update posted on the software I'll be using on the Pi.

 

[pozativenrgy]

Just found this, looks very interesting. Sub'd for sure.

 

[JockThatCamel]

Subbed here, Looks pretty interesting.

 

[airbozo]

Very cool! I'm sure your dad is going to love it.

I wish my kids would build me something so cool. Oh wait, I guess I would have to have kids first...lol!

Can't wait for the updates!

BTW: With all that extra space you could put a beverage cooler in that cabinet...

 

[sadeter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NvNw

Hi, just a recomendation, you should make some holes on the side of the pi case so the air flow can get out from there. How is right now the fan will fighting the inside pressure that is pushing out and it will make it louder and less efficient.

Good luck with your build.

Thanks for the input. The case actually has a slot hole on the side for someone to run a ribbon cable out from the gpio pins. I can feel the air coming out of it, but it's not really forceful. I think between that and the leakage around the different i/o ports, it should be enough. I do want to keep some positive pressure in the case to help with cooling and prevent dust build-up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pozativenrgy

Just found this, looks very interesting. Sub'd for sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JockThatCamel

Subbed here, Looks pretty interesting.

Thanks guys. Hope you enjoy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by airbozo

Very cool! I'm sure your dad is going to love it.

I wish my kids would build me something so cool. Oh wait, I guess I would have to have kids first...lol!

Can't wait for the updates!

BTW: With all that extra space you could put a beverage cooler in that cabinet...

Haha. Yeah, that is how it normally works. I hadn't thought much about the bottom due to time constraints. (His birthday is November 15th and we are having his party on the 8th.) But it would be cool if I could find a little mini-fridge that fit in there. My Dad doesn't really drink anything other than Dr. Pepper and tea anyway. I may take some measurements and possibly add that in a year or two down the road. I might do something simple with the bottom if I have time.

I ordered a set of parts somebody had on Ebay that should be here by Monday, but I'll only be using some of the parts. I mainly got it because there was a spinner in the set. They're expensive by themselves. I thought about not putting one in because he probably won't use it that much, but I thought he could use it for Pole Position or Arkanoid. I can also use them to start doing a little more detailed planning and measuring for the control panel. I'll sell whatever I don't need/want to the game tech at work.

 

[sadeter]

Raspberry Pi Software

After doing some reading on using a Pi for a MAME computer, I found a version of Linux here called PiMAME, built just for this purpose. PiMAME downloads as an iso file ready to burn to a SD card, that includes all needed drivers for audio, video, usb, ethernet, etc. It also comes preinstalled with the two most popular arcade emulators AdvMAME and MAME4ALL as well as emulators for Atari 2600, Gameboy, Playstation, NES, and other systems. The emulators are not always the most up to date versions however because they are the ones tested to work best on the Pi.

Startup menu for PiMAME



Closeup of startup menu.



Arcade emulators menu.



Console emulators menu.



AdvMAME menu which I've already changed the settings to run vertically oriented.



Galaga





Ms. Pac-Man







As you can see, there are gaps at the top and bottom of the screen because these games were made for 4:3 monitors not widescreen. If it was oriented horizontally, then there would be gaps on the sides.

 

[CynicalUnicorn]

Well this seems fun. I see all of these build logs and still have no idea what to do with mine. They're fun to tinker with for sure though.

 

[sadeter]

Airbozo - You intrigued me so much with the fridge idea I went ahead and took some measurements and looked up some mini fridge online. Unfortunately, it's not going to work. The only ones that will fit to my satisfaction can only hold 6 or 9 cans. I could actually fit two of those they're so small, but then it's too expensive. The problem is the control and mounting panel slides back down into the cabinet at a 45 degree angle and doesn't leave that much space. If you look at the picture of the back of the cabinet below you can are see the rails it slides in on. I could possibly have made it work if I redid that control and electronics panel, but I don't have time or really the desire for that.

 

[sadeter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CynicalUnicorn

Well this seems fun. I see all of these build logs and still have no idea what to do with mine. They're fun to tinker with for sure though.

First one I've had and my first experience with Linux. Lots of fun, but lots of learning. Looks like theres a lot of cool stuff out there you can do with these though.

Just got a package in the mail! Uploading pics now.

 

[sadeter]

Control Set 1

Got a package today with a set of controls that I ordered off of Ebay. I won't actually be using all of them, but whatever I'm not using I'll sell to work.

Opening and unpacking.





24 Pushbuttons - I won't be using the purple or orange most likely



Three 8-way joysticks - 2 Happ Ultimate and 1 Sanwa. I won't be using the Happs since my Dad will prefer ball tops as all his favorite games used them.



3" Happ Trackball and mount - I actually wont be using most of this either as I already got an Imperial/Betson trackball that has better bearings. I did swap out the ball itself because the Betson one was scratched up and this one is still shiny like new. The shafts on the Betson are a little worn but so are the shafts on this one and they're not interchangeable anyway.



Here's the Betson trackball from before I swapped the balls. You can see the scratches on it pretty clearly since it was a little dirty. I cleaned it up and it looked okay, but one side was discolored and it started looking dirty again very quickly due to the scratches.



An Oscar spinner - This is probably the main reason I went ahead and got this set. Arcade spinners are not cheap. This one was made by a guy who used to make some good affordable spinners, but he is no longer in business.



You can see here the optic wheel had a slight crack in it. I put a little superglue in the crack and on both sides of it, and it's hardly noticeable now. I also have two more in the spare trackball that I could use if needed.



IPAC4 and Opti-PAC - These are a great keyboard encoder and optical interface. I will probably not end up using these as they are more than I need and bigger than I want. I am planning on using a keyboard encoder called the Mini-Pac from the same company that has inputs for enough switches for controls for two players as well as one trackball and one spinner.

 

[mrWiggy]

looking great, ive just been in the works of making something similar but for a coffee table. Your build looks great and looking forward to seeing more pictures.

 

[sadeter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrWiggy

looking great, ive just been in the works of making something similar but for a coffee table. Your build looks great and looking forward to seeing more pictures.

Thanks. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask and I'll tell you what my research and experience has been - for whatever that's worth.

Look forward to seeing yours as well.

 

[mrWiggy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sadeter

Thanks. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask and I'll tell you what my research and experience has been - for whatever that's worth.

Look forward to seeing yours as well.

hey thanks a lot for the offer, i am sure at some point shortly ill be asking questions. just waiting for a few more funds to come it to start the project!
Thanks again