Hey guys!
It’s Mike, from The Geek Pub!
And on this episode we’re going to make this awesome BarTop Arcade cabinet using a
Raspberry Pi!
The first thing we want to do is layout the side panels of the RetroPie Arcade Cabinet
onto a section of medium density fiberboard.
As alway, you can get all of the dimensions in the plans at TheGeekPub.com.
After drawing a rectangle the size of the arcade cabinet, I used my angle finder and
a straight edge to transfer the angles.
I couldn’t find my square, so I just used piece of known square plywood to make a 90
degree line for the front of the marquee.
You’ll need a compass to draw the large curved section of the side panels.
Rather than buy one, I just used a scrap piece of oak, a pencil, and bolt with a pointed
end to make my own.
You’ll need to make two tick marks from each end.
Wherever they meet is the where you’ll place the center of the compass to connect the top
and bottom.
I used my table saw to cut out the rectangle, and then made a second rectangle.
The second one will be clamped under the first one.
This will allow us to cut out both side panels in one go.
I used my air compressor to keep the sawdust out of my way.
This keeps the line highly visible while I cut out the side panels of the arcade cabinet.
The best rule of thumb I can give you when using a jigsaw is: Go slow!
Take your time.
It makes a big difference in the finished product.
Once the panels are cut, open them up on the workbench like a book!
You’ll have two identical side panels for your arcade!
I cut out a bunch of sections of 3/4 X 3/4 inch MDF to use as connection points inside
the bartop arcade cabinet.
These are inset exactly 3/4 inches.
This not only makes the assembly of the arcade cabinet easier, but has the benefit of leaving
no exposed nail heads or screws on the outside of the arcade cabinet.
Where appropriate, rather than measuring I simply used spacer of the right size.
This ensures my spacing will be dead on accurate.
You can cut these spacers from scraps.
Simply pull them out and discard them afterwards.
You can use also reuse the spacers as angle finders and place holders when gluing and
nailing in your connectors.
The next step is to glue and brad nail the side panels to the top and bottom panels.
Be sure to make sure everything is square.
If you don’t have a brad nailer you can use screws or just use clamps and wait for
the glue to dry.
The 3/4 inch connector pieces we put in earlier make assembly super simple.
All you have to do is add glue and line everything up.
Again, I am using brad nails to speed up the process.
The brad nails are simple there to hold everything together long enough for the glue to dry.
I love the retro look of T-Molding on arcade cabinets.
In order to install T-Molding, we need to cut a T-slot in the side panels and all of
the components.
You have to do this before final assembly as the router will not reach everything after
assembly.
Now that we’re done with the routing, we can simply install the remaining panels.
We’ll start with the bottom panel of the marquee.
This board will be the bottom frame of the LED monitor.
Then we will install the front of the control panel.
This board is slightly inset for a 3D appearance.
On the backside we just need to frame in where the access door will go.
I created this awesome drilling template that you can get on TheGeekPub.com.
Just lightly coat the back of it with spray adhesive and press it to the control panel.
Using the template makes it super simple to drill out all of the holes for the joystick
and the buttons.
It’s also a fantastic reference sheet for install the buttons later.
I used my drill press and Forstner bit to drill out the holes, but you can use a handheld
drill and a paddle bit in a pinch.
Once you’re finished, just peel the template off and discard it.
I cut a section of MDF the exact size of the access panel in the back of the arcade and
installed it using a piano hinge and a small latch.
This will allow future access to inside of the cabinet for maintenance reasons.
I used a couple of paper spacers to center it and my square to make sure everything would
open and close easily.
The arcade cabinet has two speakers, one on each side of the cabinet.
Provided in the plans is a drilling template for each side to make drilling the 120 holes
much simpler.
Just attach them with spray adhesive.
And then get ready to drill and drill and drill and drill.
When your finished drilling, just remove the template and use a sanding block to remove
any burs, it will look like it was made in a factory.
The next step is to prime the MDF.
Primer is critical if you want an awesome finish.
When I prime MDF, I like to use filler primer as it fills in all the little imperfections.
You’ll need to sand it with 220 grit sandpaper before you paint it though.
In my full-size arcade cabinet everyone told me that it was easier because I had an HVLP
sprayer, so for this cabinet I am using rattle cans from my local home improvement center.
I decided to go with flat black.
With the cabinet laying on its backside, I installed some polyurethane feet to keep the
cabinet from sliding around not he table.
I installed an electrical box in the back of the cabinet and then drilled a hole to
accept the power cord.
This will be the electrical system for the entire cabinet.
In the electrical box I installed quad outlets, exactly the number of plugs necessary to power
the RetroPie Arcade!
The next step is to install the T-Molding.
I find the best way to get a smooth finish is to use s small rubber mallet.
Take your time and go slow and the results will be fantastic.
When you get to one of the 90 degree cuts you’ll need to cut the track section of
the T-Molding to allow it to bend around it.
This really makes for a nice seamless look.
In order to make the lighted marquee more uniform in appearance, I like to line the
inside of the marquee with reflective tape.
Once that’s done I install an 18 inch LED light from the local big box store.
Installing the controls is very simple.
Each joystick requires four screws, i recommend pre-drilling these to make sure they sit flush.
The tops of the joystick have a black washer to cover the hole and then you just screw
on the balls.
Then its just a matter of inserting all of the button into their respective holes.
On the back of the board you just install a large plastic nut on the back of each button.
Now it is just a matter of plugging every button into the correct socket on the controller
board.
I love these USB powered speakers because they fit perfect in arcade cabinets and don’t
take up much room.
I just use hot glue to hold them in place, and they be easily removed with a heat gun.
This is where the really fun part begins.
Final assembly!
Start by popping the controller board in place and and installing the monitor.
I like to use this industrial adhesive velcro to hold the components in place.
It allows you to easily remove them later for maintenance but will last forever.
For cable management I use this two sided velcro stripping to roll up the wires.
You can get your marquee printed at any office supply store’s copy center for about $5.
Then you just need to cut it to fit the size of your marquee.
You’ll sandwich it between two pieces of clear plexiglass.
Don’t forget to peel off the clear plastic protector it comes with.
The marquee banner just drops into place.
To keep it from coming out I just glued in two small 1/4 inch pieces of MDF that I pre-painted
black.
The last step is to plug in the LED light!
OK!
Well I think this cabinet might have been more fun than my full-size arcade cabinet
and the reason why I think is because I used a Raspberry Pi.
Now a lot of you are probably asking “Why did I use a Raspberry Pi?”
Well the first reason is very simple.
It costs $35 dollars.
Literally anyone can afford to buy a Raspberry Pi!
The second reason is RetroPie.
So RetroPie is preconfigured.
You just download it from their website.
There’s no configuration trying to figure out how to get some front-end to work or some
game to work.
You just download the entire RetroPie image and load it on your Raspberry Pi and you’re
done.
You’re ready to go.
All you have to do then is drop your game ROMs on.
The third reason is that the Raspberry Pi has GPIO.
Now I did not use any of the GPIO features on this cabinet.
But if you wanted to have a game say where if you crashed, the cabinet would shake.
Using the GPIO off the Raspberry Pi would make that incredibly simple.
And then finally the fourth reason is no cooling.
So the Raspberry Pi puts off almost no heat.
So you can put the Raspberry Pi in here with no fan and you are ready to go.
If you wanted to use a PC in this cabinet instead of a Raspberry Pi I would probably
just add a fan to the back door and plug it into one of the USB ports.
Well guys, stay tuned for some future videos, because we’re going to break this down a
little but farther.
We’re going to talk about the Raspberry Pi and how to load RetroPie and some of those
other things as well as how to connect the control boards in a lot more detail.
So look for those coming up.
Well hey be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
That’s Facebook.com/TheGeekPub and Instagram.com/TheGeekPub.
I post pictures of all of my projects as I build them, so you get a sneak preview of
what’s coming in the next video.
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That will help me fund projects like this and I can make more videos.
See ya next time.