So one of the things I hear a lot from people who have built my arcade or want to build
my arcade is that they really wish that they had a smaller option.
And so most of the arcades that we build, either the full-size or the bartop.
They take up a lot of room and you think well even the bartops take up a lot of room because
when you have a small space or a small home or especially if you live in an apartment,
thereís not necessarily a lot of places that you can put your arcade.
And so with this build weíre going to build a tabletop arcade that will be much smaller.
It will have all the same features as any of the other arcades that weíve built but
in this case youíll be able to get it out, set it on the table, set it on the bar in
your kitchen.
And when youíre finished with it you can put it away on a shelf in your closet or somewhere
else in your home.
Maybe even under a bed!
Again, this will have all the same features as all of our previous arcades just in a much
smaller, much more compact form.
Iíll have templates for this, plans on-line you can download so that you can make this
yourself.
So weíre going to start things out by just laying everything out and you can see weíve
already done that here, where everything is going to go on the arcade, and weíre going
to do this arcade just a little bit differently than weíve done in the past.
And that is that I have actually removed the LCD panel from the monitor!
So this will fit flush mount with the arcade cabinet top, so it will kinda have a little
bit different and unique look.
Iíll show you how we did that, because it was a little bit of a pain, not too bad, but
a little bit of a pain to get the panel actually out of the monitor (because it was glued in,
but Iíll show you a simple way to get around that).
So letís go ahead and get started building the arcade.
This monitor was my #1 choice, because it had a 4x3 aspect ratio and a composite input.
I set the monitor on my workbench and removed the three screws holding it together.
Unfortunately, the monitor is also snapped together, which required the work of two screwdrivers
to snap the case halves apart.
There are snaps on all four sides of the casing.
With the monitor halves separated I began removing all of the electronics from the case.
The only boards you need are the main board, backlight driver, and button PCB.
You can toss the IR transmitter and speaker PCB.
The LCD panel in my monitor was glued to the front case bezel.
I originally thought this was going to be a nightmare to remove, but it turns out some
quick scraping with various sizes of flat tip screwdrivers and pile of glue chunks later
it popped right out.
I tossed everything else in the garbage.
I began construction of the cabinet by measuring with all of the components spaced basically
in the layout I would want them in when the arcade is finished.
I also drew lines where the underside body of the tabletop arcade would intersect, to
make sure I left plenty of room for everything and didnít wind up with a button inside a
wall.
I then spent some time deciding where the buttons and joystick should sit in relation
to the monitor.
After all, I wanted it to be comfortable to play!
OK.
So I have laid this out on the MDF the way I want it to be.
LCD in the center, joystick off to one side, play buttons on the other, and the start and
select buttons down at the bottom right underneath the monitor.
But!
Iíve made this super easy for you because I have put together a template in Adobe Illustrator
and in Sketchup that you can simply glue or tape to any sheet of MDF and just cut this
out in a few minutes.
So letís start cutting out the pieces and get this arcade built.
I am going to use my table saw to cut out the main sections.
If you donít have one, no problem!
The only tool you really need is a jigsaw to make this arcade.
Donít fall into the trap of thinking that you need fancy tools to make stuff.
Better tools just make things go faster.
Just use what you have.
The hardest thing youíll ever do is just start.
I wanted the corners of my arcade to be rounded over.
I used my drum sander to do this.
Of course, a jigsaw will work fine too.
Speaking of, it's time to cut the monitor window out and the best tool for that is a
trusty jigsaw.
The best advice I can give you for using a jigsaw is to go slow and take your time.
Jigsaws are not very forgiving and when you go fast, a little mistake can become a big
one in short order.
I laid my tabletop arcade template down on the newly formed tabletop panel and tacked
it down with some Super 77 spray adhesive.
Super 77 dries fairly slow, so you have plenty of time to make your cuts, and still be able
to remove the template with little difficulty.
Everywhere I need to drill a hole, I first use a center punch to make sure my drill bit
doesnít wander.
I then use a Forstner bit to drill out each button hole.
If you donít have a Forstner bit a paddle bit will work just fine.
OK.
So this next part is completely optional, but I really think it will make the arcade
cabinet feel a little bit better and more finished.
And what weíre going to do is weíre going to use a router and Iíve got a router template
setup and a guide bearing.
So what weíre going to do is weíre going to route out around where the display is going
to go and make it sit down just a little bit further inside the top of the arcade.
And I think that will give it just a little bit more of a finished look.
Again, completely optional, you donít have to do it in your build.
So you can see how thee LCD panel will fit nicely into this recess.
OK.
So as you guys know I love T-Moulding in my arcades!
It just gives them that retro feel.
And so I am going to put T-Moulding around the tabletop and to do that weíre going to
have to route a channel with the router around the edges of it and so weíll do that over
on the router table.
Next up it's time to cut out the base of the tabletop arcade.
Again, Iíll do this on the table saw.
I recommend you cut both side panels together, as this will make sure they are perfectly
matched.
Iím using the miter gauge set to 15 degrees.
For the front and back sections of the arcade, I tilted my blade by 15 degrees.
If using a jigsaw or handheld circular saw, just set them to 15 degrees as well.
Using another spray and stick template from my plans, I cut out the holes for the power
receptacle and USB ports.
I then drilled 5 holes for the relocated monitor control buttons.
On the side panels, I used the speaker drilling templates to punch and drill all of the holes
for the speakers.
Use the punch holes to center your drill bit.
I am using a drill press here, but a handheld drill will do the job just fine.
I recommend using a piece of scrap wood below the side panel to stop chipping and blowout
on the backside of the panel.
This is a pretty slow process, but the results will look like it came out of a factory!
Now itís time to start assembling the tabletop arcade cabinet!
This is where things start to really get exciting.
I used standard wood glue for this process, though you could certainly just use screws.
Using my brad nailer I tacked the rear pieces together.
This is a completely optional step.
Brad nails donít really add any structural integrity, rather they act as little clamps
that allow me to keep working while the glue dries.
These 90 degree camps I am using really make it easy to keep everything aligned.
If you donít have a set, just use a scrap block of wood.
Lastly, I added glue to the base of the arcade and then flipped it over and gently set it
on the upside down tabletop.
So who noticed my big giant mistake?
So what happened is that I was in a hurry, I had family over and we were cooking dinner,
and I did the glue up for the base and I put it on upside down.
Thatís right, so the base was on completely backwards.
And I didnít realize it until about 10 minutes after I went in the house.
Iíd already put the camera gear away and the lights for the night, and I walked back
out here and I looked at it and I was ìOh goodness, its upside down!î
So what I did was just off camera because I had to do it really quick was I just used
a hammer and gently knocked the base off.
Thankfully the glue had not dried yet.
And I flipped it over.
And so now it is together right and today weíre going to go ahead and paint it.
So letís get started on that.
I put a block of scrap wood under the tabletop arcade.
This is to keep it the paint from sticking to the paper around the edges.
I like to prime MDF with filler primer.
I have a video about why, but in a nutshell filler primer goes on thick and fills all
the little imperfections.
After a little sanding it looks like glass.
The instructions for filler primer say you can wet sand it in 30 minutes or dry sand
it in 4 hours.
Donít believe a word of it.
Wait 24 hours before sanding if you want the best results.
I followed the primer up with three coats of Rust-Oleum flat black.
It goes on looking glossy, and after about 15 minutes it just turns beautiful.
Flat just has that retro-arcade look.
After the paint dried, I installed the t-moulding into the slots we routed earlier.
Use a very sharp razor knife to make a cut where the t-moulding joins together.
T-moulding just looks gorgeous!
Now itís time to install the LCD panel.
It just sits in the slot we routed out earlier.
To hold it in place, I cut out a 1 inch by 12 inch piece of plywood and put a piece of
double-sided tape on the backside of it.
The double-sided tape isnít for supporting the monitor, itís only purpose it to be a
padded cushion for those times we get rough playing games.
The topside of this bracket makes a perfect place for mounting our LCD controller board.
I put some small plastic stand-offs between the board and the bracket to give it plenty
of room to clear any electronic components and then screwed it down using some #6 wood
screws.
I followed the same process for the LCD backlight driver board.
I the reconnected all of the cables back in their original locations.
The LCD panel uses one of those power bricks, and rather than create a brand new power supply
I just made a 90 degree bracket from plywood, used some more double sided tape as a pad,
and used that to clamp it to the arcade.
I went ahead and installed the joystick at this point to make sure I worked around it
as I installed everything else.
I bought one of these power connectors off of Amazon.
It has a fuse and power switch.
I think Iíll be using these in all of my future arcade builds!
I used .187 blade connectors and some 14 AWG copper wire to connect it to a single-gang
outlet inside the arcade.
This outlet will be switched on and off by the switch on and off by the external power
switch.
I covered the wiring with some super thick heatshrink and then routed into the electrical
box.
I attached the box to the arcade using two screws.
Be sure to attach the ground wire to one of these screws.
Between the LCD panel and the outlet is the perfect place to mount the Raspberry Pi.
I used more plastic stand-offs to raise it off the MDF for clearance.
Next up I mounted the speakers.
Hot glue works perfect for this task.
Some people donít like hot glue, but it bonds to wood and plastic exceptionally well.
And as an added bonus it can be removed with a heatgun at a later date.
These speakers are powered via USB.
And thereís a handy powered USB port right on the monitors control board!
I want to be able to play console games on my tabletop arcade.
These USB ports will allow us to connect external controllers such as Atari and Nintendo style
controllers.
I used my Cricut vinyl cutter to cut out numbers and letters for my arcade buttons.
These will go under the clear caps and indicate the function of the button.
If you donít have a Cricut you could always make these with electrical tape and a razor
knife.
Once the lettering is in place the buttons just snap together.
I placed all of the buttons into the top of the arcade to make sure everything looks right.í
The buttons are held in place with plastic nuts from the backside.
Make sure they are good and tight.
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I mounted the EasyGet arcade controller next to the LCD controller boards.
Again using some stand-offs to give it some clearance.
I attached all of the wires from the buttons and joystick.
The order you choose is really not that important, as Retropie will walk you through defining
the buttons.
The monitor had buttons on the front of it to change settings.
I want to still be able to use them.
So I took the board over to my soldering station, flipped it upside down and turned on my soldering
iron.
I grabbed some colored buttons from Amazon and some color coded wires to match them.
White for common.
I soldered all of the common wires to the common rail already on the board.
I did have to add a little extra solder though.
On the flip side, I soldered a wire for each button color coded to the button it will go
to.
I tinned the leads of each button, and then soldered the wires to each one.
This is incredibly difficult to do with lights and a camera between me and the soldering
iron!
And now the bezel buttons have new remote buttons!
I placed the buttons in the holes in the back of the arcade and pulled them through until
they were seated.
I added some retention nuts and tightened them down with a 10 mm socket, no wrench needed.
I printed out and attached a label that matches the one on the original bezel.