Contents

How to build your cab

The Basics A lot of people will look at an arcade cabinet and say "Hey, that looks easy- it's just a screen, some wood and some buttons.", but arcade cabinets aren't quite as simple as many people think. Here's a good place to start learning about the various ins and outs of arcade machines in general. Arcade Cabinet 101 Basic guide to build a cabinet No space for a full cab? Try a desktop control panel The Bemani/Dance arcade experience Connecting a PC to an Arcade Cabinet (an overview) JAMMA Restoration Vendors/Kits/Parts/Artwork Glossary The BYOAC community Building your own arcade is fun, building it and sharing your thoughts is even more fun! If you have questions that even the wiki cannot answer, take a look at the community. The articles in this section can give you some pointers and insight in the BYOC community. The history of BYOAC community What can you find in the forums Community projects Building Materials If you're planing on building an arcade cabinet from scratch, these are some of the materials you might end up using for various elements of the cabinet. Wood products Metal products Plastics Finishes Electronic Components Tools Building your own arcade machine is no simple task and requires the correct tools as well as the knowledge of how to use each one correctly and safely. Hopefully you already own some of these tools and are well versed in their operation. If not, here's a few things you might want to add to your shopping list. Project Arcade - The Book Hand Tools Safety Equipment Marking Tools Measuring Devices Sandpaper/Sanding Blocks Clamps Sawhorses/Stands Wire Strippers/Crimpers Hammer/Screwdriver Fasteners Multimeter Soldering Iron Power Tools

Arcade Art Great games became classics with a little help from their captivating branding & design. Here you'll find articles on design, printing, and techniques that will add visual interest to your cabinet. Overview & Options to Consider Creating Your Own Art From Scratch Vector tracing Restoring & Recreating Artwork Applying CPOs Graphics software Raster versus Vector artwork Arcade Control Hardware Here's the reason most people enter this hobby; to play the games you love with actual arcade hardware, just as they were intended. There's a vast array of different controls out there... Joysticks Pushbuttons Trackballs Spinners Light Guns Driving Controls Interfacing Controls Hooking up various arcade controls to a home PC can be a daunting task. Here are some of your options... Keyboard Hacks Encoders Keyboard Encoders Gamepad Encoders Rotary Encoders Optical (Mouse) Encoders USB Game Pad Hack Dual Strike Hack Video Video Overview Arcade Monitors PC Monitors MultiSync Monitors Televisions ArcadeVGA Video Card Custom Windows Display Modes with PowerStrip UltraCade's uVC Video Converter hardware Miscellaneous Lighting LED-Wiz Lighting Microswitch Buttons Lighting Leaf Switch Buttons Electrical Supplies Coin Doors and Coin Counters

Software to your cab

General about software Software Overview Operating System Comparison Hiding Windows Design Software Design applications Graphics software Technical design software Frontend & Software Once you have built a real cabinet you probably want to hide the fact that there is a regular PC powering it. In that case you will need a graphics fullscreen frontend. This way you can keep the arcade look and feel and still select your favorite game or emulator. While you are at it, you might even consider running other applications such as jukebox software! Front-Ends Screens, Titles & Extras Wrappers Utilities Jukebox Software CD Ripping Multimedia Software

Systems & Emulators Arcade Emulators System Emulators Game Consoles Handheld Consoles Home Computers Computer Components TV Games Other Emulation PC Games Cabfriendly games Arcade Games Classic Games Pinball Simulators Remakes