Basic Guide to Building a Cabinet

So you want to build yourself a cabinet? Here is a basicguide to get you on the road. Some things mentioned might be daunting at first, but take a look at the things mentioned on this page and it might notify you on something you otherwise had overlooked. If you have questions, never be afraid to ask in the Build Your Own Arcade Controls forums.

Things to consider first

You don't want to rush out and just buy yourself a few pieces of wood, fire up your power tools and start cutting! First things first:

• What kind of cabinet do you want?

Cabinets come in all shapes and sizes (see Arcade Cabinet 101). There are sample plans available (see here) on the BYOAC site. There are also Vendors who sell full cabinet kits.

If you want to design your own cabinet, take a look here. Some things to keep in mind when figuring out your dimensions are:

1. How tall you are. You don't want to end up with a control panel you can't reach conmortably or look at a screen that is too low for your comfort.
2. The size of the monitor. If you want to put in a 36" screen, make sure it fits.
3. The size of your control panel. If you want to have a gazillion controls on it, but you made it only 10" wide you are probably going to run out of space.

Instead of building your own cabinet, you may also choose to restore or convert an existing cabinet. See also notes on converting a cabinet.

Whatever you decide, one very important thing to consider before ANYTHING is done, is how wide are your doorways? If you can't get it to the location you have planned, all your work will be for naught!

• What do I use to run the software?

Do you plan to use a PC and run Emulators? If so, does the PC fit in the cabinet you designed? Do you plan to wire a JAMMA board? Are you planning on using console games?

• What controls are you going to want on your cabinet?

What kind of games do you want to play? Take note of what controls those games use. How many players? The control panel needs more space if you want a 4 player cabinet. Generally, if you want to play fighter games, you will need 6 buttons per player. If you want a 4 player cabinet, keep in mind that there aren't any non-console games that support more than 4 buttons for player 3 and 4. Take a look at Arcade Control hardware section for more info on joysticks, trackballs, spinners, etc. It is also possible to buy ready made control panels. See the vendors page on where to get these items.

It is also a wise idea when it comes to control panel design to 'test fit' your controls using a piece of cardboard, cheap wood, or a piece of ridgid insulation. Your layout might look good on paper (or in your design software), but nothing beats testing to make sure everything is to your satisfaction prior to making your final model.

• How to interface the controls?

Once you have decided what controls you want, how do those controls connect to the PC? See the interfacing controls with your PC section for various options. Things to keep in mind when selecting an interface board, are the number of available connections and the amount of controls you plan to use.

• What type of display device do you want to use?

There are various options, ranging from Televisions, PC Monitors and even real Arcade Monitors. Keep in mind that these have different connections and might need a special videocard. Also an arcade monitor is mounted diffently in a cabinet than a television (which might sit on a shelf in your cab).

• What about artwork?

Artwork can make your cabinet stand out and look authentic or personalized. What art are you going to use and what size do the images need to be? Do you want art on your Control panel?

• Any extras?

How do you want to control your emulator software? Do you want special administration buttons on your control panel (or hidden elsewhere on your cabinet?). Do you want to add a drawer to have access to your PC's keyboard? Perhaps add a coin door or have 'insert coin' buttons? Do you want speakers with volume control? Any special lighting such as lighted buttons or a marquee?

Building the cabinet

Once you settled on your cabinet's design, it is time to start the hard dirty work. Your arcade experience is basically two parts. The cabinet itself and the computer that runs it.

The building materials and tools sections might give you hints on what to use. Always keep in mind the golden rule of woodworking: measure twice, cut once!

Building the guts

Once the cabinet is built, you can install the controls and wire everything up.

Setting up the computer

It is probably a good idea to get your emulators up and running before you move your PC into the cabinet. While a cabinet is great for playing arcade games, it is not a very confortable working spot to fix your software's settings. If you have more computers in your home, you might want to consider hooking the arcade cabinet computer into a home network. This allows you to update files from another PC or even control the computer using a remote desktop client tool.

Relevant links

• SpyStyle's DIY Arcade walkthrough A step-by-step guide for building a cabinet.
• LuSiD's Arcade Flashback Many DIY cabinets have been based on this guide.
• MiniMame PDF plans An excellent printable guide. The document describes a scaled down version of an arcade cabinet, the used techniques are usable in full scale projects as well.