Contents

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 Connecting a PC to an Arcade Cabinet (an overview) JAMMA Converting an Existing Arcade Cabinet Restoration Glossary Vendors (Where to get parts) 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 Plywood MDF MDO OSB Particle Board Plastics Acrylic Polycarbonate Finishes Water-based Paint Oil-based Paint Stain Polyurethane Shellac Varnish Laminate 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 Eye Protection Hearing Protection Breathing Protection Marking Tools Measuring Devices Sandpaper/Sanding Blocks Clamps Spring Clamps Screw Clamps Bar Clamps Pipe Clamps Sawhorses/Stands Wire Strippers/Crimpers Hammer/Screwdriver Fasteners Glue Nails Screws Dowels Biscuits Power Tools Circular Saw Jigsaw Router Drill Random-orbit Sander Blades/Bits/Etc Arcade Art Great games became classics through with a little help from their captivating branding & design. Harness your artisitic skills to enhance the appearance of your cab, and make your very good cabinet into something very great. Here you'll find articles on design, printing, and techniques to add visual interest to your cabinet. Overview & Options to Consider Creating Your Own Art From Scratch Restoring & Recreating Artwork Marble Contact Paper is your Enemy Applying CPOs

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 Conventional Digital Joysticks Non-Conventional Digital Joysticks 49-Way Joysticks Analog Joysicks Rotary Joysticks Pushbuttons Microswitch Pushbuttons Leafswitch Pushbuttons Atari Volcano Buttons Trackballs Spinners Lightguns Steering Wheels/Yokes/Pedals/Shifters Interfacing Controls With Your PC 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 I-PAC2 I-PAC4 I-PAC VE J-PAC KeyWiz Eco 2 KeyWiz MAX KE72 KE24 KE18 LP24 KE-USB36 Gamepad Encoders A-PAC GP Wiz GP Wiz49 Rotary Encoders Rotary-5 Optical (Mouse) Encoders Opti-PAC Opti-Wiz ME4 Video Video Cards Monitors ArcadeVGA Video Card Televisions Composite Video (RCA) S-Video Component Video Software Software Overview Arcade Emulators Console Emulators Home Computer Emulators Front-Ends Collections and PC Games DOS vs Windows Hiding Windows Miscellaneous (for now?) LED & Light Control Electrical Supplies Coin Doors Light Gun Setup