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 Bondo 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 Design Software Good construction work requires planning. This is also true for building a cabinet. With decent construction plans and button layout plans things are much easier. This section gives you a nice overview of software tools that can help you in constructing your own cabinet. Design applications Technical design software Graphics software

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 Various options are available to display the games you wish to play. Browse these sections to learn more about those options. 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 An arcade cabinet is more than just a box with a computer in it. Spice it up with these extras! Lighting LED-Wiz Lighting Microswitch Buttons Lighting Leaf Switch Buttons Electrical Supplies Coin Doors and Coin Counters Vendors: Who do you buy your stuff from? Ratings and Reviews for the above mentioned Vendors

Software for your cabinet

General software So, you've build your cabinet and hooked everything up. Now it is time to get everything configured so you can actually use your cabinet! Software Overview Operating System Comparison 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! Hiding Windows Front-Ends Screens, Titles & Extras Wrappers Utilities Jukebox Software CD Ripping Multimedia Software

Systems & Emulators Nostalgia comes in many different flavours. Do you wish to replay an old arcade game or recapture that classic console game feel? Take a look at this section to find out how to get your cabinet to play the games you like! Arcade Emulators System Emulators Game Consoles Handheld Consoles Home Computers Computer Components TV Games Other Emulation PC Games If you have a PC powering your cabinet, you might as well try a few other games to play on it. Cabfriendly games Arcade Games Classic Games Pinball Simulators Remakes