{"id":324,"date":"2017-09-13T11:28:05","date_gmt":"2017-09-13T16:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/morsepower.net\/?p=324"},"modified":"2017-09-14T21:24:24","modified_gmt":"2017-09-15T02:24:24","slug":"arcade-cabinet-from-scratch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/?p=324","title":{"rendered":"Arcade Cabinet, From Scratch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Remember that post I had earlier detailing <a href=\"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/?p=273\">the creation of a video game control panel<\/a>? \u00c2\u00a0And how it was a standalone component of a much larger system? \u00c2\u00a0Well, that system is coming along nicely.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-326\" src=\"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017-03-15-21.12.56.jpg\" alt=\"2017-03-15 21.12.56\" width=\"1520\" height=\"2688\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Forward: Those who are interested in a more complete slideshow of pictures can check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/sh\/mh889phif11bum2\/AAA8UO08jKwp3ESuclzkr4jda?dl=0\">this Dropbox album<\/a>, which contains a full dump of all the photos I took over the three (!) years I&#8217;ve been tinkering with this thing.<\/p>\n<p>As before, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to lead off with accolades. \u00c2\u00a0By no means did I undertake this project alone.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jack Walsh, James Saunders, and Steve Birmingham &#8211; How to cut shit on the table saw without murdering myself<\/li>\n<li>Bill Taylor &#8211; Jigsawing for dummies<\/li>\n<li>Samuel Green &#8211; Woodworking supplemental and replacement work<\/li>\n<li>Jason M&#8217;Sadoques &#8211; Debugging, build help, general slack picking-up<\/li>\n<li>Mike Rushton &#8211; \u00c2\u00a0Raspberry Pi expertise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Last but not least, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.arcadecab.com\">www.arcadecab.com<\/a> for the step-by-step instructions. \u00c2\u00a0This site was invaluable. \u00c2\u00a0It broke down the process from sourcing parts to assembly, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure how I would have gotten this far without it. \u00c2\u00a0For reference, we used \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Cabinet Plans 2.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-327\" src=\"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMAG0104.jpg\" alt=\"IMAG0104\" width=\"2688\" height=\"1520\" \/><\/p>\n<p>So, we start with three lovely plywood sheets. \u00c2\u00a0Two of these are used almost entirely for the sides. \u00c2\u00a0I cut out the shapes with a jigsaw and some fences to keep the lines straight. \u00c2\u00a0Despite being one of the very first steps I undertook, I think this is the phase that still gives me the most pride in how it turned out.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-328\" src=\"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMAG0129.jpg\" alt=\"IMAG0129\" width=\"1520\" height=\"2688\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The remaining plywood gets cut into varying rectangles to form the shelves, top and back panels, and the base.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The important thing to remember about an arcade cabinet is that with modern technology where it is, the internals are going to be almost entirely empty space. \u00c2\u00a0The form factor is important to create both a shelf for a screen at<i> eye <\/i>level, and a place to hold a control panel at <i>waist<\/i> level. \u00c2\u00a0The remainder of the panels enclose the unit, and from these it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all just a game of aesthetics.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-329\" src=\"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017-02-14-21.42.45.jpg\" alt=\"2017-02-14 21.42.45\" width=\"1520\" height=\"2688\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Getting the base in seemed easy, since there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a slot for it. \u00c2\u00a0But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be damned if Sam and I could figure out a graceful way to fit a screwdriver (let alone a power drill) in at a usable angle to attach the base to the ledger boards on the side. \u00c2\u00a0And this played out most of the pieces, the angles were just awful. \u00c2\u00a0From what I can gather, this plan from arcadecab.com was meant to show as little external hardware as possible. \u00c2\u00a0As a beginner in woodworking, I probably shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have considered this important, and found a different way to attach these things. \u00c2\u00a0But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s done, mostly with significant amounts of elbow grease and Hail Mary pre-drilling.<\/p>\n<p>The base sits on casters to make the thing easier to move. \u00c2\u00a0Seems like this would be optional, but during the construction phase it was rolling in and out of its various temporary homes constantly. \u00c2\u00a0Being able to do so was a major energy-saver.<\/p>\n<p>Choosing a screen turned out to be a source of great consternation for the group. \u00c2\u00a0A CRT TV would provide the proper aesthetic, but comes with a <b>much <\/b>higher weight and takes up much more space. \u00c2\u00a0The bigger issue, however, was actually getting the <i>maximal <\/i>size. \u00c2\u00a0Pythagoras informed me that based on the widths I had cut, we could fit a 25\u00e2\u20ac\u009d television, but that turns out to be hard to come by. \u00c2\u00a0In the end, we compromised with a 19\u00e2\u20ac\u009d LCD monitor with a wooden bezel for the time being. \u00c2\u00a0With the half-back construction and removable panels, retrofitting a CRT is still possible down the line.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-330\" src=\"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017-03-17-21.13.45.jpg\" alt=\"2017-03-17 21.13.45\" width=\"1520\" height=\"2688\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The control panel itself is pretty much stand-alone, and simply outputs a USB cable. \u00c2\u00a0After all of the pieces were assembled, the challenges moved quickly from woodworking to software. \u00c2\u00a0We are currently using a Raspberry Pi Model 3 running the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Recalbox\u00e2\u20ac\u009d image, a Debian-based distribution pre-configured with frontend and backend utilities to emulate a variety of gaming systems. \u00c2\u00a0The control panel mimics a keyboard, so configuration was fairly straightforward once the buttons were properly wired up.<\/p>\n<p>A set donated speakers (thanks Mike!) provide audio, and simply plug into the 3.5mm output jack on the Pi. \u00c2\u00a0I plan on adding some grills here to improve the overall aesthetic.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_331\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-331\" style=\"width: 1520px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-331\" src=\"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017-09-06-19.55.30.jpg\" alt=\"Stephanie is better than you are at both Galaga and the Riker Maneuver. \" width=\"1520\" height=\"2688\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-331\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Stephanie is better than you are at both Galaga and the Riker Maneuver.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still much to do, especially in the way of decoration. \u00c2\u00a0Plus, Recalbox likes to crash a lot at the moment, so additional debugging will be necessary. \u00c2\u00a0But this is an accomplishment I think we can be proud of. \u00c2\u00a0I certainly am.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Remember that post I had earlier detailing the creation of a video game control panel? \u00c2\u00a0And how it was a standalone component of a much larger system? \u00c2\u00a0Well, that system is coming along nicely. Forward: Those who are interested in a more complete slideshow of pictures can check out this Dropbox album, which contains a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=324"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":333,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324\/revisions\/333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}