If you grew up in the 80s, there’s a good chance you still miss classic stand-up arcade games. You probably don't, however, miss having to put an endless supply of coins into these machines to be able to play Galaga, Pac-Man or any number of others. The good news is that with today’s advanced computer hardware, you can fairly easily build your own arcade at home.
What you will need
You’ll want a purpose-built encoder for arcade-style controls -- a joystick and buttons with microswitches will attach to this encoder via wires and spade connectors, sometimes included with the controls. You’ll also need a computer, a monitor, USB cable, software and, finally, wood or sheet MDF around 2cm thick, and wood screws or glue for the control box. An option is to cover the box with Perspex. This will allow the stick to be mounted flat with the cabinet and printed graphics can be displayed underneath. Or you can simply retrofit an old arcade cabinet.
Create your enclosure
If you can’t find an old cabinet, building a box out of wood is fairly straightforward. For good spacing, cut two 2cm-thick pieces of plywood 60cm by 25cm. Cut two pieces 8cm wide and 25cm long, and two more pieces 8cm wide and 56cm long. These four 8cm-wide pieces will form the vertical walls of your box, sitting on top of the 60cm by 25cm base piece. Drill an access hole 2cm in diameter for the USB port into one of these vertical pieces, then attach the vertical pieces to the base with screws or wood glue, forming an open box. Put the access hole close to where your computer will be when in use.
Ready player 1 and 2
Centre the stick for player one on the left side of your control panel, leaving space for the microswitches, then use a router to cut out space for the assembly. Set the stick assembly into the cavity and attach with wood screws. For a more finished look, set up the router for a shorter cut, and recess the area where the stick assembly is screwed into the top of the wood, allowing it to sit flush. Mark the centre for each button you will be using, leaving about 4cm of space in each direction. Drill buttonholes 28.5mm in diameter, and attach buttons. Do the same for player two. The assembly may be finished with urethane or other wood coating. A Perspex cover can also be used on top. Remove sticks and buttons when finishing.
Wire up and attach
The controller microswitches attached to your joystick and control buttons will have one connecting post labelled “N.O.” for normally open and one labelled “C” for common. Connect the common posts to the ground (generally “GND”) of the encoder using a spade connector and wire. Several or all of these wires can be connected together before connecting to the encoder, as electrically they all go to the same place. Connect each microswitch to the button you’d like to control on the encoder. Connect the USB cable that you’ll be using, and feed it to the outside world via the drilled hole. Plug the USB cable into your computer, and screw the top in once you’ve tested your control setup.
Source your software
Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME, mamedev.org/roms) is a good place to start for sourcing popular vintage games. You can also find original arcade-game information and disk data there. As its mission statement says: “MAME attempts to reproduce that game as faithfully as possible on a more modern general-purpose computer.” Another great source of stand-up code is at archive.org/details/internetarcade
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
