How to make your own arcade machine at home

If you are an arcade game lover you will want to have you own machine at home. Rentals of arcade machine are for events like seminars and carnival where they are needed only for a short time. However, you can also enjoy the games from the comfort of your home.

The good news is, you can make your own machine at home. The DIY method we are going to share in this article is the simplest way to have a machine in your house.

Step 1: Cabinet choice

You can build your own cabinet from scratch or buy one from the market. The most important thing is consider the size. Get a cabinet with the capacity to hold a big TV screen. Making a cabinet from scratch requires a lot of time and effort. The option is therefore to get a pre-fab kit of a find a used machine from your locality.

Step 2: Design the cabinet

You should have a great plan for this. Whether you bought a kit or made a cabinet from home, you can still build it to your desired design. Pull down everything if necessary and start new.

Step 3: Choose your monitor mounting

You should already have an idea on the type of monitor you want. Though this will come later, but it is important at this stage to build the right mounting. Remember your monitor needs to stay intact and in a place you can easily play.

Step 4: Create a control deck

Down by the screen should be your control deck. This is where all the action will be and therefore must be designed with great care. You can just buy an MDF and build your way around it. After building the deck, add the control buttons.

Step 5: Adding the controls

Deciding what you want can be harder than you think. You can spend a whole month on the internet searching for the right controls and still not get one. The good news however is, there are a lot of arcade game makers from where you can source the controls. You just have to know who to turn to.

Step 6: Design the Marquee, lighting and sound

Here is something else that give many people headaches. The simplest way is to buy graphic and add adhesive and stick the marquee. Sound and light should not be hard as you can also buy from the internet.

Step 7: Now insert the monitor, Bezel and Acrylic/glass

You should already be having an idea on the kind of monitor you want. Get the right size, one that makes you comfortable and use the bezel to protect it. The cover the whole setup with glass to keep it protected from scratches.

Step 8: Add the internals

Now you are ready to add the power strip, the PC/console, coin door lights and Power button. Get controls that add some style to your game.

Now you are ready to go. These simple steps will give you a great way to have fun at home with an arcade game machine.