I started off with the idea of retrofitting an old arcade cabinet with a computer running MAME and interfacing the old controls with an I-Pac, but there wasn’t really anything for sale around here that was of decent quality and under 300 bucks, so I decided I’d just build my own cabinet. (It’s more fun that way anyways…) I suggest checking out forums and googling other people’s MAME cabinets before you start your own to get some ideas of the different designs and form factors, that’s what I did. After probably a week or so of browsing I decided to go with a simple 2 player cabinet that could hold at least a 19 inch monitor. There were plenty of sites with free plans but they were generally poorly written, unclear, or not the design that I wanted, so I decided to buy a set of full-sized blueprints that were very close in design to what I wanted to build. (I tried to find the site again but I don’t think that they exist anymore). Anyways… they came in the mail a few weeks later and I got to work. The full sized plans worked out very well and highly recommend them because I could tape them straight down onto the MDF (medium density fiberboard) and make modifications to the design on the fly, without having to take any measurements or scale up the plans. For example, the plans called for an X-Arcade drop in control panel, which was completely retarded, so I just covered over that section with MDF and created my own by drilling holes for the buttons and joysticks and hooking them up with the I-Pac.

K so… All the build steps in point form:

-Buy the MDF

-Lug it home (It weighs a shat load…)

-Draw out the plans onto the wood (modify the plans if you so desire)

-Cut out all the pieces (HOLY %$#@ ALERT!!!*)

-Pre drill holes for screws (counter sink bit is a must)

-Use 1×1 in the inside corners of the cabinet to screw into. Like in the picture.

-Drill the holes for the control panel

-Paint the control panel

-Assemble the control panel

-Wire it up to the I-Pac

-Install the control panel into the arcade

-Fill the screw holes on the cabinet with wood filler

-Once it’s dry, sand it

-Repeat the filling and sanding until it’s perfectly flat (if they aren’t perfect you’ll notice it once you paint it… trust me…)

-Paint the cabinet (use a roller to get a nice finish)

-Install the speakers, Plexiglas, bezel and marquee graphics (www.mamemarquees.com)

-If your monitor housing isn’t black, tape off the glass and spraypaint it black. (So it stays hidden behind the plexiglass)

-Mount and align your monitor with the bezel

-Wire up the computer with MAME installed

-Make some drinks

-Pop some corn

-Invite your friends over… cause w00t baby your done!!!

* WEAR A MASK while cutting MDF, the fumes are toxic and believe me… the dust pwns your lungs. (I took off my mask to drill 2 holes, inhaled a bit of dust, and had to miss two days of school because my throat hurt so much)