Geek mid-life crisis

I recently completed my 'geek mid-life crisis' and joined the ranks of those who attempt to recapture their youth and relive by-gone days by building their own arcade cabinet.

I was inspired by watching The King of Kong and considered purchasing a professional cabinet, but installing something bigger than a fridge freezer in the living room is a tough sell for a family home: I needed something more slimline and less obtrusive, which is when I came across the awesome job this guy had done, so I decided to have a go myself.

Here are the initial plans (they changed a little bit during construction):


The work in progress (this was my first time with a router, or even a drill for that matter, so I asked a grown up to help me):


And the finished product (a few months later):



Costs (in Aussie dollars):

• Joystick and Encoder board (incl shipping) - $203.85 - Replay Arcade


• 20" L200P LCD monitor - $172 (incl shipping) - eBay


• Coin buttons - $18 (incl shipping) - OzStick


• Wood - $120 - Bill's boards


• Artwork - $170.50 (incl shipping) - MAME Marquees


• 1L Black paint - $30


• 6mm laminated glass - $40 - JB Glass


• 2 perspex sheets - $20


• 2.8GHz 1GB P4 PC - free (a local school was getting rid of one)

All up about $800 Aussie dollars, plus a bunch of sweat and tears and, yes, even blood (I cut myself a couple times). Sincere thanks to the many people who either helped or were inconvenienced during this hair-brained project!