I’ve made some interesting progress with my Arcade cabinet design.  I’ve experimented with the idea of it being more modern that typical arcade cabinets, and emphasizing the smaller depth that I can get using newer and smaller hardware, such as a flat screen monitor.  I built it in Blender to help me visualize it, as well as think about how to put it together.

I took it a step further and built an approximate 1/3 scale model using foam board.  I measured the thickness of the board and assumed it would be equivalent to 1/2 inch thick MDF and scaled from there.  It stands 27 inches tall, where the real design is 6 feet tall.  The “monitor” in this case is just black and blue construction paper the scale size of a 24 inch monitor.

2 Player Controller

I finished my test game controller some time ago.  My intent was to build it both for function, as well as to see how the construction would go.  The general construction was fine, using MDF and shelving boards, however the painting was a learning experience.  I wanted it to be super smooth and glossy, so I spent a lot, I mean a lot of time sanding.

Stick and button configuration.

I started using a semi-glossy latex wall paint which went on well, but left a lot of texture.  It was also sticky, even after drying for weeks, such that if you rest your hands on the paint you had to peel them off.  I painted about 7 coats of the latex paint, each with a thorough sanding after drying.  The tackiness wasn’t right so I sanded again with a real rough grain and switched to an enamel gloss paint.  It turned out great!

The controls are pretty simple using the I-PAC 2 from Ultimarc.  It works great, acting like a keyboard plugged into the computer.