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Bartop Arcade Machine

matt_39150
matt_39150
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matt_39150
matt_39150
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Made this bartop arcade machine using my Ryobi hand and power tools. Houses a 24" PC monitor and a Raspberry Pi 3B+ running RetroPie OS. Made using 1/2" MDF, T-Molding and vinyl graphics. Buttons and joysticks were ordered as a USB-connected kit, access panels on the back and on the bottom for accessing the wiring using piano hinges. Overall cost was ~ $350 including the monitor, wood, buttons, vinyl, Raspberry Pi, SD card, etc. Was a joy to build (pun intended) and a Galaga of a fun time to play.

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Comments (5)


  • This is so impressive! It looks like you thought of everything when building this!!
    By RYOBI NATION, on June 6, 2018
    • It might look that way, but there was a good amount of trial and error involved.  Good news is that I didn't make any major enough mistakes to have to restart the whole project, just a few boards here and there.
      By matt_39150, on June 6, 2018
  • So many questions, mainly on the tech side of this. I would assume you're using retropie, so how was the configuration of the controller?  How is the power switched? I'm MDF, controllers and time away from making this project, have the 32" screen and the pie already set up, using wired PS3 controllers temporarily. Enjoy the machine, it's a fun toy for kids of all ages!
    By random dave, on June 11, 2018
    • Controller configuration was really easy.  The kit I ordered had the buttons, joystick and the usb adapter.  Each button has fork connectors for the button side and a plastic connector for the usb adapter side.  Joystick has a 5 pin molex connector.  Then I used the controller configuration in RetroPie to setup the actual button mappings.  The one/two player buttons on the front are LED buttons, but I disconnected the LED portion as they were pretty bright and distracting.  For power, I used a momentary push button and the info from this youtube video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh17hT0SCq0&t=51s.

      I also used a relay connected to the Raspberry Pi to control the marquee LED power, as I wanted it to turn on and off automatically.

      By matt_39150, on June 18, 2018
    • That has got to be the cleanest switch setup yet. No more breadboards or secondary kits to buy. Thanks! My monitor powers up just enough to run a pi2 and controllers, so I'll have a one button on, 2 button power off setup. My other option is to put in a power strip and wire the momentary to both sets, this switch code is a game changer for me. 
       I knew which kit you ordered, its the same one I'm planning on using, so I'm glad it configures easy. 
      By random dave, on June 20, 2018

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Bartop Arcade Machine

by matt_39150
Jun 06, 2018

Made this bartop arcade machine using my Ryobi hand and power tools. Houses a 24" PC monitor and a Raspberry Pi 3B+ running RetroPie OS. Made using 1/2" MDF, T-Molding and vinyl graphics. Buttons and joysticks were ordered as a USB-connected kit, access panels on the back and on the bottom for accessing the wiring using piano hinges. Overall cost was ~ $350 including the monitor, wood, buttons, vinyl, Raspberry Pi, SD card, etc. Was a joy to build (pun intended) and a Galaga of a fun time to play.