Make: Arcade Controller, Wired

I finally found some time to wire the buttons for the arcade controller. The joysticks came with some nice ribbon cable harnesses and I made my own for all the buttons. Each ground is connected through one long chain harness. Notice I put some foundational pieces inside to strengthen the area around the joysticks.

Everything’s working and feeling great!

First game: Space Invaders. Second game: Smash TV

All that’s left is to put a nice back on it with some rubber feet so it doesn’t slide.

Make: Arcade Controller, Acrylic + Foundation

Just got some more pieces in from the laser cutter. The top is a thin black acrylic (still dusty in the pictures, needs a good windex). There are also two more pieces of wood solidifying the joystick inside.

Make: Arcade Controller, First Round of Laser Cuts

The initial laser cut ply came in today for the arcade controller I’ve been working on. Everything came out clean and fit together nicely. I’m still waiting to get the acrylic top to be made alongside some foundational pieces that will sturdy up the inside.

And now you know, the controller will be Space Invader themed! Bleep bloop.

Make: Arcade Controller, Initial Laser Cut Design

I started an initial Illustrator design for the laser cutting this weekend. It’s going to be a fully laser cut box with no exposed screws. The foundation is going to a nice light ply and the control panel is going to be surfaced with a glossy black acrylic.

Make: Arcade Controller, Box mockup

Tonight’s project was building a mock box out of paper for my arcade controller. The main design goal was an emphasis on a low profile since a lot of the controllers available on the market are quite bulky.

The entire box is going to be laser cut so it will require minimal work to assemble and can be easily reproduced.

Make: Arcade Controller, Parts!

All the buttons and joysticks came in the mail today! Next up, designing a panel in illustrator and then off to the laser cutter.

Make: Arcade Controller, Ordering Parts

I making my own MAME controller and PC for endless hours of arcade entertainment. For the unknowing, MAME is an arcade emulator that virtually runs every single old and modern arcade game.

I’ll be building the controller to rest on my coffee table. It’s going to be modeled using the button layout and parts you’d find on a Japanese arcade machine.

Here’s are the controller parts I ordered, all genuine Japanese Sanwa Controls (minus the printed Player 1/2 buttons):

I’ll be using the I-Pac 2 for the control interface.

http://www.ultimarc.com/ipac1.html

Anybody interested in making a MAME machine or controller should check out this awesome Wiki:

http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Main_Page

Some of the best prices for controls:

http://www.lizardlick.com/pages/arcade_parts.shtml

I’ll post some updates as I make the controller and get the PC together!