Bartop Arcade w/ Raspberry Pi

Video - January 25, 2017

Nicole and I are big gamers and we both have fond memories of early PC and console games. While our two kids and business prevent us from diving into games like we used to, we’ll always be gamers at heart. So when my buddy Brian Ibbot from Coverville asked me to help him build a bartop arcade w/ Raspberry Pi, I jumped on the opportunity.

Because I just moved to Colorado and my regular tools weren’t powered up yet, the challenge was to build this project with portable power tools only. Fortunately, that means the tools and techniques demonstrated here are much more approachable and hopefully you’ll be encouraged to build your own.

Originally, Brian sent me a link to this Instructables plan. I was planning on simply building that version but had trouble making complete sense of the measurements, technique, and details, so I decided to scrap it and go my own way. That said, the original inspiration came from that plan and the console layout was pretty much copied and incorporated into our design. So thanks to Rolfebox for his hard work. Download the FREE plans below and the resource links provided are linked to our Amazon affiliate account, so any purchases help support the show. And if you’re so inclined, feel free to help us out on Patreon so we can keep producing awesome free content like this Bartop Arcade! Wood Whisperer on Patreon

The Tools

  • Table Saw
  • Jig Saw
  • Miter Saw
  • Router
  • Sander
  • Brad Nailer
  • Hand Tools – Flush trim saw, chisels

Materials

  • One sheet of 3/4″ plywood or other sheetgood
  • (optional) One piece of solid face frame stock (1 1/2″ W x 8′ L x 3/4″ T) for edgebanding
  • (optional) 1pc of 1/8″ plexiglass for the marquee

Download the Plans

Resources

The Music

My buddy Andrew Allen does some amazing jazz renditions of classic video game music and he just release his new album JazzNES. Check it out here.

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