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.

Discussion

Joel Harrell January 25, 2017 1:02 pm

This is cool. Any ballpark $ estimate of completed project?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo January 25, 2017 2:28 pm
  
  Nope. I paid for the materials and Brian bought the electronics. Never really added it all up.
  
  Reply
  - blain January 1, 2018 9:43 pm
    
    hey i was wondering if there is enough space for any 21.5 inch monitor?, or, if it only fits monitors with thin bezels
    
    Reply
- JOn February 20, 2017 7:14 am
  
  I used Maple and painted it but it ended up running about 360 all said and done.
  
  Reply
Chris McCoy January 25, 2017 1:34 pm

Nice job! I’m totally making this!

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Dan January 25, 2017 3:21 pm

So excited about this project. Bob Claggett from ILTMS did a similar, multi-part series about this. Did you & Brian discuss providing any “resources” for people building one of these to procure the ROM for games to play on this console?

Reply
- Souperman February 22, 2017 9:32 pm
  
  I can provide a place to download the ROMS, I have all NES, SNES, and N64 games currently. I can shoot you a link to my onedrive.
  
  Reply
  - STAVROS ENGLEZOS October 13, 2018 1:42 am
    
    Can you send me a link to those roms?
    
    Reply
  - Dan December 5, 2018 12:35 pm
    
    Can you send link please
    
    Reply
  - Ruben Garza December 16, 2018 8:23 pm
    
    Please, can you send me the link?
    Thanks
    
    Reply
  - Brett January 20, 2019 5:40 pm
    
    Are you still providing people with a download link? If so Im in the process of this build and could use some help finding ROM’s.
    
    Reply
    - Paul October 4, 2019 5:02 am
      
      I’d like a link as well if you have it still active. TIA.
  - Victor Pelayo October 14, 2019 11:35 am
    
    Hi is the link to your onedrive still available?
    
    Reply
  - Jonas Clayton April 8, 2020 9:56 am
    
    Do you still have a link?
    
    Reply
  - Marty January 22, 2021 3:58 pm
    
    Hello. responding to your post almost 4 years ago. Do you still provide the link to the roms for download? I understand the pi’s have changed and many different emulators are out there. I’m ready to build mine and have all the items to begin but could always use more info. Thanks
    
    Reply
  - Jeffery Kilgo August 5, 2021 11:17 pm
    
    I would appreciate that link as well!
    
    Reply
  - Stephen November 8, 2022 7:42 am
    
    I would be interested you if you still have it available.
    
    Reply
  - Benjamin Olex June 11, 2023 7:24 pm
    
    Do you still have this?
    
    Reply
Brett Gibson January 25, 2017 3:41 pm

What is the name of the little hand tool you were using to measure with. That seems really handy and I would like to add that to my arsenal.

Reply
- brett gibson February 1, 2017 11:30 am
  
  I’m really quite sad that you responded to many other peoples comments and not mine. Maybe you did not understand to the tool I was referring to? Here are a few times i saw it @ 2:35 and 4:01 into the video. I would really appreciate a response.
  
  Reply
  - Marc Spagnuolo February 1, 2017 1:37 pm
    
    Don’t be sad Brett. I get a lot of questions and it’s entirely possible that I occasionally miss one. That’s called a double square: http://www.leevalley.com/us/wo.....2945,44279
    
    Reply
    - brett gibson February 1, 2017 4:31 pm
      
      Thanks Marc!
Davis January 25, 2017 7:34 pm

I was digging through your resources list and I am not seeing the volume control knob that you installed under the marquee. Any chance you could provide a link for that?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo January 25, 2017 9:17 pm
  
  Comes with the speakers.
  
  Reply
  - Davis January 26, 2017 7:44 am
    
    Ah, thanks. Quite sneaky placement if you ask me!
    
    Reply
Eric January 26, 2017 1:17 pm

What is that on Brian’s watch band?

Reply
Derek Aanenson January 26, 2017 2:00 pm

Enjoyed watching you create something spectacular with more common tools for a home woodworker like me! What is the countersink bit you’re using?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo January 26, 2017 4:51 pm
  
  The one in the writeup above. :) It’s an Amana.
  
  Reply
Joe B January 27, 2017 4:38 pm

I’ve long wanted to make a full size arcade cabinet, but have never had the combination of time, money, and space for it. Something like this would be easier on all accounts. Food for thought, anyway.

Reply
Andre Gosselin January 28, 2017 8:40 am

Hello Marc, you mentionned in the video that the power outlet you planned to be could be a fire hasard. Can you give me you reference because it would make this box so much cleaner without a power cord stick in is butt?

Thanks a lot and really appreciate all your content.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo January 28, 2017 9:05 am
  
  Here’s the one we ordered: http://amzn.to/2ky4mhh
  
  Reply
Chris January 30, 2017 1:19 pm

Can you possibly provide an IGES file for this? I cannot open this is SolidWorks with a .skp file.

Thanks, going to try my hand at this on my CNC machine.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo January 30, 2017 1:49 pm
  
  Not unless someone wants to make the file for me. :)
  
  Reply
  - Chris January 31, 2017 9:31 am
    
    I cannot download sketchup, but I had read that you could save out of sketchup to an IGES, dxf, stp or stl files.
    
    Are those available? I think solidworks can work with any of those files.
    
    Reply
    - Rich Farwell February 6, 2017 3:07 pm
      
      With Sketchup, you have to have the “Pro” version to export in more universal file formats.
      Now, if you have the newest Vcarve Pro from Vectric.com, you can now import .skp files and then export the vectors if needed.
      You might even look at http://www.instructables.com. They have a ton of arcade builds there and maybe plans you can use.
Jaco February 6, 2017 2:37 pm

Wow thats great can wait to build one

Reply
Josh Molaver February 7, 2017 7:45 am

Hey Marc,

Continue to love your work; just joined the Patreon program to support you. Am jumping on the arcade cabinet build and am about 1/2 way done – wanted to call out a couple things:

1) In the metric PDF version of the plan, the marquee top cut list is listed as 171 mm, but the bevel diagram lists it as 173 mm. Not a huge deal, but might trip someone up…

2) More importantly, as a relative novice with a left tilting table saw, I cut the pieces to the cut list sizes (width specifically). Then went to make the bevel cuts, and discovered that I had cut the pieces to width too short – didn’t account for the additional width required for the bevels. This might be a total novice mistake (that’s how I learn and why I’m enjoying this so much) but you might want to call it out for those beginning this.

This is actually a relatively easy woodworking project and very enjoyable – thanks so much for all your work making projects like this fun and accessible!

Did you really not build yourself one?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 7, 2017 8:12 am
  
  Hey Josh. Glad you’re enjoying the project. The most important piece of advice for this project is the one that appears right under the cut list: Important Building Note:
  After you cut your parts out and the cut the necessary bevels, there’s a really good chance your final measurements will
  differ from those laid out in the plans. That’s absolutely OK. The final shape of your cabinet will be transferred to the
  cabinet sides and those will be cut last. So use the cut list as your starting point and don’t worry if your numbers differ
  slightly from the plans.
  
  Basically what this is saying is that if you cut your parts to the cut list numbers and then make your bevel cuts, you’ll be fine. Many of the numbers don’t agree and this is simply the byproduct of designing this thing in sketchup. In the real world, I want you to have nice round numbers to work with. But once you get everything to sit at the proper angle in sketchup, those numbers change. So if you cut to the cut list and assemble as shown in the video, you shouldn’t have any issues.
  
  Now for your second point, I’m not sure I understand. Cutting the bevels requires no additional width. If you line up the workpiece so that it just contacts the corner, you’ll create your bevel without losing width. And again, if you do lose a slight amount of width it can all be adjusted for as you proceed with the assembly.
  
  And sadly, I have not built one for myself yet. Mateo was quite upset about it. :)
  
  Reply
  - Josh Molaver February 23, 2017 5:27 pm
    
    Thanks Marc – yes, I’m an idiot (re bevel cuts) – you’re absolutely right. Enjoying building this with my kids – thanks so much!
    
    Reply
Paul Bulski February 12, 2017 7:58 am

I just ordered all the parts on Amazon per Marc’s links. Total came to just under $400 but I bought the GRR-Ripper because I’ve been wanting one for some time. The links didn’t include a power surge strip (I already have one) and I suspect I’ll still need a power outlet about $10.

All said, I’d say total cost is about $350 + plywood

Reply
Paul Bulski February 12, 2017 8:01 am

Marc, any idea where Brian had the marquee made? That’s a very cool and personal touch I’d like to add.

Reply
Stephen February 17, 2017 7:34 am

Is there a link to the STL files for the buttons and speaker covers?

Reply
- Manuel January 11, 2019 3:21 pm
  
  I’m interested on it also. Could someone please help us?
  Thanks in advance
  
  Reply
Sean February 19, 2017 8:52 pm

Can you mention how you guys went about the custom marquee or where you got it from?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 20, 2017 8:24 am
  
  I’ll have to ask Brian. He basically had a vinyl sticker printed out and then stuck it to a piece of plexiglass.
  
  Reply
Trey February 21, 2017 9:00 am

In the final shots of the assembled cabinet the speaker holes stand out. Did you add covers or stain it after the fact? Im in the process of building and thought about doing a quick small dot drill out pattern just not sure if sound will pass through very good.

any help of advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks Trey

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 21, 2017 9:39 am
  
  We covered them with 3D printed grills. Due to the timing of the shot and the availability of the grills, you might see the cabinet without them at certain points in the video. :) You certainly could just drill holes but it definitely won’t sound as good as if you applied a simple grill over a wide-open hole.
  
  Reply
  - Trey February 21, 2017 12:03 pm
    
    Thank You for the quick response and after you said that i watched the opening video and noticed a few quick shots of them installed there.
    
    Reply
Scott February 21, 2017 3:15 pm

Hi im planning on building this and have it all ready to go … bought the same speakers as you as well but the sound is terrible!! Hissy and scratchy and can’t seem to figure it out at all. Any suggestions?

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo February 21, 2017 7:12 pm
  
  Not sure honestly. Ours worked so I don’t know what might be wrong with the set you have. Did you test them before dismantling?
  
  Reply
- Josh Molaver February 23, 2017 5:25 pm
  
  I’m building this as well – bought the same speakers and no issues. Adding as a data point. When diassembling the wires are _tiny_ so I would check that none of the connections are loose (use a multimeter for continuity).
  
  Reply
Trey April 5, 2017 5:29 am

Hey Marc, I posted in the Facebook Community a few pictures but I would also like to add there is an issue with the controls template.

They are laid out backwards or maybe upside down.

The buttons closer to the joystick should be lower that the rest to allow for a natural hand placement. (It was correctly done in your video)

Hope this helps!

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo April 5, 2017 8:34 am
  
  I see it. Thanks man. We’ll get that fixed up.
  
  Reply
Kyle Heon May 2, 2017 5:02 am

Hi Marc!

I just built a RetroPie this past weekend and remembered this video so watched it again. Seriously considering making one of these too. Question, you used 3/4″ plywood, however later in the video you ran into an issue with the buttons. Would you think that thinner material would solid enough for this? I was specifically thinking 1/2″ plywood.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo May 2, 2017 7:55 am
  
  I think most folks probably would use 1/2″ for this. Or at least use 1/2″ in areas where it could be useful, such as the control board area and maybe even in the marquee area. If you keep the sides and bottom 3/4″ I do think the overall structure benefits from it.
  
  Reply
Steve Gray October 7, 2017 4:11 am

Great post, thanks for the share!

I managed to get the exact same joystick/button set but I don’t have any instructions on how to wire it all up to the Pi3. I don’t suppose anyone has a PDF or a website link that I could look at? Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

Cheers

Steve

Reply
- Steve Gray October 9, 2017 1:00 am
  
  Just to confirm, I don’t have any instructions on how to wire up the buttons and joystick to the boards. I guess I can figure it out but it would be great if someone can post a link to a ‘how to’. Thanks in advance, Steve
  
  Reply
  - Moe October 11, 2017 7:31 am
    
    You cannot connect them directly to the Pi as there are not enough GPIO pins. You need an additional board which is used in the video as well. Unfortunately I have got only a tutorial for a single player arcade at hand using the Picade Hat:
    https://learn.pimoroni.com/tut.....picade-hat
    This should give you a good idea for the start. When looking further in the internet you might find what it takes for two players.
    
    Reply
  - Moe October 11, 2017 7:38 am
    
    I did search a little further. This is what you are looking for:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcsKNryPAzw
    
    Reply
    - Steve Gray October 16, 2017 12:08 am
      
      Thanks very much Moe!
      
      I purchased the Joystick / Buttons as a pack and that comes with the game controller board. You then plug both ( 1 and 2 player) USB cables into the Pi (via a USB Hub). I think this should work but I haven’t setup RetroPi yet
      
      I thought I’d ordered (not from the Amazon) the same Joystick / Button set, however I found out yesterday that the game board is a cheaper version and doesn’t seem to have LED support. I’ve contacted the supplier so hopefully I’ll get that sorted.
      Cheers Moe,
      
      Steve
David Barr October 19, 2017 5:43 pm

I’m puzzled over your comment about fire hazard and melting concerning the power switch. That really seems odd to me.

I’ve spent 30+ years in A/V service and I never heard that. I don’t doubt that you read that but can you point me in the direction where you found that?

Thanks,
David

Reply
- David Barr October 19, 2017 5:48 pm
  
  Never mind. I found some reviews that mentioned that. Thanks.
  
  Reply
Travis Roberts December 13, 2017 2:52 pm

What were the dimensions for the marquee? I don’t see them anywhere.

Reply
zoltan March 22, 2018 5:29 am

Hi There,

thanks for the plans i only miss one thing is the sie of the holes for the buttons. I cannot find in the blueprints.

Reply
Simon May 25, 2019 2:27 am

Hey man, what’s the colour of this finish called?

Reply
Eric June 10, 2019 6:19 am

The LEDs used for the marquis require a power supply. The basic wiring diagram shows them being connected to the USB hub. What sort of adapter was used to allow the LEDs to connect directly to USB?

Reply
Antonio Smith August 8, 2019 6:47 pm

So could i make this a full sized arcade cabinet just by adding a bit at the bottom, because i like this design but want to potentially build a full sized.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo August 9, 2019 7:17 pm
  
  Yeah I don’t see why not.
  
  Reply
Robert maack November 22, 2020 9:28 am

After much research I’ve decided I liked your design best and want to model one for the kids after yours. What did you use for the design software? I’ve been trying multiple programs and can’t figure out how to design angled cuts.

Reply
- Marc Spagnuolo November 22, 2020 9:33 am
  
  We use Sketchup.
  
  Reply
  - Robert maack November 23, 2020 8:20 am
    
    would you be willing to share your file? I’m using a larger monitor and want to rescale it.
    
    Thank you. in advance.
    
    Reply
    - Marc Spagnuolo November 23, 2020 4:12 pm
      
      Yes. It’s already shared above. :)
Javi7 March 2, 2021 4:09 am

how many inches is the monitor?

Reply

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