Home made arcade machine

By Ralph Ramah

Home made arcade machine cabinets are cabinets that house less powerful computers. These arcade machine cabinets are most of the times painted and given a good look. If looked at the exterior of the arcade machine, the computer is camouflaged inside the cabinet. A lock and a key may be needed to open the arcade machine cabinet to retrieve the computer for maintenance purposes. A joystick and a game pad are the elements that can be found on most arcade machine platforms. Also, the monitor is set at an upward angle in the arcade machine cabinet frame for easy viewing.

As said, a low end computer may be used inside an arcade machine. Any second hand computer that actually works may be enough to set an arcade machine up and running. Therefore, to be able to build a good arcade machine, a normal monitor can be used provided it fits in the cabinet. You may even use an old television. Besides, a keyboard and mouse as well as an old processor would be suitable. A CD-ROM drive will be necessary to install the operating system. Other elements needed to build an arcade machine could be USB ports, a set of speakers and of course a hard drive to store the OS and all the games.

Moreover, arcade machines may not require an Internet connection or any on the air connection such as Bluetooth or WiFi. Now, on low end computers, ancient operating systems such as Windows 98 and Windows ME may be sufficient. Other people can even choose to install Linux on such computers. Microsoft may no longer sell Windows 98 or ME. So, you may be able to get an old or unused copy on Ebay. But if you want to make more savings, Linux is available free to download on the Internet. With some research over the web, you may be able to come across a good flavour of Linux that will adapt to your arcade machine system. Still, to ensure the good running of your arcade machine, Windows remains a vital software.

Furthermore, after the installation of the operating system has been completed you have to load it with Emulators. Emulators are applications that are used to run the arcade games which are not compatible with the type of operating system. A famous emulator is the MAME which has a good compatibility with both Windows and Linux. ROMS for arcade machine games for this emulator can be searched on the Internet. Other arcade machine games may require other emulators. For instance, DAPHNE may be used to play games such as Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace. It can also be important to know that ROM game files on laser discs for arcade machine platforms can take up a lot of memory and space. As a matter of fact, be sure to keep an eye on your disc space so that the entire system does not freeze or crash.

To build a good arcade machine cabinet, wooden materials and appropriate tools may be needed to assemble and create the platform. Some companies specialise in the building of arcade machine cabinets. So, if you want one, be sure to contact them and it will just be a matter of time before your product is delivered to you.