Arcade Cabinet (bartop, 2-player)

427 comments

Ahhh Christmas break! What a wonderful time of the year – too bad it goes by so quickly… 🙂

Anyways, to keep my brains occupied during time off from work (and, let’s be honest, have some fun geeking out!), I finally decided to build an arcade cabinet. I know, seems like everyone is building one, but that’s only because they’re so cool!

 

Here’s the final result:

 

 

 

For anyone visiting from Reddit, I also prepared an Imgur album, in case you may prefer that.

Please note that the description of the process is different in each case, so for most information I’d recommend reading both this post and the album on Imgur:
https://imgur.com/gallery/JgjLf

 

I started working on the project, as always, with a research, to look for inspiration, think various aspects through, and decide how I want to design my own cabinet.

But before I dive into details, let’s see what is needed to make one.

 

Bill of materials

  • 1/4″ MDF sheets
    • I had them cut to 24″ x 18″ as this is the max size I can use in laser cutter, and my design needs 6 sheets total.
    • I was considering plywood, but I was discouraged by how difficult it became to find a straight sheets where I shop…
  • Raspberry Pie 3, case, power supply, SD card
  • 17″ LCD monitor, along with necessary cables
    • The monitor I used had only DVI and VGA outputs, while Raspberry Pie has HDMI input, so I had to throw in DVI to HDMI adapter.
    • Note that my design was driven by the dimensions of the bed for the laser cutter I have access to, and as such 17″ is the max size I could use. It doesn’t feel small though, given the distance from the screen.
  • Small speakers
    • I used USB-powered speakers, to avoid the need for one more power socket,
  • Arcade joysticks and buttons
    • Those can be easily purchased in kits, along with USB controller boards, cables with quick connect, etc.
    • Here’s the set for 2 players I used,
  • Extension cord (with 3 sockets),
  • “Kettle plug” socket with switch and fuse, along with quick connect plugs (insulated, safety first, especially when we move up from low voltage DC to AC), I picked mine from a local electronic store, but it’s also available on Amazon,
  • Magnetic cabinet door catches
    • I used those (they come with screws, but I ended up using bolts instead)
  • Hinges,
  • Primer, paint, etc. for the finished look you’re after,
  • Various screws/bolts/nuts/washers (note: I used both metric [for VESA monitor mount] as well as imperial for all other needs and I feel like generally it’s good to have assortment of both handy 🙂 ),
  • Optional: USB controllers for your favorite gaming system, if you’d like the ability to support more players, or just like their ergonomics 🙂

I used laser cutter to cut all the body panels, but more conventional tools could also be used instead 🙂 (jigsaw, band saw for button cutouts, etc.).

 

Design

You can find various designs easily online, or even buy pre-cut body panels to assemble your own cabinet (there are plenty to choose from on eBay), and then add hardware inside, but I like to make my own designs – it’s half the fun 🙂

It also gives you full control of all the aspects of the design, enables to re-iterate quickly to make improvements (i.e. for issues identified on the first fitting/test assembly), you don’t have to settle on compromises made by someone else (which could’ve been more applicable in their case) and in the end it just feels good to know that you made it all…

As always, I jumped into Fusion 360 and started sketching.

For this type of design, where we have side elements keeping all the pieces together (“sandwiched” in between), instead of designing each element separately (with its own “sketch”), I find it significantly more efficient to work off of a single sketch which defines dimensions of all elements and is a go-to place to make changes in sizes, relative positioning, etc. Then you can simply extrude the profiles from the master sketch into their own components.

 

Another decision I made early on was to include the tabs/slots in my design. Not everyone may like this approach (i.e. the side panels have visible tabs and are not a solid piece of wood, which affects aesthetics), but I like the ease of this approach for fitting the parts as well as convenience of final assembly and general sturdiness.

Also, I don’t have access to a bigger working space where I could arrange the elements and clamp them for hours… And with tabs/slots pieces just snap in together 🙂

Note that I skipped on the classic T-molding present in the original arcade cabinets. Unfortunately, I don’t have router table to accommodate those, and alternative solutions (gluing few panels with different sizes to have slot in the middle required for T-molding) didn’t seem worth it.

 

Here is the design I made:

 

 

And a short video showing how the separate elements are organized:

 

I continued to work on the design throughout, whenever I discovered something that could be improved. The biggest update was related to the monitor mount. At first I thought of using some kind of brackets to keep monitor in place (a problem I’d solve when I get there, thus not much thought in the initial design), but when doing first test assembly, I decided to also design a mount for the monitor, which would integrate with the construction and provide more support.

That was something I didn’t plan on doing at first, but now I feel that it made the design feel more complete, and assembly much easier. The cabinet feels very sturdy and I don’t have to worry about monitor shifting around, or becoming loose.

 

Making the cabinet

All the profiles of body panels were exported from Fusion 360 into .dxf file format and then cut on laser cutter from Universal Laser Systems.

Before committing to a large laser cutting job, I recommend doing few test cuts. This is especially helpful if you use tabs/slots as it can help you understand the impact of laser kerf and adjust your design dimensions if needed. Just make a small test piece with one tab and one slot and work off of that (to speed up the process and minimize the amount of wasted material). This is even more important when working with a new material.

For reference, here are the parts I made for testing the dimensions and fitment of the tabs/slots and buttons (took me a quick 3 cuts to get the dimensions perfectly):

Cutting all the body panels took under 2 hours (this doesn’t include test cuts or iterations on the design, but is simply a total time if I were to go ahead now and cut the panels again in their final form).

Panels fresh from laser cutter:

 

First assembly, to test the fitment of the parts, identify potential issues, etc. It’s better to make sure before we dedicate few hours into finishing the parts 😉

 

Installing the monitor

At this point I tried fitting monitor, and this is when I decided to do it the right way – design a strong, stable mount, instead of depending on some brackets and other flimsy solutions.

Monitors already come with VESA mounts, so it only seemed natural to take advantage of this fact. And this makes it possible to use different brands/models of monitors as well (potentially with some small adjustments, like different cutouts in the body panels to enable unobstructed access to the monitor’s control buttons).

Note that VESA mount uses metric screws, and the spacing between holes is not in inches (even though it’s very close to 4″, don’t be mislead, it’s actually 10cm – ask me how I learned that… 😉 ).

There’s one interesting property of VESA mount, which I took advantage of – they’re installed parallel to the screen. It means that I could easily define the angle of the mount to make sure that the monitor will be properly aligned with the front frame of the cabinet (since those are same angles).

Laser cutter at work:


You may see that there are multiple instances of the same elements – those are used as spacers to allow me to position the monitor more to the front/back as needed.

I screwed the pieces onto the VESA, and assembled the “head” of the mount. The “wings” at the end of the mount simply slide into 2 legs that are then attached to the base of the cabinet.

Notice that I’m using washers everywhere – MDF is quite a soft material, so I highly recommend using washers to make sure the connections are stronger.

Making sure that the monitor fits nicely in the cabinet:

Notice a horizontal “beam” between the legs of the monitor stand. This serves 2 purposes: connects and stabilizes the legs for extra sturdiness, as well as serves as a simple shelf, to allow better organization of the internals.

 

Finishing the body panels

Since the panels were cut out of MDF, there’s one important thing to note: MDF absorbs finishes very quickly. As such, we’d either need to use layer after layer of paint, or first seal it. I decided to seal it with Shellac (following the principle of “Shellac sticks to everything and everything sticks to Shellac”). Two or 3 layers of shellac should seal MDF enough to continue with painting – it works great as a sealer and primer in one. It also dries very quickly.

Then I proceeded with painting the cabinet. I wanted for it to look… classy, nothing too crazy 🙂 So I went with black spray paint. Again, to be applied in fairly light coats, I ended up with 3 or 4 coats depending on the panel (I was making some adjustment in the design at this stage, thus some panels needed to be re-cut and started fresh).

To seal it off, I used a spray lacquer. I had few cans around so that seemed like a perfect application. I’m sure polyurethane would work just as well, if not better. I recommend light sanding between coats to remove all bubbles and uneven surfaces, in order to achieve the desirable mirror-like finish. It can be a scary thing to do (immediately after sanding things look significantly worse, so the first time around you’ll be pretty sure it’s destroyed), but don’t lose hope – it’s expected and it gets better with every next layer 🙂

Body panels ready for finishing (first few layers of shellac to seal/prime MDF, then paint, and finally lacquer):

And somewhere in the middle of the process, between layers of lacquer. Notice the small bubbles still visible – those can be removed by sanding between the coats.

 

Note that all the panels except the 2 biggest side panels were painted only on 1 side, while the side panels were painted on both (there’s a “lip” sticking out for a 1/2″ from the edge of the side panels to the edge of every other panel attached to the sides, and we need to make sure that this lip also looks finished).

After all was said and done, I used 3 cans of Shellac, 2 cans of spray paint, and 3 cans of lacquer. More than I anticipated, so I’d recommend buying a bit more than you think you may need, to save yourself a shopping trip later on.

 

Electronics

If you’ve been looking at making an Arcade cabinet yourself before, there will be no surprises in this section for you 🙂

First task was to install and wire the joysticks and buttons. Do this after the wood has been finished, but before it’s all assembled into a cabinet 🙂

This is when I realized that I forgot to include screw holes for installation of joysticks, and even though I re-cut few panels previously after making changes in the design, I decided to solve this with a drill. I’ll be using washers here as well, so that gives me a wider margin of error if it so happens that the drill rips a bit of MDF on the finished side.

To minimize the risk of damage to MDF when drilling holes, use a piece of sacrificial wood underneath the MDF board. I used a piece of paper to protect the finished side of MDF from the wood underneath and drilled this way.

Time to install all the buttons and wires:

To make wiring easier and less error-prone, make sure that all buttons are oriented in the same way. This way it’s easier to keep connecting all wires in the same order.

After connecting buttons on the control panel, it was time for the front panel, with Start and Select buttons:

I added labels (P1, P2) to the faces of Start buttons. Those buttons can be disassembled easily by simply pushing in 2 tabs on the sides and pulling the face outwards.

Everything wired and ready for assembly:

 

Final assembly and miscellaneous hardware

There were few additional pieces required to complete the cabinet.

I started with the kettle plug, along with an extension cord (I used insulated quick connect clamps to connect those 2).

Then I added the heart of the machine – Raspberry Pi 3, and connected it all (RPi, 2x USB controller boards, power and video to the monitor, speakers):

For the door in the back of the cabinet, I used short “piano hinges”, with holes already cut on laser cutter (I updated original design to account for those, to avoid having to do more drilling later on):

And to keep the door locked, as well as the front piece on the top of the cabinet (“marquee”) in place, I used the magnetic cabinet door catches:

I also hid a cheat-sheet with the global button shortcuts for RetroPie/EmulationStation in that bonus storage area 🙂

 

Software

I’m using RetroPie, and everything can be found at: https://retropie.org.uk/

I decided to use the ready image, so the complete setup was a breeze. Then just add roms of your choice (keeping mind the laws – generally it’s allowed to use ROMs of games you own physical copies of), and everything is ready! If you’d like to dive deeper into the configuration, different versions of emulators/BIOS, or customize the looks (splash screens, themes, etc.) the Wiki available on the official website is a great place to start: https://retropie.org.uk/docs/

There’s at least one alternative to RetroPie, but I didn’t have a chance to play around with it yet:
http://www.lakka.tv/

 

Photos of the completed arcade cabinet

Finished look (along with some cool NES controllers on USB, to allow for up to 4 players!):

 

Look at the back:

And inside:

Ready to play!

 

 

 

Videos

Complete project:

 

First time booting after the assembly:

 

Special video with a celebrity making an unexpected appearance 🙂 (our yellow-sided green cheek conure, Bella)

 

Shared links:

Since I completed this project, it’s been featured on few websites:

 

 

Looking for more inspiration?

If you’d like to read more on this subject, here are some interesting resources I found while doing my research:

 

If you build an arcade cabinet yourself, please share! 🙂

427 thoughts on “Arcade Cabinet (bartop, 2-player)”

  1. Very nice project!
    Can you please share the files needed for laser cutting the enclosures?
    I am not good at 3d/2d design, nor do I have easy access to a laser cutter, so it would help a lot.

    Thanks

    Reply

      6. Hello, i loved your project, this is exactly what i was finding.
        Can you please send me the files for laser cutting
        It would help me alot
        Thanks

        Reply

          1. Hi, it’s been a while since your last comment, but can I have the files too ? My university recently bought a Gbos machine and I want to try to make the bartop with it. Thanks !

          2. Hi Vincent, apologies for slight delay – I’ve been trying to stay busy this summer 😉 I just sent the plans to your email. Good luck!

          6. That’s a great question – I checked the photos, to see if I can find this information without diving inside the cabinet 😉 and on this photo: https://www.bogdanberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/20171221_233439.jpg we can see the model name: Dell P1913SF

            The manual for this model is available here, in case you’d like to find some additional information (e.g. compare the dimensions with another monitor you may have):
            https://dl.dell.com/manuals/all-products/esuprt_display_projector/esuprt_display/dell-p1913_user's%20guide_en-us.pdf

            Hope this helps!

      1. Hi Marcen – I sent the project files to your e-mail. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I’d love to see a photo of the end result. Your students are lucky to have a teacher who encourages such fun project ideas! 🙂

        Reply

  2. Hi Bogdan. Great World and great design. Love your videos. Would you share the 3D scematic file?
    Best regards
    Rasmus, Denmark

    Reply

    2. Hi Rasmus,
      I sent the file to your e-mail. Let me know if you have any questions. You’ll see that there are also older versions of some profiles, but if you refer to the design I show in the post above, it should be clear what’s what 🙂 Good luck!

      Reply

  4. Great Work! Hope you have lots of fun with it!
    I recently got access to a laser-cutter. Do you mind sharing the cutting plans with me. I would love to build my own!

    Reply

    1. Hey Alex, e-mail sent. The plans should be easy to identify (which side is which, etc.) along with the above article, but let me know if you have any questions.

      Reply

      1. Hi Bogdan

        Great job 😍😍😍.
        I’m very exited to do my own
        Can you share me your plans too.
        Very happy to see your job 👍

        AEK

        Reply

  7. Hi, congratulations for the project.
    It looks perfect!
    I am triyng ti do an arcade, but the drawing is very dificult for me.
    Can you please share the plans to the laser cut?

    Thank you.

    Reply

    1. Thank you!

      I e-mailed you the plans. They may need some changes, depending on what laser cutter you’re using, but I hope they will get you started. It’s a lot of fun to make your own designs, so I’d recommend not getting discouraged by initial learning curve. You can download Fusion 360 (for free) and watch various tutorials online. You’ll be surprised how quickly things start to make sense 🙂 Good luck!

      Reply

      1. Wow. That time of year and I’d also like to build one of these as I’m hoping to get a CNC (not laser) to play with. Can I get the Fusion 360 plans (if still possible). It would be awesome.

        Reply

  9. Hey, im going to make this project for school but i dont have enough time to draw the plans for the lasser cutter, would you mind sharing them with me? Great work btw.

    Reply

    1. Hi Siemen!

      I sent you the files, hope you’ll find them useful. Let me know if you have any questions about the components, but you should be able to reference the above article and their purpose will be clear 🙂 Good luck!

      Reply

  10. Hi Bogdan,
    this project is amazing I just got my first raspberry pi arcade set up but i have been looking for a tutorial for the cabinet and i was hoping to use yours. would you mind sending me the laser cutting files? thank you in advance 🙂

    Reply

    1. Hey Jake,
      I’m sorry for late response, it’s been really busy recently… Glad I have some time off for holiday break to catch up 😉
      I sent the files to your e-mail. If you make a cabinet, please share some photos 🙂

      Reply

  11. Hi Bogdan,

    I recently purchased a glowforge. Would you be kind enough to send me this awesome laser cut file? I know the glowforge laser cutter uses .svg .pdf files. Do you know if it is hard to convert your files so I can use it on the glowforge? Thank you. Wonderful work.

    Reply

    1. Hi Milena,
      Sent to your e-mail. Let me know if you have any questions. Just be sure to use 1/4″ MDF if you won’t be making any modifications to the plans (since this is the thickness used for the slots and tabs).

      Reply

    1. Hi Nazareno,
      I e-mailed you the plans. Hope they work for you! 🙂
      I don’t really have a donations URL… You’re the first one to ask – just hearing my design is appreciated makes me smile, thank you! 🙂 If you build the cabinet, please share some photos – I’d love to see how it turns out for you.

      Reply

    1. That’s interesting point…
      I started my blog out of sheer passion, as I wanted to share my experiences with more people, learn from each other, and hopefully inspire, so I didn’t put much thought in the monetization prospects 😉
      I just set up a profile on BuyMeACoffee, it’s linked on the home page of my blog for anyone interested, but absolutely no obligation 🙂
      https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bogdan

      Reply

  20. Amazing job on the arcade cabinet! I have been looking for laser cutter plans for some time. Could I also get your plans?

    Thanks so much.

    Reply

  22. Great build! You make it sound so easy, much more than some other guides out there. Could I get the cutter files? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. I sent you the plans. Appreciate the feedback – I’m hoping to write in a clear and concise matter (to encourage others to try!), even though English isn’t my native language. It is the language I use most now, so I guess no excuses there anyways 😉

      Reply

  25. I do not have access to a laser cutter but I am looking into getting one from Aliexpress. Can you send me the files please.

    Reply

    1. Hi Elliott,
      So sorry for the delay – sometimes things get too busy, maybe I should commit to smaller number of projects at once… 😉 I sent you the files. Please share couple photos once you make the arcade! 🙂

      Reply

  27. hey I am interested in the plans, would you mind sharing these with me? I plan on building two of these. Great and helpful ideas!

    Reply

  28. Hi, awesome project, could you send me the dxf files ?

    about the mdf thickness it says 1/4″ (converted as 6.35mm) is 6 mm okay for this project ?

    Reply

    1. Hey Arnaud, I shared the plans with you. There may be some converting needed, depending on your workflow. 6mm should work fine, there would be more work needed to make it work with thicker material (considering the slots account for the thickness).

      Reply

      1. Hi, this is a beautiful project, I’ve been searching for a guide for such a laser cut for ages! Could you please share the files?
        My bf will be super excited about this birthday gift 😊
        Thanks anyway and kudos again!

        Reply

    1. Hey Quicksilver, no trouble at all! So sorry for the delay, I tend to get caught in a lot of things all at once, but better late than never, right? 😉
      I sent you the files, hope they work well for you!

      Reply

  30. Hi Bogdan,

    i really like your bartop design, would you mind sending me the lasercut files, too?
    i’d really appreciate that 🙂 thanks in advance.

    Reply

  34. Awesome design my dude !
    If you can please email the plans/3D files that would be greatly appreciated. I am going to use solidworks 2019 so STEP,IGS or even just dxfs would be a huge life savor ! Hopefully I can modify your creation into something even better

    Thank you

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Alex! 🙂 Sent the plans to your e-mail. Please share your project once you’re done, I’d love to see the result. And don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail if you have any questions in the process. Good luck!

      Reply

  35. Looks awesome. I own a laser cutter and would love it if you could share the plans to see if i can give it a go.. TIA

    Reply

  37. Very nice, I’ve been wanting to build a true bartop cabinet. The closest I’ve gotten was about 9 yrs ago, I bought an X arcade joystick set gutted out the original box and built around it. Here’s a pic https://s1013.photobucket.com/user/pumaking82/media/IMAG0083.jpg.html. I just bought a 40w laser cutter. Am dying to build one. I thought the space on a 40w was much smaller. Thank you for the idea. Do you mind sending me the file so I can get an idea of the design concept (like how its put together.

    Reply

    1. That’s a very cool design! Thank you for sharing. I like how portable it is (after removing the monitor temporarily 🙂 ).
      I just sent you the plans. I’d love to see the end result once you make it.

      The bed size may vary between different 40W lasers (I’ve been using Universal Laser Systems and Epilog), but the minimum requirement for those plans is 24″ x 18″.

      Reply

  38. One of my students built this cabinet last year and another wants to build this same machine, but I don’t have the files any more . Can you email me the files?

    Thanks.

    Reply

    1. Hi Thomas, I’m sorry for the late response. I sent the plans to your e-mail. It’s great to hear students are interested in building it! Its a lot of fun to both build and then use 😉 Please let me know if you have any questions regarding the build, or if any of your students encounters any problems you’d like me to assist with.

      Reply

  39. hi Bogdan, love your design, been looking to start a bartop project for a while, any chance sending the plans please, would be a great help, thank in advance.

    Reply

  41. I would love to try my hand at making this myself, could I please get the files for the cabinet ass well?

    Thank you for the great idea and more to the point hte videos is what really made me think that maybe I could actually make something work with wood 🙂 I am the kind of person that makes a 2×4 into tooth picks normally LOL

    Reply

    1. Thank you for the kind words, Dale.
      I just sent you the plans. It’s definitely a doable project! There wasn’t a single overwhelming step, that made me want to smash something to pieces 😉 If you encounter an issue, just approach it slow and steady (or better yet – take a break and come back with fresh mind 🙂 ) and you’ll have it done before you know it. Also: measure twice, cut once 😉 Good luck!

      Reply

  42. This looks super sweet! We are going to try to get our high school students to make a similar project! Could you share the laser cutting plans so we can try it out as a model for the students to start with?

    Reply

  43. Hello!
    This is great! Would you mind sharing your plans? I would love to build one of these.
    Thank you!

    Reply

  44. Hi Bogdan. Great design!!! Can I have the plans too? I would like to give it a try.
    You did an awesome work!!

    Reply

  45. Hi Bogdan, love your design, been looking to start a bartop project for a while, I have nice big CO2 laser machine in my factory that we use to laser engrave glassware, would like to make one of these for myself.
    Could you please email me the drawings as well? Thanks man.

    Reply

    1. Hi Quintus,

      I e-mailed you the plans. They require laser bed size of at least 24″ x 18″, but sounds like this shouldn’t be a problem 🙂 Good luck!

      Reply

  46. Hi Bogdan,

    Would like a copy of your files to laser cut my own!
    I may end up modifying it a little to accomodate a laptop instead of screen/pie combo.

    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hey Matt,
      I’m sorry for the delayed response, I’m trying to stay somewhat current with responses, but it doesn’t always work… 😉 I just sent you the plans.

      Reply

    2. I was also thinking of powering an arcade off an old laptop that has a dead screen. Could you please tell me if you were able to fit a laptop into the arcade?
      And if so, do you mind sharing the laser cut plans please?
      Thanks!

      Reply

  47. Hi Bogdan,
    I’d love to get a copy of your plans if possible. I want to convert my large stand-up cabinet into this smaller sized one.

    Thanks,
    Matt

    Reply

  48. Hi Bogdan,

    Really cool project. I have access to a laser cutter at work and would love to have a try at this. Could you send met the laser cutter files? Much appreciated.

    Martin.

    Reply

  51. This is incredible! I am working with high school students to program some raspberry pi’s and would love to make an attempt at this! Can you please share the laser cutter plans? Thanks!

    Reply

  52. I’m very interested in the .dxf files if possible. Can’t wait to build my own. Very nice job!

    Reply

  54. Hi,
    Your arcade cabinet looks awesome. I always wanted to have a cabinet an now I want to build one 🙂
    Could you share the dxf-files with me please?
    Thank you
    Maurizio

    Reply

  55. Hello Bogdan,
    Amazing work, very exhaustive article, thank you so much.

    Any chance I could get a copy of the plans?

    Keep on the good work

    Reply

  56. Hello, and great project, I’ve been looking to build something like this. Would you mind sharing the files with me?
    –
    Martin

    Reply

  57. Hi Bogdan!
    Great project! I have done Retropie projects and would like to build a bartop model. I have now access to a laser cutter, are your plans available?
    Elmar

    Reply

  58. Hi, this looks great! Do you think you could send me the laser cutting files? I am thinking about converting the files for 3d printing it on my 20 inch.X 20 inch. Cr-10 S5. Do you think the design would fit on it? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hey Jonathan, I think it may be a bit tight – my design makes almost full use of the 24″ x 12″ bed of the laser cutter I have access to… And simply uniformly scaling the profiles down as is wouldn’t work, as the sizing of the holes for tabs and grooves wouldn’t work anymore (since they would scale, while the material thickness in reality remains same). That said, further modifications would be needed – feel free to customize the design to your needs 🙂

      Reply

  59. Hi.!!
    Really liked the build and would love to build one for myself. Can you please share the laser cutting plans with me as well?

    Reply

  61. This is one of the better projects. Amazing! Can you send me the laser files too? I can’t wait to get started on this awesome project!

    Reply

  62. You do awesome work! I see lots of people have asked for the plans, do you mind sending them to me as well? I look forward to building and sharing. Thanks!

    Reply

  63. Great work, I would love to save some time in drawing or building in the old fashion way. Can you share the files for the cutter please

    Reply

  64. Hi, great idea, loved your way of deign it by laser cut broads.
    I plan to do something like this with my kid, can you share the plans, please?
    Thanks Ben

    Reply

  66. Hi there –

    Can I also get the plans? I am looking for a fun project to do with my 10 years old kid and I think it will turn out better and with less frustration if we have ready made plans…
    Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  68. Hi Bogdan,

    Great detailed writeup! You did a great job with the finished product, and I would love to be able to refer to your design for my own DIY project. Like many others have requested, may I kindly request a copy of the CAD files please?

    Thank you so much!

    Reply

  70. Super clean design…very nice work. I have recently completed a MPCNC home built mill and I’d like to try to modify your design to be cut with my cnc but if I can’t get that to work, I have access to a large format laser cutter which I can ultimately use. I have a hand cut cabinet but I want to make a more precise version. I’m not quite at the level of F360 skill to be able to knock my own out so I’d like to ask for a copy of your design.

    Thank you for the inspiration!

    Reply

  73. Best looking bartop arcade I have seen yet would be very interested in the plans if you are still sharing them. Only have a 12″ x 20″ laser so I will have to adjust them some but it will give me a good fusion project over Thanksgiving.

    Reply

  74. Hi Bogdan,
    It’s a great peace of work. I would love to try at this myself. Could you send met the laser cutter files?
    Thank you
    Maurizio

    Reply

  75. I wanted to follow-up in a high-level comment 🙂 I’ve sent the plans to everyone above who has requested them.

    Please let me know if you encounter any questions while working on this project.

    It’s held up very nicely through the years (as I made it almost 2 years ago, how time flies!). I still have it on the display at home, use occasionally (mostly to demo to friends who visit 🙂 ), and it continues to work nicely (controls in great shape, no mechanical damage, etc.).

    I wish I had a bit more time to make some further improvements – it’s a fun project to build and use.

    I’d love to see the finished versions of the arcade cabinets you all make! 🙂

    Reply

  76. wow!!! great!! cool!! this is amazing arcade!!! excuse me my bad english. I dream to have one bartop like this!! can you send me cnc plans please? Thanks for share!!!

    Reply

    1. Hey Anat, I sent you the plans as well. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions along the way.

      I now realized it’s been just over 2 years since I worked on this project – time surely flies! 🙂

      Reply

  79. Looks awesome, would love to check out the files and use them on my glowforge. I have been looking to build one with the kids as we learn how to use the glowforge.
    Thanks
    David

    Reply

    1. Thank you, David. I don’t have experience with Glowforge unfortunately, but I sent you the plans. Depending on the bed size, you may have to make some modifications (my design is based on the assumption that laser can cut at least 24″ x 18″). Good luck!

      Reply

  81. Great design Bogdan. My kids have chosen this to update their old Mame console. It’s a perfect fit for our laser cutter and I was planning to use 6mm Baltic Birch so it should cut with very few mods. Can you send the files? Much thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Mark,
      Great to hear that! I hope the plans I sent you work well for your needs. It will look amazing when built using Baltic Birch! 🙂 Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

      Reply

  82. Hi, what a cool project, just wondering if you are still sending the plans out. We have a 24″x 12″ trotec at our high school that would be perfect for this project.

    Reply

    1. Hi Nate,
      I e-mailed you the plans. Please note that they won’t fit as-is on 24″ x 12″, and some changes will be necessary (I shared some ideas in the e-mail I sent you). Good luck!

      Reply

  83. Hi, Bogdan
    Amazing job !!! I would love to build one as well, Can you please send me the fusion 360 file ?
    I will be happy to share pictures when its completed.
    Thank you !

    Reply

    1. Hey John,
      I sent you the files with some additional information and things to consider. I hope it works well for you! Good luck and Happy New Year 🙂

      Reply

  85. Hi, Bogdan
    What an amazing arcade cabinet you have made! Could you send me the project files? I would like to attempt to make one.
    Thanks,
    Sake

    Reply

  86. Hi Sake! I e-mailed you the files. Let me know if you have any further questions about the project. And please share a photo of the final result once you build it 🙂

    Reply

    1. Looks awesome! Thank you so much for sharing. I like the details you added – Atari logo, LEDs. Hope it makes for many hours of fun 🙂 Really well done!

      Reply

  88. Congratulations on the project … could you make the project available to me? I bought a 600mm x 400mm laser and would like to test your project first … thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi Marcio. Congratulations on the new laser cutter! They’re so much fun 🙂 Just be sure you know which materials are safe to cut, as some of them will off-gas very toxic fumes.

      I e-mailed you the files. Good luck! Please let me know if you have any questions.

      Reply

  89. Pingback:DIY Motion Simulator – Part 2 – Electronics, motors, wiring and testing – Bogdan Berg

  90. Hi Bogdan,

    Great page, I have been researching this and I must say your monitor mount is a unique solution as most mount to the side, I think yours is a much better way or doing it!

    Would you be find enough to send me all the laser cutting plans?
    Thanks
    Matt

    Reply

    1. Hey Matthew, thank you for the kind words! I designed the mount to save myself the pain of adjusting the position of the monitor – gave me a bit of margin to make sure it will fit one way or the other 😉 Plans have been sent to your e-mail, good luck!

      Reply

  91. Wow Bogdan! I would love to build one, would it be possible for you to share the Fusion 360 files with me?
    Thanks again, amazing job on the build.

    Reply

  92. This is an amazing proyect, can you please send the files for lasser cutting the cabinet? I promise i will send you some pictures on how it worked for me. Greetings from Mexico.

    Reply

  95. Hi Bogdan,

    What a fantastic design and cool project. Love the final result.
    Would you mind sharing the design with me as well. Would love to build this too.
    Also, I’m trying to get better at Fusion 360 (I suck), so if you could also share those files to see how you did it, it would be amazing.

    Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  96. Hi Bogdan,
    This is awesome, I’ve wanted to build something like this for my kids so I can share some classic arcade games with them is there any way you could share the plan files for the laser cutter.
    Thanks in advance and I hope you are taking care of yourself during this crazy time

    Reply

    1. Hey Simon, so sorry for the delay – following up on our conversation on Facebook. Just got some time, work has been quite busy 🙂

      Sent you the plans! Please let me know if you have any questions, and good luck with the project!

      Reply

    1. Hi Brock, I sent the plans to your e-mail. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions through the project. It’s surely a fun one! 🙂

      Reply

  99. Hi

    I have been looking around the Internet and thinking about building a bar top arcade cabinet for quite some time.
    I have seen your design and I must say This is by far the best design I have seen. You are the man !
    Due to current situation (stay at home school etc. ) this project is something to do with my two girls to have more fun than just “normal classes”.
    if possible please share with us the design files. I would love to create this project with them.

    regards
    Tomasz

    Reply

    1. Hej Tomasz, co slychac? 😉
      Thank you for the kind words! I sent you the plans. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions through the project. Also, I recommend ordering the parts as soon as possible to avoid further delays considering the COVID situation. Good luck! If you build, please share a photo – I’d love to see the result 🙂

      Reply

  100. Hi Bogdan,
    Love the build!! Could you send me through the plans for laser cutting the cabinet please?

    Cheers!!

    Reply

  101. Ciao!
    progetto molto bello e pratico ! Ti dispiacerebbe condividere i tuoi piani? Mi piacerebbe costruirne uno. ho una macchina da taglo gravograph
    Grazie!

    Reply

    1. > Hi!
      > very nice and practical project! Would you mind sharing your plans? I’d like to build one.
      > I have a gravlo taglo machine
      > Thanks!

      Hey Massimo,
      Sure thing – plans sent. Hope it works for the workflow you use with your laser cutter!

      Reply

  103. Hello,
    I love your website and design! I was getting frustrated with creating my own laser cutting files and would (like many others) like to know if I can use your design. I’m also going to do a write up of my project once I’m done. Would you mind being referenced?

    -Myke

    Reply

    1. Hey Myke. I sent you the files. Good luck with the build, and please share once it’s ready, I’d love to see it. And let me know if you decide to post it on your blog! 🙂

      Reply

  105. Hi, I’m glad to have stumbled upon your post! I operate two Universal lasers, would love to try out your files if you would be so kind.

    Thanks,
    Bill

    Reply

  106. HI Bogden, Absolutely in awe of what you have made here, I’m not exactly confident i can do this myself but would love to try, Would you mind sharing the files so I can cut the shape from my laser?

    ohh, can i also ask what power laser you used to cut?

    Thanks Again and awesome work!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Dave, I used a 45W laser to cut this design. Since the profiles are made in MDF, you could probably get away with doing couple separate passes on a lower-powered laser as well, just make sure to account for the depth of the first pass when making adjustments for the focus of the laser 😉
      And of course, I emailed you the plans!

      Reply

  107. Hi/Czesc!
    Really cool and clean design! I have Openbuilds cnc machine, starting to learn it slowly and eager to try something like this. I’d like to ask for dxf files as well if it is still possible.

    Reply

  108. This is so cool! I would love to make one of these for my friend for a housewarming gift! Would you be able to share the plans with me? He would lose it if I made him one of these!

    Reply

  111. That is a great piece of design and work Bogdan and thanks for sharing with the community!
    I am also interested in designing and building a larger tabletop arcade cabinet. I really like the idea with the protrusions on the side of the panels to bind them tightly (i am also working on Fusion 360!) I would be grateful if you could share the dxf files for your model! Thank you very much!

    Reply

  112. Hey Kostas. The protrusions can be a unique design element – you can decide to paint/finish them in different accent color, or in the same one as the remainder of the side panels (which makes the protrusions almost disappear, yet still provide the structural support).

    I e-mailed you the plans. Good luck with the build!

    Reply

  113. Pingback:Porch Aviary – Bogdan Berg

  114. Would you mind sending me a copy of the plans? I have a makerspace and think this would be a good project for the kids.

    Thank you!

    Reply

  115. Hi, This is really impressive and I’d like to make one to give as gift for Christmas. Would you mind sending the file for the laser cutting?

    Thank you,
    Jordaine.

    Reply

    1. Hi Jordaine, this project would make for an amazing gift (I wouldn’t mind to get one more like that either! 🙂 ).I sent you the plans along with some information to help with the project. Hope that helps!

      Reply

  116. Wow this looks like such a fun project, id love to get this laser cut myself, are you sharing or selling your design anywhere?

    thank you!

    Reply

  117. Bogdan,
    well done this is great design. I have almost all parts required to make a bartop arcade machine. I’m planning on building it over Christmas with my son.
    I do have access to a laser cutter at my work place so I am reluctant to buy a pre-made cabinet from ebay as I prefer to do everything myself. I can use autocad too which i would need to do as I have an old 19 inch 5:4 monitor which I plan to use but most cabinets will struggle to fit this in nicely.
    We have everything now other than the power switch (love your idea) and a cabinet, I’m sourcing the rest quickly to ensure I have everything we need to build our project over the christmas break.
    We would be very appreciative if you could share your dxfs for me as inspiration or to modify and tweak to suit what we want.
    Regards,
    Gary & Aaron Conway

    Reply

    1. Hi Gary and Aaron! Thank you so much for the kind words. I e-mailed you the files with some additional information, I hope it helps make this project a reality! Good luck and please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions on the build.

      Reply

  118. Hello,

    This looks like a really neat design and I would like to give at try so that I would have my first arcade. Would you mind sharing the laser cutter files?

    Best Regards,
    Gille

    Reply

    1. Hi Gille! Thank you for the kind words 🙂 I e-mailed you the files. Please refer to the information I shared along with them (e.g. around the thickness of the material my design is made for as well as the minimum laser bed size to accommodate the design). Good luck with the build! 🙂

      Reply

  119. Hi Bogdan,

    i really like your bartop design and i am looking for a nice arcade cabinet for our MakerSpace. Would you mind sending me the lasercut files?
    🙂 thanks in advance
    Tim

    Reply

  120. Hello Bogdan.

    Great project, it looks amazing. I have a hobby laser cutter of my own and would love to give your design a try. Would you be willing to share the files with me?

    Thank you,
    Chad

    Reply

  121. Hey Bogdan,

    I really like your arcade cabin project 🙂
    I am looking for a DIY project so I have something fun to do while being in lockdown (here in The Netherlands) Is it possible for you to share the plan with me?

    Kind regards,
    Ramon

    Reply

    1. Hi Ramon, this is definitely a great project to take on during lockdown! I know some Maker Spaces are now offering limited services, but as long as you can access a laser cutter, nothing should stop you from building one 🙂 Plans sent. Good luck!

      Reply

  123. Awesome build I’ve been wanting to build something like this for awhile. Could i get a copy of the files? It would give me a big jump start.

    Reply

  124. Hello, this came out great. I wish I knew how to design these with those programs. I have a buddy with a cnc router im not sure if this would work but I would love to make one for me and my family. Is there anyway to get the plans? Thank In Advanced!

    Reply

    1. Hey Bill, I’d recommend checking out some online tutorials for Fusion 360 – it looks a bit intimidating at first, but the learning curve isn’t all that steep. And being able to make your own designs is really empowering 🙂

      I just e-mailed you the plans. I hope they work for the CNC router. Good luck with the build!

      Reply

  125. Hi there Bogdan,

    I have been admiring your design and was also wondering if you would be so kind as to share the .DXF / laser cutter files with me? I’m looking a project to do over this lockdown and would really enjoy this.

    Many thanks,
    Matthew

    Reply

    1. Hi Brian. I just e-mailed you the plans, but I haven’t used Glowforge myself, so there could be some changes needed to use the files with your laser cutter… Please share if you decide to build it 🙂 Good luck!

      Reply

  127. that looks fantastic and its what ive been looking for to make for the grand kids

    any chance of the dxf files would be very appreciated

    cheers

    666

    Reply

  128. Hi Bogdan, is so impressive your arcade can you be kind to share your laser cut file please, I will love to create one for sure and remember my childhood.

    Thanks You in Advance

    Reply

    1. Hey Antonio. This is such a blast from the past – playing games I used to spend my pocket money on in the Arcades, from the comfort of my living room (well, more of a rec room, I moved the cabinet around 😉 ).

      I sent you the files, good luck with the build!

      Reply

  130. Hello Bogdan, this is amazing I just got the electronics and I’m going to try it out, it’s my first time doing something like this, could you please share your files with me? Congratulations on your project

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Gerardo. That’s a high bar for a first project, I like the ambition! I sent you the files. You can definitely build it, good luck! And please share a photo once it’s done 🙂

      Reply

  131. This is so awesome! I love arcade stuff, but I don’t have proper woodworking tools, but a friend of mine owns a laser cutter so i was looking up plans for a laser cut arcade cabinet and yours was exactly what I was looking for! Could you send me the files? I would be really happy about it!

    Reply

  133. Hey,
    Your project looks amazing and exactly what I’ve been looking for, is there any way you can send through the plans please?
    Thanks heaps in advance,
    Brent

    Reply

  135. Hi Bogdan,
    your job is amazing.
    I would try to make the same bartop with my childs to play with them.
    Do you think you could send your files (step and/or dxf).

    Thanks a lot to your partage.

    Fred.

    Reply

  136. Hi – this is a very impressive build and seems to be far superior and more flexible than the one produced by boxes.py! I’ve been wanting to build a tabletop cabinet with my son. As many have asked before I – may I please have a copy of the files for laser-cutting? Thank you in advance!

    Reply

  139. Dzień dobry . Jestem z Polski. ( Europa ) Prosze udostępnij plany chcę. Uważam że są bardzo mile zaprojektowane i proste w budowie. Pozdrawiam TOmek.

    Good day . I’m from Poland. (Europe) Please share the plans I want. I believe they are very pleasantly designed and simple to build. Greetings Tomek.

    Reply

    1. Czesc Tomasz! Przepraszam za opoznienie z odpowiedzia, duzo sie dzieje i nigdy na wszystko czasu nie starcza 🙂 Wyslalem plany na maila, daj znac jesli masz jakies pytania, i powodzenia z budowaniem!

      Reply

  140. Could I get the plans for the arcade bartop with the laser cut tabs exactly what we are looking for our work smoko room have 3 laser cutters. Looks great finished.

    Reply

  141. Hi Bogdan!
    Impressive build! Looking to do something similar. Do you mind sharing the plans/dxf?
    All the best, Mattias

    Reply

  142. Hey Bogdan, very nice build and excellent work! I am looking to do something similar, any chance you are willing to share the DXF files? My workplace has a similar laser cutter, it has a 50w C02 laser. Do you happen to know the power of yours? I think it should be able to manage 1/4″ MDF.

    Reply

    1. Hey Samuel, unfortunately I don’t have access to the laser cutter at this time (because of COVID), but it was either a 60W or a 80W unit. I’m sure your 50W laser will be able to cut 1/4″ MDF though, you should be able to adjust the speed and power accordingly to find best setting 🙂

      And I just sent you the plans. Good luck!

      Reply

  143. Hello Andrew. Here from Holland I’am interested in your plans. Can you send them to me, please? Thanks a lot.

    Reply

  145. Hi Bogdan, this looks great! Well explained too. I think I will get access to a laser cutter, so if you could send the plans I would be really grateful. I would love to build this! Thanks!

    Reply

  146. Hi Bogdan,
    This is fantastic!
    I am looking at completing a similar project with my highschool students. We have a game theory class where students design and create games. It would be great if they worked towards making their own custom cabinets to play their games!! Are you willing to share these design files? It would be a great case study to help them through the design and manufacturing process.
    Thanks, Mark

    Reply

    1. Hi Mark! That sounds like an amazing class, wish I had opportunity to participate in such classes… 😉 I e-mailed you the plans. Good luck to you and your students!

      Reply

  147. Hi Bogdan, not sure if you still email out the files but I would appreciate a copy of them as well. It sure would save me some time!

    Cheers!

    Reply

  149. You did a remarkable job on this project, would love to make one for the kids for christmas! Are these files available anywhere for the laser cutting?

    Reply

    1. Realized the date of this, Assume files aren’t available lol. Shame this is a really nice build! good luck with everything else

      Reply

      1. Hi Ben! Apologies for the delayed response, things tend to get rather busy at work and I then get behind on replies on the blog… Files are very much still available! Please check your inbox 🙂

        Reply

  150. Hi Bogdan, this looks amazing !! It will a present for my kids !!

    Could send the plans please ?

    I would be really grateful.

    Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Greg! A 20″ monitor wouldn’t fit in the current design, and changing the design will lead to a requirement for a larger laser cutter (I pretty maxed out the capabilities of the machine I have access to, wrt. bed size). I sent the files to your email, in case you’d like to modify the design to your needs.

      Reply

  152. Witam,
    Fantastyczny projekt.
    Jak wszyscy, pięknie proszę o plany 🙂
    Dużo będzie pracy z dostosowaniem tego do większego monitora? pląta mi się taki 21 cali 4×3.
    Dziękuję serdecznie i pozdrawiam.
    Grzegorz.

    Reply

    1. Czesc Grzegorz! Jak milo zobaczyc komentarz po polsku 🙂 Obecny design bedzie zbyt maly do monitora wiekszego niz 17 cali, ale podsylam pliki na wszelki wypadek, jakby sie przydaly 🙂 Pozdrawiam!

      Reply

  153. Me encanta!! desearía poder construir uno igual para divertirnos con la familia, seria posible tener los planos muchas gracias.

    Reply

  154. I just started with my Laser cutter and have been doing retro arcade units for ever.
    Can I get a copy of the plans please?

    Reply

  155. Your project is beautiful Mr. Bogdan, could you share it please? I don’t know how to make 2D and 3D drawings. It would help me a lot. Appreciate.

    Reply

  158. Hi Bodgan! This is an impressive work!

    I started to design something like this for my kids but my skills with Fusion 360 aren’t good enough. Could you please share with me the files? I would like to adapt it to an old notebook that I have.

    Reply

    1. Hey Juanjo, files sent! Please check them out and let me know if they meet your need. The design will likely have to be updated to fit your notebook, but I hope the files can make for a good start 🙂

      Reply

  160. I love your Cabinet!
    I’m new to caser cutting.
    I’ve been looking for a 2 player cab I can cut out with my laser cutter.
    Could send the plans also please ?
    Thanks….

    Reply

    1. Hi Tramane! I sent the files, with a bit more information, to your email. Hope the files work for your needs, and please share a photo if you end up building one! 🙂

      Reply

  166. Are you still sending the plans for this cabinet? I would love to have them. I have been wanting to make one for a while. Great design.

    Reply

    1. Hi Bobby, yup I’m happy to share the designs. Thank you for your patience – summer has kept me busy and I ran a bit behind on the comments here… I just emailed you the files 🙂

      Reply

  167. Can you send me the laser cutter cut plans for the cabinet? I have a laser cutter and would like to build this wonderful cabinet!

    Reply

  168. Hi. Love your work on this project. Thank you for motivating me to finally make one myself. Would you please share the plans with me? 😊

    Reply

    1. Hey Christian, starting working on a project is the hardest step, glad to hear you found my article motivating 🙂 Good luck with your build! I just sent you my plans.

      Reply

  172. Hi Bogdan!

    I have seen this post like 100 times now! Awesome work. I’d like to build one as well and was wondering if you can also send me the plans? Thanks so much in advance.

    Reply

  173. Hi Bogdan,
    Amazing work, as everybody has already stated. 🙂
    Would also lovw to have the lasercutting plans.
    Kind regards Tommy

    Reply

  174. Hello Bodgan,
    nice project. I want build a arcade cab for my son’s birthday.
    I‘m not good in CAD. Can you send me also your plan?
    Regards Uli

    Reply

  175. Hi Bogdan,
    I love your build and would like to try making my own bartop as well! Could you please send me your plans to follow along with?
    Thanks, Rick

    Reply

    1. Hi Rick! I just emailed you the plans. This has been a great build, I still use it and it’s holding up strong! Also a cool decorative piece and conversation started when guests visit 😉 Good luck with your build!

      Reply

  176. Hello Bogdan,

    Thank you for sharing this project, I am going to attempt this with the kids over spring break. Would you be able to share the laser cut files?

    Thanks, Chris

    Reply

  177. Hey Bogdan,

    Are you selling the plans anywhere? I’d love have the plans, but I feel I should at least give you a little something in return for all the hard work. This is the best looking build I’ve seen so far.

    Reply

    1. Hi Trent, thank you so much for the kind words! I’m happy to share the plans and ideas with the creative community. I emailed you the files just now (thank you for your patience, life gets busy at times and I know I’m replying with over a month delay… 🙂 ). Good luck with the build!

      Reply

  178. Any chance I can get the model (or plans)? I have been trying to do something similar myself with thicker MDF but my laser cutter only does 1/4 so this would be a good head start (Thinking of gluing additional side panels on to accommodate molding

    Thanks in advance if you are good to share

    Reply

    1. Hi Jeff. I sent you the plans. Of course please note that any divergence from the size (material thickness) I prepared them for will require further modifications – e.g. the depth of the tabs and the width of the slots would have to be changed to account for the new thickness. Have fun with the project! 🙂

      Reply

  179. Hi Bogdan,

    Found your blog really cool! I’m planning to build a bartop with a 17″ crt instead of lcd. Think your build would work perfect, with small adjustments. Could you please share the plans with me too?

    Thanks, Jesse

    Reply

    1. Hi Jesse. Using CRT would add to the charm, and make it bring back even more memories… 😉 I sent you the plans just now. Good luck with the build!

      Reply

  180. Hello Bogdan,

    It’s a really nice project.
    I would try to make it, it’s possible to have the plans ?

    Thank You, Julien

    Reply

    1. Hi Julien! Thank you for your patience, spring has been quite eventful, and I am just now catching up on various things… I just sent you an email with the plans, hope they work well for your project!

      Reply

  181. No worries on the delay. Any chance you can resend it? It looks like it went to my spam folder and I never realized until I came back to the website today to check on any updates. Thanks!

    Reply

  182. Hi bogdan!

    Can You send me model or plans? Im using Illustrator files with Rdworks on My cnc lasercut machine. It can work?

    Reply

    1. Hi Marcelo! Glad we had a chance to connect through YT, as I just now say your comment, apologies 🙂 I hope the plans I sent you work well for your workflow/CNC machine!

      Reply

  183. Hi Bogdan,

    Could you please send me the files as well.

    Thanks for taking the time making this, looks great!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi Harold. Certainly, I sent you the files to your email. If you make one, please share a photo as I love seeing the results and the creativity in finishing the builds! 🙂

      Reply

  185. Hi, this project looks amazing and I would really like to cut it on my school’s new laser cutter. Is it possible you could send me the files? Also I would like to modify the design a little bit so could you send me the step files if possible otherwise the normal files will do. Thank you so much

    Reply

    1. Hi Yaksh! I just sent you the plans. It’s been a while, and I’d need to dig out the original project to share the files for easier editing… Honestly, it’s something that’s crossed my mind, but I need to book a bit of time for that and it’s been rather busy. I hope the files I sent you will work for you, but please let me know if you’re blocked. Good luck with the build!

      Reply

  186. Awesome build! Anyway I could also get the plans to build one with my daughter? Do you think acrylic would work for the panels? I think it would be pretty awesome to be able to see components through clear acrylic and maybe light the inside

    Reply

    1. I love the idea of making it with acrylic! 🙂 Transparent builds have their own charm, while may look a but “busy” at times, it’s quite mesmerizing to see the inner-workings.

      I don’t think we’re dealing with forces significant enough to expose acrylic’s brittle characteristics. That’s to say – I think it should work. The “tabs” that slot into other pieces of the cabinet are likely the weakest spots, but that could be remedied by increasing the surface area and spreading the load over more tabs.

      Honestly, I’d love to see the end result.

      I just sent you the plans, and I hope they work for your workstream/laser. If you build one, please share a photo (whether it’s with or without LEDs, I’m sure it will look very cool 🙂 ).

      Reply

  187. Hi, I love your design!! I just bought a laser cutter and at the moment I don’t have much idea, would you send me the plans please, it would be great to be able to do my first project with your design. Thank you very much for your contributions. Greetings from Spain

    Reply

    1. Hi Charly! I emailed you the plans just now, please take a look and see if they will work for your laser cutter and workstream 🙂 Please note that the minimum laser cutter bed dimensions required here are 24″ x 18″. Good luck!

      Reply

  188. Your project is awsome! I am planing to build one with my 24″ monitor and rasp 3.
    Could you kindly share me the files so I can make some modification?
    I think I will try with acrylic 6mm for this and apply some sticker.

    Reply

    1. Hi Lucas. I sent you my plans.

      Please be sure to check that the dimensions will work for you (since you mentioned 24″ monitor, and the maximum I was able to use with my design was 17″ – this was a decision made based on the laser cutter size that I have access to).

      And note that my plans were made for 1/4″ thick MDF, and changes to the material thickness will also impact the design (as the tabs cut in various pieces won’t fit the thicker material without modification).

      Reply

  189. Hi there, thanks a lot for your website. This is extremely interresting as i planned to build a vertical bartop with a 19 inches 4/3 screen.

    Could you please consider to sens me your plans because, so far i am not so handy.

    Hopefully, it woud bé possible getting so precious help from you.

    Thé french man

    Reply

  190. This looks absolutely incredible!!! Would you be willing to email me the files as well? I want to try building one as a LARP prop for a convention next month!!!

    Reply

    1. Hi! Oh my, you mentioned a convention next month, which was… in October 🙁 I’m sorry for missing your message earlier. Nonetheless, just sent you the plans. If you like the project, maybe it will turn out just in time for the next convention? 🙂 Good luck with the build!

      Reply

  191. Hi, would be possible to have the file? Just bought a laser cutter and seems a fun things to try to do! Thanks for the idea! Nice work!

    Reply

    1. Hi Alessio. Sure thing, happy to share, and try to do so as quickly as I can (with varying results as we can see haha, thank you for your patience 🙂 ). Plans have been sent to your email 🙂

      Reply

    1. Hi Tyler. It’s never too late 🙂 I’m still very much enjoying the arcade cabinet myself (fascinating how there’s always a new game to be discovered, to sink in an hour into!), and happy to keep sharing the plans. I just emailed them to you. I hope you have lots of fun with your laser cutter and while making this project!

      Reply

  195. Hello, I came across you blog and thought this was really cool. Are you still offering the files for the cabinet? If so, can you send me a copy? Thanks,

    Reply

    1. Hi Jose, thank you for your patience – I send the plans in batches, and I admit the current “wave” took me a while, life got quite busy 😉 But no time like present! Just sent you the plans to your email. Enjoy!

      Reply

  197. Hello sir,

    Can I have access to your files for this project? Specifically .svg files for the laser cutting if you have them. I would love to build this with my sons I think it would be an awesome way to introduce them to STEM.

    Logan

    Reply

    1. Hi Logan, thank you for your patience. I emailed you the files. Hope they work for your workflow. Definitely a fun project to build with sons! If you happen to make it, I’d love to see a photo of the end result 🙂

      Reply

  198. Hi Bogdan, how are you? Sorry to be one more to ask you for the project files, but can you send me? i am a really big retro games entusiast and i really want to try this project with my new cnc laser cutter. Tks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Sergio. No need to apologize, I’m happy to share the project with others. I recently dusted it off while cleaning, and moved it to an easier to access space, where it continues to bring joy to the family all those years later! 🙂
      I sent the files to your email, good luck with your build, and please share a photo once you finish it!

      Reply

    1. Hi Daniel. Never too late! And in fact, apologies for the delay in replying on my side 🙂
      Files have just been sent to your email. Hope they work for your workstream with laser cutter. Good luck with the build!

      Reply

  201. Hello there, could I have the laser cut files also – trying to build one of these for Pi Jam in our library ready for a Comic Con we have got planned later in the year (I made one previously out of a shoe box couple of years ago and it is now falling to bits)

    Thanks, Tarja

    Reply

    1. Hi Tarja. Hopefully I’m not too late with the files! I just emailed them to you. Arcade Cabinet out of a shoe box sounds very cool 🙂 I hope this project will serve you well!

      Reply

    1. Thank you for the kind words, Georg! Files should be in your inbox 🙂 Let me know if you have any questions, and I hope the plans combined with this write-up will make for a pleasant and fun build.

      Reply

        1. Hi Shane, oh how I wish I had a chance to make projects like this one back in school! 😉 I’m sorry for a bit late reply, but I hope it’s not too late. I just sent you the plans, good luck with the build and let me know if you encounter any problems or surprises.

          Reply

  203. Awesome Build looks great

    exactly what iv been looking for

    could I possibly get the files? please & thank you

    thanks, Dion

    Reply

    1. Happy to share the plans, as you may have seen in previous comments, Dion 🙂 I just sent them to your email. Hope they work with your workflow/laser cutter!

      Reply

  204. Hello Bogdan,
    Great job on the arcade machine project! I especially liked the trick with the VESA mount. I’ve looked through many arcade projects, and securing the monitor always seemed to be a bit of a challenge. It’s been a few years since you shared the project. Do you happen to remember which Dell monitor model you used? Or at least, could you tell me the screen ratio: was it 4:3 or 16:9? Also, would it be possible for me to get the files for this project?
    Thanks so much!

    Reply

  206. Hey there. I would love the laser files for this if they are still available. I have been out of the hobby for a few years but this would be a fun project as I jump back in.

    Thanks, Mike

    Reply

    1. Hi Mike, I sent you the files. I remember this project as taking a bit longer than I first though haha, but it’s certainly a great one to return to building things after a while, especially with prior experience 🙂 Good luck, and have fun!

      Reply

  207. Would love access to the files, I have a space in a shelf I would love to install this.
    I am going to have scale down some parts as I will only have enough space for one person.

    Can’t wait to get started on this project 😛

    Great Job, Bogdan!

    Reply

    1. Hi Peadar. When scaling things down, please keep in mind that all the parts were made with 1/4 (6mm) MDF in mind, thus I’d recommend re-sizing intentionally as needed, and not uniformly scaling the parts (which would lead to the elements no longer fitting with the tab/slot system). I’d be very curious to see the final result, I have not considered making a smaller version for 1 player, but that sounds exciting! Good luck with the build 🙂

      Reply

  208. Hi Mr. Bogdan
    I am about to do an arcade build with my students and we are using the exact same Dell screen. So I would greatly appreciate it, if you could share the files for the laser cutting. Thank you for a fantastic project.

    Reply

    1. Hi Anders! Thank you for the kind words. This project has been quite popular with students, and I’m so happy to see the ability of so many people to build cool projects 🙂 I wish I had a chance to do similar things back in my school days. I just sent you the files, please let me know if you encounter any issues, and I’d be happy to help.

      Reply

  210. Would love to get a copy of the files myself, Son and I are going to attempt to build one ourselves in the next couple of weeks. Any advice you can offer would be great as well. Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi Joel, great timing for a project like that, before the Holiday season 🙂 I sent you the files just now. Hope the build goes well for you and your son, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s something I could help with along the way. The email I sent you also includes a bit of additional information. Good luck!

      Reply

  211. Greetings. Love your project!
    I’m working on one of my own and would love to use your plans as a start. Would you be willing to share the dxf files with me? I’d greatly appreciate it!

    Reply

    1. Hi Philip. I have to say, from the various project I’ve built through the years, this one and the motion simulator have given me most joy, both during the initial build, and then even more so from being able to enjoy them over the years… 🙂 I sent you the plans just now, but I’d encourage you to experiment, and add a personal spin, if you’d like! Good luck with the build.

      Reply

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