Background

Create a unique feature for a good friend's new storefront in Lowell, MA. A cute and eclectic plant + sustainable gift store, this place was filled with tons of great products, but one corner near the register was noticeably empty by comparison. My friends knew I had just taken an interest in arcade electronics, so they asked me if I would be up for building them a unique looking arcade cabinet that would fit in with the store's overall vibe. I couldn't say 'yes' fast enough!

Getting to Work

I found an arcade cabinet template online and used that as the starting point. The cabinet was made from 3/4" MDF panels, wrapped with forest green edge banding. I had an extra Raspberry Pi in storage, so I loaded it up with some arcade emulation software and created a few 16-bit custom splash screens for when the arcade wasn't in use. The cabinet itself came together somewhat easily, and my friends chose an awesome shade of pink to make it really stand out amongst all the greenery on the shelves. The screen is a 22" LED that I found for less than $90 on Amazon - at 1080p it's got far more than enough resolution to handle arcade graphics. The rest of the electronics and all the controller wiring was placed where I could find space around the inside of the cabinet, and a few USB-powered fans were added to the back for ventilation. Finally, I attached some midcentury modern table legs to give it a fun and quirky look.

The Result

I was thrilled with how this came out, and I was glad to hear my friends felt the same. They've gotten plenty of great feedback from customers and it's become a central focus to the store. Not only was this a fun woodworking project, it also combined my passions for electronics, computers, gaming, all that fun nerdy stuff.