By Dax Bradley
There’s something magical about the sounds and sights of an '80s arcade. The chiptune music, the flashing lights, and the rhythmic clack of buttons—all of it takes me back. I’ve always loved retro games and the decade that brought them to life. A while back, I decided to channel that love into building my own tabletop arcade machine. It was nearly complete when my grandsons came to visit—and their eyes lit up the moment they saw it.
Sadly, it wasn’t finished before they left, but the spark was there. I knew I had to build one just for them. With Christmas a few months away, I challenged myself to complete an arcade cabinet in time—and to do it on a budget using as many reclaimed materials as possible. What followed was a rewarding mix of nostalgia, problem-solving, and joyful anticipation.
Gathering Materials: From Barnwood to Button Mash
I made it a mission to use reclaimed parts wherever I could, especially for the wood. Scouring Facebook Marketplace, I stumbled across an old wooden desk being given away by a kind widow. It had been sitting in her barn for years, weathered and rough, but perfect for a project like this. Not only did I score more than enough wood, but I was also giving new life to something with its own story.
To visualize the layout, I turned to 3D software—starting in SketchUp and refining in Blender. While not strictly necessary, the mockups helped me plan spacing for the monitor, buttons, wiring, and other components. It was especially helpful given I hadn't yet finalized what materials I'd be using.
The Monitor and Electronics: Bargain Finds and Cautious Wiring
For the screen, I once again returned to Marketplace and picked up a VGA computer monitor for under $20. The JAMMA PCB board I used (specifically a 60-in-1 model) supports both CRTs and VGA, as well as a speaker output—making it incredibly versatile.
Arcade-quality buttons, a joystick, wiring harness, and a power supply rounded out the electronics. These were the only components I couldn’t easily reclaim, but I was able to get everything for around $75 online. The only issue I had with the purchases was the power supply was evidently tossed around during shipping, resulting in a dinged corner which you can see in the image. It was easy to straighten and did not affect the function. I could have sent back for a new one, but time was running out.
As someone with electronics experience, I knew how important safety was. I tested all the LED buttons using a simple 5V output from an Arduino before wiring anything to a wall-powered supply.
While JAMMA harnesses are mostly plug-and-play, labeling each wire on the non-board side saved me countless headaches later.
Construction Challenges: Flexibility is Key
The wood from the desk wasn’t pristine—some corners were rotted, cracked, or warped. In one case, I had to completely rebuild a corner with wood filler and spackle. A little sanding, some patience, and a few coats of black satin spray paint brought everything together beautifully.
One of the most important lessons: be flexible. The design changed more than once to accommodate the imperfections in the wood. I adjusted the template and rolled with it—like any good maker has to.
Final Touches: Graphics, Sound, and Sentiment
I customized the controller layout and marquee using Pinterest for inspiration, then edited everything in GIMP to add our family name and retro graphics. I got it printed out at Office Depot for very little money. A single speaker connected easily to the PCB with no extra power supply required. Even better—there was a volume control right on the board.
The final cabinet was tested, packed up, and delivered to Tennessee just in time for Christmas morning. The look on the boys' faces made every hour worth it. They dove in immediately, picking favorites among the 60 classic games—and according to them, the fun hasn’t stopped.
Looking Back—and Ahead
This little project became something much bigger than a holiday gift. It was a way to share my love of retro games, to teach resourcefulness, and to build something with care and intention. And most of all, it became a memory-maker.
I hope the cabinet lasts for years, not just as a fun gaming machine, but as a symbol of how we can blend nostalgia with creativity—and maybe even pass it on to the next generation.
About the Author:
Dr. Dax Bradley is a professor of Computer Science and a lifelong connoisseur of all things nerdy. When he’s not teaching data structures or debugging Python code, he’s diving into Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, quoting obscure B-movies, or debating the finer points of Star Wars canon. He believes comic books are literature, bad movies deserve love, and if there’s a bigger nerd in the room, he’d really like to meet them.
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