What are your motivations?

Give me a moment to explain my motivations and priorities in the build. My priorities might not necessarily match yours - you might need to pick and choose and modify to your tastes accordingly.

Isn't that the point about building your own arcade machine as opposed to buying one from a builder?

My Priorities:

1. Size
   
   
   
   1. I need this machine to fix through doors that are just a touch wider than 2' (0.6m) wide, thus the maximum width of the cabinet is 2'
   
   
   2. I want to this machine to be semi-mobile - I'd love to drop the seats in the car and take it to friends/family parties
   
   
   3. I'm about 5'8" (1.72m) so I want this cabinet around the 6' (1.8m) mark - this I think is fairly authentic and will put the marquee slightly above my head, where I think it should be
   
   
   4. In order to keep this portable, but at 6' tall, I'm going to have to split the unit into an upper section with all the "stuff" in it, and a lower section essentially a stand - this also means I have an upper section that I can put on a bar or table at friend's houses
   
   
   5. I want to use a TFT monitor rather than a CRT, thus I can keep the depth (front to back) quite slim as I don't need masses of space for a CRT
   
   
   
   


2. Budget
   
   
   
   1. Both I and the budget are tight - essentially there is no budget, so what I spend I have to take from elsewhere, thus any corners I can cut without compromising the unit will be good
   
   
   2. I need to find/reuse/reclaim as much as possible from old jobs, bits of stock I have in the corner of my workshop, gifts/donations from friends and family to keep the costs down
   
   
   3. Using Linux and open source software keeps the prices down too
   
   
   
   


3. Materials
   
   
   
   1. I have an unhealthy attraction towards MDF (medium density fibreboard) - this is available from almost any timber supplier/home store/DIY centre and very reasonably priced - easy to paint/sand/cut/shape - available in almost any size, but critically, one of the more popular sizes is 8' (2.4m) by 4' (1.2m), thus when cut to 2' wide, I have 16' per sheet at a cost of roughly 11UKP (~$22) - very reasonable!
   
   
   2. I'm going to join boards together at 90 degree angles using some pine 1"sq (25mm sq) pine lengths - relatively expensive to buy, but I have a couple of 8' x 2" x 3" and the tools to cut these down into 6 x 8' lengths of 1" sq for approx £2.50 ($5)
   
   
   3. Perspex or similar acrylic sheets - luckily I've been able to get 3 fairly good sizes boards, at 1/4" thickness (6mm) for free
   
   
   4. Paint - I want a matt black finish, and again, I've been lucky to get a tin large enough for a couple of coats all over for free
   
   
   5. Screws - my local popular supplier (Screwfix) have drywall screws at £3 and change for 1000 - just the right length, and black to fit in nicely with the finished unit
   
   
   6. A small fluorescent tube light left over from a previous project will sit behind the marquee to give an authentic look to the cabinet
   
   
   
   


4. Tools
   
   
   
   1. I'm very fortunate - I've gathered many tools together over the years that are more than useful for a job like this:
      
      
      
      1. 10" table saw - for cutting large boards accurately and for "ripping" by 2x3's into 1x1's
      
      
      2. router - flush trimming bits, straight cutting bits and rounding over bits are going to be very useful in trimming and decorating panel edges, cutting vent slots, etc.
      
      
      3. jigsaw - speaks for itself
      
      
      4. bench drill - for drilling holes for buttons, etc, accurately and easily and in bulk
      
      
      5. loads of clamps
      
      
      6. a quick change drill with counter sink/screwdriver attachment for my drill/driver
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   


5. Technology
   
   
   
   1. I have a relatively new computer that I will gut for parts for the tech side of the project, the old keyboard (already mentioned in previous posts)
   
   
   
   

I think that's it for now - I'll try and revisit these motivations throughout the project to explain why I do things the way I do.