Retro Box - Just a Regular 'Ole Bartop (COMPLETED AUG 2024 - UPDATED SEPT 2024)

[DaveMMR]

I've been away for a while. In the time since I violently dismantled my last cabinet, I've moved, fixed up the house and set up a nice little woodworking shop in the garage. I was scratching my arcade itch with a handful of Arcade 1Up machines and desktop arcade sticks. But after turning a modest PC I found in the trash into a Batocera box, I decided it would be much more fun to put it all in a handsome bartop. And since I had the PC, leftover parts from the last build and tons of scrap wood, I figured it would cost next to nothing. (Spoiler Alert: I was incredibly wrong about that.)

I went back and forth with ideas in my head, jotting them in my notebook, slowly whittling it down to the bare basics: 2 joysticks, 6 buttons, coin/select and starts. But the one idea I kept was leaving it flexible. More on that later.

I did a sketch-up mockup to get the basic dimensions. My initial idea was to print out the side panel on several pieces of paper, piece them together, and use that as a cutting template...




...which didn't work out quite well. So instead, I just plotted out the distances, using straight edges wherever possible. I even threw together a compass for that curve. It mostly worked out, although I was off 1/4". Nothing that affects the look.

[DaveMMR]

I stupidly cut the other side panel from the OPPOSITE corner of a 2x4 sheet, instead of cutting it down and using the waste. So now I'm left with a ton of leftover scrap that's not good for anything in this project. Oh well...

I cut the second panel oversized and just flush-trimmed it to match its partner. Easy-peasy. Some sand-paper fixes those wonky edges on top and by the curve.



In case you haven't noticed, I went with 1/2" plywood for this build. I want it to be somewhat portable and not weigh a ton, despite the smaller size. And while I can appreciate how smooth MDF can be, it's dust is annoying to deal with. The downside is having to be extremely mindful of tear-out. Painter's tape on your cuts help, as does pre-scoring your lines. I did both to keep it down to a minimum.

[DaveMMR]

I didn't pre-cut any pieces, owing to variations on what's in my Sketch-Up plan, and what I actually end up with after the blade stops spinning. I tackled everything is a somewhat strategic order. I started with the base, which includes the bottom front and back pieces. While those pieces are the same height, the front one is cut at a 12.5 degree angle on the top edge.

I cut a half inch dado in both pieces and attached them permanently to the base piece with wood glue, making it all one unit. I did a quick test to see how it'll look. So far, so good...




Next I got to work on the speaker/marquee piece. Instead of a retainer, I cut 1/8" slot in both the top and bottom of the unit (the top piece will be removable) to hold the marquee. I bought a car speaker kit off of Amazon. After cutting a 3-inch hole where the speakers will go, I attached the piece of the kit that goes over the hole and holds the grill to use as a template. Using the pre-drilled screw holes, I attached that piece, with spacers, to the wood and used the flush trim bit to carve out the rest of the holes. Left hole is "before", right hole is "after". Perfect!

[DaveMMR]

With the main pieces done, I decided to do a test fit. I did notice some tweaks that will be needed, but it's really coming together.



In the picture above, you'll notice some pieces of cheap wood with a 25 degree angle. I made those to help install the monitor support. For this I used a 3/4 inch piece, since the computer will be on the other side. I used probably a half-dozen reference lines I measured out. But it was worth it. It helped me add a pair of angled support bars to which I screwed the monitor board.

[DaveMMR]

You can cut plexi with a table saw, but it likes to shoot plastic at you. So I added tape to prevent cracking, and cut-down on flying plastic. Definitely skipping a step here, but I wanted to ensure that the depth was correct on the monitor support.



After testing out the fit, I did realize that once I add the monitor and bezel, it will sit proud of my offset reference line. Good thing I resisted the urge to glue the supports. (Also, it appears I cut holes and installed the coin buttons, start buttons - those are placeholders - and USB hub on the front. Blame me for forgetting to take pictures of these steps.)

[DaveMMR]

Seems I also forgot to take pictures of installing a back door and the piece for top of the speaker/marquee box to meet with the back door. No worries. I'll catch it later on the final assembly.

At any rate, I took everything back apart for the final finishing. Up until now, I didn't do anything directly to the side panels that would be seen in the final product. So cutting the slots for the T-molding was definitely my bravery test. But after carefully adjusting the height and getting it just right, I cut the slot with little trouble. It was actually kind of fun. The plywood does mean there is the occasional tear-out. But it will be hidden by the molding so it's not worth worrying about.




I also took the opportunity to cut out some slots on the back door and top for airflow. I do kind of wish I had a plunge router instead of having to pre-drill holes because it would have come out a lot neater. But it's fine. Sandpaper fixed most of the sloppiness. I used a quick jig to help keep the lines straight and even.



Here you can see the biggest issue with plywood. The tear-out from routing was pretty violent. Luckily it's on a secondary surface that's being painted. And wood filler covers up many sins.

[DaveMMR]

My idea is for the bartop to look like a retro 70's/80's arcade game (or original Atari VCS) with wood-grain sides and front in lieu of artwork. I was originally going to buy some fake wood contact paper to put on the sides. But since the wood grain was fairly attractive as-is, I decided to stain it. I used what I had leftover and decided on this dark walnut color. This is just a first coat, but the cat seems to approve so far.



The rest of the cabinet (save for the control panel) is just basic black. Again, just a first coat. Still needs more love...




That's where I am leaving it for today. More to follow.

[DaveMMR]

Just a quick update...

Finally got a chance to get some spray polyurethane down on the sides/front that are stained to help protect the wood. I love the look of wet poly on the surface. This is the second coat. Once it's fully dry, a quick buffing with brown paper will give it a nice, smooth sheen.

[javeryh]

Great start. What are you going to use as the guts? Are you going with a 4:3 monitor? Any art planned for the marquee? 

[DaveMMR]

Great start.

Thanks!    I made sure to be at least 75% done before posting anything. Too many "false-starts" with projects in the past. This one WILL be completed.

Are you going with a 4:3 monitor? Any art planned for the marquee?

As much as I'm not a fan, the monitor is a 16:9. I have a surplus of these that are otherwise sitting unused so I couldn't justify not using one for the project. But the bezel options in MAME and Batocera makes good use of the unused space. Plus if I can get some modern, arcade style PC games on there, it will be worth it.

The marquee is super simple, partly inspired by the old Time Out color scheme. I went for a tacky 70's look. The artwork is still in transit, but hoping to have it back soon.

[javeryh]

Great start.

Thanks!    I made sure to be at least 75% done before posting anything. Too many "false-starts" with projects in the past. This one WILL be completed.

Heh. I've been there... and hope to not be there with the one I just started...

[firedance]

Great work so far 

[DaveMMR]

Great work so far 

Thanks!

I fussed over the poly way too long, setting me back a day. At any rate, I started wiring up the base.







That took way longer than it should have. And I am already beginning to feel the "messy wire anxiety" I get before I am able to clean things up. I also got the sound amplifier installed. And thankfully, I managed to leave the knobs in an easy to reach location.




And with a simple Y splitter, all the bartop's lights are all handled with a single plug.



Also, a lesson I learned here putting it back together: Put the T-molding on after you reassemble, because reference measurements I made will be thrown by the added thickness. Oh well, I worked it out in the end.

[Lingwendil]

Very nice work, I'm getting ready to do similar for a tabletop build for my kids.

What monitor are you going with? I have a 15-17" 4:3 LCD I'm considering using, or a 19" wide-screen. Leaning towards the 4:3 for a more correct aspect ratio, but the wide-screen may be nice for newer options as well running an Intel NUC as the PC with Batocera.

[DaveMMR]

Very nice work, I'm getting ready to do similar for a tabletop build for my kids.

What monitor are you going with? I have a 15-17" 4:3 LCD I'm considering using, or a 19" wide-screen. Leaning towards the 4:3 for a more correct aspect ratio, but the wide-screen may be nice for newer options as well running an Intel NUC as the PC with Batocera.

Thanks! 

I have a 23" 16:9 monitor I am using, installing it this weekend. I definitely prefer it if I had a 4:3, but I wanted to use as much as I already had to keep costs down. That said, Batocera does have some nice bezel options (as long as you change the default "arcade" design from "The Bezel Project". Too cartoonish for my taste. But for a kid's project, it might be more fitting.) So I don't mind the 16:9 as much as I used to.

[DaveMMR]

I spent a large chunk of my Saturday fighting the PC board installation. It's actually quite small, except for one thing: the fan. It protrudes just enough that it will prevent the back door from closing. My first attempt did not take this into consideration...



After going back and forth with several ideas, I realized I needed to ditch those one-inch tall standoffs. Also, since the PC is directly blocking the display screws, it will be nice if I can take it out quickly if need be. So I decided to put everything on a hardboard. I made some home-made standoffs out of a dowel, cut into 1/4" pieces, and secured it with nuts on the other side. The drive is also screwed it from the bottom.




For the cabinet, I cut slots into a pair of thick wood strips, and added a simple "stop" to the bottom. After some fiddling, it worked. The computer slides in and out easily, with the fan out of the way of the door, with an inch to spare.




If I did this again, I would do a stop dado or add a block at the ends of the slot ahead of time, instead of the glued on stop added after-the-fact. But whatever, it works and looks clean enough.

[DaveMMR]

More progress. Got the monitor installed, wired everything up and did a test-fire. Success on the first try!



Time to make the bezel. I experimented with masking off the back of some thin plexi. The tape is a little too persnickety though, so I cut down a board to the exact size of the display (not the plastic bezel). I centered it perfectly and added a little weight to it. Hit it with a few coats of spray paint and it worked.... mostly...

The edges of plywood are not crisp, so the lines are soft. Mostly unnoticeable but I am going to go back after I'm done and try to give it another pass with some painter's tape to sharpen up the lines.

[DaveMMR]

My cab is actually fully playable with external controls, which is dangerous. I started it up to try things out with my project-kit stick I made a couple years ago. Spent too much time playing games rather than moving forward.

I also did a prelim coat and test fit on the piece that will eventually be the CP.







PS - I dislike that "default arcade bezel". That's one of many things that's going to be addressed in software...

[firedance]

Coming along very nicely and yes replace the bezels, i usually turn off all the bezels when using a widescreen anyways

[DaveMMR]

Coming along very nicely and yes replace the bezels, i usually turn off all the bezels when using a widescreen anyways

Thanks! 

And I actually like the bezels, mostly. When they're good, they look REALLY, REALLY good. The one for Sunset Riders is super sharp, blending it almost seamlessly with the actual gameplay. It really adds to the illusion of playing on a real machine.

The ones for the handhelds, like the Lynx, likewise almost makes you forget you're playing on a modern display.

But the generic placeholder: it is well done. But it's too "late 90's Chuck E. Cheese looking" for my taste.

I will say the console ones are attractive. But a more generic "CRT display" frame might work better.

[DaveMMR]

My marquee came in from GameOnGrafix. I designed it in Illustrator, using the vintage design of Time Out arcades for inspiration. Although, sadly, I wasn't able to find a font that matched their old logo. But I found something else that looked suitably "retro".




I thought for sure I'd have to do some trimming, but it fit perfectly without any modification. The plexiglass option doesn't leave me room in the slot I cut for a front piece of plastic, but that's fine. It's sturdy enough I don't think it really needs it anyhow.

I am very pleased with how this turned out.

[DaveMMR]

I wasn't liking how my lines came out for the monitor bezel. So I simply cut out the center where the display shows, gave it a couple of more coats on the back, and now it looks much cleaner...




Home stretch, time to work on the CP. I laid out a few templates from slagcoin and got them aligned and straight.




Next I drilled some pilot holes




And with the thin plexi overlay sandwiched below it and a scrap piece of wood, I drilled out all the button holes.



The hardware I was going to use didn't quite work out, so I got some some inexpensive sticks and encoders off Amazon. The upside is that it comes with wires that just plugs right in.



Meanwhile, the paint job on the CP itself was a little rough. So I spraypainted the back of the plexi, coming up way more vibrant.

[DaveMMR]

The wired up panel was fitted onto the bartop, hooking up the wires for the coin/select and start buttons as well.





I got lazy and just secured the CP down with two painted screws. But it's done!

[DaveMMR]

I added some more pictures below of the Retro Box in action. The software side of things will always be a series of additions, deletions, fixes and fine-tuning. As I wanted this to be an "all-in-one" emulation machine, I made sure all my various console controllers worked. And they did... with some tweaking and remapping.

I am happy with the way this turned out, but there's always room for improvement.

• The inexpensive Amazon sticks are fine and will probably be better after some 'breaking-in", but I might replace those down the line with better sticks.
• I want to make a stand-alone "analog" panel with spinner and trackball.
• My CP is just solid yellow because my original plans for adding a matching 'rainbow' pattern didn't work out. I might fix that if I upgrade the CP.
• Speaking of... I might redo the panel completely one day. The left and right control sets can be moved more inward.
• While I can adjust volume in Batocera, I may add a dedicated volume knob that doesn't require me opening the back door.
• Upgrade the computer a bit. It can run plenty of consoles. Even some later ones fairly decently. But a little more memory wouldn't hurt short term. Or an entire replacement long-term. I'll keep an eye out in the trash for newer ones. 

But for now, I'm going to enjoy it. Thanks for looking!

[javeryh]

Looks great - love the yellow! You work FAST. 

[DaveMMR]

Looks great - love the yellow! You work FAST. 

Thanks again! 


And it took a little over a month from start to finish. It just seemed faster because I didn't start this thread until I was close to done.

[DaveMMR]

After spending some time with my bar top, I realized a couple of issues I chose to remedy.

First, volume is wildly inconsistent not only between emulators, but also individual games. I was opening the back and adjusting as needed. But I needed something more accessible. So I purchased an inexpensive volume knob with RCA inputs off Amazon, meant for car stereos. I de-cased it and put it where it was easily reachable. An otherwise easy fix that makes a world of difference.

[DaveMMR]

What was more of an issue was the control panel. It needed some work.


Firstly, the cheap sticks I bought were not great. The spring would stick constantly, leading to inconsistent throws and loud thuds. And the overall performance was stiff. I also never mentioned how the dust washer one of them came with was too tight, leading to me having to sand it wider. I decided to spring for a pair of Sanwa JLF sticks, which I have used before and find to be quite good.


Also, I completely botched the spacing of the hardware, placing it too far to the left (leaving my hand banging into the sides) and too far forward, which made my hand rest uncomfortably on the lip of the machine.


Since the Sanwa's have short sticks, I decided to top-mount them. Also, gave me a chance to try hiding those dust-washers for once.

Of course, this requires not only carving out some square holes, but SO MUCH ROUTING. I didn't even photograph the underside, where I had to keep carving out more space for the bits of the stick and wires hardness that protrudes off the sides.

[DaveMMR]

Since I had the opportunity, I decided to make a better overlay that reflects the theme. With five colors of spray paint and some strategic use of tape, I was able to create those gaudy colored stripes that resembles the marquee (itself, an homage to the old Time Out logo).





I also decided I wanted 4-way restriction. I found one on Amazon that replaces the standard restrictor that comes with the Sanwas. It comes with a two way button, with LED colors you can customize representing 4 and 8 way. Here I am checking with the templates to make sure it is properly calibrated. Right now it's manual switching. But if I can figure out a way to make it automatic in Batocera, I will do so in the future.

[DaveMMR]

And here's the final product...


Way more comfortable. And the physical four-way restriction has really improved by Donkey Kong game.

[jeremymtc]

Nice work! I really dig the new control panel graphics - I've thought about doing similar but have a serious distrust of my masking skills for doing multiple colors.

It looks great!