Produced by Big Data Digest
Programmers and carpenters may seem worlds apart, but their work processes share many similarities: both have fixed workflows and require extreme patience and a bit of creativity.
Recently, a programmer from North Carolina, Tyler Capps, pursued his dream of creating a “retro portable arcade” by taking up carpentry for a while. He successfully built a cool, foldable arcade machine and even fell in love with woodworking as a craft.
Now, he even lists “woodworking” as his second major interest on his personal homepage, right next to “electronic devices”. It seems he has quite the addiction.
Let’s take a look at his production process.
Time requirement: >16 hours
Not long ago, my brother asked me to help him convert a glass coffee table into a multi-purpose arcade machine. I thought, why not give it a try?
Although I was already familiar with RetroArch and related emulators, this was my first time trying to use a Raspberry Pi. I found that setting up the Raspberry Pi was super easy, much easier than I had imagined.
Then I thought, “Why not create something cooler?” I decided to install an arcade machine in a foldable suitcase so I could carry it around, open the suitcase, and play games—it’s simply a kid’s dream come true.
During that time, I was constantly searching for a suitable folding suitcase. After several weeks of searching, I was about to give up; it was too difficult. I found that the suitcases I found were either too small, too big, too worn out, too expensive, or too thick or thin, etc. This was driving me to become a DIY enthusiast, forcing me to make things myself.
After thinking for a long time, I sketched out a design plan for the suitcase and drafted a requirements list as follows:
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Lightweight and easy to carry
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But not too small to compromise functionality
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Listing these requirements made me realize I had dug a big hole for myself. I had no tools and no woodworking experience, just a bit of outdated electronic knowledge. But as the saying goes, a hole you dig yourself must be filled with tears.
Fortunately, there was a great maker space nearby that provided various hand tools. After diving in and with guidance from some experienced folks (and watching many YouTube videos), I leveled up my skills to include basic woodworking techniques and how to use a 3D printer, laser cutter, CNC machine, and everything else needed to create the arcade box.
The following are the main components included in the finished product and the production process.
First, I used Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to design the layout for the buttons and joystick based on the dimensions of the arcade controller components I selected.
Considering the final box dimensions of 21×11¾×5⅜ inches (approximately 53.3×29.8×13.6 cm), I designed the overall layout of the controls, also taking into account the speakers and other components.
The main body of the box was made from pine boards from Lowe’s. I first made a frame and then sawed it in half to create the base and lid of the box.
Next, I glued the top and bottom wooden boards together, and once dried, I polished it with sandpaper from 80 to 220 grit to make it look much more high-end. Indeed, sandpaper is essential for enhancing quality, although it is labor-intensive.
Then, I applied pre-stain wood conditioner, red oak stain, and many layers of other spray paint to the box. I know many woodworkers dislike using chemical dyes, but I opted for it because, firstly, I wanted to reduce costs, and secondly, I wasn’t too confident in my skills and was afraid of ruining the good wood.
After that, following the layout design in Illustrator, I used a laser cutter to cut out all the necessary holes for the speakers, buttons, and joystick from birch plywood. I also cut out the board that would hold the screen using the same process.
Then I designed protective panels for the control panel and screen in Illustrator, as well as a dust cover for the joystick inspired by Pac-Man. I cut all these protective panels from ultra-thin birch plywood using a laser cutter, and then used spray adhesive to fix them on the plywood surface. All the plywood was sanded, and then I sprayed multiple layers of paint to finish it off!
Although I am familiar with electronics and various games, I am not a programmer who has to write all the code from scratch. So when installing games, I directly used RetroPie, an open-source software specifically designed for playing retro games on Raspberry Pi. All I had to do was download a RetroPie image, write it to a microSD card using Etcher or other flash software, insert it into the Raspberry Pi, and boot it up. So easy.
Since I also wanted to leave two USB ports on the outside of the box, I bought two USB extension cables and measured the size of the female end. I then used these dimensions to design a USB connector interface in Tinkercad, which allows me to connect the USB cables from the inside while looking very neat from the outside. I then 3D printed it, and I was much more skilled the second time around.
All controls are plug-and-play. All I did was connect each button and joystick to the corresponding plugs on the controller board, and then connect the control board to the Raspberry Pi via USB. Finally, I just needed to configure the controls in RetroPie, and everything went smoothly.
For the display, I salvaged a 15.6-inch LCD screen from a broken laptop. Then I searched eBay for the model and found a suitable LCD controller board. This way, I could connect the screen and modified speakers to the Raspberry Pi using a short HDMI cable.
For the audio solution, I also reused speakers from an old desktop computer. First, I extracted the speakers from their casing, using a pair of pliers. However, when I got the speakers and electronic components out, I made a big mistake—too much movement caused wires that shouldn’t have moved to break. I then had to summon the soldering gun, solder everything back together, and use some hot glue for repairs. As long as it works, that’s all that matters.
The speakers are located at the bottom of the box, facing upwards. I designed (also using Tinkercad) and 3D printed a pair of elevated platforms for the speakers. This way, the speakers can be secured to the base, and when placed, they will align perfectly with the control board.
To power everything, I connected a three-prong extension cord to an arcade power switch, which passes through the back of the box and connects to a wall outlet via a standard PC power cable. The LCD control panel requires 12V 1A power, which I easily found at a thrift store, but I had to modify it to fit in the box.
With all parts completed and tested for functionality, the last step was to assemble the box. Unfortunately, I encountered a problem at the final step: I found that the lid couldn’t cover the joystick as I had intended. I had already placed the joystick as low as possible with dividers, but no matter what angle I set the screen at, it wouldn’t close. I then tried to unscrew the joystick ball top from the column, and then the moment of miracle arrived—the lid closed! There was only a millimeter of space between the screen and the exposed column, but that was enough to keep them from touching forever.
Since I hadn’t installed handles on the box yet, my solution was to add two columns to the front of the box and then attach the two removed ball tops as carrying handles. I wasn’t sure if this was okay, but it was my only option. Miraculously, it turned out to be ergonomically comfortable to hold!
I am very satisfied with the final result. It works just as I imagined, and I have already played a lot of Street Fighter II on it with others. While it may sound exaggerated, the process of creating this arcade box truly changed my life. This was my first genuine project, and completing it was one of the most valuable experiences of my life. It gave me a new direction, new ideas, and new goals to strive for. Learning, solving problems, designing, and working in the maker space made me feel incredibly comfortable, like a sense of home, which is truly rare.
For me, it feels like I was born to create these things, and I can’t wait to start my next project.
https://makezine.com/projects/arcade-in-a-briefcase/
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