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I think I get what you are trying to do here, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. So you want to run a pi more or less with arcade controllers? If that's the case, I think you are really going the long way around for no real reason.

The video you linked is for a switch, which makes sense to me, if you wanted arcade controls to play on a nintendo switch, I don't know much about the switch but I'm assuming hacking up a controller like that is the only option as of now.

Getting back to the pi, there's no reaaaalllll reason I can think of to hack up a controller. It's just going to be messy and lot of soldering and time for no real reason. I think you would be far better off buying an encoder and saving yourself some headache.

to try an simplify, let's say you have a pi (or computer) running whatever arcade game you want, and you have a keyboard hooked up to play it. You press "w" to go forward, "s" to go back, etc etc doesn't matter. If you have just a normal keyboard there's a board inside of it called an encoder, its what figures out if you pressed 'w' or 's' or whatever else key you did.

Now if you have a computer/pi that works with a keyboard (more or less anything computer based will outside of a nintendo switch or other custom hacks) you need want to have a joystick and buttons, not a keyboard yes? This is where buying just the encoder part comes in. Imagine you had that part, but instead of going to a keyboard with the letter 'w' it went to the 'up' on player 1 joystick. End of the day, it's all just buttons, the computer doesn't care if it's a joystick, 30mm button, or a 'w' key on the keyboard, it's all the same.

What you're proposing to do, isn't impossible by any means, but doesn't make a lot of sense. Yes you can take apart controllers and solder to the contacts to make new buttons, but that's a lot of work, time, and soldering, a keyboard encoder can be bought for like $10usd and damn near be plug and play.

I would suggest looking into something like the Zero Delay USB encoder: https://www.amazon.com/Reyann-Arcade-Encoder-Joystick-Fighting/dp/B00UUROWWK

You take that piece, it even comes with wires, plug the usb cord into that PCB, plug the wires into the PCB then into each button / joystick you have, plug that into the pi, and you're more or less ready to go. I have over simplified this to some extent, but honestly I think that's going to be a much better route to go than hacking up gamepads.

Here is something really basic to visually see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQh3xrT_47A

I would suggest just spending a night youtubing what you can to get better perspective as to what you're doing.

Yeah, you can buy an ArcadeVGA card, but it's overpriced IMO. I bought a VisionTek Radeon 5450 2GB and used drivers that force it to only output the modes the monitor will support.

I paid like $40 for it on Amazon, better than the $90 for the less powerful ArcadeVGA. It's double the memory for less than half the price.

I can recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0764556169

"Project Arcade" has a ton of valuable information for planning and executing your plan. It was my MAME bible.

Good luck!

Super possible. Any controller is just a series of push switches, which are relatively easy to rewire. However, if you're not experienced with soldering and basic wiring, you should really be looking at encoders built for your specific purposes, as they will save you a few hours of button-mapping and soldering.

this is a cheap, high quality option.

The angle was based on the plans I used, which were right here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/2-Player-Bartop-Arcade-Machine-Powered-by-Pi/

The angle of the bezel in relationship to the angle of the control panel ultimately determined the angle. Not sure if it's right, but it seems fine to me.

The speakers are actually a Dell monitor sound bar: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-AX510PA-Panel-Stereo-Adapter/dp/B004IICVQ6/ref=pd_lpo_147_tr_t_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=NQPQEPV489Z59ZRWEA5X

That's mounted inside the marquee. Since the vinyl I ended up using was pretty thick and not very translucent I made the decision to mount that speaker bar in there. Then, in lieu of making the speakers fire down, I made them fire out thru the marquee.

Since the marquee is held with velcro (I was going to use magnets, opted for velcro out of convenience) there's a little gap all around, this is plenty for the sound to escape. If I want to adjust the speaker volume, I simply lift up on the marquee and adjust.

It's somewhat low-fi, but it works and sounds great.

the way i'd do it is to have an internal powered usb hub, and then have each controller adapter (like this one) permanently plugged in and stored in the cab itself. then just have the console ports mounted and accessible. i'm pretty sure as long as you didn't move the usb console adapters, the emulator would retain the settings, even if you plugged/unplugged the actual original controllers. you might have some overlapping control settings between emulators, but who cares, you aren't going to be playing two games at once.

Thanks! I normally use BING so I will see if google can provide better results. This is the first results..

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https://www.amazon.com/Easyget-Encoder-Joystick-Illuminated-Buttons/dp/B00WAY9848

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I am looking for just the led not the whole kit.

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back to BING i guess. Thank you!!

I bought a pair of these: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001RNNX8K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bzVDzbKZAHRXN

And something like this: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00T9DX538/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tAVDzbFYVYR9R

Then covered them with speaker grills.

Works really well and gets decent sound while not costing too much money and it was way easier to setup than tearing apart old computer speakers.

I never put in a sub nor did I fully think it was worthwhile.

https://www.amazon.com/Suzo-Happ-Ultimate-Joystick-Switches/dp/B0090838JS/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=happ+sticks&qid=1556574594&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spell

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Suzo branded sticks, free shipping.

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I've actually purchased quite a lot through Ali-Express and haven't really had much bad luck yet. The 2 sanwas I ordered were name brand. And as they had free shipping as well, it was about $10 cheaper for a pair than amazon. I was willing to wait.

i used this amp: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010FAQQNY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and the cheapest pair of 4" car speakers that amazon had:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000230LBI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

generic one-way speakers would have also been fine for these classic games, but i actually couldn't even find them as cheap as this pair. this is way overkill compared to the audio setups that were in these classic games, and i was actually impressed with the quality of the sound from the amp in general

i didn't bother making the volume external, i just open the back of the cabinet to adjust if needed

I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend this book (either buy it or see if your local library has it). I had no clue what I was doing, and this book explains every facet of the build, and comes with a CD-Rom with tons of plans and tons of pictures. This book was an absolute godsend.

I think you're on track! I used to buy the encoder separately from all the buttons and joysticks, but now there are a lot of options for bundles. I just finished my first bartop (my 4th machine overall). That was also my first pi. That pi bundle came with usb controllers, so that's what I used in that cab for now. May switch out later.

I'm building a small console machine now, and this is what I bought off Amazon. The little easy-get kits, with the zero-delay usb encoders. I've used the zero delay encoders before, and they are a great cheap alternative to the $30/$40 encoders.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WAY9848/ref


The 4.3mm and 6.8mm reference, was that in reference to the dimensions of the cherry switch? That is too large to be in reference to "how far button travels before triggering the switch".

Sometimes there is also a measurement on how much presssure takes to activate the switch. This amount of pressure can make it feel more/less realistic to an original arcade machine. My unskilled fingers cannot tell the difference...

Ok so I've researched a bit and I'll probably go the crt_emudriver route. I've seen the lists of compatible cards, but is there any reason to get a particular one? Should I just buy this? Is there a slim card I could get? I don't think a regular one will fit in the PC case, although not a dealbreaker because I can always just run it without a case.

Also, is there any way to get a J-pac without paying $20 shipping?

Thanks

Found this:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=307

And these: http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=295

Probably use something like this too: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00511QVVK/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M2T1_SC_dp_1

Why not use a PC?

To your question: a smart strip will work. Something like this

The older dell soundbars that attached under monitors had decent sound. I had used one on my old bartop. New ones don't have AC adapter like the old ones. Run off USB power.

Otherwise it's an amp and speakers like these. I used these in my full size arcade build:
4in Speakers and


Amp

X-input is definitely the way to go. The question you need to ask, will you be adding any consoles to the build, like a ps4? If so, you'll want a PS4 fighting board+ https://paradisearcadeshop.com/en/home/electrical/pcbs-lighting/pcbs-for-controllers/brook-pcbs/2450_brook-ps3-ps4-fighting-board-plus

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This will support ps3, ps4 and pc.

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If you are only going the pc route, you can just use these zero delay usb boards https://www.amazon.com/Reyann-Arcade-Encoder-Joystick-Fighting/dp/B00UUROWWK

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Or you can use the Xin-mo boards

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http://www.xin-mo.com/dual_player.html

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From personal Experience, you cant beat Brook boards. It's true X input. I think the zero delay boards emulate a keyboard? Im not sure. And Xin-mo, I also brought up as I hear people use those as well. But I never hear bad things about them for mame setups.

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Im always weary of keyboard emulation, my personal thing. Thats why I go with brook.

OK so you need:

1. JAMMA harness (https://www.amazon.com/Standard-Cabinet-Wiring-Harness-Multigame/dp/B019OIY3CE)
   
2. 2x Player 3 and 4 harness (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Konami-3-4-Player-Auxiliary-Kick-Harness-Arcade-Turtles-Simpsons-Xmen/292802670868)
   
3. Switching Power Supply (https://www.amazon.com/WINIT-Switching-Cabinets-Upright-Cocktail/dp/B01C5E8W3K)
   
4. Video converter (https://www.amazon.com/Paddsun-Converter-Output-Monitor-GBS-8200/dp/B01IBJCAIG)
   
5. Joysticks (4), buttons (8) and buttons to trigger coin-ups unless you do the free-play ROM hack (TMNT doesn't have free play built in).
   
   Audio is going to be up to you based on what you're trying to hook up monitor wise.
   
   

I used this kit from Amazon. The keycaps are removable to add button art and they light when pressed or can be wired to stay lit all the time. Works great and i've not had any lag issues or any other problems. https://www.amazon.com/Easyget-Encoder-Joystick-Illuminated-Buttons/dp/B00WAY9848

Have you looked at Smart Strip? You may be able to make something work using it. I use it for shutdown procedures in my pinball cabinet.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000P1QJXQ/ref=pd_aw_fbt_23_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=5RHPCZT85GB9F7WEZNFY

This is what I purchased: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WAY9848/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm also just nervous about splicing the Jamma wires, I really liked the well labeled Jamma harness a didn't want to have to wait to get another one if I screw it up royally.

My NeoGeo is hooked up to a 12V arcade power supply similar to this.

But if you're looking for parts, and you can't find them on eBay or AliExpress, you should contact Player One Amusement Group.

Something like this look good?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UUROWWK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sLxJAbY7XNH6S

Wire it like this on the joystick. One on the NO terminal and one on the ground terminal. You may need to replace the spade connectors on wires that came with the usb boards with bigger ones. I literally just did this today to attach my new joysticks. I got a couple of packs of these from home depot and clipped off the old ones, stripped it, then crimped the new ones onto the wires. Okay, that's the joystick side. On the boards, look at the bottom photo on the amazon listing. See where it says up down right left? That's where you plug in the joystick. Remember that the directions are opposite on the under side of the stick, but (I THINK) that shouldn't matter since you can map it in retropie anyway. Let me know if that works for you.

I bought this and it worked well for my build.x

Inlet Male Power Socket with Fuse Switch 10A 250V 3 Pin IEC320 C14 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00511QVVK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_k1U8wbB7BGH9

Did an amazon search for folding cup holders

I would recommend mounting one of these instead.

It's an extra fuse and a power switch.

I wired one of those with no experience whatsoever just following guides.

What you want is a smart power strip. Shut it down properly and power everything down with the single press of a button.

https://www.amazon.com/Coolerguys-100-240v-Molex-Power-Adapter/dp/B000MGG6SC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1524718223&sr=8-3&keywords=molex+power+supply

This is what you want for simplicity, just plug it in.

> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JFJZGG

That's what I was going to post. I have it in my mame arcade and it works with MadCatz joysticks. Two of the four usb ports don't work, so I covered them with electrical tape. I really haven't used it since I finished my CP with an iPac. But, if I need a third player with a stick it's there. It's a POS component, but it's cheap and it works.

I got a molex PSU for the lights and fans inside my bartop.

http://www.amazon.com/Coolerguys-100-240v-Molex-Power-Adapter/dp/B000MGG6SC/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1427306536&sr=8-10&keywords=molex+psu

Tons of adapters for it too.

From memory it has something to do with the manufacturer of the USB port.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2802679

apparently this works... but you need a PCI slot:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000JFJZGG

As requested:


Bartop kit - $139.99 link


Buttons - $66 link


Raspberry Pi 3 - $35 link


Raspberry Pi Case - $7.95 link


Power Recpetical - $5.99 link


USB Hub - $11.99 - linl


Zip Ties for cable management - $5.98 - link


External USB Ports - $11.90 link


Velcro Pads for mounting speakers and Raspberry Pi case - $2.98 link


64 gb SD Card - $24.88 link


HDMI to VGA adapter - $7.99 link


20 ft of 3/4 inch t-molding - $6.99 link


Total cost so far including shipping - $361.13

Buy this book. It covers just about everything you need to know about building an arcade machine. It gives you some barcade examples, and it might include some building plans on a cd that comes with the book.

Just a chopped up power strip wired to switch with a fuse on the inside. Then the Pi, monitor, and speakers plug into the strip.

Here's the switch I used: http://www.amazon.com/URBEST%C2%AEInlet-Module-Switch-Socket-IEC320/dp/B00ME5YAPK/ref=pd_bxgy_147_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1J71V15ZGET9SM4S253H

This seems to be the USB interface you're looking for:

http://www.ultimarc.com/rotary.html

It is designed for use with this, I believe:

https://www.amazon.com/Happ-Red-Ultimate-Joystick-Switches/dp/B0090838JS

I use this 15w+15w amp and it gets plenty loud with 4" car speakers.

I remote mounted the volume nob with a long through panel one for simple volume control that looks stock.

Project Arcade: Build Your Own Arcade Machine

I don't use a raspberry pi, but this is the strip I use for my PC based MAME machine: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P1QJXQ/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_ZY6.yb0ZCJ85T

This right here!

Camco 44044 Adjustable Drink... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EDQR4G?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Power Switch - in case anyone else wants one.

Power supply units are cheap! https://www.amazon.com/Switching-Cabinets-Including-Upright-Cocktail/dp/B00F1YQDBA

These are the ones I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Neutrik-NAUSB-W-B-Reversible-Genderchanger-D-Housing/dp/B003VSXQVI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481562729&sr=8-1&keywords=neutrik+usb

Just drill a 1" hole and you're golden.

You need this, it answers all your questions.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/047089153X

sorry, it is sold under a lot of brand names, but they all look the same. it's this one

I'm surprised no one has said it yet:

To start with you should buy this book. I may buy the most recent version as I didn't realize he had updated it.

I used these two walkthroughs as guides:

• http://imgur.com/a/uGyF1
  
• http://www.instructables.com/id/2-Player-Bartop-Arcade-Machine-Powered-by-Pi/
  
  
  
  Total estimated cost is ~$500 based on:
  
  
• Flat-pack wooden cabinet with T-Molding: $185
  
• Joystick Set: $65
  
• Misc parts to make missing LED cable from Joystick Set: ~$15
  
• 22" Monitor from Craigslist: $20
  
• Raspberry Pi Kit: $50
  
• 128GB MicroSD Card: $41
  
• Speaker Bar: $20
  
• LED strip kit: $12
  
• Cheap Power strip: $8
  
• Power socket: $6
  
• Custom Marquee Printing: $50
  
• Miscellaneous Home Depot Purchases: ~$25

I used one of these which screwed in like a button and used the same size hole saw: USB Flush Mount Cable – Rerii 1 Meter 3ft Dual USB Extension Flush, Dash, Panel Mount Cable, for Car, Boat, Motorcycle and More https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XJDP12W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Jb6azb8K65MQK

I had pretty much the same problem in my build where I ran out of buttons on my IPAC4 and only needed a few more.

I bought the Zero Delay USB Encoder and was able to map my 3 admin buttons with little effort: Exit (Esc), Enter (Enter) and Pause (Numpad+)

Yup scratch what I said earlier... I got the numbers confused. I found SNS-102s... and the SNS-005 are the common ones... just reviewed the product page and it all came back... http://www.amazon.com/SNES-Controller-Adapter-USB-Super-NES/dp/B002IXZ5DE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top