How a 17 Year Old Built an Arcade Machine

I recently interviewed a homeschooler mom and her amazing 17 (now 18) year old, Clark, who built his own arcade machine. Just imagine all the STEM/engineering skills, manual labor, and research that this project requires of anyone – not to mention a teen! His proud mom Liz describes him as a busy kid who has worked alongside his dad his whole life. She says, “He was using power tools when most kids were learning to ride a bike! I remember when he was about 8, he asked if we could get a sewing machine because he wanted to “make stuff.”

“As a homeschooler, I was able to put him into every kind of class available just so he could see what he was interested in/good at. He’s good at pottery, woodworking, drawing, painting, and pretty much anything requiring a mechanical aptitude. I really thought he’d become an architect, but it’s turning out that he wants to do the actual BUILDING of stuff… not just drawing/designing it. He has decided he wants to be a machinist. This year was his 1st year in the machine shop program and he got 2nd place at the state competition. This summer he’s been working at a tool and metal stamping factory,” Liz tells us.

Read on to discover more about Clark and how this creative teen approached and completed his DIY arcade machine project.

Tell us about yourself: name, age, hobbies. My name is Clark and I just turned 18 in July. I love everything “old school”- records, clothing, movies, cars.
What was your favorite subject in school? Did it help with this project? Luckily I was homeschooled, which means I got to focus my studies all the things I loved. Science experiments and art projects were always my favorite. It absolutely helped me with this project! Some of my earliest memories of “school” are of sketching/drawing/creating things. My teacher (mom) always had supplies for me to work with- and we spent a lot of time in the craft/hobby stores. In 10th grade I started a Pre-Engineering Academy at the Vo-Tech. I learned CAD there and I also got to start experimenting with electrical engineering. In 11th grade I started the Machine Shop program at the same vo-tech and my confidence grew a lot in my own mechanical abilities.
Are you a video gamer and/or gamer in general (board games, leisure games)? I used to play video games but ultimately they bored me because you have to sit still to play them. Growing up we played board games and my family still has game night where we play cards (Phase 10 is a favorite). One night a week I visit my grandparents and we have dinner and play games together too.
What is your favorite game and why? I like Spades because it requires a bit of strategy and my family loves to tease each other while we play. I’m trying to get my family to start Texas Hold ’em but I think they are nervous that I’ll beat them too badly.
How did you come up with the idea to create an arcade machine? Were you inspired by someone/something? I like to search YouTube for interesting channels. Jimmy Diresta is one of my favorite guys. While channel surfing one day I found a channel by Bob Clagett called “I Like to Make Stuff” and he built an arcade of his own. That made me realize how doable the project was.
Did you follow a tutorial to learn how to create it? If so, what tutorial did you use (YouTube, website, etc.)? I got the idea from Bob Clagett but I didn’t follow a tutorial. I planned the process out myself.
Walk me through the step-by-step process that you went through to complete the project. What was the first thing you did? Next? First thing, I drew the design using the CAD skills I’d learned in class and during an internship at an engineering firm in town. I wanted my machine to look like the original Centipede game, so I went online to find the specs. I made a list of all the components I would need, then started shopping.
What materials did you use to build the arcade? ¾ inch oak plywood I bought from Lowes. I wanted the outside to look like the original games so I ordered a roll of brown wood-grain vinyl from Fast Signs. I bought a Raspberry Pi microcomputer on Amazon for about $20 that has over 400 games on it. The monitor is an HP monitor and the electronic components/monitor/speakers I got from Amazon. The knobs and buttons are from a supplier I found online called Ultimarc.
How long did the project take to complete? I was doing a half day of Engineering classes and a half day of machine shop, so when I got home I would spend a little bit of time on it, but mainly I did all the work over the weekends. It took me a little over a month.
What games do you play on your arcade? My favorite games to play on my arcade are Defender, Centipede, DigDug, Mappy
What was the biggest challenge you faced when creating it? How did you overcome that challenge? Installing the screen was the most challenging. I hadn’t really considered how I would mount it. I hadn’t considered the angle that the screen would need to be, so I just played around with it until it felt right.
What (if anything) annoyed your family about the process? :) Each step of the way, as I would get the materials needed, my dad would ask, “How much money have we spent so far?” Before I started this project I found an actual old arcade machine on eBay that I thought I’d like to own and my dad offered to buy it for me as a reward for making good grades, but the more I thought about it, I decided it would be more satisfying to make it myself. I think he was just trying to determine if he would have saved money by just buying the whole arcade.
In contrast, what did you and your family love about the project? I loved turning something I had imagined in my head into an actual thing. My Dad says he appreciated that instead of letting him buy me a game machine, I wanted to build one. He also was impressed that I had the wherewithal to buy all the necessary components. My mom was just happy to be able to play her favorite childhood game- Ms. Pac-Man.
What would you do differently if you did this project again? If I had it to do over again, I would make it out of ½ inch MDF because it would make the wood that shows look better.
Will you do another DIY arcade project? If so, which one? I think next time I would like to build a bar top arcade cabinet.

Liz shares, “For his 18th birthday he asked for a metal working lathe- then he found one on eBay. Since neither his dad nor I know anything about metalworking, we had to trust that he knew what he was negotiating for purchase. All he told us was that it had to be old because “the new digital ones are junky.”

Now in his senior year, Clark will wrap up his Engineering program and complete all his certifications on machining before heading off to work. Nice work on this project, and GAME ON, Clark!