Arcade Claw Machine

Despite the frustration of seeing prizes slip through the crane's grasp I have always enjoyed playing arcade claw games, and for my kids it has been no different. I decided to build them a their very own arcade "Action Claw" machine with modern LED lighting and a lightweight cabinet that could be easily moved from room to room.

I should start by stating that there is no single set of supplies or resources that can be used to complete a project like this, but I will list the items I used and explain the reasons for my choices throughout the steps.

I began with an old commercial "Action Claw" game that was used as a donor for the electronic components, glass, and gantry mechanism.

• 2X SANDEPLY (Left Side, Right Side, & Prize Shelf)

18mm - Sande Plywood ( 3/4 in. Category x 4 ft. x 8 ft.; Actual: 0.709 in. x 48 in. x 96 in.)

• 1x SANDEPLY (Top, Bottom, & Front)

12mm - Sande Plywood ( 1/2 in. Category x 4 ft. x 8 ft.; Actual: 0.472 in. x 48 in. x 96 in.)

• 1x (Back)

Hardboard Tempered Panel (Common: 1/8 in. 4 ft. x 8 ft.; Actual: 0.115 in. x 47.7 in. x 95.7 in.)

• 1x (chute & prize door) 3/16" clear acrylic approx. 12"x24"
• 2 small pieces of white Oracle Vinyl approximately 24"x6" & 6"x8"
• 1 black Oracle Vinyl 6"x2"
• 1 AC powered LED light strip kit
• 24"x36" mirror
• 1 momentary arcade style push-button
• 1lb box of 1 5/8" drywall screws
• Flat black spray paint
• Automotive 2 stage paint
• paint sprayer
• drill and drill bits
• assorted wood scraps

This project could be completed using common hand and power tools, but I opted to utilize CNC machines for a number of steps including a TenchoCNC router, UScutter vinyl cutter, and Epilog Helix laser.

While considering this build, I had initially planned to utilize an Arduino board to control the electronics, however after finding a good price on an old 1970s-80s model "Action Claw" machine, I decided to upcycle existing components. I thought it was best to save a classic machine from being wasted, while also being a cost effective source to acquire a variety of parts that I would have needed anyway.

This old claw machine was dated damaged, and extremely heavy, but the control board was still intact so I planned my build around reusing the existing gantry mechanism. I carefully removed all of the hardware that had previously secured the machine for commercial use. The majority of the cabinet could be disassembled by removing phillips head screws. I made sure to measure each opening and brace so that I could use the information as a reference during the rebuild. A manual that I found later listed the shipping weight at 225lbs, but I believe that this particular machine was heavier. Perhaps the steel bars and other security measures are not included in the initial estimation. This old cabinet proved to be too damaged and much too heavy to use for my purposes.

With the data acquired by inspecting and measuring the old claw machine cabinet, I went to work creating a digital model that would allow me to build parts to accommodate the existing gantry and glass, while utilizing lightweight building materials. I used SolidWorks to create top, bottom, front, shelf, rear and side panels. This was my preferred method as it enabled a great visual representation of my ideas while allowing for fast edits if/when problems arose. Once completed, the parts designed in SolidWorks were able to be exported in a 2D format to Vectric's V-carve Pro where toolpaths were created for cutting and carving on the CNC router.

All CNC cuts were made using a 1/4" dia end mill that cut fully through the 3/4" thick plywood in 4 passes, and milled a 1/4" deep pocket for the glass panels in 1 pass. After all operations were complete, the recessed sections to hold the glass panels were cleaned up using chisels and sandpaper. I wanted to be sure that there weren't any high spots that could add unwanted stress to the glass after assembly.

Now that all of the individual pieces were cut out, it was time to fit everything together. Much of the alignment was dependent upon the glass and metal controller panel. The width of the machine had to accommodate the front door glass door; allowing it to swing freely, but lock securely, while simultaneously providing a tight secure fit for the metal controller mounting panel. Aside from those details, I just had to be sure I secured the motherboard and carefully screwed the panels together. I used a table saw to create a chute for the plush retrieval area and an acrylic shield to hold the machine's contents from falling into the chute. The acrylic rectangle was laser cut and then bent into its final shape using a heat gun. An additional piece of acrylic was used to replace the opaque black prize door, and create a transparent one that was much more inviting.

The wiring for this project was fairly simple as most of the connections were cables that had been previously attached and were only removed to switch them into the new cabinet. There were two exceptions however. Since this machine is intended primarily for home use, I added a free credit button. This addition required a hole to be drilled in the control panel and then a simple jumper wire from the coin mechanism's trip wire. Just in case we ever wanted to disable the free credit button, I added a basic single pole switch to interrupt the trip wire. When the switch is flipped, the button will not function and credits can only be added via coins.

The original cabinet was illuminated using a fluorescent tube that shined down from the top of the machine. The light was not very bright and cast an unflattering light on the prizes in the machine while illuminating the "Action Claw" panel. I decided that a much better option would be an LED strip that could be routed through the cabinet's prize display area and then would also backlight the "Action Claw" display. Fortunately the wiring for the original motherboard included a multi outlet power strip that allowed me to plug in the new LED light strip's adapter. Finally I used the adhesive strip on the back of the LED lights to adhere the strip to the back wall of the cabinet and loop it around the display panel at the top of the machine. The new lights came with a remote that allowed me to adjust the color and sequence of LEDs to be illuminated. This was a HUGE improvement over the original design!

Once the new cabinet was fully assembled and the gantry movements had been tested, I had to decide on an overall appearance for the machine. I considered a large vinyl graphic, but ultimately opted against it since I felt it may eventually date the machine to a specific time period. Instead I opted to upcycle some left over car paint and coat the cabinet in a 2 stage GM Flame Red Metallic paint and high glass clear. I taped off all of the inner workings and removed the glass and gantry assembly prior to spraying the paint. I was surprised to find that the sanded plywood covered quite nicely. After 2 quick coats of base color, the cabinet was uniformly covered and looking like new.

The fact that the cabinet was made of wood and not metal (like the trans am that the paint was originally purchased for) did however become more of an issue once I began spraying the clear. After two coats the finish still had a very rough texture and required sanding with fine sand paper. I smoothed out all of the machines flat surfaces and carefully addressed rough areas on the curved areas, being extra cautious not to sand into the paint and expose any bare wood. After one final coat of clear, the claw machine cabinet was a shiny gem!

For the smaller details I opted for vinyl coverings. I wrapped the stainless steel control panel in white vinyl which added a stark contrast to the dark red cabinet. One last vinyl accent came after a quick design in inkscape to create a stylish accent for the "Prize" door. While the overall shape and text were easy enough to create, I did almost forget that the vinyl would be stuck to the inside of the door, which meant that the letters had to be inverted, allowing them to appear in the correct orientation when viewed from the opposite side. Since every other visible piece of the machine was now new, the wear on the coin mechanism stuck out. This proved to be an extremely simple fix; a quick coat of inexpensive black spray paint brought it right back to life.

With all of the parts now dawning their new paint, the only thing left to do was assemble the machine and fill it with prizes! the glass panels all went back in fairly easily, but the second one was certainly harder to maneuver than the first since space is limited once the first panel is installed. I was sure to use added caution when reinstalling the screws; countersinking the screw-heads just enough to be flush, but not enough to crack the paint or expose any bare wood. My early decision to mount casters on the base proved to be a good one. I was able to fill the machine with prizes and wheel it from room to room around the house with very little effort. I would estimate that the complete Action Claw game now weighs in at just under 100lbs which is about a third of what it originally was. The light weight, bright flashing LED lighting, and free play option, and transparent prize door all combined to make this machine look and work like new... maybe better than new.