MAME TRON Arcade Control Panel

This is a continuation of my other Instructable which gives an overview of a bar top MAME cabinet. As this is a simplified version of that build you can get more information there.

The original bar top is great but it's very heavy and takes up a fair amount of space. The idea here was to build a smaller version which contains the buttons and joysticks and to have the MAME software installed on a laptop or PC. In that way you get a much more portable MAME interface which allows you to play the games how they were meant to be played. As the encoder has a USB interface, the panel is completely plug and play.

The 'box' was made from MDF and plywood with a perspex panel which covers the Tron artwork. Buttons, joysticks and the encoders were bought from various online suppliers for which you can find links on my other page.

The Tron artwork was slightly modified before printing mainly to get it to the correct aspect ratio for the panel.

This view shows the reverse side with the bottom cover removed. The PCB in the centre of the frame is the encoder which in my opinion is an essential purchase.

This build is a lot simpler than a bar top or full arcade cabinet and hopefully will inspire others to have a go. Hopefully you will agree that it looks pretty cool!

Thanks for looking.

Dave.