I finally wrapped up one of the most fun builds I’ve done in a while—a fully custom arcade cabinet—and it turned out even better than I had in my head.
The foundation of the build is a solid enclosure from LEP1customs.com. The box itself is clean, sturdy, and gave me a perfect canvas to work from without having to reinvent the wheel on the structural side.
One of my favorite parts is the LED marquee. Instead of going with something off-the-shelf, I built it using an ESP32, which gave me full control over animations and display behavior. It adds a ton of personality to the cabinet—way more dynamic than a static marquee—and it’s been fun to tweak and experiment with.
Visually, the cabinet really comes alive thanks to the custom spray-painted artwork along the sides. This wasn’t just a quick paint job—it was designed to give the whole build a distinct vibe, something that feels closer to a one-of-a-kind arcade piece rather than a replica.
For controls, I went with Sanwa components, wired into a Raspberry Pi running the system. The responsiveness is exactly what you’d expect—tight, precise, and arcade-authentic. It makes a huge difference, especially for fighting games and classics where input timing actually matters.
Overall, this build hit that sweet spot between hardware, software, and creative expression. It’s not just something to play on—it’s something I’m genuinely proud to have in the room.
Now the real question is… what gets added to it next?
