Building an Arcade (Personal) in Realtime

Did you record how you did your walls that way? That's amazing!

And we need to know more about Knight Rider. Is that a (Nintendo?) cabinet with a NES inside?
 
Like you, I also don't recall fancy carpet or lighting in the arcades I frequented as a kid in the 80's. But because those experiences were so magical and formative, I think I've elevated and embellished the memories of those environments to be more than it was…which probably explains why I insisted on black lights, glow carpet, and animated ceiling/wall light sequences.
While I make no claims to have any design sense in the slightest, in my office arcade build, the intent was for the floor, walls, ceiling, and decor to all compliment each other. And as it is the space I spend 10-12 hours a day in, I want how I want it. While I insisted the games in my arcade are 80's period accurate, that can't be said for my space design choices and preferences.

And yes… my carpet is probably considered loud. But I love it. And I'm sure you'll love what you pick for your space, and we will too!
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That space looks amazing. I really dig the carpet you picked. It is loud but really really cool pattern, where did you find it? The walls look tight. This gets 2 thumbs up. I am gleaning some ideas. I would love to see it populated with game and work. I am guessing that is what you are referring to? Your workspace is in your arcade or vice versa. Thank you for sharing!
 
My "grade8arcade" build thread is here. I really need to post some updates to the thread as there has been some notable additions in the last several months.

Eventually towards the later posts it shows the office setup and populated with games.

Carpet selection process and sourcing starts about here.
 
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Chapter negative 0.2 and 0.1

CAPTAIN PLUMBER and ELECTRICAL BOY

This pretty much concludes the work done over the past 8 weeks or so. After this post we will be current day, in full realtime HD!

The demo has now started on the front part of the office, the part that will become my new design studio. What's cool about the front part of the office is most of the existing walls will stay where they are. We will be opening up a few areas to create a less claustrophobic feeling as well as adding some non load bearing walls.

Attack of the old bathrooms (makes me think of Escape of the Robot Monsters) was a two day earplug fest. Man, concrete saws and jack hammers are loud!! Now..... I have a big hole with some old pipes that all need to go away and be replaced with modern shiny new ones. Next we will be framing the walls and ceiling structure for the new restrooms.

Meanwhile in Sparksville!! Electrical and anything tech is what I truly enjoying doing. So I say, let the real fun begin! I had demo'd all the old electrical in the arcade section a month or so ago and there are no live circuits in that area. The front half had its own sub panel and was still live until this post. I went ahead and put in some temp circuits, then ran to Home Depot and bought 6 extension cords and a few power strips and ran power to some lights, our computer stuff, and a couple floor heaters. Next, I need to calculate loads and do some circuit design. However, first is gonna be the demo of all the old power crap on the front half. That will be a much easier task with all the circuits dead compared to the back where I was juggling around existing hot circuits to keep light, heat, and work power.

The 2 main panels are 200 amps each. So, essentially I have 400 amps to play with. Massive overkill but I'll take it! I will be replacing all 4 panels.

The dust is still out of control, but I tend to repeat history on projects. Same old story search, find and destroy..... and then enjoy.
 

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Chapter 1 and 2

ANOTHER 2X4 IN THE WALL and GATES OF STEEL

Well, here we go (no Floyd and DEVO pun intended) I am actually now posting in real time as the events happen with maybe a day or so delay.

Framing continues. I have ran my credit card so many times at Home Depot and Lowes in the last two weeks....my god. The first number of lumber loads came from 84 Lumber, however due to convenience and being able to select our own lumber we have been buying from the big box stores. We still have to head over to the lumber yard to get the needed Glulam beams as Home Depot and Lowes dont carry them. The building is much more open now, and starting to flow as I envision it. My work area behind the plastic sheeting is fun...... lots of my much hated dust and low sexy lights. It's actually pretty weird working in a 3500ft office with no heat, no bathroom, no windows. Just lots of clutter, tight working spaces and games!

As a designer I feel the need to make everything insanely perfect, so I spend way too much time on one area. I am gonna repeat this obsession many times throughout the project.

The entry gate was old and tired and I wanted to redesign it. After looking at 1 million gates online I found a few that I really liked. In the industry we call it inspiration. I took these designs that inspired me and morphed them into a design that fit my vision. My buddy Jer took my concept drew it out in CAD for me. From there I called a local fabricator and asked if he could build the concept. He took on the challenge and knocked it out of the park! Man, he did a fantastic job. Now I need to either powder coat the gates or have them electrostatic painted. I bought some copper sheets with patina for the arrow like inserts. They should be here in a week or so. I am more than pleased with how the gates came out. Caracole paint and copper will be rad.

P.S. I am not happy with the opening at the top. I thought I would like it, and intended the gap to bring in some light. However, I am gonna fill it in.

Got the copper from https://basiccopper.com/verde-heavyweight-22-mil-24-gauge-copper-sheet/

Onward!
 

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EMBEDDED VS ATTACHED (Not a Chapter)

Do you like attached images or embedded?

I wanted this thread to not be miles of scrolling images as I have seen in some threads, however maybe it's favored.

In my opinion attached is cleaner. But, I am curious if people prefer the longer chains of embedded images.
 
Chapter 3, 4, and 5


PLUMB ME UP SCOTTY, ELECTRIC LARRY LAND, and I'VE BEEN FRAMED

It's been a few days and note that this thread will move slower since it's in real time now. I am managing to accomplish something every day though so there is that. I am not gonna lie, it's rough to work in an area that you are doing a down to the stud remodel in. I have no HVAC, no walls, no bathroom, no running water, lots of dust, and I am having to constantly shuffle 55 games around. Ohh, no outlets too, so I am running my computer, a space heater and a light via an extension cord from temp power on my main panel. Not complaining, but it does get old at times. I just want to get past the dirty work.

As you saw in the earlier posts the bathroom plumbing had to be dug out as the rooms were too small and would not be ADA compliant. So, had to dig up the old crap and replace it. I am glad I did because that old iron pipe was pretty shabby. Got the new pipes in, and then backfilled, vapor barrier, rebar and concrete. Sooo much better. One less thing to have to worry about in the future.

We started doing the electrical. This is gonna include two new main panels, and two new sub panels. All of it is commercial grade ETON stuff. Code, code, and code, no corner cutting here. Got the circuit layout done. Pretty much gonna end up with 13 20 amp circuits for 70 games... way overkill, but I would rather have more than less. We continued to install metal boxes, run large flex to the sub panels and started running MC cable (metal-clad) everywhere. Man, it's a ton of MC! I hope to wrap up electrical wiring in the next week The my buddy / electrician Shaun will be swapping the two main panels.

I spent some time doing specification for my lighting fixtures and laying out those circuits. I hope to get all that crap ordered this week. Also, did an HVAC layout. I will post details about both in the next post or two.

Framing is now completed, and now waits for electrical, low voltage and insulation to be completed. Then DRYWALL! We did spend some additional time planing and drywall shimming the walls with a straight edge to be sure that drywall sits nice and straight. Nothing worse than bad drywall, and most of the time it comes from bad framing. Attention to every detail is the key. I mean every detail. It's just my nature.

If anybody had questions and would like further details about the project, please ask. I am an open book.
 

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Chapter 6, 7, and 8

THE DOORS & MICROSOFT WINDOWS, AC WITH NO DC (YET), GETTIN' NIPPY WITH IT

Wait... my last post was February 9th? What the hell. I guess I've been busy. Actually....yes, I've been up to my butt in home life, work, the arcade buildout, kids, friends… oh, and did I mention work? I keep telling myself I need to make a post, but it never happens. So, you're all getting the catch-up version. Luckily, I took pictures along the way. Onward!

As you may have seen or read earlier, the layout of this project is like a mullet: business in the front, party in the back. I'll be running my company in the ~1500 sq ft front portion of the building, and the arcade will be in the ~2000 sq ft back (including bathrooms and kitchen area). The cool part is that I designed the layout so each space has its own public entrance, but they're also connected inside by a lockable door.

I went with black aluminum commercial storefront doors and windows—inside and out. Most of this storefront and glass is on the office side, but a few elements show up in the arcade too. The vibe? Think Mid-Century Modern Atomic Ranch meets contemporary modern for the office, and full-on late '70s/early '80s arcade for the back.

The electrical adventure continues! Two new main panels and two new subpanels are now installed and hot. I don't even want to think about what I spent on copper... roll after roll of MC cable. And yes, I definitely over-wired the arcade with a million dedicated circuits. I'll be installing switches and outlets for the rest of my life. Control for the arcade games will come from the sub panel using screw-fastened, commercial-grade switchable breakers. With all those million dedicated circuits, I'll be able to manage game groupings with ease.

Oh, and let's not forget the low-voltage side of things! I wired the whole place for CAT and fiber optic networking, WiFi, cameras, access control, speakers, and video. That meant a whole lot of low-voltage cable and a bunch lot of joist drilling.

When May and June rolled around, I started getting seriously nervous about the stupid-hot Bakersfield summer.... the one that kicks off in March and just keeps getting more and more hot. I had to beat Father Time to get functional AC up and running, even if it was just for the area I'm working out of. Triple-digit days here can stretch on for a month straight or more. 110–115°F is not unusual.

For HVAC, I went with a mix of ducted and ductless mini-splits. Up front, the office space got one new Daikin 48k condenser, one 18k, and two 15k ducted air handlers. The middle of the building has another Daikin 48k condenser, one 18k, and two 12k ducted air handlers. The arcade area uses an existing (fairly new) Daikin 48k condenser, two 18k, and three 7k ductless wall-mounted air handlers. In total, the place has about 15 tons of zoned AC. Should be frosty. I ran all the line sets on the roof inside insulated rigid protectors. Running them through the joists just wasn't practical. More AC pics coming soon. It turned out great.

The next phase of the project is extremely dusty and dirty, and having 50+ games in the office didn't make much sense anymore. So, I moved them to a friend's airplane hangar—where they still sit today.

More to come.
 

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Chapter 9 and 10

THROW HIM IN THE FLOOR GRINDER & ITCHY PILLOW STUFFING FROM HELL

The fun continues! Just when you think you're done with the dirty work, you realize there's plenty more ahead. I'd venture to say that the floor grinding was one of the dustiest jobs I've seen—even more so than drywall. They claim it's "dustless," but I'm not sure where that word came from. Even with all their big, fancy vacuums, there was dust everywhere, with most of it coming from the edge grinders. When all was said and done, it looked really nice. Now, I have to protect the floors through all the other stages. Thank God that's done.

If there's one thing I truly hate, it's insulation. I don't care if it's pink, yellow, green, or white.....insulation freaks me out! On top of that, my skin is super sensitive and I get a rash. My friend Terry, who installs the stuff for a living, says it doesn't bother him. He's been doing it for 30 years and yes he wears long sleeves and a mask. We put R-38 in the ceiling and R-13 in all the interior walls. I also put foam panels over the CMU on the furred-out walls. In addition to all that, I have a 4-inch foam cap on the white composite roof. It should stay super cool in there with all that insulation. On the ceilings in the arcade area, I put black scrim paper that will be painted eggshell black to even it out and cover the staples. The front area will have a drop ceiling with architectural 2x2 tiles and a black grid.

I also thought I'd drop a pic of a few games I've been restoring. They're almost complete! Tapper is about to fire up thanks to @ELutz for selling me an MCR suitcase; that was the last piece of the puzzle. Galaga is done, APB needs a coin door, Neo is done, and 720 needs paint. All the other parts are ready except for the medium-resolution CRT. One of the helpers accidentally necked the tube, so now I'll have to do a yoke swap. I've never done one and will need to read up on the process.
 

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I love this thread. Your attention to detail during the design and delivery of this grandeur is awe inspiring.
Thank you! It's been a labor of love thats for sure. The construction process is prob not super interesting to most. Once the more "arcadey" parts gets underway I am sure a few more folks will find interest. However, my goal is to show the whole process. This is a self powered project where I am hands on for almost all phases..... except insulation.... I was hands off.
 
Love seeing this. Thank you Fluxar for sharing all of the build details.

Recently added black light carpet to my smaller home garcade and can attest it is a game changer.

The carpet was the very last upgrade performed… did not originally plan it that way. But now that it's done, that's how I would recommend to do it.

Suggest checking out the designs at Flagship carpets in Georgia. Love the pattern I selected, but there were many other great ones in contention that I would've been very happy with as well.

Their customer service was fantastic throughout and they were very patient and informative.
Ask for Marsha the owner. She is awesome!
 
I love the construction details. I too have an allergy to fiberglass, it sucks. When i was building houses, having someone come in and do all the insulation was one of my favorite things, because i didn't have to. Next house i build for myself, it will have spray foam insulation instead. I'm done with fiberglass batting.
 
Chapter 9 and 10

THROW HIM IN THE FLOOR GRINDER & ITCHY PILLOW STUFFING FROM HELL

The fun continues! Just when you think you're done with the dirty work, you realize there's plenty more ahead. I'd venture to say that the floor grinding was one of the dustiest jobs I've seen—even more so than drywall. They claim it's "dustless," but I'm not sure where that word came from. Even with all their big, fancy vacuums, there was dust everywhere, with most of it coming from the edge grinders. When all was said and done, it looked really nice. Now, I have to protect the floors through all the other stages. Thank God that's done.

If there's one thing I truly hate, it's insulation. I don't care if it's pink, yellow, green, or white.....insulation freaks me out! On top of that, my skin is super sensitive and I get a rash. My friend Terry, who installs the stuff for a living, says it doesn't bother him. He's been doing it for 30 years and yes he wears long sleeves and a mask. We put R-38 in the ceiling and R-13 in all the interior walls. I also put foam panels over the CMU on the furred-out walls. In addition to all that, I have a 4-inch foam cap on the white composite roof. It should stay super cool in there with all that insulation. On the ceilings in the arcade area, I put black scrim paper that will be painted eggshell black to even it out and cover the staples. The front area will have a drop ceiling with architectural 2x2 tiles and a black grid.

I also thought I'd drop a pic of a few games I've been restoring. They're almost complete! Tapper is about to fire up thanks to @ELutz for selling me an MCR suitcase; that was the last piece of the puzzle. Galaga is done, APB needs a coin door, Neo is done, and 720 needs paint. All the other parts are ready except for the medium-resolution CRT. One of the helpers accidentally necked the tube, so now I'll have to do a yoke swap. I've never done one and will need to read up on the process.
You do have vents in your attic space, right?
 
Love the line up! Glad you have a toilet now :) That's important.... place is looking great!! Keep up the amazing work
 
You do have vents in your attic space, right?
There is no attic on this building. Flat composite roof on top of a 4 inch foam cap. Below the foam it is plywood, 2x10 joists with insulation then scrim paper on the ceiling. Thats the arcade area, my office area will have no scrim paper, instead it will black t-bar with dark walnut architectural 2X2 tiles.
 
There is no attic on this building. Flat composite roof on top of a 4 inch foam cap. Below the foam it is plywood, 2x10 joists with insulation then scrim paper on the ceiling. Thats the arcade area, my office area will have no scrim paper, instead it will black t-bar with dark walnut architectural 2X2 tiles.
Thanks! Wanted to make sure you wouldn't be growing mold in your attic. Since there is no attic, no problem!
 
Not a chapter

THE CARPET CONVERSATION

The whole carpet thing is super complex for me. Actually, my overthinking makes it complex, but that's part of my professional design process: overthink everything and pay attention to the details.

When putting this arcade together in my head, I want to build it as period-correct as possible. My target window is 1975 to about 1985. That means the floor plan, paint scheme, carpet style and color, wall art, everything needs to land in that era.

This is where it gets complex. I was born in '74 and really started spending time in arcades from '83 onward. When I talk to people, they often remember bowling alleys as "arcades": loud carpet, black lights, neon, etc. But almost every arcade I went to as a kid was honestly kinda dumpy. They were very basic, a large space with a few rooms carved off, black painted or white drop ceilings, very colorful walls, bright-colored carpet, and as many games crammed in as you could fit. Lots of yellow and burnt orange. Sometimes there were neon and stripes. These days, with retrocades, vintage arcades, barcades, and garage/basement arcades, they all follow a similar retro look and feel. Don't mistake what I'm saying as "vintage-style arcades are bad," because they're not—I absolutely love black light and glow-in-the-dark carpet.

I've looked through hundreds of photos of new and old arcades, and a few stuck out. I built some of my inspiration from these. There are also lots if good photos for inspiration in this thread. Back In The Day

Arcade-001.jpg

Arcade-002.jpg

Arcade-003.jpg

blue-carpet.jpg

red-carpet.jpg

So, all in all I am going with a spicy yellow mustard with stripes for the walls and a burnt orange based carpet. Below is a mockup of the walls.

pf-paint-stripes.jpg

I looked at Flagship Carpets like @fatherpain had suggested and those carpets are amazing. Some of the coolest patterns I have seen for amusement carpets. Thank you so much for suggesting! Also, Joy Carpets had some cool stuff. However, just not the direction I am going. I found a couple of options and you can see them below. I ordered samples of both for the arcade in addition to one more mellow one for the front more 60's version of my workspace.

shaw-burnt-orange.jpg

ray-tracing.jpg
 
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