Much like the monitor frame, the main unit housing consists of four pieces of 1/2-inch MDF wood. However, each piece of wood extends beyond the inside frame to also support an angled surface—this surface is where the control panels (e.g., joysticks and buttons for each player) are mounted—and interlocks with the adjoining pieces. The shape that we ultimately want to create looks like this.

 

 

You may have noticed that the back panel is virtually non-existent. This design uses a technique known as a “three-sided cocktail.” It is a common design with regular cocktail MAME cabinets. The three-sided design means that we have two players on each end, and two players side-by-side in the front. There are no players in the back—in fact, the back has a steep angle and will be used for the power cable, power and hard drive activity lights, and external USB connections (e.g., keyboard and mouse) to the computer and OS itself for maintenance.

 

The three-sided design allows both traditional “cocktail flip” arcade games, such as Pac-Man and Galaxian, that flip to face players sitting on opposite ends of the unit. It also supports side-by-side 2-player games, such as Double Dragon or Wizard of Wor, with both players in the front. And finally, this MAME cabinet design works acceptably well with four-player games, such as Gauntlet.

 

The figure below shows the dimension of the first of four pieces, which is cut from 1/2-inch MDF. The total width of the piece at the bottom is 2 + 13.5 + 5 inches, or 20.5 inches. Note that the piece is divided into three sections.

 

 

 

The figure below shows is the second piece, identical in shape, cut from a straight-edge 90 degrees from the first.