Hardware & Cabinets
Arcade cabinets do more than hold a game. They are the physical shell, control station, display housing, and service access point for the electronics inside. For buyers, collectors, restorers, and DIY builders, understanding cabinet anatomy makes it easier to judge value, spot missing parts, and plan a repair or build.
Cabinets have changed a lot over time, but many later machines follow the JAMMA wiring standard, which helped make parts and board swaps more practical. Even so, not every cabinet includes the same features. The cabinet you are looking at may be a simple upright, a sit-down model, a cocktail table, or a custom shell made for one game.
What an arcade cabinet actually contains
Inside the wood or metal shell is the hardware that runs the game. That usually includes the main printed circuit board or system board, a power supply, audio circuitry, and wiring that connects the controls, display, and coin hardware.
The monitor is one of the biggest variables. Older machines may use a raster CRT or, less often, vector graphics. Some cabinets are horizontal, while others are vertical. A few games even used more than one screen. Newer cabinets may use flat panels or other high-definition displays instead of CRTs.
Sound is normally produced by onboard hardware and speakers mounted in the cabinet. Lighting for the marquee, buttons, and coin area is often powered separately at low voltage.
Key exterior parts to know
The marquee sits above the screen and usually carries the game title. In many classic cabinets, it is backlit so the machine stands out in a dark arcade.
The bezel frames the monitor and may include artwork or short instructions. The control panel is the flat surface where joysticks, buttons, spinners, trackballs, and other inputs are mounted. On many upright and cocktail cabinets, players also leave coins or tokens on the panel between turns.
Below the controls are the coin slots, coin return, and coin box access. Many cabinets also include a service panel or internal door for adjusting settings such as credits, lives, difficulty, and diagnostics. The side art, paint, or decals are not just decoration; they are part of the machine’s identity and often a major factor in collector value.
Common cabinet shapes and control layouts
Upright cabinets are the most familiar shape in North America. They stand about two meters tall, with the screen above the controls and the marquee at the top. This format works well for standing players and takes up a relatively small footprint.
Cocktail cabinets are low tables with the screen facing upward and controls on opposite sides. They were often used for alternating play, which means one person would play at a time while sitting across from the other player. Their tempered-glass tops also made them fit naturally in bars and pubs.
Control layouts vary by game. Joysticks and action buttons are common, but many machines use trackballs, spinners, steering wheels, pedals, light guns, dual joysticks, or specialty controls. If you are restoring or buying, the control setup should match the game the cabinet is meant to house.
Buying, restoring, or building: what to check first
If you are shopping for a cabinet, start with the structure. Look for swollen wood, cracked corners, water damage, missing access panels, and badly cut control openings. A cabinet can be cosmetically rough and still be worth saving, but structural damage adds time and cost fast.
Next, inspect the monitor type and condition. CRT replacement and repair can be difficult, while LCD conversions may be easier but less authentic for some projects. Check whether the cabinet still has its power supply, speakers, wiring harness, coin mechs, and service controls. Missing parts are common, but replacing them can change the budget quickly.
For restorers, originality matters. Matching the right monitor orientation, control panel layout, and artwork style can make a machine feel correct again. For DIY builders, the cabinet form should match your plan: upright for a classic stand-up build, cocktail for seated play, or a custom design if you want a unique project.
If possible, test the game in service mode before buying. That can reveal issues with inputs, sound, credits, and monitor behavior that are easy to miss during a short demo.
Related RetroArcade resources
Arcade Machine Buyers Guide 2026
Arcade Repair & Build Resources
Sources and further reading
Wikipedia’s Arcade cabinet article was consulted for factual background.
Arcade Machine Buyer's Guide
Repair & Build Resources
Arcade Near Me Directory
Vibe Code Arcade