Charles Van Hook Portfolio

Project overview

Fueled by a personal passion for retro gaming and as a collaborative project with a brother, the goal was to construct a classic-style arcade cabinet from scratch. It involved building the enclosure, integrating computer hardware, and configuring software for emulation.

Timeline

8 Months (April-December 2023)

Team

Solo project (self-directed)

Role

Lead Designer

Components

Kernal Development

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Awards

Create Studio Most Fridge Worth

STATUS

Complete

Tools

Woodworking

PC Building

Design Process

The cabinet's structure was designed in CAD based on classic arcade aesthetics, using dimensions derived from imported drawings and scaled to fit available components. Construction primarily involved 2D sheets of wood, cut using a homemade CNC machine, and then assembled. 3D printed parts were used for specific components like internal mounts and speaker grills. A key consideration was airflow and cooling management to handle the heat generated by the PC components, especially during demanding emulation.

3D Render/CAD

Software / Electronics

An old Dell desktop PC, upgraded with a better CPU, served as the core computing unit. Custom controller hardware was built to interface the arcade buttons and joysticks with the PC (likely via a USB encoder). Salvaged components like a monitor and a rewired laptop sound card were integrated. The software stack consisted of a Linux distribution optimized for emulation, with a custom performance layer tailored to the specific display and GPU hardware to maximize compatibility and framerates.

Electronics

SOFTWARE

Challenges

Translating a 2D reference drawing into a functional 3D CAD model and then generating accurate 2D cutting paths for the CNC was a design challenge. Integrating various salvaged components (PC, monitor, sound card) required troubleshooting and custom wiring. Ensuring sufficient cooling within the enclosed wooden cabinet to prevent overheating, particularly when running demanding emulators like those for PS2, was a critical thermal management challenge. Creating robust custom controller hardware that felt authentic and interfaced reliably was also key.

MEDIA

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