Introduction: Arcade Speaker Volume Adapter

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About: I'm a Mechanical Engineer turned IT Professional and Author. I came into the Information Technology world because someone challenged me to. But at heart, I'm still a grease monkey with no desire to lose touch …

This is a short instructable on how to adapt an Arcade Button mounting hole to accommodate a volume control for the Arcade Speaker.

If you're building a Bartop Arcade machine like I am then you won't need anything more than the means to get one of the two adapters 3D printed.

The design is pretty simple and easy to mount and I will publish the STL here or on my Thingiverse page.

Step 1: The Problem

I purchased my Bartop Arcade kit off of ebay several years ago. I faced an issue when fitting my 4:3 monitor into the cabinet and therefore had to make several adjustments that seriously compromised the real estate inside the cabinet (more on that in another IBLE!).

Added to that, the kit came with placeholders to mount two speakers inside the marquee space. As a result, I could not place the volume control anywhere in the top-front area around the marquee. And placing it behind the cabinet or on the sides was not a practical option.

Therefore, I had to take off one of the front-side buttons and re-purpose that mounting hole for mounting the volume control.

Step 2: The Design

I designed the part in Fusion 360 and it's pretty simple as indicated in the picture.

  1. The part has two slots - the mounting stub of the potentiometer for the volume control engages into one of the lots based on how the potentiometer is oriented when mounting
  2. The locator ring helps align this adapter with the center of the button hole in the arcade cabinet
    • I have two parts - one with a 27 mm diameter, and the other with 29.2 diameter for the locator rings
    • Any one of these can be used based on your situation and the dimensions of the mounting hole
  3. The 29.2 mm version of the part has an extra hole on the corner of one of the mounting tabs to help differentiate between the two parts which otherwise appear identical in all respects

NOTE

  • The potentiometer has a diameter of roughly 24 mm
  • The volume control knob has a diameter of approximately 25 mm
  • A standard plastic Arcade player button has a diameter of roughly 28 mm on its threaded shaft
  • The Arcade cabinet is made of 1/2" thick MDF

Step 3: Installation

The pictures say it all. I'm quite pleased with the end-result.

I like the classic knob and wanted to keep it. But at the same time, I didn't want it sticking out too much out of the cabinet.

As of now, I haven't fully pressed in the knob on to the adapter. Once the cabinet is all painted and finished, I will design and 3D-print a trim ring for the outside for some extra effect around the knob.

Thanks, Stay healthy, and safe!

And happy tinkering! :)

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