Ikea Arcade Stick - Mini Edition Part 3

Continued from Part 2.

To put off dealing with the wiring, i decided to set up some glamour shots of the work so far, set against my previous full-sized IkeaStick, with it's black-on-black colour scheme.

Ikea Arcade Stick - Mini Edition Part 4

Continued from Part 3.

The greatest thing about this mini stick is that the art layers are a perfect A4 piece of paper! I chucked some photo paper in my home printer, and was able to bang this out in minutes.

Ikea Arcade Stick - Mini Edition Part 2

Continued from Part 1.

With the glue dried, it's time for a test fit of the Wiimote.

Ikea Arcade Stick - Mini Edition Part 1

It has been a long time coming, but here's the text-based rundown on how to build the Ikea Arcade Stick from a single piece of 7mm ply. If you'd rather watch the in-depth video walkthrough, head here!

Ok, for everyone else, you'll need a sheet of ply, PVA glue, two Stromby picture frames, and the clear plastic sheet out of a cheaper Ikea frame (try the damaged goods section!). We'll be using the 30x20cm version here, but the 40x30 makes a great TE2-sized stick! I used spade bits to cut the button holes, in 24mm and 30mm, a table saw for all of the grunt work, and a regular hand saw for a fiddly bit.

Ikea Arcade Stick - Mini Edition Teaser!

I've had a few requests to compile a proper step-by-step build of one of my sticks, as the previous posts have all been iterative updates. Here's a quick rundown of what's gone on so far...

Ikea Arcade Stick V2 - Shiny Shiny!

Continued from Part Two.

When it comes to art, I am the most indecisive human alive. This is why I've never had a tattoo, despite spending the best part of a decade drunk.

So the styrene sheet goes down over the naked plywood for now. It will protect the surface while I decide what to do, and it still looks nice enough.

Ikea Arcade Stick V2 - Part Two

Continued from Part One.

Much has happened since last we spoke! My new hardware order from Arcade Shock took a little longer than anticipated, but work was swiftly resumed on the other side!

Ikea Arcade Stick V2 - The Stromby Twins

The Ribba stick is finished, and it's been getting loads of play time, but I've already had some new ideas kicking around my head.

Fighting Frame - Finale!

Continued from part two.

My new donor PCB's arrived care of eBay, and they're exactly as cheaply made as you'd expect of knockoffs. In comparison, the official CCP is a thing of beauty.

Fighting Frame - Part Two

Since the previous entry i've decided to optimise the build slightly, shedding the two separate wiimote bulkheads by integrating them into the front and back "wall" sections. Two fewer pieces, much improved!

Fighting Frame - Part One

With the Lucario Fight Stick finished, it's time to move on to my "Player 2" build (for lots of Virtual Console co-op fun!). I was considering going with another intensive Pokken character build, but i wanted more time to think about the next case style for that.

But, as a gift to "the people", i've decided to try my hand at a cheap, easy to build stick which uses Ikea parts to present a high quality finish without the usual skill requirement. It features replaceable art, has no visible screws, requires only the most basic of tools, and all it takes is a sheet of 7mm plywood and a picture frame! Total cost of materials was about $15.

The Guillotined Expedit - Sound system hide'n'seek

This was the first stick of Ikea furniture i bought for the new house, and a fitting swansong for the almost extinct Expedit. Off with it's head!

Ikea Vainfraim - Hanging Vanity Light

The house we're renting at the moment has a very poorly lit en suite. It's served by two tiny energy saving bulbs which take far too long to warm up, and they're set so far back from the mirror that the only thing you can ever see is your silhouette.

Ikea hack to the rescue!

OaKallax: Swedish particle board meets sexy hardwood

My study was a shambles, boxes everywhere, and a pile of disused red Expedit inserts working as free-standing storage after the shelves were filled with books instead.

I needed a shelf unit to display my precious things, i needed to do something with these damned inserts, and i needed to exercise my design muscles.