Mini Pac-Man with Sound
As you may have read in my earlier post about mini-arcade machines, I did end up building the Pac-Man model. But, not satisfied with just a paper model, I decided I’d add some official Pac-Man sounds. Do you remember those greeting cards that record a few moments of sound and play it back when the card is opened? Well, I looked all over town for one of those, intending to tear it apart and use the audio chip. I couldn’t find one anywhere. Fortunately for me, Radio Shack came through again with their 9-Volt, 20-Second Recording Module (for only $10.49). I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of a relatively heavy 9-volt battery, but it actually makes the machine feel more authentic.
As you’ll see in the photos, I had to use a heavier card-stock to carry the weight of the battery and endure the button presses on the front panel. I mounted the speaker behind the coin drawer on the front of the machine and the playback button where the joystick would have been in the real game. I thought about exposing the record button on the back panel, but I didn’t want people to accidentally record over the game sounds, so I left it dangling inside, just in case I need to re-record. I captured the coin “gulp” noise and the famous Pac-Man startup theme on the chip (thank you MAME). The speaker produces just enough volume to fit the size of the model.
It took me more than a few hours to plan everything out and assemble the Pac-Man model, but it was an enjoyable experience that cements my geek status (as if I wasn’t there already). Fortunately, my wife thinks the little machine is “cute,” and she plans on staying married to me. What more can a guy ask for?
Update: Quite a few people have asked for a video of its performance. Not wanting to disappoint, here you go.
