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walterg74:
Hi everyone!

Just starting out on this, after reading a lot of posts and enjoying arcade games for many many years, I decided to get started on a MAME cabinet project once and for all....

On my visit to the US last month, I went ahead and bought the controls essentials: joysticks and buttons (Specifically, 2 mag sticks, 14 buttons for players, 2 buttons for the side for pinball, two player start w/logo buttons (P1 P2), 2 lighted buttons for coin insert, 2 lighted buttons for pause esc, one Mini-Pac controller with wiring harness).

What I'm after:  2 player cabinet, 7 buttons per player plus the normal coin/start/pause/exit. That's it, nice and simple.

I was going to attempt to build it myself, following the well known wee-cade or project mame projects, but then two things happened that made me change my mind:

1 - I read a lot on building and decided I don't have yet enough skill/tools/practice to attempt it, and
2 - I found a used arcade cabinet for sale for $100 pesos (25 US dollars)

So basically, for now I will get started with this one, and if all goes well, since this seems to be addictive :D  my next project I will be building from scratch...

Ok, so that's all nice, but what exactly is this guy posting for?  :lol

Well the thing is I've gone though a lot of posts, on different topics, and that's precisely it... There are sooo many topics, I don't know which are pertinent to what I need to do....

Being a total noob, I go: Ok, so I bought the used cabinet. So now what do I do?  I know I need to fix it up, but what topics/items/etc.  should I look for? (or straighforward tips/pointers are obviously welcome!).  Woodworking is to broad, and I don't what exactly I need to do....

Dicalaimer:  Living in a third world country, all the cabinets we always had here are "brand XXX"... no original pac-mans, donkey-kongs, etc.,etc.,etc.... So "No original cabinets will be damaged in the making of this MAME cabinet" :D

To make it clearer, let me post some pics of what exactly I got (These are actually auction pics, I won't have the actual cabinet with me until tomorrow), so you more experienced folks can give me your suggestions on what to do with it (please, no "light a match to it" type comments :D) to pretty it up...  It does have some details, so work will definitely need to be done... :D

Thanks!!!


javeryh:
Welcome!  you should read through the wiki when you can - there are a lot of useful tips there.

As for your specific cabinet, due to the damage on the side edges I'd recommend getting some bondo to fill in the gaps and then sand the entire surface smooth, prime and then paint.  That will be a good start and take you a while.  Some other things to keep in mind is how you will be mounting the monitor and providing access to underneath the control panel.  Other stuff you can do is get the dimensions of the marquee area and control panel and start thinking about artwork.  It's overwhelming but once you start things will just kind of flow naturally - like you can't put the t-molding on until your cabinet is painted properly, etc.  If you have any specific questions, just post them and someone will help you out.   :cheers:
walterg74:
Thanks javeryh!

Yeah, I really can't wait to get it to start "checking things out"... It's supposed to be complete with the exception of the monitor and game board of course. That is, as it's pictured, plus the glass bezel (not shown on the pic), and it has controls (which I will store away for a future project, as I already bought the set I want to use), coin door, mechanism? (not sure), marquee, light and speaker (this I might replace, have to see what's actually in there first).

I assumed sanding first. I'd have to check what "bondo" is called here, and also noob question, is "primer" what actually "seals" the wood, and is applied before painting? (like a really light/liquidy paint?).

I'll get the dimension when it arrives, and do a general inspection, and post back! :D

Thanks!
javeryh:
Good primer will seal the surface you are going to paint.  It is generally thinner than a top coat of paint.  BIN Zinsser (BINZ) is the best primer I've ever used and definitely worth the cost - I'm not sure if it is available in your area though.  3 or 4 thin coats of the stuff will really make a difference in the final appearance of the top coat of paint (lightly sanding in between coats).

Good luck!
walterg74:

Allright, so yeah, I know what you mean now... So I sand and prime, sand and prime, sand and prime.... sand and paint!... that it?

Also, is the "bondo" you mention this?: http://www.amazon.com/3M-20082-Bondo-Solutions-Filler/dp/B0007ZG9T4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1267812460&sr=8-5

I'll have to find substitutes of other brands here, though I'm sure there are...

Thanks fo the help!
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