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Help the new guy plan his first cocktail cabinet

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apfelanni:

if ure starting from scratch u' d better take some time for planning . there are hundreds of cocktail designs , each with its advantage and disadvantages .  the pacman table may be a classic eyecatching little thing , but has its flaws . the monitor flipout panel is the real pain in da ass , one of the worst constructions in arcade history. its so far from rock solid,  that i probably wouldnt mount a crt in it . i own a astro invader cocktail and some details like reconstructing the metal panels had been no pleasure at all.

building table arcades is the real champions league .. like restoration of dedicated cabs . if ur control panel will be made of wood u dont have to go for a premade one . spare the cash for better sticks , buttons or monitor. i prefer sanwa seimitsu stuff . the happ china stuff i encountered so far have been a disappointment.

if u enjoy the look and feel of pacmantable maybe u should go with a prefab shell for a few hundred bucks .  i saw several of those on the us market.

Marsupial:

To be honest, I have no idea what is good and what is not joystickwise with all the ones I have seen. Not having seen any first-hand, its hard to tell any difference; they are all a stick that pushes a bunch of switches. I guess the core difference is the construction of the pivot point, retaining system, springs?
It is not easy to know better before the first purchase.
That is why I am asking for advices.

As you mentionned, it is important to plan carefully; this is where I am at right now. I don't want to rush things and end up with something I don't like.
I know its important to decide early on what are our needs, likes and dislikes.

Need- Kid/toddler-friendly (Robust, no sharp angles, stable, user-friendly interface)
Need- face-on-face compatible for classic games
Wants- Arcade look and feel; particularly in the controls.
Wants- coin-operated (door preferably)
Dislike- headeach related to misconception
Dislike- paying for something I won't like or I will want to change.

We currently have "remainder" 3/4inch MDF that is to be used for the project; that's why I don't opt for a premade kit. I might decide to go that route for the next project ;)  
I am certain to have more MDF then I need for the table, but the sizes of the available panels could influence some design decisions.

I want the controls to be great and the buttons to feel like the classic arcades I used as a kid.

Thanks for the info on the Pacman and MsPacman table design; I don't mind making the design myself if need be, but was under the impression that those pacman tables were pretty much bullet proof projects. What I do not want is to wonder halfway in the project how to finish it up. I want ennough room on the inside, and I don't want the integrity or stability of the table to be suspect.
I haven't seen other plans for cocktail tables (besides one custom with a look I am uncertain of, at instructables)
Are there other resources?


I want to go step by step; at this point I am planing the shell itself: the wood part of the cabinet. I will want to include the current monitor, but keep upgradability in my mind for the future.

Maybe I don't see the whole thing correctly, but like other hobbies, the planing phase is a lot of fun if done properly, but the first time you just don't know what you are getting into...

JODY:

The most difficult part of planning may be deciding what controls you are going to have.  If you have specific games in mind with limited needs it may not be too bad.  If you want to support many games it can get unwieldy.  Some possibilities you can find other threads on include how many buttons, button layout, types of joysticks, spinners, track balls, specialized controls, and controls on how many sides of the cabinet.  What are you hoping to support?

Marsupial:

I'd really like to keep the cocktail table classy and low profile.

One of the objectives is to introduce the toddlers to classic arcade gaming. My 4 years old daughter played pacman half an hour when we visited a store that sells all you might need for a pool room, she really enjoyed it.

I would like front-facing games as much as possible, a la space invaders cocktail... As far as I know there aren't many of those.

Controller-wise, I'll likely go for a few buttons and a stick on each side.

wweumina:

Sounds like you can probably get away with 4-way sticks if you only want the classics and are going vertical orientation of the monitor (you lose 1942 though). Check out maws over at mameworld to see what games are available for different control setups. If you want some 8-way games and less hassle check out ultimarc for U360s. With a button harness you won't need a keyboard encoder.

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