Opinions on costs.

[Rabidfool]

First post here. I have been reading for quite some time now and really appreciate and enjoy the forums here. Lots of great knowledge.

Looking to build a MAME cab. I do not have the time, or skill set, to build one from scratch. I have seen a lot of great reviews of Mameroom / NorthCoast Customs and they seem to have a great product. I have enough computers and monitors already, so I inquired about a cabinet and control panel only. The following was my response.

UAII cabinet kit (shipped unassembled) = 495
Quad controller = 770
Signature series illumination upgrade = 1,019
Shipping and handling = 114.29
 

The cabinet price seems very good, however, the $770 for a control panel and $1789 for one with led's seems painfully high. Are these prices worth it and what are my alternatives?

Thank you in advance!

[bkenobi]

Build one yourself.  That's the best option if you want to save some cash.  If you are unwilling/unable to do any woodworking yourself, then you are at the mercy of someone that will do it for you.

FWIW, lights look cool on other people's cabs, but you have to realize how expensive that option is ESPECIALLY since it adds zero functionality to your cabinet.  You are paying those guys $1000 extra to make everything light up so you can say "look how cool it looks".  If you don't have $1000 available to make that statement, then you already answered your own question.

[Rabidfool]

Again, not looking to build one myself. Are there any other companies or sellers that build control panels similar to north coast?

[CheffoJeffo]

Welcome!

I do not have the time, or skill set, to build one from scratch.

You are most likely wrong, particularly given the turnaround time for custom stuff ... if you spent 30 minutes a day I bet that you would be done faster than Scott.

It seems to me to be just plain silly to ask about the prices that others would charge to build things for you. I have to admit that I don't know what the "signature series" illumination upgrade is.

Build it yourself -- it is much easier than you think.

[LeedsFan]

Again, not looking to build one myself. Are there any other companies or sellers that build control panels similar to north coast?

Is it just the woodworking you don't want to do? Are you willing to do a bit of part swapping?

If it's the latter then why not buy something cheap like an X-Arcade stick and swap out the joysticks/buttons for better quality? People generally dismiss the X-Arcade as rubbish, but it is quite sturdy. It's already set up to work with Mame as default. I owned one when I first discovered Mame and it was great for a while. The parts within aren't the the best (particularly the joysticks) but it is so easy to swap them out. You wouldn't need to do any woodworking or wiring. Just put the wires back where they were as you swap out the parts. You could even paint or overlay the panel with your own artwork once all the parts were out.

I didn't swap out the parts because I just sold it before I started my first project. But it was an option I considered and would have been dead easy.

[Rabidfool]

I do not like the look of the X Arcade stick at all. I want the cab and cp to look like one unit.

Are there any quality vendors for control panels other than North Coast?
What makes LEDs cost over $1000? Not being sarcastic, just curious.

[BobA]

These are North Coast Customs (Mameroom) prices
Multi color Illumination
# $8 per button
# $50 for trackball
# $45 per balltop joystick
# $85 per illumination driver board
     (10 controls per board)

Just do the math count the buttons on a 4 player panel with joysticks and trackball and compare the price to the cost of the parts at GGG.

The difference is what they charge you for labor to wire the parts up.  There is a whole pile of wiring added to a regular panel. So if you are willing to do the work yourself you can see what your savings are on just the Lighting mod.  If you want buy an empty cab and a control panel with no parts and then do the rest yourself.  You will save, save. save and you will know exactly how your cab works.

[javeryh]

You aren't going to get too many people on a BYO site to recommend going with a vendor at that cost.  It probably costs $1,000 for the lighted option due to all the extra time it takes to wiring everything - the parts aren't that much.  You could probably build anything they are selling for 1/2 the cost they are charging.

[rlemmon]

Hey man im in the same boat your in. Im thinking about getting a new cab to. I built the last one (and im happy with how it turned out) but im not sure if im up for it again or not.






I havent decided if i want a 4 player, cabaret or cocktil unit but I have been looking around for cab kits.
Here is what i Have so far other than mameroom/n.c. customs

http://www.arcadedepot.com/

http://www.arcadeshop.com/cabinets/cabinets.htm

http://www.dreamarcades.com/

If you need a pre wired control panel you might want to look around this forum to see if anyone could make you one. I make myown so I dont have any links for them.


As far as the prices being worth it : For the cab its a decent price. But for the control panel no way. Have you though about buying a cab kit then getting the project arcade book to learn how to build and wire a panel ? Thats what i did and belive me if I can do it anyone can. I had no idead how to do this stuff and the book along the people on this message board taught me all i needed to know. its really much easyer than you would think.

[Beretta]

my own project is puttering along at a snails pace, but it'll get done eventually.
more then the time or cost i wanted to do it my self.

i'll know exactly how it was put together, i'll beable to take pride in it after it's done.
no offense to any of the venders because im sure they all do great work, but i doubt any of them are going to do a better job then me on my own project.. thats not to say im a woodworking master. actually i suck at wood working.

but what i mean is i can get everything just the way i want it.. and if i dont like it i can change it.
plus there is the money issue.. even buying tools it'll be cheaper in the end, plus you got tools you can reuse again.

take your time do it your self.. go slow.

thats just my 2 credits.

[severdhed]

i just priced out some hardware for a friend of a friend today, to do a 4 player panel, six buttons for players 1 and 2, four buttons for players 3 and 4, four 8way joysticks, dedicated 4 way stick, 3" trackball, spinner, control interfaces, and a few extra buttons for coin/start/exit/pause and a few for near the 4way stick,...once you counted in shipping, the total came to around $380.  that is just for the controls, (basic controls, no light up fancy stuff)when you factor in the wire, crimp on connectors, wood, tmolding, artwork, plexiglass...and the time it takes to fabricate something like this, $770 seems pretty reasonable to me.


personally, i say build your own, but if you are going to buy, those prices seem reasonable....i would however avoid the lighting upgrades...just a waste of time.  you can always add that stuff later down the road if you decide you want to spend a bunch of money again

[Gatt]

UAII cabinet kit (shipped unassembled) = 495
Quad controller = 770
Signature series illumination upgrade = 1,019
Shipping and handling = 114.29
 

The cabinet price seems very good, however, the $770 for a control panel and $1789 for one with led's seems painfully high. Are these prices worth it and what are my alternatives?

Thank you in advance!

I'd email them and ask for clarification,  I'm not sure that it's 770 + 1,019,  it may be 770 or 1,019. I think maybe the email was being accidently vague.  $1019 is what I'd expect an illuminated panel to go for.

[RayB]

It's a box with a few controls, wiring and a keyboard encoder? Is there a PC inside it?? The price seems insane, but so many people are calling it fair that it's got me wondering what features I missed?!?!? Are the buttons gold-plated?!

[Rabidfool]

I'd email them and ask for clarification,  I'm not sure that it's 770 + 1,019,  it may be 770 or 1,019. I think maybe the email was being accidently vague.  $1019 is what I'd expect an illuminated panel to go for.

I did, and its 770 for the 4 player panal and an additional 1,019 for illumination.

[Turnarcades]

Everyone will agree their stuff is great and when it comes to the cost, as a vendor I can understand the price they are charging too. Other's estimates here of parts alone are fairly accurate and it is the labour you will largely be paying for, but you will also find after doing some research that a large chunk of a cabinet build cost goes into the control panel, as quality parts are not cheap and ultimately the controls and the way it plays are what will make or break a good machine.

It's not necessarily what you see in a picture that forms the cost; it's what you can't see. a single-joystick, 6-button layout is not relative in cost to an console joypad for example as many novices expect. Speaking from this side of the pond, joysticks run from £10 each to £40 each for the top-end sticks, with buttons around £2 a piece and analog controls can run close to three figures each, then you've got multiple interfaces, wiring and crimp jobs, testing etc. Once you throw in the lighting (which if done properly will use multiple encoder boards too) and ensuring the electronics are balanced to avoid power issues etc. it very soon adds up. In a fully-loaded panel you're talking several hundred pounds worth of parts alone, plus the labour and then of course a profit cut.

If it were really as simple as it appears, or you were really into saving money, you would be doing it yourself as most members of this site do. As I find myself doing on a daily basis, you have to remind people that if you're paying someone else to do it you're going to pay the premium for it. This is why your choice of other pre-fab units or custom panel builders is limited, as it's hard as a vendor to offer them at a price people want to pay once all costs are taken into account.

As a vendor, I defend NCC's prices. As a hobbyist, I always say look into doing stuff yourself first as you will be surprised how simple it is and how much you can save doing it yourself. If you still aren't willing to have a go after doing a bit of research, then you're going to have to (rightly so) stump up the premium for someone else to do a quality build for you.

[mark shaker]

I did, and its 770 for the 4 player panal and an additional 1,019 for illumination.

Yikes!

I don't think people should put too much time or $ into their first cab. Compromise: Find an old cab, slap some formica on the sides, replace the t-molding, mount the monitor and build the Control Panel.

If your still playing it after a year, then go for either building or buying the "perfect" cab.

   - Mark

[markronz]

I don't think people should put too much time or $ into their first cab. Compromise: Find an old cab, slap some formica on the sides, replace the t-molding, mount the monitor and build the Control Panel.

If your still playing it after a year, then go for either building or buying the "perfect" cab.

   - Mark

+1 

I don't know if I agree on the formica, but I do think you should consider finding an old cabinet and converting it.   This usually takes less skills that building one from scratch.


And as far as the lighting, it's cool, and I have it on my cabinet, but it is definitely pricey.   Like others have said, might want to build a more vanilla type cab and upgrade later.   But I do disagree with someone on the fact that it adds "no functionality" to the cabinet.   I have illuminated buttons and through the miracle that is LED Blinky, when I start a game, it only lights up the appropriate number of buttons.  This is useful...  But yes, it is mostly just cool looking.   

[syph007]

I think most of use agree that the building of the cabinet is alot of it not most of the fun of having one.. so it seems strange to think about buying one premade.  But anyway, assuming thats not an issue with you, then you have to pay in one way or another pay with your time, or with your money.. you choose.  If you ahve more money than time, then that's one thing, but most of us have more time than money

[Hawkweber]

If you ahve more money than time, then that's one thing, but most of us have more time than money

Then there are those of us who have neither the time nor money but still manage to get things done, albeit slowly!

[severdhed]

i have to agree with these guys...the building is the most rewarding part of this hobby.   I find that my cabinets very rarely ever get played by me.  Visitors love to play them, and i play them now and then, but i have way more fun working on them than i do playing them.  I have very little woodworking skills, and very few tools when i started on my frist cabinet project, but i got some cheap tools as i needed them, and learned alot along the way.  there is just something so rewarding about taking raw materials and turning them into something awesome. 

you can get cheap tools at harbor freight, they are not designed for heavy everyday use, but i'm not a carpenter, their tools are more than sufficient for what i needed. if you have a drill, jigsaw and a router, you can build some pretty cool stuff.  i'd suggest looking around locally for an empty cabinet for cheap, and then build your own panel for it.

[mvsfan]

Again, not looking to build one myself. Are there any other companies or sellers that build control panels similar to north coast?

Is it just the woodworking you don't want to do? Are you willing to do a bit of part swapping?

If it's the latter then why not buy something cheap like an X-Arcade stick and swap out the joysticks/buttons for better quality? People generally dismiss the X-Arcade as rubbish, but it is quite sturdy. It's already set up to work with Mame as default. I owned one when I first discovered Mame and it was great for a while. The parts within aren't the the best (particularly the joysticks) but it is so easy to swap them out. You wouldn't need to do any woodworking or wiring. Just put the wires back where they were as you swap out the parts. You could even paint or overlay the panel with your own artwork once all the parts were out.

I didn't swap out the parts because I just sold it before I started my first project. But it was an option I considered and would have been dead easy.

Their are companies out their who will mill and drill a control panel any way you want exactly to the specs you give them, though im sorry i dont have names on hand. i milled and drilled mine myself.

My point is that if you go this route and also go with a Mini Ipac, or the xarcade Diy kit, installing buttons and wiring really just couldnt be any easier, everything is already wired to the board, and its tagged for you.

[Marsupial]

I just find funny someone who comes on a site named "build your own" arcade control, and wants to know how to avoid building it...

[Rabidfool]

I just find funny someone who comes on a site named "build your own" arcade control, and wants to know how to avoid building it...

I am glad I could amuse you. I just wish some people here would realize that not everyone has the time, space or tools to complete all aspects of the build. I figured I would post here as product specific forums usually have a vendor or a private builder or two that offer services. I was right as I have received offers. Also this site has been a plethora of knowledge and I wanted to tap into a great resource.

Everyone else, thank you for the assistance and opinions.

[H4CK3R]

I have one, with all the lights, bells and whistle, its been about 2 years now, and my Cab is still 100% perfect, same as the day i bought it from mameroom.com

Scott has been more then help full with my product and helped me greatly when I needed it, even if it had nothing to do with the control panel itself, and a few other products he didnt sell me.

If I had to do it all over again, I would sure buy from him again.  I think I have gotten my moneys worth.

Day I bought it....




To today




I have opened it up... The wiring job inside is INSANE.  Each button has 9 wires going to it, Grounds, Red, Blue, Green, and the contacts for the actual micro switch.  There are over 400 Connections inside my Control Panel alone.  400 items that needed tightening, soldered, tested, and configured.

Sure I love tinkering with things, but my control panel is the best money I could of spent.  Had I done it myself, either my wife or I would be dead... LOL

 

H4CK3R

[Beretta]

cool lit ball tops.. anyone making those in bat form for Happ comp's?

[Rabidfool]

I have one, with all the lights, bells and whistle, its been about 2 years now, and my Cab is still 100% perfect, same as the day i bought it from mameroom.com

Scott has been more then help full with my product and helped me greatly when I needed it, even if it had nothing to do with the control panel itself, and a few other products he didnt sell me.

If I had to do it all over again, I would sure buy from him again.  I think I have gotten my moneys worth.

Day I bought it....




To today




I have opened it up... The wiring job inside is INSANE.  Each button has 9 wires going to it, Grounds, Red, Blue, Green, and the contacts for the actual micro switch.  There are over 400 Connections inside my Control Panel alone.  400 items that needed tightening, soldered, tested, and configured.

Sure I love tinkering with things, but my control panel is the best money I could of spent.  Had I done it myself, either my wife or I would be dead... LOL

 

H4CK3R

Sir, Your videos are what made me want it in the first place.

[bkenobi]

Perhaps I should rephrase my early contention regarding lighting being useless.  When you have as many controls as H4CK3R does on his panel, you really do need some help to figure out what you need to use for a specific game.  I'm not a huge fan of frankenpanels, but if you have sufficient labeling (which would include lighting as one method), then they aren't nearly as bad.  The primary problem with them IMO is the difficulty in understanding what you need to push to play a game but if you have lights like that then it's simple!

[Rabidfool]

cool lit ball tops.. anyone making those in bat form for Happ comp's?

I have been looking also but haven't found any yet. Would much rather those than ball tops.

[opt2not]

holy frankenpanel batman! 

[H4CK3R]

Its not as Cluttered as it appears.  4 Player layout with 1 4 way.

Each player has start, and coin, There is an enter button, and escape, on both sides.  Everything is labeled so its easy to navigate.

This cab was built for Hyperspin.  Around 41,000 games.  out of thoose 41,000 games There is only a few I cant play nicely.

H4CK3R

[WhereEaglesDare]

out of those 41000 which have you never played?    Also I noticed that you have 6 buttons for each player, how many  4 player games use 6 buttons, from what ive seen they mostly use 2 or 4.

[H4CK3R]

out of those 41000 which have you never played?    Also I noticed that you have 6 buttons for each player, how many  4 player games use 6 buttons, from what ive seen they mostly use 2 or 4.

Honetly, alot.  Don't know what the kids have played, they play it more then me.  And they can figure out the cab easy.  6 Buttons instead of 2 or 4.  There are a few games that require all 6, And I was only going to do this once, Rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.  Besides that it evens out the Control panel nicely.

Having all the games available and not playing them isnt an issue, its not having a game that a guest might want to play and not having it.  It's also alittle dick waving too.. lol

[opt2not]

Honetly, alot.  Don't know what the kids have played, they play it more then me.  And they can figure out the cab easy.  6 Buttons instead of 2 or 4.  There are a few games that require all 6, And I was only going to do this once, Rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.  Besides that it evens out the Control panel nicely.

I'm not aware of any 4 player - 6 button games, other than Guilty Gear Isuka. I believe that's the only game that uses all 6 buttons for all 4 players. Unless you're actually playing that one game...seems like a waste of buttons to me.

It's also alittle dick waving too.. lol

Yeah, I figured as much.
Like I said, Holy frankenpanel Batman!
But hey, whatever floats your boat.

[syph007]

No offense intended but that thing is for sure a franken panel.. wow.  You know it is for sure when it has 4 P controls AND a flight stick... Seeing flight sticks on a standard panel makes me cringe.

[H4CK3R]

It's all good, your in-tittled  to your opinion.  It works for me, and my family.  And obviously others have liked it so much, they too are going with the same layout.  But hey, if putting other peoples projects down, or degrading them floats your boat, hope you get your rocks off.  To each their own.

Mind you this was also my first build, and I had no knowledge of BYOAC.  I think I did pretty well.

This was my second build, I am sure you can find some flaws there too....







H4CK3R

[Rabidfool]

  But hey, if putting other peoples projects down, or degrading them floats your boat, hope you get your rocks off. 


H4CK3R

Yeah there seems to be a lot of that here on this site. 

Would you mind posting a pic of inside the cp?

[H4CK3R]

It looks a lot better then this picture, its the only one I took after opening it up to take a look.

Everything is done real nicely.



Its a little over whelming to say the least.  But what would you expect.  Also the price he quoted you is a  bit less then what I was charged,  Maybe parts came down a bit, ect.  But i would still pay what I was charged in a heart beat if I needed another.

 

[Rabidfool]

Still borderline on it. I was going to downgrade and just get a 2p cp, but the price between that and a 4p is very small.

How easy is it to setup the lights to show what buttons are used when you load a specific game?

[H4CK3R]

Azroo is a good guy and helps when ever he can, he helped me set mine up.  Like anything else, its alittle work to get everything perfect.  But worth it in the end.

Personally, if your gonna spend money on it, make it right the first time.  Like I have said, rather have it, and not need it, then need it and not have it.   To be honest, there have only been a handfull of times when all 4 players get played.  But its nice to know we can do it, instead of people sitting out. 

If you go the 2 player option you'll save a little cash, but you will never re invest and upgrade to a 4 player set.

Makes a great babysitter too =p

[opt2not]

But hey, if putting other peoples projects down, or degrading them floats your boat, hope you get your rocks off.  To each their own.

Hey I'm not putting you down, a frankenpanel is a frankenpanel. Just stating the facts. It's not necessarily a negative thing, it's completely valid if you can actually make use if it all. Though, if a builder is looking for advice on a panel, my first inclination would be to not recommend the frankenpanel route.

I just had to call BS on the 4 player-6 button statement you made, that's all.
6-buttons for all 4 players is not necessary and a waste of time/money IMO for one game that makes use of it.

Mind you this was also my first build, and I had no knowledge of BYOAC.  I think I did pretty well.

For sure. The lighting is great, the cleanliness is nice too...that\s why people ask for opinions here, so we can all comment on it and learn from each other. It's called progression.

This was my second build, I am sure you can find some flaws there too....

VERY AWESOME. Love me a good virtual pinball table! 
The only flaw I have is with your inability to take a bit of criticism. You post a picture, people are going to comment on it. It happens.

But other than that, amazing looking cabinet, very well done!

Yeah there seems to be a lot of that here on this site. 

This is a forum that people critique and comment on each others work, to help increase their quality and craftsmanship. It can't all be "pats on the head", "sugar and spice" comments. How would people learn from that? This passive-aggressiveness that people display now-a-days is just so insincere. Tell it how it is, don't put on a smile and say it's all good when inside you're thinking "daaaaamn!".

My advice to Rabidfool:  Find out what games you want to have running on this thing before you spend the time and money on what controls to support. If money isn't an issue, then go crazy. Franken it up!