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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!
--- Quote from: Rabidfool on May 03, 2010, 05:47:50 pm ---I do not have the time, or skill set, to build one from scratch.
--- End quote ---
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:
--- Quote from: Rabidfool on May 03, 2010, 06:24:41 pm ---Again, not looking to build one myself. Are there any other companies or sellers that build control panels similar to north coast?
--- End quote ---
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.