Show me your budget build cabs/ help cutting down price on my new project

[rlemmon]

HI guys. I'm working on a cabaret cab and I don't think I'm going to be able to invest as much as i thought i was. I would love to see what you guys have made with little money.

I'm building a replica ms pacman cabaret cab. Here is my proposed cost sheet that I'm trying to slash. I would really appreciate any ideas on cutting the cost down Thanks.


Ms-pac. cabaret cab
Wood 3 sheets (oac or birtch)                         $120.00  (needs to be something smooth and stainible. I tried good on 1 side playone once and it lookd awefull
Marquee                                                       $16.00
Bezel (painted plexi glass for now)                    $15.00     
Control panel overlay                                      $30.00
Stain                                                           $ 7.00
T molding                                                      $20.00
Slot cutter                                                     $30.00   
Keywiz                                                           $36.00
Cp clamps                                                       $9.00
Buttons                                                          $7.00
Magstick plus$shipping                                     $47.00
Disconnects                                                    $4.00
Wire                                                            $ 7.00
Paint &primer                                                 $10.00
Screws                                                          $8.00
Plastic monitor bezel that goes undr glasss          $15.00
Computer (used)                                              $50.00           
17" lcd monitor Acer V173Bb                              $102.00    The monitor needs to be a lcd and non wide screen, I havent seen any deals on used ones.
Coin door/ cash box                                         100.00 Cant seem to find a used one mutch cheaper
Vesa mount                                                    $25.00
Speaker grills                                                  $10.00
Speakers                                                       $20.00

TOTAL $688.00

[syph007]

Buying misc tools were what really shot the price up for me.  Do you already have all tools needed?

[Benevolance]

Yeah, my cabinet ran about $500 for materials and parts, and $1000 for tools...

I cut costs on the computer side by using an old computer I had and snagging a 20" CRT that was being recycled by our office. There are still a lot of places switching CRT to LCD. I bet you could snag an old monitor from some of the recycling depots, too. Free is good.

[meany]

loose the coin door.  It's just for show.

[javeryh]

Don't forget to add 20% to your estimate for all the miscellaneous stuff!

[milkit]

if your on a budget, find a used empty cab for $50 that probably has most of that stuff (tmolding, coin door, etc) already

[BadMouth]

Budget already looks pretty tight.  $10 for primer & paint might not cut it.

Only thing I see that others haven't pointed out is -
 ditch the VESA Mount & just mount a board with holes spaced the same as a VESA mount.

I agree with milkit.  Even if you have to replace everything on an old cab, you'd still come out ahead on wood alone.
If you tell us where you're at, maybe someone can give you a lead on a cheap cab.

Also, if it is a replica, why does it have to use an lcd screen?  Slim replica?

[rlemmon]

Thanks guys!  

Buying misc tools were what really shot the price up for me.  Do you already have all tools needed?

  Ya im set with tools.


The reason I wen with an lcd is that it's a cabaret cab and I would hate to build it around a crt that will probably not have much life left in it, and it would have to be really small or it would stick out of the back. Anoth thisng is that crt's seem to be pretty hard to find around here. We used to have a few good places but there all gone now.

loose the coin door.  It's just for show.

I skipped it on the last one. I really want to add one to this one. It just feels more authentic to me than pushing a credit button. I also think alot of cabs look naked without them.

Don't forget to add 20% to your estimate for all the miscellaneous stuff!

 ya true that.

if your on a budget, find a used empty cab for $50 that probably has most of that stuff (tmolding, coin door, etc) already

 I would kill to find a nice empty cab! The thing is I live in a small town about 100 miles from a city and there is nowere around here to get one. I dont have a truck to haul one from the city even if i could find one there.  

Budget already looks pretty tight.  $10 for primer & paint might not cut it.

Only thing I see that others haven't pointed out is -
 ditch the VESA Mount & just mount a board with holes spaced the same as a VESA mount.

I agree with milkit.  Even if you have to replace everything on an old cab, you'd still come out ahead on wood alone.
If you tell us where you're at, maybe someone can give you a lead on a cheap cab.

Also, if it is a replica, why does it have to use an lcd screen?  Slim replica?

Ditching the vesa is a good idea. I hant thought about using a piece of wood with the same hole pattern.   Im In west PA.  Ut's a ms pacman cabaret replica wich is about 17" deep so a crt wont work unless its really small. Plus I would like to have a 17" screen if I can fit it in the budget. I dont know why i put $10.00 for paint and primer. It should be at lest $20.00

Thanks for your help guys, I really appreciate it.  

[DEMENTED]

Are you sure you will need 3 sheets of plywood
ms pac cabaret is 60 inch high 19.5 wide( 18 inch + 2  sides at .75 each)  and 24 inches deep These dimensions are from http://www.ggdb.com/GameByName.aspx?c=Coin-Op&s=Arcade&l=M&vid=1842/ggdb.com Assuming 4x8 sheets  2 should be plenty.  Cut each sheet at a height of 60 inches . Cut the larger of the 2 resulting pieces into a 60 inch  by 24 inch piece( 1 side of cabinet) and a  60 inch x 18 inch piece for everything else.  leaving a little less than 6 inch strip for miscellaneous stuff.  Cut the  smaller of the two original pieces into a 48 x 18 inch  piece  and another miscellaneous piece.  Unfortunately because of saw kerf you would not be able to get two 18 inch strips.  looking at a few pics of the cabaret http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ms-pacman-pacman-cabaret-arcade-video-game and  http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ms-pac-man-arcade-game-classic-game-cabaret and http://www.pac-man.com/mspacman/mini/  It seems that the base, top and speaker panel would be near the full 24 inch depth of the cabinet. The two 48 x 18 pieces more than cover that.  The back is going to be 3 pieces totaling less than 60 inches because the top angles down.  one 60 x 18 inch piece covers that.  The front is probably  24-32 inches high depending on the construction of the control panel.  The remaining 60 x 18 piece would  definitely cover that.    A quick googling didn't find any pics of a cabaret control panel   I cant tell for sure  but it looks like its a large L shaped metal panel  with a piano hinge at the bottom.  It could be copied in wood but make sure that your chosen joystick has a long enough shaft.  Add the price of the hinge to your costs.   Original  cabinets have metal piece holding the bottom of the bezel glass.  You could use wood with a piece of L shaped aluminum extrusion from the hardware store. Another  Couple of Bucks Added   If You have a metal bending brake it would be trivial to make metal pieces.     To save money on the coin door I would cut the proper opening for the coindoor I wanted to use and then make a cover with 1/8th inch hardboard , wood scraps,  the rest of the piano hinge, a cheap cam lock, and  a button for credits.     Buy the coin door you really want a few months later.  You mentioned staining the sides but original cabs are covered in laminate.  Since your maximum width is 24 inch then Iron on roll laminate like thishttp://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=260-033 would work well.  It would be a tremendous time saver.  You would need 2 rolls.  You could even use much cheaper contact paper to start with and  then apply laminate in a couple of months.  Don't forget the Kick molding  http://www.arcadeshop.com/parts.htm#T-molding   You list a plastic bezel for $15 I have never noticed a bezel for 17 inch lcds.  Plus the shipping on these plastic bezels is very high.   Do a search of these forums about the shipping.   Make your own posterboard bezel.  The flat nature of an LCD makes it much easier than a curved CRT.  You haven't listed any light fixture for the marquee.  more $$$  Also she pac-man.com website describes the marquee as -- DISPLAY PANEL - HEADER MARQUEE plexiglas header with graphic - bent to three sided shape to fit cabinet. Mounting holes are pre-drilled. 18" wide, 5" high with 2" wings on the top and bottom.   If You are not going to do the bent Plexi thing Then you will need somthing to hold your marquee on.  The Aluminum L extrusion shoud work great except that the speaker panel and marquee do not seem to form a 90 degree angle. 

[councilface]

Donts skimp on price - You will regret it.

Wait until you can afford to spend what is needed.

[scuba465]

I got my slot cutter from Groovey Gamer gear for $20.00 and got it fast, that would save $10.00

[shfifty]

i originally planned mine as a budget cab. After finishing it was never quite as good as i dreamed it to be. So now its been ripped down and rebuilt how i originally wanted it. I think its almost impossible to stick to a tight budget if you want a quality job. Like everyone says, its all the unplanned stuff that adds up the most. Ive done countless hardware trips for "just a few things" that can cost up to $50. Throughout my whole project there was always "a few more things" that i needed. And dont forget the cost of rework when you stuff something up.

[WhereEaglesDare]

...This is why some budget cabs here have taken 4 or 5 years and look better than anything Ive ever seen.  From what I seen you gotta take your time, cut a hole for teh coin door and wait 6 months to get it.

[drventure]

Best advice I can give is learn how to setup RSS feeds on Craiglist and check them regularly, and then be patient.

there's always good deals to be had on CL, for everything from donor cabs to tools, computers, etc.

You just have to be patient.

I remember one thread here where the guy's goal was to build an entire cab completely from either donated or found material. No purchase of anything. But I can't find the thread right off anymore, not sure if he ever finished it 

[Blanka]

Or go for the classic coin mechs. Around 20 $ including frontplate.
http://www.arcadeshop.de/Coin-Mech-Coin-Plate-Steel-05-EUR_548.html

[TOK]

I agree with those that say don't half-ass it to save money. Either save up and wait, or do what I do and don't keep a tally. I'm better off not knowing. Never happy when I cut corners on stuff.

I do see two spots where you can probably save... Your coin door price is at least double the going rate. Go on the KLOV forums and post. The most I ever paid for a coin door was 40 bucks and it was in perfect shape and from a pricey local op. Someone said to leave it off, but I like to have it for a front access to the PC drives.
I also haven't seen one machine yet that looked better without one. Its kind of necessary to put it over as real arcade hardware.

The other thing is the VESA mount. Buy a monitor with the 4 screw holes already in the back and just bolt it to a piece of wood. Out of curiosity, I just looked. I have 3 PC LCD's and all 3 of them have that standard mount on the back, including a 19" non-widescreen. I don't think you'll have a problem finding one with the built in mounting holes.

EDIT: Just noticed Badmouth posted this same tip... sorry! Here is the one I did for my bartop. In most cases, you will probably have a scrap large enough to do this.

[Havok]

$100 for a 17" monitor? I picked up a 20.1" LCD (square, not widescreen) for $110 about a year ago. You should be able to shoehorn one in. At the very least, get a 19" - a larger monitor just looks better (within reason, of course).

[BobA]

I have been lucky and received a 17 inch old format LCD monitor for free when my neighbors upgraded to a 24 inch wide screen.   Do not discount getting one for alot less then you have anticipated.

[TheGameFan]

I picked up a generic JAMMA cab for $50, but prep and paint alone cost far more than I had anticipated. I can't even imagine the cost starting a full sized cab from scratch.

My plan is to do a good job and prep and paint, just to get it in the house, then I can add slowly over the next year while I am working on other projects. I am using an existing 19" LCD (for now) and my old PC, but I'll likely still spend close to $500, just to get it playable (marquee, CPO, I-PAC, lexan, etc. add up)

I'd say that is a good starting point (basic CP, cheap hardware, limited artwork, etc). You can even pick up a cheap monitor to play while you are looking for a better one, just don't spend too much time or money on what will be a temporary bezel.

Also, as was said, if you're building your own, don't worry about getting a coin door right away.

[notroubleclubber]

My mame cab is a budget buy. If you search around and not to worried about "genuine" parts then you should be able to do it cheap enough. Im in the uk so prices reflect this.

Cabinet from ebay (monitor broke) - £35
Controls (New from ebay 2 joysticks and 14 buttons) - £28
T Molding - (New but not used now as doesnt fit exact) - £20
MDF for control panel - £5
21" PC Monitor - £30
2.8Ghz P4 PC with 120GB HD & 1GB Ram - £35
Ipac - (New from Ultimarc) - £30
Covering for CP and other Misc - £12
Total - £200

Wiring i used from the original cab and chopped to fit. Any other bits needed were from the original cab such as coin mech, wires, buttons for pc etc.

[rlemmon]

Thanks for the continued help guys!    Demented, Your right, to sheets should be enough. I was thinking i would a separate shhet for each side panel because thats what i used for the last one. I forgot that this one is a cabaret game and i could fit both side panels on one sheet.

I wasn't going to hinge the control panel because i don't really need access to the underside. ( i'm using cp clamps) I will make it from wood because the button layout is different than an original one.  I will be using a magtick plus with a long shaft which is in the cost sheet.

Your coin door idea is great, that is probably what I'll do. I haven't seen the iron on laminate before. I wander if you trim it with a razor blade or if a router is needed? I had posted a while back about contact paper and everyone seemed to think it wouldn't work well.  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=102719.msg1087511#msg1087511  If i knew it would stick and stay I would use it.

I was thinking about using kings oak woodgrain vinyl from arcadeshop.com It's going to run about $90.00  I still need to think about weather ot not i want to go with vinyl or stain. Like you said original ms pac cabarets used vinyl and i agree it would look great but the cost is one thing the other is that this may be a ms- pac/galaga reunion cab. If i take that rout it might just be pained black. I haven't quite decided yet.  Here are some quick and dirty paint mockup pics of what i have in mind.

Black version )I think it's kind of sharp looking


Woodgrain version



Im glad you mentioned kick molding and marquee retainers and the light fixture because i had completely forgot them. A cardboard bezel would be a good temporary solution and a could get a plastic one later. I didn't know that the originals marquees were 3 sided but I'm using repos anyway.


Counciliface, your right but i think i should just get the cab built now and add parts as i can. If I wait until i have the cash do it right all at once it could be a while.


Dventure, I will be checking out craigs list for alot of parts.

TOK what size bolts did you use to mount the monitor? I agree a coin door is necessary (can wait till down the road though) Dropping in a quarter or token is part of the "arcade" experience.

Havok that seemed to be the cheapest i could find.

BobA I'm on the lookout for one but the non wide screens seem to be hard to find and dont seem to much cheaper than used on ebay.

notroubleclubber , I wold love to find a used cab but there aren't any in this area and I don't have a truck to haul one in from somewhere

Thanks again guys !