Hi everyone

[Vasco]

First of all I want to congratulate everyone for your projects and top notch contributions in this forum and the arcade community in general. I've been wandering around here for some days after talking with a colleague last week about building an arcade cab from scratch. I must say, I didn't knew there was such a community and I'm glad there is, because I'm now focused on building one for myself, my brain is bubbling with ideas, and I could use all the help I can get. My goal is to finish it by the end of the summer, and it will be a 2P slim upright arcade cab, with some extra GPU/CPU juice to power more recent arcade-like PC games, and with a high WAF factor. That's all I can say for know.

There are a few rules I'm intending to follow when the project starts:

Rule #1: Plan, plan plan! I intend to make an exaustive planning of all the procedure, materials, suppliers and issues that may arise. I strongly believe that a solid planning makes execution faster, safer and more valuable. I have a lot of sketches and drawn ideas, and I'm already making a Sketchup 3D model to consolidate everything I have and validate the project as a whole.

Rule #2:  Make things so that the system becomes playable only in the end. I don't want to get sidetracked. because I know I would....

Rule #3:  Get professional help. I'm counting on sharing and debating a lot with you guys on every matter as well as local pro's in woodworking, since I don't have proper tools and will be requiring help from an expert.

Rule #4:  Take my time, and do not rush things. I value detail, quality and presentation. And, like everything in life, those are only achieved with time.

From a novice perspective, there are the rules that, I believe, will lead me to success. But there's nothing better than get it reviewed by the ones who know it best, which is you guys

[drventure]

Welcome aboard!

Sounds like you're on the right track.

There's LOTS of great threads on this board, so search should become your best friend.

But definitely ask questions too.

[Vasco]

Thanks.

In fact, one of the first things I'll need to check in order to finish the 3D model is the CP layout. I don't have the slightest idea on how to layout the buttons and controls property for the best gaming posture. Then there's the wiring itself. I will be reading a lot about this to be able to understand it fully and build it correctly.

Are there any hot topics/diagrams/plans on this that I can start reading right away?

[Desolis]

Hey there, I'm a new guy too. Just getting into the planning phase of my first cabinet. Should be starting a thread fairly soon. Have you seen http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick.html yet? This place has been invaluable for wiring, CP layout, and a whole slew of other things for me when making custom sticks for a couple of Consoles. There's hours of information here, hope it helps.