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need advice on 2 mame cabinet builds
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severdhed:
i'd go one horizontal monitor, with 6button fighting layout, (or possibly a 4player depending on what you want).  if you like bowling/golf games, then a trackball in the center.
and the other with a  vertical monitor, 4way stick on left, 3 buttons in the middle and a trackball on the right. (for centipede and milipede)
neo117:

--- Quote from: EvilNuff on September 08, 2010, 09:01:39 am ---Check out http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=55789.0
He also has a few others using the same form factor that aren't wood finish.  That's my personal favorite, however.

--- End quote ---
all i can say is, ....WOW....
that guy is incredible.
that is exactly the type of build i am looking for as far as depth goes....i will have to check out that thread more in depth
EvilNuff:
Search for his other projects too, he has at least 2 other cabs in the same form factor as the woody (well one is more rounded) that have artwork and what not.
neo117:

--- Quote from: BadMouth on September 08, 2010, 10:42:56 am ---If you aren't sure how you want them to differ, what is your reason for building 2?

I would seperate them by controls:

#1 - Horizontal monitor, fighting CP layout with a trackball in the middle.

#2 - Vertical monitor, classic 1 joystick in the center, a spinner to the left, two buttons to the right (maybe a flightstick to the right if you're into discs of tron)

The best part of having two machines is that you could have the most games playable without ending up with a cluttered control panel.
Not sure which one I would work pinball into.

Just my $0.02

--- End quote ---

the reason that i want to build two....is that i don't think i can fit 3 or 4.
The one i have now is getting pretty beat up, and since it was my first attempt, it is pretty cheesy. having said that, it has held up to the last 5 years very well considering that 2 year olds and up have had their time with it.

I think you hit the nail on the head with the cluttered control panel thing too.

i guess it comes down to this, i figured, i wanted to build a new cabinet and make it more compact (lcd monitor). then i thought, maybe i should make two instead of one. after all i think you have two choices when building a MAME cabinet:
1) make lots of sacrifices
2) have a control panel with 325 buttons, 12 joysticks several spinners, two trackballs and a couple of steering wheels with a removable seat. and a pinball launcher.

i decided i didn't really like either of those options. I don't think i really care much about trackballs and spinners, so now i think it comes down to horizontal or vertical. or maybe 4 way joysticks vs. 8 way joysticks. or one with just a single player setup with left hand and right hand buttons for all those games that are 1 simultaneous player...

decisions decisions.

I am leaning towards the horizontal / vertical one right now, but i still am not 100% convinced.

severdhed
why have only 1 joystick on cab #2? are most of the vertical games 1 joystick? I never really looked into which orientation had more of the "1 simultaneous player" setup

severdhed:
  i had a 2 player panel with a 6 button fighter layout, two u360s and a trackball, on a horizontal monitor. this was set up to run everything, with minimal controls.

i have since set up a showcase cabinet as a 4 player machine, players 1 and 2 have u360s and 6 buttons, players 3 and 4 have JLWs in 8way mode, and 4 buttons each, this is with a 27" horizontal monitor.  i am going to setup my other cabinet with a vertical monitor, a single 4way, 3 buttons and a trackball, and have it configured only for vertical classics.  (pacman, donkey kong, frogger, dig dug, centipede, millipede, etc).  about 30 games in all.  those are the games that I play the most, however the kids that come to play, and my kids generally enjoy the games which are playable on the other cabinet.  there are lots of vertial games that use 8way sticks, but i can play them on the 4player cabinet. 

it really depends on what you want.  i love the classic 4way games, so i naturally want a cabinet set up to play them with the best possible controls
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