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Rando's UAII cab progress - Playable!
Rando:
Hello all,
New guy here, starting at the announcements page! I’ve been reviewing the site (and other sites) for a while, and have my initial plan for your review. I’m not ready to start the cabinet build however, as step one is actually to install the subfloor and then laminate wood flooring in my basement, (currently finished but with thin carpet and some moisture issues) but by posting here I’m hoping this will feel “more real” and help me to stay on course.
I’m new to MAME and emulators but have been around computers for much of my life, built a few, so I’m not expecting problems in that area. I’m also good with tools, so I’m looking forward to the actual cabinet build. My biggest flaw is I’m afraid of electrical work/wiring, so custom buttons make me nervous. So here is my preliminary plan, appreciate feedback, options, and ideas:
Arcade Cabinet – Ordered pre-cut offering from MameRoom Designs, Ultimate Arcade II. Will be neat, will look how I want, and have a finished appearance right away. Red T-Molding ordered as well as that looks how I want.
Two Player controllers – Going to build this using information from this site. Current plan is for 2 main 8 way joysticks, 6 buttons each, trackball, and probably a 4-way up top in middle. Don't want the CP to be too Fraken, but a Tron stick is tempting. Also will likely need a spinner, and is a removable Spy Hunter wheel an option? Will likely create an initial "test" CP first with basics, and add what is missing based on popularity of gameplay. Sticking to older games, so hopefully button combos will remain limited.
Monitor – On lookout for a 25" Monitor with S-Video input, speakers on bottom, power return a nice option.
PC System – Dell Dimension P4 wiped and loaded with MAME, games, and currently the Game EX frontend.
Bezel/Marquee/Cab Graphics – Down the road decisions, not a major concern at moment.
Speaker system – Have a nice speaker setup with Bass from a previous PC build, sounds great.
Game Emulators – Looks like I’ll want MAME & Daphne initally, don't know if I want more.
Oh, to help classify me and get an understanding of the games I’m looking to have access to, I just turned 40, so I grew up playing games like Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Dig Dug, Spy Hunter (a favorite), TRON, Journey (cheesy), stuff like that. My wife wants games like Tempest, Robotron, Beserk. I’d like to have access to games like Dragon Quest and Space Ace that took way too many quarters to make any kinds of progress back in the day. Fighting games would be present but likely not my focus for the machine. Finally have a house with a adequate basement for a good gameroom.
This is a long text, sorry about that, but wanted to cover everything. Thanks for this site and help in advance! :cheers:
javeryh:
Welcome.
Wiring the cabinet is the easiest part of the entire build. You should not be afraid of that. It was the first thing I ever wired in my life (and I was also nervous) and it was so easy. I can't stress this enough.
You aren't going to get "definitive" answers to a lot of your questions because everyone will have differing opinions on what to do. My advice would be to build from scratch (especially since you said you are good with tools) and design a control panel that works for your needs. If Tron is important you can certainly add Tron controls (GGG sells an awesome looking repro stick). Spinner and trackballs are very common on a MAME cabinet.
I'd also go with an arcade monitor over a widescreen LCD - way more authentic but again, it depends on your needs.
Finally, I would not put off your bezel/marquee/cab graphics until after the cabinet is built. The nicest cabs on this site are the ones with an overall theme and designed as one cohesive unit. If you don't plan it could end up being way more work down the line and it might look like you slapped the thing together without much thought.
Browse the project announcement forums - sort by # of posts and you will get a good list of projects to look at. Good luck and remember to post tons of pics! :cheers:
eds1275:
The X-Arcade stuff is not much cheaper than building and buying the parts you need. However if you do go that route, maybe build your own control panel and move the guts over. Most spinners I know of are USB so adding one on top of the X-Arcade should be simple enough.
I cannot vouch for the quality of games the X-Arcade comes with as when I opened mine it was like pouring sprinkles from an envelope. I dunno what they do in that factory but the disc was so destroyed it seems unlikely it was an accident. The rest of it was built well - but the joysticks feel cheap and the buttons have a funny hollow sound to them that doesn't feel right. I have heard good things about their trackballs though.
ChurchOfSolipsism:
Re the worrying about just one game thing: If playing that game on the perfect machine is your dream, make it come true. I dare say it will be totally worth it, that sweet moment when you first insert a credit and start playing that one legendary game on original controls... besides, I'm almost sure you'll find that building the whole thing is as much fun as playing it, so go crazy.
Haven't heard much good things about the X-Arcade stuff... get your own sticks and buttons (I usually recommend Japanese brands, Sanwa and Seimitsu, I love the way they feel, but many American players prefer Happ products as they feel a bit stiffer) and take apart a playstation 1 pad for the pcb (to connect the controls to your pc). It's not complicated at all, I was a total noob and I got it right the first time.
Anyway, have fun with your first build!
DirtyDachshunds:
--- Quote from: Rando on December 07, 2010, 12:01:12 pm ---Game Emulators – Looks like I’ll want MAME, SNES, Daphne, Maybe Sega Genesis. Can these all run using the Maximus frontend loader? Ease of use and coolness factors are important here.
--- End quote ---
Hyperspin FTW!
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