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Getting started and getting buy in from wife?

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Donkbaca:
A lot of it is going to be based on where you live.  Around here if you wanted a cab in decent shape with a working monitor and coin mechs, you would be out 300 bucks. Even if you didn't have the tools.  If you are flat out tool less:

150 bucks for a router
50 bucks for bits

cordless circ saw and drill - 150 bucks or so
forstner bit - 10 bucks
 

misc screws, brackets, glue  -20 bucks

t-molding - 25 bucks

monitor - 100-150 bucks for a 21 inch lcd.


You are right in about the same ball park. Plus then you have a whole bunch of tools to do stuff around the house.  Heck, even if you didn't want the tools, you could probably turn around and ebay them and get 70-80% of your investment back.

The thing is most cabs you would but are 20 plus years old, have been drug all over the place and are beat up to hell.  More likely than not you will want a new CP.  You would have to get an arcade VGA, which will run you 100 bucks, and they don't make the AGP one anymore, so that means you need a computer that has PCIE in it, which disqualifies a lot of older rigs that run MAME just fine.

In terms of money, its just about a wash, in terms of time I would also say its a wash, since you would most likely have to repair the cab, strip it, paint it, etc. 

The only advantage an old cab has is that the work you would be doing would be easier, its less intimidating to strip paint and fill in dings with bondo and sand then it is to build things from scratch.


ChadTower:

A stupid game in a decent cabinet can be had at $100 or under in nearly all places that aren't BFE.  If you can't find one you just haven't figured out your market yet.  We hear that all the time around here and then two years later the same guy is saying "oh, yeah, I remember that.  Now I turn cheap games away because I ran out of space four months ago."

Donkbaca:
These machines are going to be at least 20+ years old, and most were in public getting beat on for years.  I have yet to see a cabinet for 100 bucks with a working monitor and coin mechs.  And who wants a beat up cabinet in their house? Who wants to fuss with a messed up monitor?  There is nothing wrong with doing those things, but they are certainly not cheaper, or faster than building your own cab. 

HaRuMaN:

--- Quote from: Donkbaca on March 01, 2011, 01:34:23 pm ---I have yet to see a cabinet for 100 bucks with a working monitor and coin mechs.

--- End quote ---

$100 working cab with coin mechs...

ChadTower:

--- Quote from: HarumaN on March 01, 2011, 01:43:14 pm ---$100 working cab with coin mechs...

--- End quote ---


...and a working Star Wars yoke.

We've been around this community a long time.  We've seen all the project approaches a thousand times each.  Maybe you have yet to see a working game for that price but they are in your area someplace.  You'll find them eventually.

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