Just inherited a Williams cabinet... going to MAME it out.

[mxpxrobbie]

Hey folks - I recently inherited what looks like an old Williams cabinet that was converted to a MK1 at some point. I'm told the power supply is shot, and there is no monitor installed, but the board is still in there, as well as the controls...

I want to make this into a MAME box. It's going to need some TLC, I'm just kind of trying to figure out where to start.

Thanks!
Robbie

[Rando]

 

[Vigo]

Congrats on the cab!

You first major decision will probably lie in what you want to do for a monitor, this will dictate what route you want to go with on a number of things. You can either go with a real arcade monitor, or mount a TV or computer monitor instead.

If you go with a TV or  computer monitor, I recommend going with an LCD. They are cheap enough, lightweight, and look nice. Mucking with a tube TV isn't quite worth it anymore. Also, a nice perk is you will not need to worry about that broken power supply, because you can just go without it completely. You will just need to find a different way to light your marquee.

If you go with an arcade monitor, you will need to worry about a working power supply, you will also need to worry about getting a special graphics card to translate the computer video-out into a VGA resolution that the arcade monitor will read. If you are going for the 100% authentic look feel, it is worth the effort. Also, if you are planning on having the option to use the MK1 board, you will need the arcade monitor as well.

I second the pics vote. If you can, post a few pictures of the cabinet. Who knows, you might have a rare cabinet on your hands.

[mxpxrobbie]

here's the only pic I have so far...



I have an old 19" CRT monitor already at the house sitting unused, so that would be cheapest.. However, I definitely understand how much an LCD would improve the weight and look of everything. Time to scour Craigslist for an old 4:3 LCD panel!

Can anybody tell what machine this used to be? The sides have been painted flat black. Are there any markers inside that would tell me what this came with?

Thanks for your help, I look forward to joining the ranks soon!

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

If you go with an arcade monitor, you will need to worry about a working power supply, you will also need to worry about getting a special graphics card to translate the computer video-out into a VGA resolution that the arcade monitor will read. If you are going for the 100% authentic look feel, it is worth the effort.

There are several arcade monitors that do not require anything but standard wall current, and any bog standard ATI card can be used to generate a wide range of arcade resolutions by using custom drivers. Many other types of cards can also be used with Soft15kHz to generate arcade resolutions in a slightly more limited fashion.

[Vigo]

If you go with an arcade monitor, you will need to worry about a working power supply, you will also need to worry about getting a special graphics card to translate the computer video-out into a VGA resolution that the arcade monitor will read. If you are going for the 100% authentic look feel, it is worth the effort.

There are several arcade monitors that do not require anything but standard wall current, and any bog standard ATI card can be used to generate a wide range of arcade resolutions by using custom drivers. Many other types of cards can also be used with Soft15kHz to generate arcade resolutions in a slightly more limited fashion.

True, but that is still the purchase of a specific graphics card that can do it, even if it is not specifically an arcade vga card. I do however recommend an Arcade VGA to rookies going with arcade monitors, It's just the easiest method. Monitors are daunting to people who haven't worked with them before. There is also the worry that using the wrong resolution can be damaging to the monitor if the frequency is too high. Perhaps it is unfounded worry, since I have had monitors at a bad rate at times.

[taylormadelv]

You are the proud owner of a pretty decent looking Stargate cabinet! I have worked on many Williams cabinets and the best results I had were using an old, boat anchor CRT, VGA monitor that has some "curve" in the screen. More curve will fit the plastic bezel better. A 19" will work, but there will be a tiny bit of dead space around the bezel edges, not bad though. I never tried a bigger CRT. LCD's will work but you will lose the plastic bezel and have to mask the monitor off another way. If you go LCD, I recommend that you place the screen as close as possible to the front monitor glass and either mask by painting the glass or cutting black posterboard to fit.
What looks "better" is very subjective, game per game and player to player, you will figure out what looks the best for you.

[Well Fed Games]

Nice cab!  Have fun!