Anyone have advice on how to save money without sacrificing quality?

[honkey]

I have decided on building my own cabinet. I am going to have four controls with 6 buttons on each and a 4-8 way switchable joystick on each. Buying new from Ultimarc, I am looking at around $225. This is for the Ipac-4, joysticks, buttons, and wiring kit. I haven't found any good deals on EBay or Craigslist, but I could be searching for the wrong keywords. Does anyone have some advice or will I just have to accept that price tag?

[Hoopz]

Check out this thread in particular and B/S/T in general for good deals from members here.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=114563.0

That thread had an Ipac for $10 so you better get on it quick before someone else sees your thread and grabs it first.  Other prices are good too so if you don't mind getting it used, I'd go this route.

[Malenko]

used or stealing.

[honkey]

Check out this thread in particular and B/S/T in general for good deals from members here.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=114563.0

That thread had an Ipac for $10 so you better get on it quick before someone else sees your thread and grabs it first.  Other prices are good too so if you don't mind getting it used, I'd go this route.

Thank you. I do not know how I missed that. I sent a PM about the Ipac, that would save a huge portion of the expense!

[Hoopz]

If you don't mind used buttons & joys, you may grab some other stuff from the same seller.  Saves you money, helps him out and gets your loot to you in one or two bundles.  Win-win-win.

And that Ipac may be the regular Ipac and not for four players.  FYI since it doesn't say.

[shateredsoul1979]

• Make sure you know exactly what you need before putting in your order, I had to pay extra shipping for 3 seperate orders because I kept forgetting stuff I needed
• similarly, make sure you're getting what you want. I ordered convex buttons not knowing what that meant, I really wanted concave buttons (that curve in making a small bowl type shape)
• Use MDF wood
• If you don't have the tools to cut wood, find a friend who does or rent them
• Take your time with the cuts, don't waste wood. Test if your tools will make a straight line with spare pieces of wood before hand
• make sure you know what you want to play before buying/building a pc. If you buy an old pc for $50 bucks and decided to upgrade to a newer pc ecause you want to play newer games , well you just wasted $50 bucks.
• attach the pc and parts to the inside of the cabinet, saves you the cost of the pc case if you build your own
• Stick to a simple control panel design, no star wars yoke, 4 way, and thousands of buttons. It'll look nicer too!
• If you want a touch screen cab, you can get pretty good prices on 15" ELO touchscreens on ebay.

[/list]

[mgb]

One way that can shave that price down is, think about if you really need it to be a 4 player cabinet.
building a 2 player controller can be a good amount cheaper.
of course if you must have 4 players, then disregard what I said

[Donkbaca]

Build a 2 player cabinet.  Do you have a xbox 360 or PS3?  When was the last time you had 4 people over to play the new games?  Probably a rare event.  with a 4 player cab, its way more expensive - sticks, encoder, buttons, possibly leds.  I know there are some great 4 player games we remember, but do you really think you will have 4 people over that will want to play TMNT enough to justify the added cost?  Not to mention 4 player panels are huge.

If you do decide 4 players, you don't need switchable 4-8way on all of them.  Generally most 4 way games only use one joystick.

Get a cheap used encoder, or one of those cheap chinese ones new, or if you have a couple extra wired xbox or PS3 joysticks, you can hack them.

[yotsuya]

Build a 2 player cabinet.  Do you have a xbox 360 or PS3?  When was the last time you had 4 people over to play the new games?  Probably a rare event.  with a 4 player cab, its way more expensive - sticks, encoder, buttons, possibly leds.  I know there are some great 4 player games we remember, but do you really think you will have 4 people over that will want to play TMNT enough to justify the added cost?  Not to mention 4 player panels are huge.

If you do decide 4 players, you don't need switchable 4-8way on all of them.  Generally most 4 way games only use one joystick.

Get a cheap used encoder, or one of those cheap chinese ones new, or if you have a couple extra wired xbox or PS3 joysticks, you can hack them.

This is good advice. If you have to go 4 player, don't spend the extra $$$ to make them all switchable.

[honkey]

The reason for the four joysticks is became I am doing a cocktail table with 2 controls on the horizontal and one on each vertical.

[mgb]

Oh ok, then thats one way to save money. you don't need an ipac 4, you can use a regular 2 player encoder and just parralel the controls between the vert and horiz panels.
some guys here will say not to do that because you may be in the middle of a game and someone may touch an unused control but I think thats kinda silly to worry about.

[honkey]

Oh ok, then thats one way to save money. you don't need an ipac 4, you can use a regular 2 player encoder and just parralel the controls between the vert and horiz panels.
some guys here will say not to do that because you may be in the middle of a game and someone may touch an unused control but I think thats kinda silly to worry about.

Does that just mean to wire two buttons to one input on the encoder?

[shateredsoul1979]

yes, it does.

[dfmaverick]

Measure twice a million times, cut once.

[Smeghead]

Use a $20  tv instead of a monitor, I did

[Necro]

Build a CP only and not a cab.  Play on your TV on an HTPC or similar.

[leapinlew]

If your wife gives you a hard time about the money spent on such a trivial thing, ask her how many pair of black shoes she has.



and then hit her.

[ark_ader]

Buy a X Arcade. 

[ragnar]

Not sure how many buttons palyers 3/4 need.  I always thought that 4 were enough from what I remember.  I don't think any 4 player cabs had the need for 6 buttons.

Anyway, I would recommend 7 buttons on players 1/2 so you can get the actual Neo Geo layout.

If money is super tight, you could just do the CP as someone hinted.  It's not as finished but it will save you alot on wood, paint, screws, glue and time.  You can also get a CP done without a router except for maybe the top piece depending on the shape.

My one regret with my first build was trying to build a "do as much as possible cab".  i wanted it to emulate everything.  N64 a primary emulator but that is a waste of time and effort in hindsight.  I wish I did a 4 player cab and ignored analog altogether.  I have a plan to do another build and I think it will be a 4 player cab.  I might get a trackball on it also.  That is TBD.  Build 3 would be a driving cab with maybe a light gun.

My 4 player cab is going to feature 2 Mag Stick Pluses:
http://www.ultimarc.com/controls.html

For players 3/4 I might do a lesser stick but to get the same feel out of those sticks, I think I'll just get the same thing for players 3/4 even if it is somewhat wasteful.


As for budget:
Estimate all your costs.  In the end a full cab is going to cost you well over $500.  Mine was estimated at $700 and probably closer to $800.  Saving $20 on sticks here and $5 on buttons there is not that big of a deal when looking at the total cost.  I go by the thought process of, spend the extra 5% now so you don't say "what if" later or have to deal with an upgrade later.

One cost saver I made:
I wanted to get custom graphics for my CP.  But that requires that you design graphics for your CP  And after that, you need to pay for them.  This is easily a $50 ordeal if you do the artwork on your own.  I went to a local fabric store and got some textured vinyl for $7.  Looks nice with it and hte texture makes it looks a little more interesting than paint alone.  Or you could just paint the top of the CP.

Surprise:
Plexioglass!  That stuff is not cheap.  It was 10 years ago.  Not anymore.  I spent about $100 on the stuff.

[Donkbaca]

How in the heck did you spend 100 bucks on plexi?  Its like 20 bucks for a huge sheet at lowes...

[sharpfork]

use a modded xbox 1 + coinops2 for software/frontend + craigslist TV + solder to the xbox controllers.  If you live near a city with a decent amount od craigslsit postings, you should be able to get the TV + xbox1 with controllers for around $40.  This would take care monitor, computer, and ipac.

[Rick]

How in the heck did you spend 100 bucks on plexi?  Its like 20 bucks for a huge sheet at lowes...

When I went shopping at Home Depot, I believe the 48" x 24" x 1/16" was somewhere around $50.  Is that Lowes Canada or U.S. you're quoting?  (Regardless, I think it bears looking into!)

[ragnar]

How in the heck did you spend 100 bucks on plexi?  Its like 20 bucks for a huge sheet at lowes...

Matters how thick you get and what size plexi is needed.

I used 1/4" throughout.  One sheet for the monitor.  One sheet for the CP.  Maybe not $100 but it was probably $70-$80.

I didn't want 1/8" because of it's flimsy nature.  I don't regret the path I went down.  I am 90% positive thath te sheet for the monitor was $35-$40.

EDIT 1: I might mean 1/8".  I thought what I bought was .220 thickness though.  And yes, I bought in the US at Home Depot.  I did not shop around.  just assumed that that was a good price due to cognitive biases related to assuming Home Depot is hte lowest cost provider that is brick and mortar.

EDIT 2: COST SAVINGS IDEA: Just get the thinest stuff you can for your CP and if it does nto lay flat, use screws to pull it tight against the wood.

[honkey]

Thank you to everyone that replied. So far, I already have a CPU (My mom was about to throw away a Dell 4600) and a 19" Veiwsonic monitor. I am going to have to figure out how I am going to fit both the monitor and computer into the cocktail cabinet. I am hoping that I can take the monitor out of it's case and put the computer on it's side underneath. So if I can build the cabinet and controls for less than 300$, I will be feeling pretty good about this.

[leapinlew]

Thank you to everyone that replied. So far, I already have a CPU (My mom was about to throw away a Dell 4600) and a 19" Veiwsonic monitor. I am going to have to figure out how I am going to fit both the monitor and computer into the cocktail cabinet. I am hoping that I can take the monitor out of it's case and put the computer on it's side underneath. So if I can build the cabinet and controls for less than 300$, I will be feeling pretty good about this.

I've done this and I've been able to keep the monitor in its case. The biggest trick is a good method to keep the monitor stable.

Gut the computer. In fact, you better do this first to make sure it's not one of those Dells that is specially wired to the button.

[bkenobi]

19" CRT will be too small for a 4-player cab.  You can save a lot of money by not having to build the thing a second time when you realize that you've made a critical mistake.  Best bet is to build a CP out of cardboard and have 4 people stand at it to see what spacing and viewing will be like.

[Vigo]

It's a cocktail though.

[Jack Burton]

Yeah, 19" will be perfect for a cocktail.

One way to save to add some functionality without sacrificing much cost is to use a ps3 usb encoder like the ChimpSMD board:

http://www.lizardlick.com/Toodles-ChimpSMD_p_584.html



If you combine this with a ps3 vga cable you'll easily be able to play ps3 games on your cabinet.  

[Donkbaca]

How is that at all saving money?  35 bucks for one set of controls?  Plus, who would want to play a PS3 on a 19 inch CRT?

[HaRuMaN]

How is that at all saving money?  35 bucks for one set of controls?  Plus, who would want to play a PS3 on a 19 inch CRT?

 

[Jack Burton]

How is that at all saving money?  35 bucks for one set of controls?  Plus, who would want to play a PS3 on a 19 inch CRT?

Two chimps is $70.  One Ipac2 is $40.  So for an extra $30 you're adding the functionality of a completely separate platform to your cabinet.  One of which no games at all are emulated yet, and only a handful are available for PC.

Want to play any modern fighting game, shoot em' up, or beat em' up for PS3 on your cab?  This is the best way.  

You could also go alternatively use two PS360 boards for about the same price and have access to both ps3 and xbox 360.  Then you would have a LOT more choices with all the japanese shmups and xbox live arcade games.

As far as playing on a 19" monitor goes... wouldn't bother me.  

[honkey]

How is that at all saving money?  35 bucks for one set of controls?  Plus, who would want to play a PS3 on a 19 inch CRT?

Two chimps is $70.  One Ipac2 is $40.  So for an extra $30 you're adding the functionality of a completely separate platform to your cabinet.  One of which no games at all are emulated yet, and only a handful are available for PC.

Want to play any modern fighting game, shoot em' up, or beat em' up for PS3 on your cab?  This is the best way.  

You could also go alternatively use two PS360 boards for about the same price and have access to both ps3 and xbox 360.  Then you would have a LOT more choices with all the japanese shmups and xbox live arcade games.

As far as playing on a 19" monitor goes... wouldn't bother me.  

Ok, I am lost. Are you saying you can just wire arcade joysticks and buttons to this board instead of an Ipac? You guys are way ahead of me! 2 weeks ago, I was just excited that I could play Galaga, Ms. Pac-man, and Metal Slug all on one machine without spending $1,500. Then I found out how much potential building a cabinet has and I realized I had to do so.

[Donkbaca]

Yup, you can wire it up just like an Ipac.  Its meant for people that make their own fight sticks for PS3 and XB360, but since its USB and there are drivers for it you can plug it into a PC.  

Don't see why you would do this though.  The PS3 and Xbox are designed to be played in HD on widescreens, don't know why you would spend doulble the price for encoders and an extra 200 bucks for a PS3 so that you could play it on a 4:3 screen CRT standard def screen with no analog controls.  

I have an xbox 360 in my cab, but I have a 21.3 inch 4:3 LCD and a VGA cable for the 360.  There is a big difference between a 19inch screen and a 21 inch screen, and it would look like garbage on a standard def screen.  

If you want to do that, go right ahead, I'm not against putting consoles in cabs, I just don't think that this is the right build for one.

As far as interfaces go, if you want it cheap and simple get a used ipac/keywiz. or get one of those cheap 2 player chinese encoders for like 25 bucks.

[Jack Burton]

The OP says he is using a Viewsonic monitor, so he'll be able to use HD resolutions on both consoles.  I think the Xbox 360 even has the ability to do 4:3 HD modes.  

The lack of analog controls would not matter for most of the arcade style games you'd play on a ps3 or xbox 360.  None of the fighting games or traditional shmups require them.  They would be nice on Geometry Wars though!

I couldn't trust any of the Chinese encoders.  I've read far too many rumors of input delay or dropped inputs.  Maybe there's nothing to them, but I'm personally going to stick to things which have been tried and tested like the Ipac or Cthulhu series.  

The one console game that I would really, really like to play in cocktail build is Pac-Man Championship Edition. 

[leapinlew]

honkey,

What I did was build 1 machine that played what I wanted well. If you are into the arcade classics, build a cabinet that plays classics. As you can tell from all the different replies, there are lots of ways to skin this cat. My suggestion is to keep it simple. You can always add the side control panel or build a different machine.

[Necro]

Here's my serious suggestion:

Don't try to skimp and save $5 here, $2 here, etc., and delay things forever.  Figure out what you consider your time to be worth and purchase things based on that. 

For example - can you solder quickly?  If not, and want to use LED's in lights, determine if the time to solder wires to a bunch of LEDs is worth the $20-40 savings vs. pre-wired/lighted buttons (i.e., if it takes you 6 hours to wire it up, and you value your time at $10/hr, then it's 'cheaper' to get the pre-wired solution). 

This goes for everything - controls, art, monitors, etc.  Think about current and future money AND time costs. 

[Donkbaca]

Beat you:
http://www.electronics-emporium.com/products/Xbox360-Fighting-Stick-EX-2-%252d%252d-3FTOO000I02C6D02.html

Don't know about the deal extreme one, but I have the hori stick.  Its decent.

[mgb]

How is that at all saving money?  35 bucks for one set of controls?  Plus, who would want to play a PS3 on a 19 inch CRT?

Two chimps is $70.  One Ipac2 is $40.  So for an extra $30 you're adding the functionality of a completely separate platform to your cabinet.  One of which no games at all are emulated yet, and only a handful are available for PC.

Want to play any modern fighting game, shoot em' up, or beat em' up for PS3 on your cab?  This is the best way.  

You could also go alternatively use two PS360 boards for about the same price and have access to both ps3 and xbox 360.  Then you would have a LOT more choices with all the japanese shmups and xbox live arcade games.

As far as playing on a 19" monitor goes... wouldn't bother me.  

Ok, I am lost. Are you saying you can just wire arcade joysticks and buttons to this board instead of an Ipac? You guys are way ahead of me! 2 weeks ago, I was just excited that I could play Galaga, Ms. Pac-man, and Metal Slug all on one machine without spending $1,500. Then I found out how much potential building a cabinet has and I realized I had to do so.

Remember, you're trying to save money here too. Be carefule because a lot of guys just wanna build a good ol' classic arcade machine, then they come here to the forums and get all filled up with info on what else they can do with it (some good, some bad) and they end up with a bunch of crap that someone told them, they wanted but they never use it. Then they have a big ugly 12 player cab with every controller ever concieved plus some that should have never been, complete with kegerator and all. Of course they then typically find they must save somewhere, which usually equates to a used 15" monitor or something. You can do anything, its just a question of how much and will it function and look good.

[Blanka]

+1 for the 2 player money saving
Get a Minipac with harness, and ditch half of the controls.
As for joysticks, try to get some real Sanwa's on LL or GGG.
For P3 and P4, get a 10$ BT or wired el cheapo game pad. 4P means it is more aboot beer than aboot games.

[shateredsoul1979]

let's put it this way, if I had a chance to redo my panel I'd

I would probably keep the p1, p2, and coin buttons and only have an enter and exit button.

I'd take out the 4 way joystick, and spinner hole (which is still currently plugged with that clear button you see).

And just forget about light gun games, don't even think about it!

 ....so tempting to have, but you'd at least spend 100 on a good gun, unless those ems topguns III end up being pretty good.

[Necro]

Here you go, build this: http://wickedretarded.com/~crapmame/28.html