Gauntlet Legends to MAME conversion--progress so far (pic heavy)

[Firepro4Life]

Hey everyone,
Long time lurker, first time builder here. After the wife so graciously cleared some space in my garage while I was deployed, I decided to take the plunge and "build" my very own MAME cabinet. I decided since I didn't have the time/work-working skills/patience to build from scratch, I would repurpose a used cabinet instead. I wanted to create an all purpose  machine to run MAME and a few other emulators, but I needed something to house it. Luckily I found a guy on craigslist who sells loads of machines and he hooked me up with this beauty for 150 bucks (actually only 100 after I sold the PCB on ebay) which included delivery to my house.





Structurally it was in excellent shape with hardly any dings or dents in the wood. The monitor did not work and was missing the back portion and the whole was very dusty and grimy and smelled like a dive bar/Grandma’s attic. The artwork was in good condition and I felt a little bad tearing it off.






After disassembling it and wiping it down with about a million Lysol wipes, I was ready to prime and paint it. 






After a feeble attempt at sanding down the front metal portion with a wire brush drill attachment, I broke down and got it sandblasted/painted black.



Then I got down to business with creating a new control panel for a 2-player, six button layout with trackball. This mean cutting a new panel out of MDF, drilling the holes, routing the edge for the T-Molding and trying to route out a little space below to recess the joysticks and give them a little more height above the panel. This last part was a tad sloppy, but overall I think it turned out good.





I decided to go with a generic ’90 cabinet theme. I painted it a nice “Capcom” blue, chose a basic CP overlay from Gameon Grafx and will probably switch out the marquee depending on my mood, starting off with WrestleFest for now. I also finished the T-Molding, put the separate marquee case back on, and put on the CP overlay. I rushed cutting out the button holes afterwards, but was able to touch it up with a little silver sharpie. Still have to order a few admin buttons I didn't originally consider.






I decided to go with IL 8-way joysticks, Happ buttons and an Ultimarc trackball, all wired into a Minipac (which I chose for simplicity). I am still waiting to wire it all up, as I have to get some more wire to extend the harness, since the kind that Ultimarc gives you is ridiculously short. I also screwed up and put the track ball too close to the front edge of the control panel. After experimenting with the original hinge and smaller ones from Lowes, there is no good way to have the panel open up, other than to completely lift it up. I guess it’s not the end of the world though.

For the speakers I am using a small Logitech Z313 2.1 speaker set which happens to have a volume control knob which I mounted in an inconspicuous but easy to reach spot in the back. They speakers are housed in the marquee case and the subwoofer will be at the bottom of the cab.They are not nearly as high in wattage as the ones recommended in Saint’s book, but they sound great outside the cabinet and its one less thing to buy, so hopefully they work out.




Since the monitor was shot, I sprung for the 27in Makvision/Weiya hi-res CRT from X-Arcade. It wasn’t cheap and mounting it was a gigantic hassle, but hopefully all the authentic pixel-y goodness will be worth it.  I also replaced the (heavy) glass front with a sheet of “smoked” plexi from TAP Plastics. I also replaced the marquee glass with clear plexi from TAP.



Finally, I have a SmartStrip all ready to go once this thing is ready to be fired up.



However, my work has only begun. I still need to choose a computer and then load/fine-tune all the software (which I have only basic experience with). Again, I want to run MAME including later games like NFL Blitz and Gauntlet Legends (go figure) if possible, as well as console emulators for N64, Dreamcast and PS1. I also want it to be able to run SF IV and other new games if I choose. I was thinking of buying a computer kit from Newegg, but I am unsure what would be adequate and what kind of videocard (ArcadeVGA?) will be necessary. I am willing to spend up to around 500 on a kit or pre-built, but if I can really get what I need for less, I am open to it Anyone have an opinion on the following options?
Computers:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.752657
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.752648
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.753182
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883113181

Anyway, just want to share my progress and see what everyone thinks. This forum has been a wealth of information and ideas in helping my work up the guts to take on this project and I have to say many of you do OUTSTANDING work.  I’m sure I will have many more questions as I get into the software side of things. Any input on choosing a computer and videocard would be most appreciated. Thanks!

[vcoleiro1]

Its looking good. 

I have to admit though, hearing you ripped off that side art, I did cringe.  Was there no way of saving it?.

[Unstupid]

Wow!  That was a nice looking Gauntlet!

[Firepro4Life]

Yeah I did feel guilty and I tried to get it all off in one piece, but it just wasn't happening. If its any consolation, the guy I bought from had 2 others in his warehouse, plus a Dark Legacy and I see these a lot on Craigslist, so at least I didn't deface a truly rare classic (which I would never do).