Mame In A Box: Super Cheap Mame Build

[404]

Alright so, i have been lurking the forums for some time now in hopes to gather enough info and guts to build a mame cab. Just when i was about ready to build i had a setback. My parents monitor fried and so i had to lend them the very spare i was going to use for a bartop.

In the meantime i figured i would take one of the many small computers i have here and create an all in one solution for playing mame on my television. The idea here is to keep things as cheap and simple as possible. Most of my craft experience is with metals and plastics. Not to mention i have virtually no tools here. Bear with me as i go through this n00b quest.

I looked around for a number of different options for this box. Most of them inspired by console arcade sticks. I decided to use the Street Fighter 15th Anniversary Arcade Stick as my main inspiration. It's super simple and big enough for me to put the pc guts inside.



First cut. Some edges are slightly crooked.




flipped the top panel upside down and made a rough outline of box that will hold the pc, psu etc.




Board and psu laid out

[drventure]

Sounds like a great first mame project to me. Or you could go my route for your first mame project and still be working on it 4 years later 

What kind of video will you use (hdmi or analog, etc). and wireless keyboard/mouse?

[404]

Sounds like a great first mame project to me. Or you could go my route for your first mame project and still be working on it 4 years later  

What kind of video will you use (hdmi or analog, etc). and wireless keyboard/mouse?

Thanks for the kind words. I'm almost done cutting all of the wood. have enough on this board i bought to make two of them. This is just a mere 1/2 inch MDF. I know most people are using 3/4 inch but i figured  this will likely just be a practice box. I'm also on a pretty tight budget now with Christmas coming up. I was crying when i had to fork over 40 dollars for a jigsaw. 

I'll just be playing a bit on my television. Luckily, it has vga input. The finished product will be quite simillar to turncade's prototype

[404]

all cuts complete.



Ghetto gluing just the sides together for now. Really going to have to find a better solution to holding this thing together. Also have some uneven parts that im hoping to sand down once i have the box in some manageable form.

[Anpanman]

Great looking project.  Keep us posted. 

[404]

the cabinet structure is pretty much done sans the control panel layout. Right now im focusing my time on configuring windows to run properly. Also need to get myself some cheap arcade buttons and a joystick.

[404]

well this project is officially dead. took a big chunk of wood out of a corner while trying to straighten out the box. I'm not really cut out for wood working. 

[drventure]

Aren't you going to paint it? if so, Just grab a can of putty or bondo and fill the missing chunk. People do that all the time when repairing old cabs. Then sand, and prime and you're off!

[404]

Aren't you going to paint it? if so, Just grab a can of putty or bondo and fill the missing chunk. People do that all the time when repairing old cabs. Then sand, and prime and you're off!

the pics of the cut wood don't look so bad but they were quite crooked and already took alot of work and wood filler to hold together as is. I just really realized that i'm going to need much more tools and skill to pull this off than what i currently have. A simple jigsaw and a ruler won't cut it even for something as simple as this.

[Turvey]

Can you play it? Apart from the little mishap are you happy with the general outcome? If so...

Aren't you going to paint it? if so, Just grab a can of putty or bondo and fill the missing chunk. People do that all the time when repairing old cabs. Then sand, and prime and you're off!

What he says 

Who cares what it looks like? Call it a prototype and just use it for what it's designed for 

And then build a new improved version.

[lordnacho]

You already called it a practice box.  A finished product is better any unfinished one.  So get er done.  Are you motivated yet?  WHAT IF I YELL MARINE STYLE?

I'm not entirely happy with mine, but it gets the job done until I have time to work on something bigger and better.

[404]

i just made a quick mix of wood glue and mdf dust and threw some on the affected area. I may continue to work on it but it would be a longshot. I still haven't even picked up any buttons or a stick yet and I'm not too keen on finishing a project like this that i may not use. 

[drventure]

I just really realized that i'm going to need much more tools and skill to pull this off than what i currently have.

Bah, there's always a way! 

Seriously, there's guys on here with access to freakin' milling machines and CNCs. I have a router, a few saws and a steady hand. I won't be making any of Franco's sticks, but I can get something done anyway.

Don't let one f'up get you down. Dude, I can't +count+ the number of times I totally futzed things and had to dig my way out of the hole!

[404]

You already called it a practice box.  A finished product is better any unfinished one.  So get er done.  Are you motivated yet?  WHAT IF I YELL MARINE STYLE?

I'm not entirely happy with mine, but it gets the job done until I have time to work on something bigger and better.

I just really realized that i'm going to need much more tools and skill to pull this off than what i currently have.

Bah, there's always a way! 

Seriously, there's guys on here with access to freakin' milling machines and CNCs. I have a router, a few saws and a steady hand. I won't be making any of Franco's sticks, but I can get something done anyway.

Don't let one f'up get you down. Dude, I can't +count+ the number of times I totally futzed things and had to dig my way out of the hole!

You guys are brutal. BRUTAL I SAY!

I made some quick wood filler using wood glue and mdf shavings. Big mistake. the wood glue is harder to sand than the wood itself. Maybe ill head over to the local hardware store to see if they have a small can of commercial wood filler.

Messed around with the pc today. at least thats something i really know about. working on a custom plastic fan shroud that will funnel air through both the northbridge and the cpu with a small 40mm fan. This unit doesn't really need a fan at all to work properly but i would rather keep this unit as cool as possible. It tends to be at high load even for some NES games which is kind of strange.

I also encountered an issue with the hard drive i am currently using. I have everything setup on a cardboard box. the slightest touch on the bottom side of the hard drives pcb causes it to shut off. going to have to see whats wrong with this or get rid of this drive. It's the last IDE drive i have left too. 

[404]

Final update. Got some wood filler. This stuff is basically wood colored drywall spackle. Anyway, first round of filling and sanding. More than likely this is the end of the road for this project. With Christmas coming up and bills mounting. I don't think it to be wise to spend any more money on this project when what i really wanted was a bartop arcade.

[BobA]

You can always use the part used on your build as a basis for a bartop so nothing will be lost.

[grtcdnbvr]

At the very least you got some good practice.
I've barely started my project and every time i read a new post in this forum i want to start another one.

[404]

You can always use the part used on your build as a basis for a bartop so nothing will be lost.

perhaps. can't really see much of use besides the top. Still, i don't think i can really start a bartop just yet. Need more tools and most importantly, more experience. 

At the very least you got some good practice.
I've barely started my project and every time i read a new post in this forum i want to start another one.

To be brutally honest, all i am really missing for this project are the buttons. Already had a pretty solid idea for interfacing the buttons with the pc and i already had the motherboard, psu and hard drive ready.