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How much do people typically spend building a cab?
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shponglefan:

--- Quote from: jennifer on July 06, 2012, 05:21:24 am ---     My last build, And not quite done....Is a Rock-ola 440, The parts, and options were quite hard to find, and its been a decade in the works, rebuilt everything.
Not a typical build however, more of a love affair.....$7138.00.

--- End quote ---

Wow!  Suddenly $2500 doesn't seem like much.  :o
CheffoJeffo:
My first MAME box (soon to be rewired JAMMA and 60-in-1d) came in at around $400

$200 - Working Perfect Billiards cocktail
$20 - PC
$40 - iPAC
$80 - ArcadeVGA
$50 - Joysticks and Buttons
$10 - Wood for additonal CP
$15 - Vinyl overlay for CPs

Paid quite a bit for paint (oil-based with a true black base, not tinted ... great for cabs), but that covered many cabs.

I think my cheapest two almost-MAME cabs were my my 60-in-1 and 48-in-1 -- paid $100 for the pair working, threw in JAMMA harnesses, reconditioned Wico sticks and buttons and a recon trackball. Total cost before boards around $150. Another $150 for the boards.
Vigo:
Both my vigolix machines were under $100 each. The first one was about $90, and the most expensive piece was a $17 fluorescent light. The racing one was about $80 out of pocket and I had to buy an emergency monitor last second from CL for $40, otherwise I think it would have been a record cheap racing cab. Scrounging for free used stuff if the way I go. Free LCD monitors are practically gold to me.  :lol



Here is my price list, rounded:

Vigolix 1
Wood : $17.00
Spray Paint: $15.00
Vinyl stripping: $5.00
Flourescent light: $17.00
USB powered Speakers: $5.00
ZD Arcade Encoder:$ 12.00 (after my special vendor discount  ;) )
Plexi: $7.00
Artboard for bezel: $3.00
Stencil to make "Vigolix" logo: $4.00
Nuts, bolts, hardware: $5.00
Laptop: Free (had on hand)
Joystick and buttons: Free (had on hand)
TOTAL: $90.00

Vigolix Racer
Wood : $16.00
Car mat for flooring: Free (had on hand)
Spray Paint: $8.00 (Had some left over)
Vinyl stripping: $5.00
Speaker: Free (had on hand)
Racing Wheel: Free (Swiped from my dad, this cab was a gift for him anyway)
Artboard for bezel: $3.00
Nuts, bolts, hardware: $5.00
PC: Free (had on hand, old work computer)
Monitor #1: $3.00 (Fried on me, was a sweet garage sale find otherwise)
Monitor #2: $40.00 (Emergency replacement)
TOTAL: $80
BadMouth:
The funny part is that a lot of people get into this hobby because they want to make something useful out of an old useless computer.  :lol

The driving cab started with a $50 empty shell, but I ended up with around $700 in it, not including the new CP with happ ffb.  
I quit keeping track after it was initially "complete"

I built a 3/4 scale cab using a ping pong table found in the neighbor's trash for the wood.  It ran an ancient computer and crt monitor that I got for free.  
Ended up with $50 in that one, but I had a lot of oddball stuff laying around that most people wouldn't.
It actually looked pretty good for being made out of trash and thrown together quickly, http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=111821.0  

My primary setup is just an x-arcade tankstick, budget pc build, 32" crt tv, & some old act labs s-video light guns.
Even that adds up to more than $500 and there's not even a cab there!  :lol  :'(

I also have piles of parts that I bought just to tinker with, knowing they'd probably never be used in a cab.
(various joysticks, positional guns, steering wheels, pc joysticks, optical encoders, aim-trak, recoil gun, 4 player cp, etc)
I enjoy learning how they work, getting them to work, then deciding if they are worth incorporating into a future cab.
Someday I might throw all the leftovers in one CP for the ultimate Frankenpanel.  
Then I'll list it on ebay for a crazy price nobody would ever pay.  ;D

I'm not keeping track of what's being spent on the new cab.  I usually nickle and dime it, spending around $40-50 per week.
When I do spring for a bigger order or an expensive part, I won't buy anything for a couple weeks after that.
It doesn't really feel like I'm spending a lot, but I'm sure it will end up costing well over $1,000.
I view it as a series of smaller projects that will eventually come together.

This is one of my hobbies.  I don't watch much tv.  
If I weren't spending money on this, I'd be spending it on some other way to entertain myself.
I'm a compulsive tinkerer with a desk job.
If I don't spend a good amount of my free time building something, I feel frustrated.  :timebomb:
This hobby is a nice culmination of different skills.
CoryBee:

--- Quote from: BadMouth on July 06, 2012, 02:06:00 pm ---The funny part is that a lot of people get into this hobby because they want to make something useful out of an old useless computer.  :lol

The driving cab started with a $50 empty shell, but I ended up with around $700 in it, not including the new CP with happ ffb.  
I quit keeping track after it was initially "complete"

I built a 3/4 scale cab using a ping pong table found in the neighbor's trash for the wood.  It ran an ancient computer and crt monitor that I got for free.  
Ended up with $50 in that one, but I had a lot of oddball stuff laying around that most people wouldn't.
It actually looked pretty good for being made out of trash and thrown together quickly, http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=111821.0  

My primary setup is just an x-arcade tankstick, budget pc build, 32" crt tv, & some old act labs s-video light guns.
Even that adds up to more than $500 and there's not even a cab there!  :lol  :'(

I also have piles of parts that I bought just to tinker with, knowing they'd probably never be used in a cab.
(various joysticks, positional guns, steering wheels, pc joysticks, optical encoders, aim-trak, recoil gun, 4 player cp, etc)
I enjoy learning how they work, getting them to work, then deciding if they are worth incorporating into a future cab.
Someday I might through all the leftovers in one CP for the ultimate Frankenpanel.  
Then I'll list it on ebay for a crazy price nobody would ever pay.  ;D

I'm not keeping track of what's being spent on the new cab.  I usually nickle and dime it, spending around $40-50 per week.
When I do spring for a bigger order or an expensive part, I won't buy anything for a couple weeks after that.
It doesn't really feel like I'm spending a lot, but I'm sure it will end up costing well over $1,000.
I view it as a series of smaller projects that will eventually come together.

This is one of my hobbies.  I don't watch much tv.  
If I weren't spending money on this, I'd be spending it on some other way to entertain myself.
I'm a compulsive tinkerer with a desk job.
If I don't spend a good amount of my free time building something, I feel frustrated.  :timebomb:
This hobby is a nice culmination of different skills.

--- End quote ---

 :cheers:
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