1st project - small arcade machine, 2 players, a few leds hopefully

[consolas]

Hello everyone

2nd version of this post, the other one timed out..!

My first plan was to build a big arcade, 2 players, MAME and XBOX360 (street fighter IV YEAHHHH). Since I'm new to this, I'll stick to a smaller one.

Feel free to drop questions or suggestions. Since I'm very new to this, maybe this project will inspire curious players to build one as well.

My plan, if this arcade goes well, is to build one big one for 4 players and offer it to my local children hospital, to the oncology section.

The third one I will build is one getting pc and xbox altogether!

Inspiration:

Awesome, beautiful

Gathering information:
Been reading a lot about building something like this - the sticky on this forum is awesome. Furthermore the people are so friendly that I feel confident enough to start doing actual stuff.

Stuff:
Thanks to Andy (ultimarc) and his patient and attention, here are the items I will purchase

1 x I-PAC 2 Interface. ps/2 interface (don't know the difference between usb, aside from if I want to use xbox I should go with the xbox360).

6 x 2 GoldLeaf Pushbuttons for each player - I think this is the standard number of buttons

2 x J-Stik Ball-Top Red (sanwa)

2 x start buttons (1 and 2players)

2 x admin buttons - didn't even know about these ones until today, need them for pause and exit

2 "pinball" buttons

1 power button - I would prefer a switch like the old arcades had on top, don't know how to explain it better:)

2 x coin button - thanks, shponglefan. I had forgotten about these.

Display: tv or pc screen - I will go with the tv as many here say it feels more natural and real. I will use a lcd monitor, will have to see what to use as I don't want to spend much money on an lcd..probably a weak one, even if I have some lag..


pc - will need to get one, an old one. I won't use the tower, I will place the MB and everything else directly on the arcade casing as space is not that abundant.

sound - a standard 2x1 system will suffice

Sorry about the long post, please, feel free to comment!

Thanks for that first boost, Haruman and PL1 !

Ricardo

[shponglefan]

'grats on embarking on this addictive hobby. 

Few comments:

1) Yes, 6 buttons is standard; it will allow you to play the vast majority of arcade games include Capcom fighting games.
2) PS/2 is an older style serial connector (used on mice and keyboards).  USB is universal serial bus, a newer style.  PS/2 is somewhat obsolete, but the good thing is that if you get an IPac, they include the PS/2 -> USB cable.  So you can use either.
3) You seem to have all the buttons except for coin buttons.  Plan for 2 buttons for those as well, unless you have something else in mind for the coins.
4) If it was me, I'd use an LCD monitor not a TV.  CRT-style TVs have limted resolution and if you are planning to use this thing with more modern gaming like SF IV go with an LCD.  LCD monitors are more compact and lighter so it will make the whole setup smaller and more portable.

Good luck!

[consolas]

Hey buddy!

Thank you very much for your answer! I totally forgot the coin button - since this is a smaller arcade, I don't think it will fit a coin box.

I will add it, thank you.

2) Maybe Ill go with the usb then. When I said I didn't know the difference, I was referring to the IPAC connection itself. Since it is pretty much the same, I'll go with the USB:)

3) thanks, edited and added:)

4) Regarding the TV, I won't play on this particular arcade any xbox games - it will run mostly MAME with the snes, nes, sega, etc games (I would very much like to have mario eheh). That is why I chose to use the TV. I think a 19' LCD would come in handy regarding space and weight. Furthermore, it would solve me the issue of the automatic switch on upon turning on the computer (been reading about it).

I just chose the TV cause, as far as I read, the image is a lot more realistic and seems "correct" whereas in the LCD the image may feel wrong cause the games themselves have lower resolution...what do you think about this?

Ricardo

[PL1]

1 power button - I would prefer a switch like the old arcades had on top, don't know how to explain it better:)

Maybe something liike a vandal switch?



If the monitor doesn't power on automatically using a smart strip, you may need a DPST (Double Pole Single Throw) to switch on the monitor and computer at the same time.

Display: tv or pc screen - I will go with the tv as many here say it feels more natural and real.

I think that shponglefan is on the right track with his comments on size and weight of TVs versus monitors.

The other thing to consider is the connection method.

15 pin VGA, HDMI, or DVI output video cards/motherboards are easier to find than composite or component.

You seem to have all the buttons except for coin buttons.

You might like these.




Scott

[consolas]

Wow, so nice that coin button!

I was thinking of a "regular" button that I will applied the "add coin" function, these are way better! Thanks a bunch!!

Regarding the lcd, yeah, you guys are right. I will sacrifice the "real" feel in order to make this lighter and easier to have the automatic power up. With a smart strip, that is pretty much fixed. Regarding the graphics card, to be honest I haven't thought about it that much, you are right, "regular" graphics card are easier and probably cheaper to buy.

Awesome! Thank you!

Liked the power button as well!:)

[shponglefan]

4) Regarding the TV, I won't play on this particular arcade any xbox games - it will run mostly MAME with the snes, nes, sega, etc games (I would very much like to have mario eheh). That is why I chose to use the TV. I think a 19' LCD would come in handy regarding space and weight. Furthermore, it would solve me the issue of the automatic switch on upon turning on the computer (been reading about it).

I just chose the TV cause, as far as I read, the image is a lot more realistic and seems "correct" whereas in the LCD the image may feel wrong cause the games themselves have lower resolution...what do you think about this?

TBH, I don't worry too much about perfect emulation and recreation.  To go that route even a regular TV isn't going to cut it.  Arcade games used arcade monitors, so the only way to truly recreate the look of them is to use specialized hardware (graphics card + arcade monitor) to get that effect. 

For console gaming it's a different story, since most classic console games were designed for regular TVs.  But they were also designed to be played sitting on a couch with a gamepad, so playing them in an arcade is again a less than faithful reproduction.

Basically, no matter what route you go there are going to be trade offs.  And personally I wouldn't worry too much about trying to completely recreate the look of the old games.  While a modern LCD isn't going to have the exact visual effect of classic arcade and console games, I don't think it takes anything away from playing them.  And you get the advantage of easier hook-up, smaller size, better energy usage, etc.

[consolas]

Yeah, that is pretty much settle, I will go with the lcd.

Now I'm just making calculations and getting ready to order everything - need to find a compromise between $/speed/extras regarding the pc and addons to the arcade (ie.: more $ on the pc, less on pretty things)

I know I need a fairly good graphics card, 256mb is enough?

Ricardo

[PL1]

I know I need a fairly good graphics card, 256mb is enough?

For MAME, you should be able to just use motherboard graphics, since the graphics are handled by the CPU.  Depending on the front end you choose, you may not need a video card.

For Visual Pinball or Future Pinball, you might want to get a card like this one since those pinball programs use the GPU and the high resolution tables can easily overload the onboard video..

If you decide to buy a video card, I wouldn't get one with less than 1024 MB. YMMV.


Scott

[consolas]

Well, I'm going for hyperspin. Let me check graphics requirements

[PL1]

Well, I'm going for hyperspin. Let me check graphics requirements

Get a video card.

From what I've read, Hyperspin is quite a resource hog.


Scott

[consolas]

Noted, will try to figure out minimum requirements. Hopefully I can go with a 1gb card.

Got a good tip

Quoting one member of HS team:
"No, AS3 does not take advantage of graphic cards...  Everything is based on CPU and memory.  A dual core machine does wonders..."

So I should get a graphics card with 1gb, just to make sure but I don't get away from a requiring a bigger pc. I'm going for a 3.0 or so and 2gb ram..can't afford much better for this project.

[consolas]

After boring a couple of persons here (eheh) I finally made up my mind.

I will use MDF because of the price, it is a lot cheaper than PVC, at least here in Portugal. After that, and since I reaaaalllyyyy like that plastic feel, I will probably buy a 1mm pvc sheet and glue (screw?) it on top of the mdf! I think I can get a really cool job for a reasonable price!

I'm going to upload the plans of the cabinet I've made - doodles, mostly. I'm trying to learn how to use google sketch!

Will keep this updated.