First Mame cabinet, how is this deal?

[Bunghoolio]

Greetings, nice forum you have here. I have been reading quite a few posts over the past few weeks. I really want a cabinet, or perhaps a pedestal, loaded with the classic games I remember from the 80's and early 90's for my nephews and nieces to enjoy - and myself of course. I work as an IT programmer, so I am not too scared with all the work it will take to get it right. I found a cabinet in another state for sale second hand, that looks to be in good shape and includes some decent components (I really like what i've read about slikstik controls). My friend can look at it for me and make sure it functions. I think the owner may even include the pc with a little prodding, or I might build my own. It would cost me about $1000 total to purchase and get it shipped across country. Which is about all I can afford at present.

Here's a video of exact type of cabinet :

Does this sound like a good deal for a $1000?
Would a modern flatscreen and a pedestal setup be a better visual experience?

" * Custom MAME Cabinet
* SlikStik custom keyboard/control unit (includes built in spinner and trackball)
* Wells Gardner 27" monitor (great condition, no burn-in)
* Lighted coin door with dual-drop
* Custom lighted marquee
* Custom graphics on cabinet
* Ultimarc arcade video card
* Logitech sound system (speakers and subwoofer)

You install your own PC and MAME software.

Located in upstairs game room. You would be responsible to disassemble and transport."

[RandyT]

I think you have to ask yourself if this is what you would build given the opportunity, or whether you'd rather have a different style cabinet, with a different different display, controls, etc...

If you were going to duplicate this setup, you'd have that much in the parts and pieces.  But if you'd rather spend the money you might ordinarily spend on the monitor and card to drive it, on say, a 50" Plasma, and put that in front of a pedestal control panel for a showcase-style cabinet, then you'd be better off taking that route.

It really depends on the experience you are expecting from the setup, and your ability to build your own idea of the perfect cabinet.  Only you can know the answer to those questions .

[southpaw13]

I would build my own.  You need to understand the process of hardware/software if something stops working.  I set up a few systems for my friends and it was the worst thing I could ever do.  I feel like tech support now.  Most recent, I need to go over to one of my friends just to change out a CMOS battery!
 
-SP

[Bunghoolio]

I set up a few systems for my friends and it was the worst thing I could ever do.  I feel like tech support now.

That is funny! My brother got himself into the same pickle fixing everyones car in his sparetime, the only thing that saved him was moving to another state.

In general, I want to get started in this hobby with a popular "known-good" plan (if that exists) and components, and with a budget of around a $1000 total. I'm not that interested in playing the most recent or resource demanding games, especially if that means many more hours to solve bugs, and at the sacrifice of the classic game performance. I hear both sides of the debate on which version of MAME to run, and both extremes seem to make valid points to me, So I imagine myslef installing a version at least a few back at first.

That being said, do the components listed lend themsleves to a quailty presentation and fit into a well-supported, less-than-average level of frustration to get working correctly?

Since I don't have the opportunity to compare a pedestal/flatscreen with a cabinet/27in like this one, I would appreciate any input on the differences and frustrations of using a wall mounted flatscreen vs a crt.

Are there "known-good" pedestal setups that are popular with the members of this forum that also fit my budget? Also, it seems to me that a slikstik classic with its wide layout, trackball and spinner would be better than a cheaper x-arcade control? But  on its own, the slikstik seems to to be about $500-600 new.         

[southpaw13]

I think Randy had the best answer.  I once had a big honkin' set-up with every control name to man on it.  I now find myself building 19" CRT/LCD restorations because they just feel more authentic.  My 2 favorite multi games I built have the following:

1.  2 joystick 8 button each player---vertical.
2.  Trackball, spinner, 4 button with a flight stick on the side----rotating monitor.

Gets me through 99% of the games.

I also built a 2 steering wheel cabinet, and one with a Star Wars yoke.  I also bought guns than can go into just about any of these cabs.

So once again---do what's right for you.

[yotsuya]

'Sup, Bungholio? What part of the country do you live in?

[rCadeGaming]

Does that cabinet come with TP?

Seriously though, I certainly wouldn't want a cabinet I didn't design myself unless it was an authentic dedicated cab or something.  That being said, if the monitor is in good shape, $1000 including shipping is not a bad deal just for the monitor and components.  It may worth it just for the parts, and you could play it for a while to get an idea of what you really want, and eventually transfer everything into your own cabinet.

[BobA]

I think price wise the cabinet is being purchased for the price of the nice big monitor and controls.   Since it includes shipping in that $1000 it is very acceptable.   There is still alot to learn in setting up the cabinet to your liking so don't feel bad if you buy it built for a decent price.   You can always rebuild it later on if a bigger wall mounted monitor and pedestal is in your future.  You are the only one to judge your abilities and determine if the cab will be a good start for you.

[Bunghoolio]

Yes, of course, I am in constant need of more TP for my

I live in St. Paul /Minneapolis BTW, just not finding anything decent for sale here besides old single game cabinets (I haven't even explored converting one to Mame).  I am guessing that a hobby like this can consume 100's of hours, but that if you make good choices you can greatly reduce the number of hours and the total cost it takes to achieve a good result with your first project.  I tend to spread myself thin with many hobbies.

I'll follow up with the owner of the used slikstik cab, but also need to do some more searching, to get an idea of what else I could build for $1000. If you know of any good build threads, let me know. I guess I'm looking for the used Honda Accord of builds, nothing to fancy, just affordable, dependable and common - that will get me started.

[Bunghoolio]

I think this thread helps answer my own question of other $1000 options:  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,129345.0.html

Perhaps building my own would be a better idea afterall....

[Brian74]

I am from Minnesota too, I picked up two cabs from a guy in Bloomington. http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,121467.msg1305565.html#msg1305565 These were a good starting point to convert to a mame cab.

[rCadeGaming]

Hundreds of hours?  That's just dipping your toes!

Even though you're going with simple, keep real CRT's in mind.  People will tell you about the convenience of LCD's, but the fact is that 90% of the games in MAME run around 240p, and an LCD can never really approach the picture quality of native resolutions on a real CRT.

When it comes down to it, the end gameplay experience should be the first priority.  I think this can be lost sight of in the build sometimes.

Oh, and shut up Beavis, I'm trying to score!

[Bunghoolio]

Hi Brian, can you send me the contact info for the guy in Bloomington, sounds like you got a great deal of those 2 cabinets from him. The Wells Gardner 27" included in my original post seems to fit my plans for a great classic game presentation.  Although, I read that long post about problems with the ones made in Malaysia. How did they work out in your 2 cabinets you bought?

[Gray_Area]

If you'd rather play than build stuff, and given that price INCLUDES shipping, hell yeah, buy it!  Play with it, learn how it works so you know some stuff. If you get more into it, fine. BUT you aren't STUCK with having to learn and do that ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, let alone from the ground up, just to play the games you want to play.

[Bunghoolio]

I found this cabinet (Jamma?) on Craigs locally, I think they come with a 25" Crt (not quite as desirable as a 27" I assume). What's your opinion on something like to convert to Mame? The control section certainly has enough real estate to setup to my liking.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/vgm/3545930026.html

I'm kinda giving up on getting a cabinet shipped across country, the one in the first post would require my friend to take apart, package and help load onto a shipper's truck I am not familiar - a lot of hassle for both of us.

[paigeoliver]

Bad choice, Blitz cabinets are full of weird stuff, it probably has a medium resolution monitor and 49-way joysticks, plus $600 is a hell of a lot to spend on a cabinet to convert.

I found this cabinet (Jamma?) on Craigs locally, I think they come with a 25" Crt (not quite as desirable as a 27" I assume). What's your opinion on something like to convert to Mame? The control section certainly has enough real estate to setup to my liking.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/vgm/3545930026.html

I'm kinda giving up on getting a cabinet shipped across country, the one in the first post would require my friend to take apart, package and help load onto a shipper's truck I am not familiar - a lot of hassle for both of us.

[paigeoliver]

Either one of these ads would be better, that My Hero looks like it is in a Cliffhanger cabinet, which is a nice bonus.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/vgm/3548273003.html

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/vgm/3499461295.html

I wouldn't get too worried about trying to find something with a 27" monitor or a 4 player machine. 25" monitors are way more common. There weren't a lot of arcade games being made other than Golden Tee and driving games by the time 27" monitors replaced 25" ones as the standard, so you really don't see them in a lot of machines. Out of the 230 machines and 30 loose monitors I have owned only 4 have been 27" and that consisted of 2 Candy cabinets that originally came from Japan, a 27" purchased new just for mame and a nonworking parts monitor of the same model as the new one purchased for mame.

[Bunghoolio]

Bad choice, Blitz cabinets are full of weird stuff, it probably has a medium resolution monitor and 49-way joysticks, plus $600 is a hell of a lot to spend on a cabinet to convert.

That's sounds like some good advice, and I really appreciate your taking the time to scan the local Craigs ads for me. $50 for that My Hero sounds like a good way to get started.  Curious if you get a lot of crap from Mame developers on your advice to use earlier versions of Mame? Seems to make sense for those that want a particular cabinet to emphasize the old classic game experience.

[rCadeGaming]

The oldest games don't necessarily run better in the older versions, it's usually the other way around.  The updates are intended to improve emulation accuracy, but this tends to require more processing power as well.

I think he recommends older MAME versions because they can run the games he's concerned with more easily on old computers.  For me, the biggest thing about new versions is the new games added.  There have been a ton I wouldn't want to miss since those old versions.

[paigeoliver]

Yeah, I have gotten some crap from some of the developers before about that advice. The newest versions may be more "accurate", but they have brought with them input lag (no one ever used to mention input lag and now they talk about it all the time), much higher hardware requirements and the fact that there always seems to be some important game or another broken in every version.

And indeed, I am not very concerned with most of the titles added in more modern mame versions. Even once you clear out the absolute garbage you are still left with a collection of games that largely require specialty analog controls for the proper experience and quite a few of those still have visible emulation issues or require non-existent hardware to run full speed.

Bad choice, Blitz cabinets are full of weird stuff, it probably has a medium resolution monitor and 49-way joysticks, plus $600 is a hell of a lot to spend on a cabinet to convert.

That's sounds like some good advice, and I really appreciate your taking the time to scan the local Craigs ads for me. $50 for that My Hero sounds like a good way to get started.  Curious if you get a lot of crap from Mame developers on your advice to use earlier versions of Mame? Seems to make sense for those that want a particular cabinet to emphasize the old classic game experience.

[Bunghoolio]

That My Hero cab sold the same day. How about this Vendetta cab, any good? http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/vgm/3561324341.html

[paigeoliver]

Not too bad, but you could probably do better.

The thing about craigslist is that you have to move INSTANTLY on the good deals. Only the bad deals hang around long enough for you think them over.

That My Hero cab sold the same day. How about this Vendetta cab, any good? http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/vgm/3561324341.html

[BobA]

+1 paigeoliver
Bite bullet and dive in if it is cheap enough.  By the time you ask here and get an answer you have probably lost the cab.  If you can get a working monitor, coin door, control panel, game board (Any or all BONUS!).  You can sell off game boards etc to recoup some cost depending on how much you want to reuse.

[whitt_travis]

Bung, I'm located in Bemidji and have dabbled with the idea of selling my cab.

3.2 p4
1500 mb ram
loaded up running game ex
19 inch lcd
JBL speakers

Local enough, if you were interested maybe we could work something out.

[Bunghoolio]

Hi Guys,

The weather is cooling off again, and I'm thinking about getting a Mame cab in the basement as a project.
Checking Craigs and Summit Amusement in St. Paul has bunch for sale.

How about this Golden Tee 2005 as a decent start:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/vgd/4105940827.html

Or this ridge racer dual for a racing Mame, would be sweet:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/vgd/4037728023.html

You can see all they offer here:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=summit+amusement+co.&zoomToPosting=&minAsk=&maxAsk=

Thanks!

[Bunghoolio]

A little free advice please.... this looks like much less headache...
http://rmn.craigslist.org/vgm/4113879563.html

From the ad:

Up for grabs is my custom MAME Arcade machine
This project started out with the intent of building a full sized cabinet and then I realized that I just didn't have the space available for something like that. so the project morphed into an all in one control panel that houses the PC. The Idea being that you can pull it out and play in front of a flat panel TV or even mount a dedicated TV on the wall.

Here is what is included
4 Player custom built panel

each player has the following buttons
4 way joystick, 7 buttons, 1 coin & 1 start

3" Illuminated Blue Trackball
4 admin buttons on each side
left, right, middle mouse buttons on each side

All Arcade buttons are being run through an IPAC 4

computer Components
The computer is housed inside the control panel
250w power supply
Biostar TH61 Mini ITX Motherboard - N82E16813138327
HDMI/VGA/DVI output, USB 3
I3-2100 CPU
4GB RAM
500GB Sata Hard Drive
Wireless N Adapter Inside

Windows 7 Professional Operating System
Highly customized to remove all traces of the operating system during boot up
This computer is overkill for MAME, but I wanted to be future proof when I built it.

I also have one Amtrak arcade gun with an extra red shell and the recoil kit, I have used this gun a little and it works great on LCD TV's and is really the only good option for MAME.

The stand that it is sitting on is a fold up keyboard stand and is included.

As the panel stands right now, all that is need to get up and running is an outlet and a tv with HDMI input. upon powering the unit up it will boot into Hyperspin which is a fancy way to select what system and what game to play. It currently has several thousand games installed, however not every game works 100% in mame. I can assure that all the classics are working though.

this system also has the capability to play NES, SNES, N64, Atari, Playstation, etc....

The hardware side of the project is complete and the software is usable as is, however to really trick this system out some software customization will be needed.

there is really to much here to cover in a craigslist add, if you are interested please email and ask questions. I have an smartphone so I usually respond to emails immediately.

I'm asking $1000 Firm, do some research most places charge that just for the control panel let alone a built in PC.

[Rick]

A little free advice please.... this looks like much less headache...

Free advice is certainly worth every penny.

[paigeoliver]

Never been a big fan of mounting the PC inside the control panel. Putting the hard drive in the exact spot where everyone will be banging on the machine isn't the wisest choice in the world.

If you buy that you will want to remount the player 3 and 4 joysticks, they are inappropriately angled (well 90 percent of the community and 100 percent of real arcade game manufacturers say you shouldn't angle them, the remaining 10 percent are split between people who haven't built a machine yet and people who already angled their sticks and say they "are fine").

There are not $1000 worth of parts in that ad.

[keilmillerjr]

It doesn't seem like too bad of a price considering it's ready to assemble. I already have a few pennies into my machine, and I'm just about ready to start actually building the cabinet.

However, I am not feeling the design of the cabinet. It seems to bulky and ordinary. That's just me though.

[Bunghoolio]

Thanks once again for your wise words fellas.  I had a great experience yesterday, stopping by Summit Amusement in St. Paul. A guy named Nick was working and he was more than happy to spend 30 minutes to give me an intro to  Jamma boards (19 in 1 , 60 in 1), monitors and cabinet styles, he even had a Mame cabinet in the back they were repairing for a customer. After playing the jamma games, I think a Mame system is more style, ready to roll for the most part would be nice to get started with. I'll talk to that guy with the Mame I posted earlier, it does seem kinda high prices though, and the quad controls are not my thing really. Does a pedestal in front of 60" plasma give a good experience, I wonder? Or Summit might be getting some good cabinets in soon, they sold the Golden Tee 2005 right away.

[paigeoliver]

I really think the best mame experience you can get will be with one if the 2000-2006 era tri-sync crt arcade monitors. A few distributors still have them in stock.

Every LCD and plasma under the sun has some degree of display lag and that doesn't play nice with the fact that emulation comes with a tiny bit of input lag to begin with. Plus any big LCD or plasma will be the wrong aspect ratio for everything.

[rCadeGaming]

Every LCD and plasma under the sun has some degree of display lag and that doesn't play nice with the fact that emulation comes with a tiny bit of input lag to begin with. Plus any big LCD or plasma will be the wrong aspect ratio for everything.

Big +1 to this.  Of course, you can research what flat panels have the lowest lag (remember response rate is NOT a measure of input lag), but I'd save that for modern content.  For MAME, a CRT will be totally lagless AND look better.

I really think the best mame experience you can get will be with one if the 2000-2006 era tri-sync crt arcade monitors. A few distributors still have them in stock.

A tri-sync might be nice if you have that much money to spare, but I don't think it's necessary.  90% of the games in MAME are around 240p, so a 15kHz monitor is all that you need most of the time.  Also, some tri-syncs can be a little too sharp for ~240p games (depends on the dot pitch), meaning a 15kHz monitor will look better for most games.

480p (31kHz) games can also look fairly good in 480i (15kHz).  25kHz games like Paperboy (384p) are the biggest problem with 15kHz-only monitors, but 25kHz games are pretty rare.

You can also use a 15kHz CRT TV with MAME, which is the cheapest option for native resolutions.  When set up properly it can rival the image quality of an arcade monitor.

In any case, to get the most out of any CRT, you'll need to learn how to get native arcade resolution out of a PC using CRT_Emudriver, GroovyMAME, etc.

[Bunghoolio]

I really think the best mame experience you can get will be with one if the 2000-2006 era tri-sync crt arcade monitors. A few distributors still have them in stock.

Every LCD and plasma under the sun has some degree of display lag and that doesn't play nice with the fact that emulation comes with a tiny bit of input lag to begin with. Plus any big LCD or plasma will be the wrong aspect ratio for everything.

That's some good advice, start with the right monitor first. I did some reading about those tri-syncs , sounds like you want a digital one so that it remebers your settings for each game? And something about doubling the Hz for certain games...  "runs in the 31kHz mode, but you can run 15kHz games at exactly 2X scaled resolutions, and they look otherwise pixel perfect ".

The only one I see on craigs is this Wells Gardner D9200 27" Tri-Sync CGA/VGA for $275
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/vgm/4097959294.html

[bimm25e]

I would say buy a big ass tv and make a control panel pedestal for $1000.  If you get a 3d tv even you can actually run a virtual boy

[Bunghoolio]

I'd rather buy a virtual girl.

[paigeoliver]

I really think the best mame experience you can get will be with one if the 2000-2006 era tri-sync crt arcade monitors. A few distributors still have them in stock.

Every LCD and plasma under the sun has some degree of display lag and that doesn't play nice with the fact that emulation comes with a tiny bit of input lag to begin with. Plus any big LCD or plasma will be the wrong aspect ratio for everything.

That's some good advice, start with the right monitor first. I did some reading about those tri-syncs , sounds like you want a digital one so that it remebers your settings for each game? And something about doubling the Hz for certain games...  "runs in the 31kHz mode, but you can run 15kHz games at exactly 2X scaled resolutions, and they look otherwise pixel perfect ".

The only one I see on craigs is this Wells Gardner D9200 27" Tri-Sync CGA/VGA for $275
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/vgm/4097959294.html

A good working D9200 for $275 is a good deal. To compare, I charge about $150 for a good working 19" recapped monitor (without a trade in).