I finally decided the time is now to start my first cabinet. Ever since I was a kid I dreamt that someday I would have my own arcade game room. Fast forward 30+ years, and that time is now. Shortly after moving into our new home I began looking at CraigsList and eBay for arcade games. I was a bit surprised to find they could be found, but in good condition they were quite pricey. It wasn't long after I started looking around that I discovered the world of MAME and then this forum. It was an easy choice to decide to build my own cabinet, as it would combine my interest in computers and my enjoyment of woodworking.
I can vividly remember my first encounter with video games. Walking into Skateworld one day to find a small crowd gathered around a single Space Invaders game. After squeezing my way through the crowd and getting my first glimpse I was mesmerized. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen and I was hooked before even depositing my first quarter. Over a period of time that one arcade machine at Skateworld would grow to around a dozen. I remember all the classics being there - Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Missile Command, Centipede, Space Invaders, Asteroids, Frogger, Pole Position and Zaxxon, with a couple of other titles periodically rotated in and out.
For a young teenager growing up in rural Wisconsin, the local Skateworld was the only arcade option. I remember my mom dropping us off for an afternoon of roller skating (or so she thought) with enough money for admission, skate rental and some food from the snack bar. Instead of skating we would sneak in the side door ($1.75 admission saved), not even bother the rent skates ($1.00 skate rental saved) and go without snacks ($1.50 saved) and spend everything at the arcade. Some really great memories of my youth took place there.
I'm sure everyone has their own favorite game, the one you would always gravitate towards when you were down to your last quarter. For me it was always Donkey Kong. I'm not sure exactly why, as I don't recall ever really being very good at it, but it always was and still is my favorite. So for my first cabinet I'll be building a Donkey Kong cabinet from scratch. For all you purists out there, beware! I plan on making a few modifications, so it will not be 100% authentic, but I think the finished product will do my favorite game justice. I'll do my best to document the build in this thread in hopes other might find it useful. Stay tuned!