General Questions- first MAME

[Metimbo]

Sorry for all the newbie questions here, I have done A LOT of searching and can't seem to find definative answers to these questions.

I am modeling my Cab after the Ultimate Arcade II designs from Mameroom with some changes of course.

First off, I had to use 3/4" MDF, no place around here had 5/8".  I hope everything will turn out ok.

1.  Instead of Formica, I would like to use the Happs Black Pica Vinyl.  Anyone have any experience with this?  I want to put it on both sides of the Cab and from the CP down on the front and just paint the top and back pieces.

2.  Paint- Since I am painting some pieces black, what type of paint to use?  Should I paint before install or after?

3.  I want to use Lexan for the sides and the CP, is this pretty much standard?  Anything special I need to know about this stuff?  Should I use Lexan or Smoked Plexi for the monitor bezel?

4.  I want Rotary Joys for the Ikari warriors games.  Will they mess up the fighter-type games as far as feel goes?

5.  I will be using a 27" TV with S-Video-http://www.americantv.com/elec/e_detail.html?xid=1044701209309740&sku=008001428

Thanks in advance guys,
~Tim

[Tiger-Heli]

>First off, I had to use 3/4" MDF, no place around here had 5/8".  I >hope everything will turn out ok.

Shouldn't be a problem, as long as you adjusted all the dimensions to compensate.

>1.  Instead of Formica, I would like to use the Happs Black Pica Vinyl. >Anyone have any experience with this?

I thinks that's similar to some stuff that OSCAR got from partsxpress.com.  Won't be as durable as Formica, but it looks nice, especially if you're good with contact paper, etc.

>3.  I want to use Lexan for the sides and the CP, is this pretty much >standard?  Anything special I need to know about this stuff?  Should >I use Lexan or Smoked Plexi for the monitor bezel?

Lexan is pretty easy to work with.  Would be expensive to do the sides, never heard of that before.  It's standard on many of the cp's on the cabs here.  OSCAR (again) likes smoked glass for the monitor bezel.  If you can't find smoked Lexan, it's easier to work with than Plexi.

>4.  I want Rotary Joys for the Ikari warriors games.  Will they mess >up the fighter-type games as far as feel goes?

See:
http://www.fraggersxtreme.com/arcadepanels/faq.htm#The Rotary Joysticks you mention are not available yet and I want to play IKARI! What should I do?

Basically, the SNK's would suck for fighters.  The Happ's will feel just like Supers, if you're happy with Happ Supers for Fighting games.  Best bet is to put the rotaries on a removable panel.

[Metimbo]

Thanks for the reply.  I really have no woodworking skills.  Last night, I managed to hack up about every piece of wood in the garage trying to cut out my cab panels. /cry
I think I'm going to try and find the 5/8" MDF that the plans call for since I'm going to have to buy 2 of the 3 sheets over again anyways  

How about paint?  What paint looks the best?  And should I paint before or after installation?

Thanks again,
~Tim

[unclet]

I put two coats (with a roller) of Black Semi-Gloss paint from Behr on my cabinet and I like how it looked.  Dont forget to at least put two coats of Primer on before painting.

Also, I bought the Black Pica vinyl and it "looks" great, however, I have not placed this vinyl on my cab yet.  I believe it will be fine for me.

I could not find 5/8" MDF around here either, so I used 3/4 MDF for the sides of the cabinet and then 1/2 MDF for all the other panel pieces.

People say Lexan is easier to work with, but I went with Plexiglass instead because of the hugh price difference.   I had no problem cutting the plexiglass with my hand-held scroll saw with a plastic cutting blade.   Just make sure not to take sharp turns or the plexiglass will break on you.....simply cut away pieces at a time to turn.

[Metimbo]

>4.  I want Rotary Joys for the Ikari warriors games.  Will they mess >up the fighter-type games as far as feel goes?

See:
http://www.fraggersxtreme.com/arcadepanels/faq.htm#The Rotary Joysticks you mention are not available yet and I want to play IKARI! What should I do?

Basically, the SNK's would suck for fighters.  The Happ's will feel just like Supers, if you're happy with Happ Supers for Fighting games.  Best bet is to put the rotaries on a removable panel.

Could I put Supers on 1 and 2 player and the Happs Mech Rotary's on 3 and 4 player?  or would this not work? or do the Happs Mech Rotary feel good enough for fighters and not worry about it?

[paigeoliver]

The old Wico mechanical rotaries have a pretty good feel to them. Not as common as the others, but they are out there, Look for the rotaries with the ROUND yellow cylinder tops as opposed to the ones with all the edges.

[menace]

Could I put Supers on 1 and 2 player and the Happs Mech Rotary's on 3 and 4 player?  or would this not work? or do the Happs Mech Rotary feel good enough for fighters and not worry about it?

this sounds like a good plan--you'll just have to put up with players 3 and 4 whining when they are playing because it won't feel the same.  I have no idea performance wise whether these would be better or worse.  If you do find the wico's you can swap handles on them very easy thanks to the little alan screw that holds them on.

[SirPeale]

Instead of 5/8" MDF you could get plywood...it's much lighter.