Noob wants to build a MAME cabinet for under 200$

[yotsuya]

May I ask a question- are you a kid on a strict budget, so it HAS to stay under $200? That's the feeling I get from the tone of your posts. Just wonderin'. 

Well, I got a check for $200 as part of my summer job. I might be able to sweet talk my family into $20-30, but that's sort of a liability, so I want to try to get everything by myself, but if push comes to shove, I might get a little room to work with. As for a kid, I'm 17. Young, but I've been interested in electronics since I was 2-3 (playing floppy discs on windows 95), and I have learned a LOT of information over the years. And I have a step dad with a machine shop, and a computer expert for resources. I may be young, but I have a lot of faith in this.

That's cool. We're here to help. A lot of ue have a ton of experience with builds, so feel free to ask, especially if you do a cab conversion as opposed to a scratch build. 

[BadMouth]

May I ask a question- are you a kid on a strict budget, so it HAS to stay under $200? That's the feeling I get from the tone of your posts. Just wonderin'. 

Well, I got a check for $200 as part of my summer job. I might be able to sweet talk my family into $20-30, but that's sort of a liability, so I want to try to get everything by myself, but if push comes to shove, I might get a little room to work with. As for a kid, I'm 17. Young, but I've been interested in electronics since I was 2-3 (playing floppy discs on windows 95), and I have learned a LOT of information over the years. And I have a step dad with a machine shop, and a computer expert for resources. I may be young, but I have a lot of faith in this.

Play that card when you go to look at the machines. You might get a better price or a little more stuff for being a decent working kid on a shoestring budget.   

[Vigo]

I might be able to sweet talk my family into $20-30, but that's sort of a liability.

  I know exactly what you mean. 

[PL1]

I see. I'm used to screw terminals,  but with the grounding and everything i'm a bit worried (I know some stuff about wiring, I disassembled and reassembled vacuum cleaners and ac plugs multiple times, but this is still new to me.)

Arcade wiring is pretty easy.

Check out this part of the FAQ.


Scott

[Malenko]

well, what part of the country are you in? Lots of us have heaps of spare parts we could give you.

[yotsuya]

I see. I'm used to screw terminals,  but with the grounding and everything i'm a bit worried (I know some stuff about wiring, I disassembled and reassembled vacuum cleaners and ac plugs multiple times, but this is still new to me.)

Arcade wiring is pretty easy.

Check out this part of the FAQ.


Scott

Scott's right. I was scared to death to do it - then I ACTUALLY did it- and now I can do it with my eyes closed. It's easy once you try.

[mkwfreak]

well, what part of the country are you in? Lots of us have heaps of spare parts we could give you.

I'm in the eastern part of the north california bay area.

[nitrogen_widget]

I see. I'm used to screw terminals,  but with the grounding and everything i'm a bit worried (I know some stuff about wiring, I disassembled and reassembled vacuum cleaners and ac plugs multiple times, but this is still new to me.)

Arcade wiring is pretty easy.

Check out this part of the FAQ.


Scott

Scott's right. I was scared to death to do it - then I ACTUALLY did it- and now I can do it with my eyes closed. It's easy once you try.

I went to school for electronics.
I learned all about letting the blue smoke out of components on the college's parts.
Stuff never works right once you let the blue smoke out of them.

[dkersten]

I went to school for electronics.
I learned all about letting the blue smoke out of components on the college's parts.
Stuff never works right once you let the blue smoke out of them.

As my first EE professor said, that is "magic smoke" and if you let it out, you can't get the magic back in there to make it work again..

[knave]

mkwfreak: The bay area is a good place to look for cabs. I've found several cabs in the $0 -100 range...I've since run out of room so I'm no competition.

If you are patient you will find something...their was a member in Redding (if you want to take a drive) who years ago had several cabs for sale in the $50 range.

I have a small cabaret cab with a working 13" arcade monitor and leaf joystick in it. PM me if you are interested. Theirs a pic of it in my old buy/sell thread. I probably could include an old computer and a old school minipac if you want it.

[mkwfreak]

mkwfreak: The bay area is a good place to look for cabs. I've found several cabs in the $0 -100 range...I've since run out of room so I'm no competition.

If you are patient you will find something...their was a member in Redding (if you want to take a drive) who years ago had several cabs for sale in the $50 range.

I have a small cabaret cab with a working 13" arcade monitor and leaf joystick in it. PM me if you are interested. Theirs a pic of it in my old buy/sell thread. I probably could include an old computer and a old school minipac if you want it.

Thank you. I took a look at your cabs, but I didn't see any 2P 6 button cabs. That's what I'm looking for, but I'm checking out AYCA today (Hopefully!)
But if it falls through, I'll try to get more info on it.

Edit #1: I don't think AYCA is going to work out. They said that their #1 focus is restoring, and they don't want to sell unless it's a decent price. I'll think about knave's cabaret, but if it were to be a 2P 6 button cab like I planned, I'd need to give it a bit of a makeover.

[mkwfreak]

Sorry for DP, but I feel like it's somewhat needed. As much as I like knave's cabaret, I feel like it might be a better idea to build my own cab, since then I can make it any way I want. I'm looking for schematics for a fighting game cabinet, but not too big like big blue. I'm looking for cabinet plans for Killer Instinct or something similar. Anyone help me out?

[knave]

I think that's a good call. If what you really want is a 2 player cab you wouldn't be happy with the cabaret. Just be warned. Its hard for $200. 

[mkwfreak]

Well, I found a 3D model of a KI cabinet (idk exact dimensions, but it seems pretty close to 1:1, so I think I can work with it.) The next thing on my list is, what kind of material should I build it out of. I've heard good things about plywood, but i'm guessing it's expensive. So I have to decide from dangerous MDF or wimpy particle board. What would you pick?

[nitrogen_widget]

When did MDF get dangerous?
did I miss something?

[Malenko]

When did MDF get dangerous?
did I miss something?

When Chad loads it into a truck, or when its a complete Pole Position cab in the back of my truck.

[dkersten]

When did MDF get dangerous?
did I miss something?

I've seen more than one post here talking about how dangerous the dust is, and I would guess that anyone whose only experience with MDF is from reading here is terrified of the stuff.  It's true that a good rule of thumb is that breathing in anything other than oxygen is bad for you in some way, but unless you work with this stuff without any kind of dust mask for a few decades, you probably won't ever be affected by it.  Simply using the most basic dust mask will keep you safe. 

[JDFan]

When did MDF get dangerous?
did I miss something?

When Chad loads it into a truck, or when its a complete Pole Position cab in the back of my truck.

Guess someone didn't check the tie downs and make sure everything was secure ! 

When did MDF get dangerous?
did I miss something?

Have you ever seen the area after cutting the MDF for the T-molding install --- figure thats what the inside of your lungs looks like also if you didn't wear a mask !! 

[knave]

I have toyed with building vs. buying for as long as I've been in this hobby. It is always less expensive to get an old "empty" cab and fix it up. You could easily do that for $200

If you are interested in finding a cab Try:

ARCADE GAME CABINET BUILD YOUR OWN ARCADE VIDEO GAME (hayward / castro valley)
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/for/4579551730.html

I think I might have bought my first cab from him( the name sounds familiar anyways.

Anyway look around, toy will find one that suits you.

Empty arcade cabs for sale, perfect for MAME - $60 (napa county)
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/ele/4590190866.html

[MaxAsh]

As a fellow noob, just getting into this hobby in the past few months as well, I'll outline some thoughts that might help. I've spent more time/money on my own build, but several friends have asked me to help them with "cheaper" builds. Here are some general costs for a cheaper build I've worked on for a friend. Keep in mind that this can be less attractive, but functional. The upside is that you can come back with more money later and spruce things up if you want. As others have said, if you really want a nice looking setup, your budget will jump higher than $200 quickly. But if you just want to setup a working cab, have some fun with it, and then decide how much further to go with your investment, here are my thoughts.

PM me if you want specific links/details, as I don't want to flood the thread with a bunch of eBay links and such:

Cabinet - Free (+gas). I posted on CL saying I was looking for a gutted/broken/beat up cabinet. I actually received several responses within a couple of weeks for everything from Free to $100. You can also just keep an eye out and search for "arcade" several times daily. They go fast, so you should check often.

Encoder - The super-cheap option is the $11 board from China/Hong Kong you can get on eBay. It's a Zero Delay encoder knock off, but works great. It's more limited than the I and J pac setups, but it's got plenty for a simple build (1 joystick, 12 buttons). I ordered two for a total of $22. Comes with wires for button/joystick connections and USB cable.

Joystick/Buttons - Again, going cheaper, you can grab 2 'competition' joysticks and 14 buttons for around $35 shipped on eBay (and you can pick your colors). That's enough for 2 players, 6 buttons each, plus a P1 and P2 button. If you need a few extra for admin stuff, you can pickup buttons for $1.50-$2.00 each in other auctions.

Lighting - LED strip lights, 5 meters worth, can be snagged for $5 or so on eBay. They run on 12V so you can literally wire them into your PC power supply with minimal effort. Great for cheap marquee or other lighting.

Control Panel Overlay/Marquee - Design your own, or find another someone has shared, print it at Staples for $12-18 on outdoor vinyl. You can do a marquee on regular vinyl for $5 at Staples too. Grab a sheet of Lexan or Plexi (I prefer Lexan) and slap it over your CPO, use it for the marquee if you don't have anything up there.


Add that up and you're still under $100. That's assuming you have the monitor/computer like you said in your OP. Again, this is a cheap build. Ideally you'd spend more money on each of these items to improve quality, appearance, etc. My friend loves his setup immensely, and the whole build was around $175, but it's not a showpiece or something gorgeous, it's a functional, fun feature he and his buddies use in his mancave while watching games and grabbing some beers.

Honestly, the biggest cost savings on a cheap build is the cabinet. If you can get a free one or cheap, you're golden. Be patient on the cabinet, see what you can find over a few weeks. Order or work on some of the other stuff in the mean time while you hunt.

[nitrogen_widget]

When did MDF get dangerous?
did I miss something?

When Chad loads it into a truck, or when its a complete Pole Position cab in the back of my truck.

Guess someone didn't check the tie downs and make sure everything was secure ! 

When did MDF get dangerous?
did I miss something?

Have you ever seen the area after cutting the MDF for the T-molding install --- figure thats what the inside of your lungs looks like also if you didn't wear a mask !!

eh, i'm safe.
It will just slide off the coating of pressure treated dust already there from when I built my deck.

[mkarabinus]

So far, I am at $110, all i need is the artwork, and to pick up a free PC.(I have everything running through my main laptop as of now)

So far I have the joysticks, and buttons, interface with wiring, marquee light, 4 speakers and a subwoofer, surge protector, new t-molding, and cabinet (I got lucky and grabbed a cabinet that looks brand spankin' new for only $10 at an auction)

(My goal is to be under $200 too...so i am totally taking my time!

You can do it!!!!!!

[MaxAsh]

So far, I am at $110, all i need is the artwork

The artwork part can get expensive fast I've found. As I noted above, you can do a control panel overlay and marquee on the cheap and get decent results, but I've yet to sort out what I'm going to do with my side art or front panel/kickplate area art. The cheapest option, of course, is to just paint it a nice looking solid color (black, or whatever you prefer). Done right, this can look really nice. I'm still debating what to do. I've found some inexpensive art sets (generic "multicade" designs) for $40-50, but they don't really have the look I want.

There are some great designs/ideas floating around in the projects area, and in members' signatures. It's too bad no one sells a nice cheap set of good wall stickers/decals, those could be fun to slap on, move around and re-use, etc. I've found some, but never a huge collection cheap, which is too bad.

[mkarabinus]

I've got some REALLY cool LARGE Simpson's promo decals, that I aquired from FOX,  that i am going to be putting up on the for trade section soon.  They could make great side art for somebody's cabinet.

[EMDB]

So far, I am at $110, all i need is the artwork, and to pick up a free PC.(I have everything running through my main laptop as of now)

So far I have the joysticks, and buttons, interface with wiring, marquee light, 4 speakers and a subwoofer, surge protector, new t-molding, and cabinet (I got lucky and grabbed a cabinet that looks brand spankin' new for only $10 at an auction)

(My goal is to be under $200 too...so i am totally taking my time!

You can do it!!!!!!

I guess now is the right time for:

[mkarabinus]

Here is a "how I got it it" and in its current stripped state.  I hope to finish getting th top speakers mounted in the next day or two...

[mkarabinus]

This is all the fun stuff that was in it when i got it:

[MaxAsh]

This is all the fun stuff that was in it when i got it:

Not to continue the hijacking too much, but you got THAT for $10? Nice! Looks like it was working too - I'm surprised you dismantled it. I probably would have kept it as-is or resold it, and found another cabinet somewhere cheap haha.

[mkwfreak]

I have a question about sideart. If it's like a decal, but doesn't take up the whole sides of the cabinet, how much am I looking at from staples?

[MaxAsh]

I have a question about sideart. If it's like a decal, but doesn't take up the whole sides of the cabinet, how much am I looking at from staples?

The Staples near me actually said they no longer do adhesive vinyl, which was disappointing. Other print shops may have that, but Staples seems to have cut back on a lot of their less profitable printing options. Your luck may vary, always worth a phone call.

That being said, I'm willing to bet if the side art you want is smaller in nature (not the entire side of the cab), you can find users on here or sellers on eBay that will have some resonable prices. The quality will be better, especially if obtained from a good seller on the forums, and you'll likely be able to get something you really want. Do you have a design you personally made, or perhaps one you found online you like? If so, figure out the measurements and either hit up a known side art person on the forums, or post over in the Artwork section of the forums. The really good graphics companies aren't cheap, but they have great quality. It's a tough decision, and one I'm still mulling over as I work on other cabinet items.

[Malenko]

I have a question about sideart. If it's like a decal, but doesn't take up the whole sides of the cabinet, how much am I looking at from staples?

use souldraw aka shady lee

[mgb]

I think its cool that a 17 year old is interested in this hobby.
it would seem to me that the cheapest way would be to be to find an empty cabinet and hard work.

[yotsuya]

use souldraw aka shady lee

Always trust a vendor named "Shady" 

[mkwfreak]

I made a craigslist posting, if anyone's interested.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/wan/4622703732.html

[yotsuya]

Check Facebook to see if there are any local collectors groups around. I've gotten empty cabs for between $0-$50 from collector friends that weren't advertised anywhere. 

[mkwfreak]

BUMP.

Hey guys, i'm running into a problem.

My family says that we're moving, and I probably won't be able to get an upright, so I'm considering a backup plan.

I'm thinking about just buying an x-arcade dual joystick, and fashioning my laptop into a makeshift bartop.

Does this sound like a good compromise?

[yotsuya]

Sure. If you just want to be able to play classics, that's a good compromise. Keep the idea of a cabinet in the back of your mind... We'll be here to help when you're ready! 

[JDFan]

Might check with yuppicide in the B\S\T sub forum he has one he is selling for $50 that you might be able to get him to ship to you much cheaper than a new one ! Here's a link to his thread ( http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,141035.0.html )

[mkwfreak]

Sure. If you just want to be able to play classics, that's a good compromise. Keep the idea of a cabinet in the back of your mind... We'll be here to help when you're ready! 

Plus, if I wanted to, I can replace the regular sticks with fighting sticks, right?

[yotsuya]

Sure. If you just want to be able to play classics, that's a good compromise. Keep the idea of a cabinet in the back of your mind... We'll be here to help when you're ready! 

Plus, if I wanted to, I can replace the regular sticks with fighting sticks, right?

I think you can, but I don't have any experience with one so I don't know the process. Anyone care to weigh in?