What is Your Single Biggest Regret of your Arcade Build?

[Malenko]

I'd say the majority of people spend too much on their first cab, but it ends up being a good learning experience and you'll probably have a lot of parts you can re-use on the next build.

Yeah my first MAME cab was a disaster and I spent way too much money on it due to lack of patience and being ignorant of what a "normal price" was. I bought a gutted beat to death cab with a dead monitor for like $400 (this was like 17 years ago) , then bought a brand new TV for it, and a ton of other junk, like that ever so sexy white marble contact paper. Seriously, my first cab was bonafide CrapMAME material.

[knightrdrx]

I spent all this money on this nice arcade cabinet..and a sticker of a coin door..i thought...this looks unfinished...It wasn't really about the sticker it was more that I thought I could fit alot of stuff in the cabinet like Nintendo Power magazines but I couldn't..my computer tower is big and i have a subwoofer in there and the opening is not as big as I imagined.   

Not going with the coin door from recroommasters and opting for the cabinet door and coin door sticker...so I ordered the replacement panel and coin door and just took apart the whole thing!  Plus I'm not even done configuring...I keep adding more games and still find missing video snaps.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist.  I am disappointed the bezel I ordered doesn't hide the bottom of the monitor because you can look down behind it.  I suppose I should have put black electrical tape over the monitor logo.

You didn't like the coin door sticker?

[IAmDotorg]

Maybe the problem is I can't fathom having 32 buttons on a control panel that would need to be lit three different ways anyway....

Well, to be fair, mine's a cocktail table with three CPs, so they're spread out. Mine's not a giant frankenpanel!

The light up buttons are nice on mine for two reasons -- its in my home theater, which is light controlled and tends to be dim so the illumination is nice, and its pretty neat how LEDBlinky knows what the original cab's button colors were and matches them for most games. Could single color LEDs have worked? Sure. It wouldn't have looked as nice, though.

[Le Chuck]

...mine's a cocktail table with three CPs. Mine's not a giant frankenpanel!

I'm not hating.  More than two CPs on a cocktail is a frankenpanel.  You've glugged together additional controls to expand the unit's capability beyond original design.  You, my fine feathered friend, are the proud owner of a frankencab. 

[yotsuya]

I'd say the majority of people spend too much on their first cab, but it ends up being a good learning experience and you'll probably have a lot of parts you can re-use on the next build.

Yeah my first MAME cab was a disaster and I spent way too much money on it due to lack of patience and being ignorant of what a "normal price" was. I bought a gutted beat to death cab with a dead monitor for like $400 (this was like 17 years ago) , then bought a brand new TV for it, and a ton of other junk, like that ever so sexy white marble contact paper. Seriously, my first cab was bonafide CrapMAME material.

I know people rip it for being mean, but honestly, CrapMAME was one of the first things I came across when I started in this hobby, and I was TERRIFIED that I would make something worthy of it. If you understand the INTENT behind it, it's one of the most valuable resources in this entire hobby.

...mine's a cocktail table with three CPs. Mine's not a giant frankenpanel!

I'm not hating.  More than two CPs on a cocktail is a frankenpanel.  You've glugged together additional controls to expand the unit's capability beyond original design.  You, my fine feathered friend, are the proud owner of a frankencab. 

There is wisdom in these words. 

Maybe the problem is I can't fathom having 32 buttons on a control panel that would need to be lit three different ways anyway....

Well, to be fair, mine's a cocktail table with three CPs, so they're spread out. Mine's not a giant frankenpanel!

The light up buttons are nice on mine for two reasons -- its in my home theater, which is light controlled and tends to be dim so the illumination is nice, and its pretty neat how LEDBlinky knows what the original cab's button colors were and matches them for most games. Could single color LEDs have worked? Sure. It wouldn't have looked as nice, though.

I used LEDBlinky and RGB lights to accomplish this on a 4-way vertical cab. I only used FOUR buttons total, though.

[Malenko]

totes agree on CrapMAME. I did so many things wrong with my first cab it deserved to be on there

[IAmDotorg]

...mine's a cocktail table with three CPs. Mine's not a giant frankenpanel!

I'm not hating.  More than two CPs on a cocktail is a frankenpanel.  You've glugged together additional controls to expand the unit's capability beyond original design.  You, my fine feathered friend, are the proud owner of a frankencab.

I'm okay with a frankencab, just don't want a frankenpanel!

[pbj]

Man, I farted one out 10 years ago that should have been on CrapMAME.  Decased 19" TV from a dumpster, cocktail glass from a picture frame, the composite -> coaxial conversion was handled by an early 80s toggle switch VCR that was enormous and filled the bottom of the refrigerator sized cabinet.

Thing played Donkey Kong pretty legit, though.

[telengard]

Only regret I have is what I started with.  I have a Bally cabinet, but wish I had waited and got an Atari style (i.e. Dig Dug, etc).

Other than that, no regrets!

[jennifer]

     Interesting viewpoints, even from some not to be expected, and the overall feeling Jenn walks away with is Time=money... I sit here day after day working on some crazy thing because I enjoy it, soldering gun in hand my computer friends next to me and a coffee pot that's always half full, Life is good, But that's the time.... As for the money Pbj probably said it best with that "Just push that card and don't look back". 

[BorgDog]

I guess we can all have a different idea on what time=money thing means to each of individually.  We are are different ages, different experiences, different stages of life.  For me the experience of my wife going through her illness and her ultimate death because of it almost 8 years ago now (damn time flies) made me realize that time is the most valuable commodity; you only have so much, and can't buy or earn any more of it.  Money is an unfortunate necessity for most of us.  For me this translates into making sure I enjoy what I am doing, yes I am qualified and have worked jobs that pay a lot more than what I am doing now, but honestly I didn't really enjoy them, and the money didn't make me any happier, just had more crap.  I now really enjoy what I do, have cut back on what I "need", and spend the extra time my job allows me to have to do the things I enjoy doing, spending time with family and friends, relaxing doing nothing but enjoying a good beer and the sun on the mountains, and for me my favorite hobby.. making things, some of them cost a lot of money, some of them are virtually free.  As long as you are happy the other crap will take care of itself. 

[Ond]

I guess we can all have a different idea on what time=money thing means to each of individually.  We are are different ages, different experiences, different stages of life.  For me the experience of my wife going through her illness and her ultimate death because of it almost 8 years ago now (damn time flies) made me realize that time is the most valuable commodity; you only have so much, and can't buy or earn any more of it.  Money is an unfortunate necessity for most of us.  For me this translates into making sure I enjoy what I am doing, yes I am qualified and have worked jobs that pay a lot more than what I am doing now, but honestly I didn't really enjoy them, and the money didn't make me any happier, just had more crap.  I now really enjoy what I do, have cut back on what I "need", and spend the extra time my job allows me to have to do the things I enjoy doing, spending time with family and friends, relaxing doing nothing but enjoying a good beer and the sun on the mountains, and for me my favorite hobby.. making things, some of them cost a lot of money, some of them are virtually free.  As long as you are happy the other crap will take care of itself.

Excellent post, now THAT is wisdom.

[Saneless]

Just a few.

Wish I cut down the cabinet a few inches. The plans were fine but the casters raised it a few inches I didn't plan for originally.

Not taking care of the plexiglass before it was playable. Did very well with not having it playable until the entire wood and paint was done, but I've been slacking on the glass.

Finally, the happ competition joysticks are OK but I should have done them all with something better.

No regrets: my 4 player frankenish panel. I have 2 young kids and if this were 2 players they'd be sad.

[Locke141]

Yeah my first MAME cab was a disaster and I spent way too much money on it due to lack of patience and being ignorant of what a "normal price" was. I bought a gutted beat to death cab with a dead monitor for like $400 (this was like 17 years ago) , then bought a brand new TV for it, and a ton of other junk, like that ever so sexy white marble contact paper. Seriously, my first cab was bonafide CrapMAME material.

Man, I farted one out 10 years ago that should have been on CrapMAME.  Decased 19" TV from a dumpster, cocktail glass from a picture frame, the composite -> coaxial conversion was handled by an early 80s toggle switch VCR that was enormous and filled the bottom of the refrigerator sized cabinet.

Thing played Donkey Kong pretty legit, though.

Pic's pleas. 

The only thing I would have done differently on Beat'em up-X is I would have gone slower in end. After a year and a half of work & holdups I made some mistakes with the Plexi. It was one of the last steps and was dying to finish.

   

[Locke141]

Viewing angles on an LCD are only bad if you buy the wrong type of LCD.

Scanline generators make up for a lot of the classic CRT effect, depending on what your level of acceptability is for getting it close enough to the oldskool thing.

Really? that's very interesting, I ignorantly figured that ALL LCD's had crappy viewing angles. Good to know.

This is the best 4:3 your money can buy:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-SyncMaster-213T-21-3-LCD-Monitor-/251811476604?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3aa122347c

21.3" big, 4:3, and great viewing angles. You can get a good price on one if you are patient.

Whats would you say a good prices for that is?

[yotsuya]

I think I paid 75 shipped a few years ago. Anywhere from $50-$100 shipped would be a good deal. It's a great monitor.

[Locke141]

I think I paid 75 shipped a few years ago. Anywhere from $50-$100 shipped would be a good deal. It's a great monitor.

I found one in that price range.

http://www.pcliquidations.com/p14844-samsung-213t-syncmaster-grade

I think I'll pass this time as its condition is listed as C, Thought I would share incase anyone wants to give it a go.   

[MTPPC]

I guess we can all have a different idea on what time=money thing means to each of individually.  We are are different ages, different experiences, different stages of life.  For me the experience of my wife going through her illness and her ultimate death because of it almost 8 years ago now (damn time flies) made me realize that time is the most valuable commodity; you only have so much, and can't buy or earn any more of it.  Money is an unfortunate necessity for most of us.  For me this translates into making sure I enjoy what I am doing, yes I am qualified and have worked jobs that pay a lot more than what I am doing now, but honestly I didn't really enjoy them, and the money didn't make me any happier, just had more crap.  I now really enjoy what I do, have cut back on what I "need", and spend the extra time my job allows me to have to do the things I enjoy doing, spending time with family and friends, relaxing doing nothing but enjoying a good beer and the sun on the mountains, and for me my favorite hobby.. making things, some of them cost a lot of money, some of them are virtually free.  As long as you are happy the other crap will take care of itself.

Excellent post, now THAT is wisdom.

And look at the cost of that wisdom. There sure isn't any free lunch.

[Karpro]

You COULD be. But you're not. Just like I COULD be banging a super model right now. But I prefer to not live in a fantasy. When I was married and had stepchildren (none of my own), I would rather save money to provide for the kids than drop $400+ on LEDs.

This seems like a ridiculous statement. So it's okay to blow $1,200 of the money used to provide for the kids but not $1,600?  Or $1,800 but not $2,200 or $600 but not $1,000?  If you're taking food off the table to build one it doesn't matter if the buttons light up or not, you shouldn't be building it. If you can afford it and want them put them in, simple.

[AMDman13]

The Lusid  Design. Lack of original theme art. I went with Atomic Mame Orange.  I love my Machine otherwise. But, my biggest regret was not making a more stylish cab. The Lusid has a really long base.

Things I haven't regretted. Using a  Tri-Sync CRT Arcade Monitor! There is nothing like playing these games with the correct resolutions and frequencies. It was a sound investment and one I made from the start.