My advice to beginners

[DietCoke]

RVS - no way!  That was valuable info - don't be ashamed of your contribution.   And thank you.

[yotsuya]

Good example, but I'll stand by my position that real arcade cabinets don't have cup holders...

      

 

[opt2not]

Goods are posted in the OND Metropolis forum, and I apologize if I came off as "preachy" I certainly didn't mean it that way.  I'll remove my post...probably shouldn't have posted it as a new member.

Aww c'mon, you didn't need to retract your post. A posting or link of what you done would have sufficed. 

How the heck are we supposed to know what you've done if you don't link it? (I don't normally peruse Ond's Metropolis post, so I don't really know what's in there)

Sheesh, give one piece of criticism asking for some credibility, and people get started like cockroaches when the lights come on.

[Malenko]

Goods are posted in the OND Metropolis forum, and I apologize if I came off as "preachy" I certainly didn't mean it that way.  I'll remove my post...probably shouldn't have posted it as a new member.

comments are welcome by all. Anyone can offer up advice, personally I prefer it short and sweet. I can link to a million mistakes I made in my threads as a basis for why I do the things I do the way I do.  The intent of this isn't really to tell new builders what to do, but to show them what not to do and preferably WHY.   

[DietCoke]

Good example, but I'll stand by my position that real arcade cabinets don't have cup holders...

      

 

You didn't need to go to Defcon 1, sir.

[rvs0002]

Goods are posted in the OND Metropolis forum, and I apologize if I came off as "preachy" I certainly didn't mean it that way.  I'll remove my post...probably shouldn't have posted it as a new member.

Aww c'mon, you didn't need to retract your post. A posting or link of what you done would have sufficed. 

How the heck are we supposed to know what you've done if you don't link it? (I don't normally peruse Ond's Metropolis post, so I don't really know what's in there)

Sheesh, give one piece of criticism asking for some credibility, and people get started like cockroaches when the lights come on.

Don't think I can make you happy no matter what so I give up. Don't want to start off in the forum in a pissing match so you win, I am a cockroach. Let's shake hands and move on to something that folks actually want to read.

To DietCoke and Malenko thanks for the encouragement! Being someone that knew absolutely nothing I made a ton of mistakes but what a cool building experience and hobby. Can't believe how many nice people helped get me back on track here. Hope I can do the same eventually!

Be well!

[yotsuya]

You didn't need to go to Defcon 1, sir.

I will freely admit that I am not of the candy cab era. I cut my teeth on the Golden Age. I think Street Fighter II is a great SNES game.

[DietCoke]

I will freely admit that I am not of the candy cab era. I cut my teeth on the Golden Age. I think Street Fighter II is a great SNES game.

I cut mine as well back in the very early 80's.  But I'm a soda junkie and am somewhat practical (as long as it doesn't have to do with budget)... thus, the cupholders   No worries.  I'll just make sure your cupholder is empty when you play on my system!   

 

[Ond]

Goods are posted in the OND Metropolis forum, and I apologize if I came off as "preachy" I certainly didn't mean it that way.  I'll remove my post...probably shouldn't have posted it as a new member.

Aww c'mon, you didn't need to retract your post. A posting or link of what you done would have sufficed. 

How the heck are we supposed to know what you've done if you don't link it? (I don't normally peruse Ond's Metropolis post, so I don't really know what's in there)

Sheesh, give one piece of criticism asking for some credibility, and people get started like cockroaches when the lights come on.

Don't think I can make you happy no matter what so I give up. Don't want to start off in the forum in a pissing match so you win, I am a cockroach. Let's shake hands and move on to something that folks actually want to read.

To DietCoke and Malenko thanks for the encouragement! Being someone that knew absolutely nothing I made a ton of mistakes but what a cool building experience and hobby. Can't believe how many nice people helped get me back on track here. Hope I can do the same eventually!

Be well!

Rather than nuke your post in this thread just edit it up for a more concise 'lessons learned'.  Or if not in this thread - add your learning's to your post in the Metropolis build thread or in your own project thread.  The bottom line is just that veterans here tend to get a bit pissy with very long posts with no (apparent) build examples.  There's always something new to learn for everyone, I forage my way through everything, picking up what I can here and there and largely ignoring the overly emotive stuff.  Thanks for the contribution and welcome to a fun hobby!   

[opt2not]

Don't think I can make you happy no matter what so I give up. Don't want to start off in the forum in a pissing match so you win, I am a cockroach. Let's shake hands and move on to something that folks actually want to read

- I wasn't calling you a cockroach. It was an expression and comparison that you were startled like one after being called out for credibility.

- no pissing match. All I was asking for was proof of your experiences. Many people like to give an opinion of things without actually experiencing them. I was questioning yours.

- by deleting your post, nobody wins.

FWIW, the advice you gave was sound, it was just empty without proven examples.

[yotsuya]

I will freely admit that I am not of the candy cab era. I cut my teeth on the Golden Age. I think Street Fighter II is a great SNES game.

I cut mine as well back in the very early 80's.  But I'm a soda junkie and am somewhat practical (as long as it doesn't have to do with budget)... thus, the cupholders   No worries.  I'll just make sure your cupholder is empty when you play on my system!   

 

I have a pair of cupholders you can buy from me... the fold-up kind! 

[Rick]

Be well John Spartan!

FTFY.

And Reg's bark are much worse than their bite. It's a forum, so a thick skin is a requirement.

[vandale]

I will freely admit that I am not of the candy cab era. I cut my teeth on the Golden Age. I think Street Fighter II is a great SNES game.

I cut mine as well back in the very early 80's.  But I'm a soda junkie and am somewhat practical (as long as it doesn't have to do with budget)... thus, the cupholders   No worries.  I'll just make sure your cupholder is empty when you play on my system!   

 

I am usually on the skill juice when playing

[edekoning]

No shame in starting off by building something small, like a fight stick or bartop

Nope, but I find starting big is easier: plenty of space for all the components, everything is easily accessible, mistakes are easier to hide/correct, doesn't require as many 'creative' solutions.

[Malenko]

Nope, but I find starting big is easier: plenty of space for all the components, everything is easily accessible, mistakes are easier to hide/correct, doesn't require as many 'creative' solutions.

This was more in terms of answering the space concerns that come with building a full sized cab. Also, financial distress "but I cant afford a full sized cab right now". So it's more of a "Build the panel for the arcade for now, build the rest of the box later" kind of thing.  I agree with your points on the merit of building big 

[Truecade]

After building about a dozen cabinets ranging from cocktails to uprights to vewlix-style, here are my top 10 advice for beginners:

• Know the exact display device you are going to use before designing or building your cabinet.  Build the dimensions of your cabinet to suit the display.  (Nothing worse than a tiny monitor in a big cabinet or not being able to find a monitor that fits!)
• Use the right tools for the right job.  Many aspects of this hobby require specialized tools and your cabinet will turn out much nicer in the end if you can buy/borrow/lease the right tools. 
• Create a table of all the projected costs before starting your cabinet.  Many of the items needed to build a quality cabinet only cost a few bucks, but $10 here and $25 there can add up quickly when you put it all together. 
• Know how much your time is worth and your limitations.  It may be better to have your panels professionally CNC cut or buy a kit if you don't have the time or tools to do the job yourself.  There is no shame in having part of your cabinet build outsourced.  (My personal experience after cutting complicated Vewlix panels out of MDF is that even though I saved a couple hundred bucks I would never do it again due to the mess and time it took...)
• If you have a lot of buttons/joysticks, invest the $20 in a pre-made wiring harness.  Trust me. 
• Minimize the amount of admin buttons on your control panel.  I used to think I needed an admin button for most menu options in MAME, but quickly learned that all I really needed was one (emulator exit/start button). 
• Invest in quality joysticks that will suit the types of games you will mostly play.  For example, if you like fighting games then a set of Sanwas or equivalent would be best. 
• You probably don't need that trackball/spinner.  Unless you are going to be playing a lot of centipede/missile command/tempest/golden tee, then save your money.  (I'm sure others will disagree with me on this one...  )
• For beginners, plan on spending almost as much time setting up the software (MAME, Soft15Khz, front-end, etc.) as you did building the bloody cabinet. 
• I think someone else said it above, but take the time to do things right the first time.  It is easy to rush through your first project, but will take much more of your time to do re-work.

Your first project will most likely not go as planned and when it is done you'll wish you did things differently.  That is okay! 

[rvs0002]

Awesome post Truecade and spot on. Especially number nine. Front ends are a b!+ch for sure. I wasn't sure if I would ever get one working! Thanks for posting.

[mgb]

After building about a dozen cabinets ranging from cocktails to uprights to vewlix-style, here are my top 10 advice for beginners:

• Know the exact display device you are going to use before designing or building your cabinet.  Build the dimensions of your cabinet to suit the display.  (Nothing worse than a tiny monitor in a big cabinet or not being able to find a monitor that fits!)
• Use the right tools for the right job.  Many aspects of this hobby require specialized tools and your cabinet will turn out much nicer in the end if you can buy/borrow/lease the right tools. 
• Create a table of all the projected costs before starting your cabinet.  Many of the items needed to build a quality cabinet only cost a few bucks, but $10 here and $25 there can add up quickly when you put it all together. 
• Know how much your time is worth and your limitations.  It may be better to have your panels professionally CNC cut or buy a kit if you don't have the time or tools to do the job yourself.  There is no shame in having part of your cabinet build outsourced.  (My personal experience after cutting complicated Vewlix panels out of MDF is that even though I saved a couple hundred bucks I would never do it again due to the mess and time it took...)
• If you have a lot of buttons/joysticks, invest the $20 in a pre-made wiring harness.  Trust me. 
• Minimize the amount of admin buttons on your control panel.  I used to think I needed an admin button for most menu options in MAME, but quickly learned that all I really needed was one (emulator exit/start button). 
• Invest in quality joysticks that will suit the types of games you will mostly play.  For example, if you like fighting games then a set of Sanwas or equivalent would be best. 
• You probably don't need that trackball/spinner.  Unless you are going to be playing a lot of centipede/missile command/tempest/golden tee, then save your money.  (I'm sure others will disagree with me on this one...  )
• For beginners, plan on spending almost as much time setting up the software (MAME, Soft15Khz, front-end, etc.) as you did building the bloody cabinet. 
• I think someone else said it above, but take the time to do things right the first time.  It is easy to rush through your first project, but will take much more of your time to do re-work.

Your first project will most likely not go as planned and when it is done you'll wish you did things differently.  That is okay!

very solid advice although I'm not huge on the planning all costs because I'm more the kinda drag it out as the money comes kinda guy.
To see every dollar to be spent up front scares me.

I think another piece of advice is that the cab can be a work in progress.
Not a big ugly half finished thing but there are many tweaks that can come later.
Heck I'm just now settling on the front end pieces I always wanted but never got around to.

[jennifer]

   I would have too agree with Mgb on cost. Games are expensive and a big project can get really ugly, And multiple unfinished projects can be fiscally frightening.... I currently have 13 games in my shop, Every one of them is a money sucking vortex.

[yotsuya]

   I would have too agree with Mgb on cost. Games are expensive and a big project can get really ugly, And multiple unfinished projects can be fiscally frightening.... I currently have 13 games in my shop, Every one of them is a money sucking vortex.

I agree. I don't keep track of how much, nor do I take photos. I've tried both,  and it never works out.

[jennifer]

    Pictures don't work out so well for Jennifer either....

[05SRT4]

The first thing I learned from getting into arcades and this forum is to Not admit that you bought a Tank Stick... 

[edekoning]

The first thing I learned from getting into arcades and this forum is to Not admit that you bought a Tank Stick... 

You bought what

I kid

[mgb]

The first thing I learned from getting into arcades and this forum is to Not admit that you bought a Tank Stick... 

 
But seriously that's not a bad way to start.
I've gotta say though that X Arcades Arcade2TV pedestal is pretty sweet looking.

[pbj]

Why would anyone be ashamed of a tank stick? 

It's a solid product.

 

[Cynicaster]

Lots of great advice here.  I'd add the following: newcomers should decide up front whether authenticity or versatility is more important, because you can't have both.  In other words, do you want to faithfully replicate the original experience of a small number of games, or do you want to sacrifice some of that nuanced authenticity in the name of having a more general purpose gaming rig that can passably play a much broader catalog of titles?

The "right" answer depends 100% on the user.  Me, I'm glad I followed the latter route, because through experience I've learned that there are hundreds of games that I can thoroughly enjoy on my cabinet, even though they originally shipped in boxes that look quite different from mine with controls that feel quite different from mine.

Real arcade games didn't have cup holders.

Which is why people don't tend to put cup-holders on real arcade games.  But a generic cabinet stuffed with a PC that runs emulators is inherently not a real arcade game, so cup-holders are very convenient and make a lot of sense in that case.

 

 

[yotsuya]

I am so over cup holders anymore.  Put them on everything, people!  Hell, add a Little Debbie snack holder and a Porta-Pottie, too. May as well be as comfortable as possible.

Screw authenticity. Yeehaw, let's build us some video game playin' machines!

[ChanceKJ]

One of my very first ideas when I was doing all my planning was to buy a used tankstick and rip it apart for parts. Then I saw Neph and edekoning's builds.

[DietCoke]

Hell, add a Little Debbie snack holder and a Porta-Pottie, too. May as well be as comfortable as possible.

You too?  I'm gonna bedazzle the porta-pottie, let me know if you need any tips on application.

Seriously though, Cynicaster is pretty right in my view.  I originally started with the idea of authenticity, then realized that since it wouldn't *ever* be authentic as it wasn't an original I would be better off going for what would make me happy and cause me to keep using it.  Thus, cupholders. 

As for the tankstick, that's what I started with and it helped spur me to build the cabinet once I realized how much I'd missed the joystick (vs a gamepad).  I'm not particularly impressed with it but can't really trash it considering my skill level!

[Generic Eric]

[Rick]

OMG, my life is complete! Who's set of awesomeness is this???

[Cynicaster]

I am so over cup holders anymore.  Put them on everything, people!  Hell, add a Little Debbie snack holder and a Porta-Pottie, too. May as well be as comfortable as possible.

Screw authenticity. Yeehaw, let's build us some video game playin' machines!

The "screw authenticity" ship has already sailed the moment you opt to build a MAME cabinet rather than acquire a collection of real dedicated cabinets; this is my whole point.  Once you start down the path of emulator box, any guidelines or constraints you choose to impose in the name of righteous authenticity are at best personal preference and at worst completely arbitrary. 

I could stand at my cabinet wearing those 80's 3-stripe Adidas shorts and knee socks, and, relative to my memories, that would amp up the authenticity of the Frogger experience more than removing my cup holders ever would.  But it's 2015 and those shorts are gay, so I'm not going to do that.  After all, the idea isn't to "make pretend" that it's 1982 or that I'm 5 years old... the idea is to play some games and be entertained in doing so.

 

   

 

[pbj]

I could stand at my cabinet wearing those 80's 3-stripe Adidas shorts and knee socks, and, relative to my memories, that would amp up the authenticity of the Frogger experience more than removing my cup holders ever would.  But it's 2015 and those shorts are gay, so I'm not going to do that.  After all, the idea isn't to "make pretend" that it's 1982 or that I'm 5 years old... the idea is to play some games and be entertained in doing so.

If it's 2015, perhaps you should stop using the word "gay" to describe things you dislike as if it's still 1982...?

[jennifer]

      Ya, Jennifer was 5 in 1982....

[JDFan]

OMG, my life is complete! Who's set of awesomeness is this???

SO I would hope it dispenses a beer to the winner each game - so that next game the loser stands a bit better chance of winning !!

[ChanceKJ]

I could stand at my cabinet wearing those 80's 3-stripe Adidas shorts and knee socks, and, relative to my memories, that would amp up the authenticity of the Frogger experience more than removing my cup holders ever would.  But it's 2015 and those shorts are gay, so I'm not going to do that.  After all, the idea isn't to "make pretend" that it's 1982 or that I'm 5 years old... the idea is to play some games and be entertained in doing so.

If it's 2015, perhaps you should stop using the word "gay" to describe things you dislike as if it's still 1982...?

Agreed.

[Slippyblade]

As the father of a gay child (well, just turned 18), thank you PBJ for mentioning that.

[horizon]

      Ya, Jennifer was 5 in 1982....

Horizon was not.  He may not have even been born.

[mgb]

I'm all about pretending it's 1982 again.
Friday night game night with my son, I crank up some Clash and Duran Duran and I'm good to go.
No cup holders though cause that'll cramp my style.
We have a table for that.

[Admiral688]

I am so over cup holders anymore.  Put them on everything, people!  Hell, add a Little Debbie snack holder and a Porta-Pottie, too. May as well be as comfortable as possible.

Screw authenticity. Yeehaw, let's build us some video game playin' machines!

The "screw authenticity" ship has already sailed the moment you opt to build a MAME cabinet rather than acquire a collection of real dedicated cabinets; this is my whole point.  Once you start down the path of emulator box, any guidelines or constraints you choose to impose in the name of righteous authenticity are at best personal preference and at worst completely arbitrary. 

I could stand at my cabinet wearing those 80's 3-stripe Adidas shorts and knee socks, and, relative to my memories, that would amp up the authenticity of the Frogger experience more than removing my cup holders ever would.  But it's 2015 and those shorts are gay, so I'm not going to do that.  After all, the idea isn't to "make pretend" that it's 1982 or that I'm 5 years old... the idea is to play some games and be entertained in doing so.

 

   

 

You can't say that........somewhere in your arcade past you must have played some kind of homebrew operator hooptie which was cobbled together from parts. I know I did.....mostly in 7-11 where games went to die.