New MAME Style Cabinet

[pcguysam]

Hello everyone!  This is my first post and my first arcade project.  For a little perspective, I'm a 36 year old IT guy.  When I was a kid, I saw a picture in Nintendo Power of an arcade style cabinet that someone had build for their NES.  I wanted one so bad, but I didn't really know where to start and I was only about 10 years old.  Like most dreams of a 10 year old boy, this one too escaped me and then I discovered girls and my attention shifted permanently.  Fast forward to yesterday and it dawned on me to look for arcade cabinets on Craigslist and I was pleasantly surprised to find this early 2000's model Jurassic Park III cabinet.  The CRT and game components were long gone, but I really have no interest in having a single game cabinet anyway.  The cab itself is in remarkable condition and complete down to the speakers and marquee, so I was pretty stoked about that.  I paid $20 for it.  I couldn't have bought the wood to make it for less than $100.

So last night, I made a little progress on it.  From the beginning I wanted to fit my spare 32" flat panel TV in it.  I stripped the stand and bezel off the TV and it still needed about an extra 3/4" to fit the width.  That's why you see the slots cut in the sides.  My plan is to center mount the TV(requires each edge going about 3/8" into the sidewall) and then use the cutout pieces to patch the slots before I paint it.  I may try to configure one side as an access panel in case the TV ever goes out.  I stripped all of the Jurassic Park decals off and removed the marquee.  I think that I am going to put a flat switch on the back of the cabinet that controls the marquee lamp.  It's already black and red so I'm leaning hard toward a Nintendo theme, but since I am going to have more of a MAME setup, I will probably throw some kind of hybrid MAME/Nintendo/Atari theme at it.

The only major carpentry will be rebuilding the control deck.  I'm going to make it a little taller, flatter and bigger to support 2 players with full 6 or 8 button arcade controls.  If anyone has any advice as to the control deck, I am definitely open to suggestions.  I am most likely going to run a PC for the operations.  It's just the easiest and lends itself to a variety of gaming and control options.  I can add USB ports to the front of the control deck and literally use any controller I want.  I will keep the thread updated with pictures as I progress.

I do have one question.  Does anyone know if the marquee lamp on these units is AC or DC?  From all the wiring it looks like a standard AC fluorescent fixture, but I am not 100% sure.

[yotsuya]

Wow. I had been waiting for someone to cut holes in the sides of a cabinet to fit in a widescreen monitor. 

Good luck with your build!

[Nephasth]

[matsadona]

Wow. I had been waiting for someone to cut holes in the sides of a cabinet to fit in a widescreen monitor. 

Good luck with your build!

The prophecy finally came true


http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,145349.0.html


Anyway, if done properly it could actually be a compromise that you get away with.

And yes, the fluorescent tubes are normally standard AC models.

[RxBrad]

They kid, they kid...

Don't take it too hard, pcguysam.  The slots on the side are apparently only temporary, it sounds like.  I hope.

Though I can see it being a real challenge if you ever have to get back in there and remove the monitor after you patch those slots back up.

Check out slagcoin.com for control panel layout ideas.  There's a lot to digest, but this is a good starting point.

[matsadona]

Yes, I did understand that the slots are about to be filled again so my irony isn't really applicable here. But still I couldn't resist making fun of it. Please don't take it as a personal insult.

[rablack97]

I guess i'm confused as seeing an open face and that big ass door opening in the back, what in the world possessed you to cut slots in the side of the cabinet.

A hacksaw could very well have removed whatever was stopping the monitor from being installed.  This is a first for me.....

Good Luck man.

[JDFan]

I guess i'm confused as seeing an open face and that big ass door opening in the back, what in the world possessed you to cut slots in the side of the cabinet.

From the beginning I wanted to fit my spare 32" flat panel TV in it.  I stripped the stand and bezel off the TV and it still needed about an extra 3/4" to fit the width.  That's why you see the slots cut in the sides.

So looks like the TV was too wide to fit in the space by less than 1/2" on each side - When mounted if done properly it will not even be noticeable since just the metal casing on the monitor will be hiding in the cut out are and the excess is not actually protruding from the sides ( personnally I would look into laminating the sides rather than painting which would completely hide the cuts - or would have used a plunge router to remove the needed area without cutting the outer portion of the sides  ) but now that it is already cut the main thing will be patching it properly to hide the cuts and it could work out OK. We'll just have to wait and see the result.

[yotsuya]

He did say...

I may try to configure one side as an access panel in case the TV ever goes out.

[rablack97]

He did say...

I may try to configure one side as an access panel in case the TV ever goes out.

[Malenko]

or would have used a plunge router to remove the needed area without cutting the outer portion of the sides 

^This. Any fart, good luck with your build!

[Automark]

Omg, there should be a worldwide law against cutting into perfect original  cabs.

[leapinlew]

As far as the CP, why not just cut it off or unbolt it and make a new one?

[harveybirdman]

As far as the CP, why not just cut it off or unbolt it and make a new one?

+1

Also did this thing come with a CRT that you cast aside? I think id still be looking for a more appropriate sized monitor.

[pcguysam]

AWESOME!  Lots of action on my thread.  I was beginning to wonder if you guys recognized a good opportunity to whip on a guy or not.  Yes, ALL good points indeed.  So I had 3 goals when I started this.  #1 Goal - To Finish the Project and Have a Working Stand Up Arcade.  #2 Goal - To Not Spend a Mint and Not Take FOREVER.  #3 Goal - To not end up on crapmame.  The first two goals are a success.  The 3rd one is up to you guys, haha.

Yes, I did understand that the slots are about to be filled again so my irony isn't really applicable here. But still I couldn't resist making fun of it. Please don't take it as a personal insult.

^^^ No offense taken.  I realize that by cutting the holes, I ruined the integrity of the laminate.  My plan was always either to repaint the entire cab afterwards(I don't like the idea of painting), get new laminate OR cover the entire side with graphics so that the patches would never be seen.  Right now, I am just rocking the patched holes until I decide, but I am happy with the way the original pieces went back in.  I was able to shave them down with my tablesaw enough to get them flush with the rest of the side and wood putty nicely filled the gaps.

Also did this thing come with a CRT that you cast aside? I think id still be looking for a more appropriate sized monitor.

Why didn't I think of getting a more appropriate sized monitor??  Anyone got a few hundred extra bucks laying around that I can have??

As far as the CP, why not just cut it off or unbolt it and make a new one?

This was also my plan all along.  I knew that the existing CP would not work and modifying it was next to impossible.

So onward to Canterbury!

I have made some serious progress since my last post.  See my pics below.  I was heartbroken when I removed the diamond plate and saw the HUGE hole ripped in the front of the cab around the coin slots.  I guess the original arcade was robbed and the thieves just had to have those quarters.  So, the diamond plate stays, for now.  I would really like to replace the entire front piece but I don't know if I have the energy at the moment.  I don't feel so bad about cutting the side holes now because the cab was not 100% perfect to begin with.

I modified the original plastic bezel from the TV to fit in the cabinet.  I painted over the "Vizio" branding on the front so that it wasn't glaring.  It is hardly noticeable unless you're looking for it and it looks a lot better than the metal from for the TV or the bezel that I attempted to make out of black foam board.

I just installed my T-Molding last night but have not had a chance to take a pic, but I will soon and post a semi-finished project.  The slots for the T-molding are 1/8" instead of 1/16" so I am going to have to glue it in place.  I had the glass cut and it turned out to be a REALLY nice fit.  I think it looks great.  I think I may have to relocate the Wii sensor bar though because the glass causes refractions and the iR doesn't always work perfectly.

On to the CP.  I miscut the hole for the trackball but it was still a really tight, good fit so I left it.  I am a little mad at myself for leaving it, but the rest of it turned out so well I didn't want to spit in the face of "near perfect".  The only tool I didn't have was a 3" hole saw and it turns out that I am not as good free-handing a router as I thought.(I did not have a router when I cut the holes in the side, I had to borrow my friend's). 

As for the controls themselves, I didn't really want to do any soldering because I tried to mod my original PS1 and destroyed it.  I was also only 15 but I still don't trust myself with a soldering iron. Also, I wanted to hook it to my Wii as well as a MAME PC, so I took the bait and ordered the XArcade 2 player kit with Trackball.  Basically a Tankstick without the wooden enclosure.  Everything seems to be really good quality and the install went really well, UNTIL, I started connecting the wires.  Holy short lead Batman!  I did get every button and joystick connected successfully, but I had no slack left to mount the CP PCB anywhere so it just dangles.  There are no pics of my wiring as I was too ashamed .  I will have to go back and get some connectors to extend the wires so that I can properly mount the board.  The Good News is that despite its shortcomings(see what I did there?), I hooked it up to the Wii and it worked almost flawlessly, instantly.  The only snafu is when a player presses 6 buttons simultaneously in the SNES EMU, it thinks the Wii HOME button has been pressed and pauses the game, which is not normally a problem unless you play Streetfighter like I do and just press every button as fast as you can.

So here it is, complete except for the art(and the T-Molding which is on it now).  It's not a showpiece, but it is functional and it's not embarrassing.  I'm pretty proud of what I turned around in only 2 weeks from cab acquisition to completion.  Already having lots of fun with it.  Let me have it, the good, the bad, the ugly.  Thanks for taking the time to care at all about my little project.

[pcguysam]

More Pics

[harveybirdman]

Upon your update, I can confidently say, the monitor is now the least of the problems with your build....  I will save the criticism for others, as you seem to have had enough of it from me.  The only thing I'll say is I will never understand console games on an arcade cabinet, but it sounds like you are having fun...so good

I'm surprised you kept it two players, weren't you looking at that TMNT board?  Were you thinking ahead to a second project? I'm sure that one will be much better. sorry wrong dude...


Also regarding the comment about $ laying around, bro once you get into this hobby it becomes a cash killer.....  Accept it.  Projects that are done on shoestring budgets are nice and all but I'd rather  have a project take 3 plus years and be awesome than be quick and compromised.

[vwalbridge]

Also regarding the comment about $ laying around, bro once you get into this hobby it becomes a cash killer.....  Accept it.  Projects that are done on shoestring budgets are nice and all but I'd rather  have a project take 3 plus years and be awesome than be quick and compromised.

Word.


...also, I wish the OP would have at least gone with the marquee I suggested here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,146972.msg1529946.html#new

[DeLuSioNal29]

...also, I wish the OP would have at least gone with the marquee I suggested here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,146972.msg1529946.html#new

Yeah, or at least lose the characters.  Looks too busy.  I system logos on the sides are OK though.  Perhaps he can later simplify it by removing the characters and putting them on the CP instead to match?

D

[Nephasth]

Obligatory "8 buttons... "

[harveybirdman]

[pcguysam]

The CP is flat, if that's what this is referring to.  It looks sloped in the images, but it's not.

Obligatory "8 buttons... "

Yeah, I almost stuck to 6.  Probably should have, but that's what first attempts are for, to figure out what you like and what you don't.  This will not be my final product.

Also regarding the comment about $ laying around, bro once you get into this hobby it becomes a cash killer.....  Accept it.  Projects that are done on shoestring budgets are nice and all but I'd rather  have a project take 3 plus years and be awesome than be quick and compromised.

Word.


...also, I wish the OP would have at least gone with the marquee I suggested here:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,146972.msg1529946.html#new

I do agree that anything worth doing is worth doing right.  I feel as if I have done my first attempt justice.  Now i have something to play with when I decide to do another build.  I don't like the vsible bolt heads on the CP.  I do like the dust washers on top though.  I know that I need to get some art for the CP and the cab.  I had no intention of getting into this as a hobby, but I think that the strap is tied and the arcade building bug has officially found a vein.  I am hooked.  I will be doing a lot of MAME emulation as well, but I grew up mostly on console games and wanted the ability to play those on an arcade format.

I didn't address the marquee in my comments, it is a placeholder.  I am not really that crazy about it.  I did like the black with the red lettering and did not discard your suggestion.  I may move away from the whole Nintendo idea to begin with and do something completely different now that I am seeing it take shape.

[yotsuya]

I will be doing a lot of MAME emulation as well, but I grew up mostly on console games and wanted the ability to play those on an arcade format.

So did I, and I learned very quickly that the arcade format is the worst format to use for console games.

[pcguysam]

So did I, and I learned very quickly that the arcade format is the worst format to use for console games.

It does not lend itself to every console game for sure, but many of the console games were awesome arcade games either before or after they were popular on the console.  Punch out is the perfect example.  But the more advanced the console, the less arcade controls even make sense.  Right now, I can see that NES & SNES are going to probably be as high as I want to venture with the console stuff.  I will say that I love having the Wii in there to play Wii games, but with the Wiimotes and not on the CP of course.

[yotsuya]

So did I, and I learned very quickly that the arcade format is the worst format to use for console games.

It does not lend itself to every console game for sure, but many of the console games were awesome arcade games either before or after they were popular on the console.  Punch out is the perfect example.  But the more advanced the console, the less arcade controls even make sense.  Right now, I can see that NES & SNES are going to probably be as high as I want to venture with the console stuff.  I will say that I love having the Wii in there to play Wii games, but with the Wiimotes and not on the CP of course.

I wouldn't go any higher than the NES, myself. You might have the right amount of button on your CP, but they're not laid out in an optimal pattern that matches what you remember playing on the SNES with. I mean, do what you want, but you'll see for yourself.

[harveybirdman]

Actually it meant that your panel is HUGE.....

[pcguysam]

Actually it meant that your panel is HUGE.....

I'm 6'3, 300lbs.  You may enjoy being pressed up against other dudes while you play Street Fighter, but my intention was to give everyone their personal space.  Maybe this is your game Birdman:
      

[mvolke1]

Haters gonna hate.

As long as you're having fun, that's all that counts. 

[pcguysam]

I took my inspiration from this CP:

[pcguysam]

Haters gonna hate.

As long as you're having fun, that's all that counts. 

Thanks.  I don't take any of it personally.  I wouldn't have started posting here if the peanut gallery bothered me.  All criticism can be constructive when filtered properly.

[harveybirdman]

Ok I'm going there...

It doesn't matter how big you are, the closeness you experience with  player 2 is determined by the space between the his joystick and your buttons.... LOL

The vast empty space on your design does nothing to free up space between you and your friend.....

It's ugly man, I'm going to go invade someone else's personal space, good luck with your build.

[pcguysam]

Ok I'm going there...

It doesn't matter how big you are, the closeness you experience with  player 2 is determined by the space between the his joystick and your buttons.... LOL

The vast empty space on your design does nothing to free up space between you and your friend.....

It's ugly man, I'm going to go invade someone else's personal space, good luck with your build.

Wasn't trying to run you off, but have a nice day!

[pcguysam]

So after getting my project fully functional, I now have some hands on experience and can report on my experience of do's and don'ts.  All of these things I probably could have learned if I had spent enough time reading this forum, but sometimes you just have to bleed your own blood.

DON'T use 8 buttons per player.  You're purely wasting 2 buttons.  Even if you're doing PSX emulation, the odds of using all 4 trigger buttons are very small.  Most of your fighting games are going to use 6 buttons max and that's a good number.  If you're only wanting to emulate really old arcade games like PacMan, stick with 4 or less.  Atari only had 1 button, Nintendo only had 2.  There's no reason for 8, no matter how cool you think that fight stick looks.

DON'T expect the X-Arcade wiring harness to be long enough.  Although the product seems pretty hardy otherwise, we'll see how it holds up over time.  It was super easy to configure though.  Overall, I am very happy with the purchase, except for the  short wires and "all black" aspect.  I will probably purchase some Happ buttons that are different colors when I rebuild my CP.

DON'T expect MALA & MAME to not suck if you want a library of more than a few games.  I downloaded a complete set of MAME 1.51 because I got so frustrated trying to make individually downloaded roms work.  Yeah, WAYYY too much to scroll through one game at a time.

DON'T get hung up on wanting to emulate every single game ever made.  That's not the point of all of this and besides, if you don't own the original, it's illegal.

DON'T try to freehand visible holes with a router.  If you do, you'd better be freaking New Yankee Workshop good.

DON'T take criticism too hard or rush into something that you're not sure about.  I don't know what kind of art I want quite yet, but I know that I'm a lot closer to putting Street Fighter or Capcom art on the side of my arcade than I am to sticking with a Nintendo theme after really getting into MAME.  This is my first experience with MAME, and I am super stoked after a week of play.

Ok, so now the DOs.

DO use Hyperspin with RocketLaunch for a large MAME library.  Their built in database is awesome when your MAME roms have their original names.  The category feature is quite amazing as well.  Overall, I give those products A+++.

DO take the time to play games that you've never heard of.  Some of them are awesome, just beware of the naked ladies that pop up from time to time.  "I have no idea honey, I have never seen this game before."

DO opt for the trackball.  I have 2 words for you and they begin with "Golden" and end with "Tee".  Maybe the best drinking time waste with friends ever invented, and now it's in my living room.  Heck to the yeah.

Most of all, DO what you think you want and if you don't like it, REDO it.  That's the great thing about building your own arcade is that you're not married to it.  I am totally ready to start a new build.  I'm thinking slim cab powered by a Raspberry Pi.  Rock on!

I'll keep this thread updated as I make changes to my cab.  Thanks for the feedback, positive and negative.  This really is a cool forum full of super talented(if not picky) people.  You guys are a great group.  Maybe one day I'll have a hall of fame project, but until then I'll just envy everyone else's hard work and dedication to a freaking awesome hobby.  MAME on man, MAME on.

[yotsuya]

Hello everyone!  This is my first post and my first arcade project.  For a little perspective, I'm a 36 year old IT guy.  When I was a kid, I saw a picture in Nintendo Power of an arcade style cabinet that someone had build for their NES.  I wanted one so bad, but I didn't really know where to start and I was only about 10 years old.

[pcguysam]

^^^^ Pretty sure that's the picture I saw.  Although for some reason in my mind it was more finished than that, haha.  Funny how time fills in the blanks with your imagination.  WOW!  Haven't seen that pic in a long time.  Is that one of your early builds yotsuya?  I wonder if the guy who built that or owned it ever hangs around this message board.  That's awesome.  Thanks for posting it.

[yotsuya]

^^^^ Pretty sure that's the picture I saw.  Although for some reason in my mind it was more finished than that, haha.  Funny how time fills in the blanks with your imagination.  WOW!  Haven't seen that pic in a long time.  Is that one of your early builds yotsuya?  I wonder if the guy who built that or owned it ever hangs around this message board.  That's awesome.  Thanks for posting it.

Heh, I remember seeing that BITD as well. That dude is either a member here or at KLOV, if I remember right.

[RetroGreg]

I have to agree that I don't like console games with arcade controls. My favorite way to play console games is a modded wii on a crt.

[stavros693000]

well done my friend, I think you've done very well for your first build/conversion.

Don't worry to much about the negative replys regarding your build, it looks fine (A lot of peeps here lie about their first build, meaning their first build is actually their second build and their first was so bad they didn't have the gumption to post it on the net.)
I started with a tank-stick ,like a lot of peeps do and eventually it wasn't enough

8 button layouts are cool if your planning on playing new HD fighters like mortal kombat x, gods umong us, streetfighter V when its released etc etc
and some console games are good to like a lot of nes games but that's as far as I would go and for newer consoles just plug in a usb controller and away you go (fells much more natural)

anywho you first build is not bad, I like it and I think you should be proud of your efforts 
welcome to the hobby and the forum.....cheers

[yotsuya]

I have to agree that I don't like console games with arcade controls. My favorite way to play console games is a modded wii on a crt.

'Sup, Greg? Where you been, homie?

[RetroGreg]

I have to agree that I don't like console games with arcade controls. My favorite way to play console games is a modded wii on a crt.

'Sup, Greg? Where you been, homie?

Wassup! I've been working a lot and prepping for the baby. I haven't had much time for projects lately. I gotta make sure I log in every once in a while because ZapCon is a mere 7 months away haha. Have to stay in the loop!