Little overwhelmed...just getting started

[burntOmaro]

Complete newbie to mame but am wanting to build a cabinet to play Atari, Nes, and Snes games.

After doing some research here is what I'm planning on doing:

Going to build a viewlix cabinet since I like to slim design.

Wanting to pick up a new Raspberry PI 3, IPAC-2, 32gb SD card, and a LCD TV.

Going to use Retropie.

I don't play fighting games so I was going to go with some Happ sticks/buttons and use the traditional 6 button layout.

As for the other buttons, Im not sure what is best. I will have the traditional 1P and 2P. I'm assuming I need an Exit and Enter button. I would like to have vol up and down since I don't want to have to reach in the cabinet and adjust vol. I'm a big Zelda and Metroid fan, so I thought about save and load. Then there is the coin buttons, which i thought about wiring them together as 1 coin credit button. These start to add up and The last thing I want are tons of buttons everywhere but...
 
I figured on the top center of the control panel I'll have the 1P, 2P, Exit, Enter, Save, Load and then on the front or side I would have the vol up/down and coin button. That would get me by without having to use a keyboard.

Power on and off.... What's the best way to handle this with my setup?

I feel like I have a handle on it but would like to hear from the experts.

Thanks

[burntOmaro]

I guess another question is should I use a RPi?  Have people had problems using them? I don't have a computer, hence the idea of a $35 computer sounded really good.

[harveybirdman]

Are you going to build it so you can sit down at it?  Do you want to play through Zelda standing at a cab?  It's okay if that's really important to you, but you might find that after doing it once it may be the last.

I'd go with the computer of it were me, especially if you already have it.

[05SRT4]

How set are you on wanting to build a cabinet?

You could just make a multi-console machine (retro pi) and plug it into the living room TV. Play with what ever controllers you want in the relaxing nature of the front room where they normally would be played.

If your dead set on just those consoles then a PI is fine. If you ever want to upgrade or add other PC based games you may run into issues though.

The Ipac has a shift function that can help remove other buttons, example: on my machine holding the player one start button and pressing up or down on the player one joystick will change the volume. Keep that in mind if you dont want to over crowd the panel with admin buttons.

I know the on/off on the PI has been talked about heavily here so doing a search might help if you take that route. I am not sure what the easiest way for the PI is. PC on/off is super easy, just wire a push button to the PC's motherboards Front panel section.

[paigeoliver]

I guess another question is should I use a RPi?  Have people had problems using them? I don't have a computer, hence the idea of a $35 computer sounded really good.

The pi is a cancer that has infected the mame community. $35 will buy you a much more capable second hand PC and the software selection will be much better. The computer in my Mame cabinet is from something like 2003 and the Pi 3 cannot do what it does. Do they keep coming out with newer and better pis? Yes they do, and the PCs you can pull from a dumpster are getting better at the same rate.

There are 3 cases in which you should use a PI.

#1. If your project is gameboy sized. In which case it won't have arcade controls and this is the wrong forum.
#2. If you are building cookie cutter assembly line style bartops to rip people off with (I mean sell legitimately).
#3. If you are someone who is incapable of changing their mind once made up, even if it ruins your project.

[P.H.U.]

I love the Pi Foundation. But it is a project box. The only complete solution it is good for is Kodi. I bought these http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,149671.msg1564752.html#msg1564752 off eBay for $20 each. If money is a concern (which of course it is), you can do much better with more flexibility later down the line with a Core 2 Duo-based PC. And you might be able to have that for less.

[n3wt0n]

+1 for ditch the pie.

[Token]

This is my obligatory "I like simple control panels, but having a pause button is amazing and you might want to consider adding one" post. 

[yotsuya]

This is my obligatory "I like simple control panels, but having a pause button is amazing and you might want to consider adding one" post. 

I'm sure a pause button is handy, but I don't know. I would feel dirty using one.

[keilmillerjr]

The pi is a cancer that has infected the mame community.

He is not using it for mame.

The issue with the pi and power circuit is that it has no shutdown sequence. You can corrupt data if you unplug the power supply while writing data. Either put the SD card in read only mode, or shutdown via software first. I have an inline power switch on mine so I don't have to unplug it and plug it back in to start my pi again.

There are many pi haters. It has its limits. But it also has its place.

I'm using recalbox. Perfect for your needs. I'd buy a pi, set it up with a ps3 controller, and have fun playing retro games on the tv before building a cabinet.

[edekoning]

Complete newbie to mame but am wanting to build a cabinet to play Atari, Nes, and Snes games.
...
I don't play fighting games so I was going to go with some Happ sticks/buttons and use the traditional 6 button layout.

NES games use up to 4 buttons: A, B, Start, Select.
SNES games use up to 8 buttons: A, B, X, Y, L, R, Start, Select.
The consoles themselves usually have two additional buttons: Power, Reset. Depends if you want those as well. I put them on my Bartop, where Power=Exit, and Reset=Reset.

As for the other buttons, Im not sure what is best. I will have the traditional 1P and 2P. I'm assuming I need an Exit and Enter button. I would like to have vol up and down since I don't want to have to reach in the cabinet and adjust vol. I'm a big Zelda and Metroid fan, so I thought about save and load. Then there is the coin buttons, which i thought about wiring them together as 1 coin credit button. These start to add up and The last thing I want are tons of buttons everywhere but...
 
I figured on the top center of the control panel I'll have the 1P, 2P, Exit, Enter, Save, Load and then on the front or side I would have the vol up/down and coin button. That would get me by without having to use a keyboard.

Not familiar with Retropie, but the emu that I am using has the option to auto save/load on start/exit. And its works fantastic when playing Zelda, or other long non-arcade like games. Look into adding a dedicated shift button, if your keyboard encoder supports it. You could than do Shift+A = Pause, Shift+B = Exit, etc. For volume, just add a physical volume control dial, or use a Shift+button combination.

Whatever route you decide to take, thoroughly test out this whole software setup, button config thing, before you start buying buttons, drilling holes, designing artwork, etc.

[jdbailey1206]

And again we run into the cart before the horse scenario we see again and again on here.  I had the same problem.  Before I even knew what systems I was going to play I was picking out the hardware.  As stated before decide if it is going to be a console system (as you stated you like Zelda and Metroid) or if it is going to be a Arcade/MAME setup.  This will help in your hardware issues of pi vs secondhand PC and how many buttons you will or will not need.

I also threw every game imaginable onto my Arcade cab and got to the point where I cut it down to a handful of arcade games and I removed all the console games and  moved them into a NUC computer modded into a NES console shell and added a couple of bluetooth controllers like Vigo and eds1275 did.

So in essence do the folllowing:

• Pick games you know will get played
• Pick your hardware
• Then build your cabinet/console

Edit...Thank you edekoning for reminding me...You can always use combination of keys.  I used this when I wanted to shut down my FFJR build but didn't want to pull out my keyboard and mouse to do so. 

[leapinlew]

So in essence do the folllowing:

• Pick games you know will get played
• Pick your hardware
• Then build your cabinet/console

My strategy  refine, redesign and rebuild.

Build it, learn from the build
Play it, learn from the games
rebuild

[harveybirdman]

Also just so you know burntOmaro, these things you're struggling with that make up the design and eventual build phases are the best part.  So while we all get carried away with telling you what to do, don't lose sight of the fact that solving the problems you're contemplating is what it's all about. 

Most of us spend little time actually playing.     Except for the high score competition dudes who make me think I must be handicapped at playing games when I see their scores.

[burntOmaro]

How set are you on wanting to build a cabinet?

You could just make a multi-console machine (retro pi) and plug it into the living room TV. Play with what ever controllers you want in the relaxing nature of the front room where they normally would be played.

If your dead set on just those consoles then a PI is fine. If you ever want to upgrade or add other PC based games you may run into issues though.

The Ipac has a shift function that can help remove other buttons, example: on my machine holding the player one start button and pressing up or down on the player one joystick will change the volume. Keep that in mind if you dont want to over crowd the panel with admin buttons.

I know the on/off on the PI has been talked about heavily here so doing a search might help if you take that route. I am not sure what the easiest way for the PI is. PC on/off is super easy, just wire a push button to the PC's motherboards Front panel section.

I'm dead set on building one. I love building stuff and have always wanted a Ms Pacman/Galaga arcade cabinet. I just love the look and want my 2 kids to experience games the way I used to. While I mentioned Zelda and Metroid, I love Atari games. When I go to Dave and Busters, I always head straight to Ms Pacman and skip all the newer bigger games.

Ill probably run with the shift idea... Shouldn't be hard to remember those.

I guess another question is should I use a RPi?  Have people had problems using them? I don't have a computer, hence the idea of a $35 computer sounded really good.

The pi is a cancer that has infected the mame community. $35 will buy you a much more capable second hand PC and the software selection will be much better. The computer in my Mame cabinet is from something like 2003 and the Pi 3 cannot do what it does. Do they keep coming out with newer and better pis? Yes they do, and the PCs you can pull from a dumpster are getting better at the same rate.

There are 3 cases in which you should use a PI.

#1. If your project is gameboy sized. In which case it won't have arcade controls and this is the wrong forum.
#2. If you are building cookie cutter assembly line style bartops to rip people off with (I mean sell legitimately).
#3. If you are someone who is incapable of changing their mind once made up, even if it ruins your project.

I'll see if my dad has an extra computer laying around. I'm definitely open minded when it comes to this project.

I love the Pi Foundation. But it is a project box. The only complete solution it is good for is Kodi. I bought these http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,149671.msg1564752.html#msg1564752 off eBay for $20 each. If money is a concern (which of course it is), you can do much better with more flexibility later down the line with a Core 2 Duo-based PC. And you might be able to have that for less.

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely check eBay for something similar.

[burntOmaro]

Complete newbie to mame but am wanting to build a cabinet to play Atari, Nes, and Snes games.
...
I don't play fighting games so I was going to go with some Happ sticks/buttons and use the traditional 6 button layout.

NES games use up to 4 buttons: A, B, Start, Select.
SNES games use up to 8 buttons: A, B, X, Y, L, R, Start, Select.
The consoles themselves usually have two additional buttons: Power, Reset. Depends if you want those as well. I put them on my Bartop, where Power=Exit, and Reset=Reset.

As for the other buttons, Im not sure what is best. I will have the traditional 1P and 2P. I'm assuming I need an Exit and Enter button. I would like to have vol up and down since I don't want to have to reach in the cabinet and adjust vol. I'm a big Zelda and Metroid fan, so I thought about save and load. Then there is the coin buttons, which i thought about wiring them together as 1 coin credit button. These start to add up and The last thing I want are tons of buttons everywhere but...
 
I figured on the top center of the control panel I'll have the 1P, 2P, Exit, Enter, Save, Load and then on the front or side I would have the vol up/down and coin button. That would get me by without having to use a keyboard.

Not familiar with Retropie, but the emu that I am using has the option to auto save/load on start/exit. And its works fantastic when playing Zelda, or other long non-arcade like games. Look into adding a dedicated shift button, if your keyboard encoder supports it. You could than do Shift+A = Pause, Shift+B = Exit, etc. For volume, just add a physical volume control dial, or use a Shift+button combination.

Whatever route you decide to take, thoroughly test out this whole software setup, button config thing, before you start buying buttons, drilling holes, designing artwork, etc.

What emulator are you using? I will definitely look into it.

I've already planned on getting my hardware And hooking everything up and testing it before I even buy my first piece of MDF 

The pi is a cancer that has infected the mame community.

He is not using it for mame.

The issue with the pi and power circuit is that it has no shutdown sequence. You can corrupt data if you unplug the power supply while writing data. Either put the SD card in read only mode, or shutdown via software first. I have an inline power switch on mine so I don't have to unplug it and plug it back in to start my pi again.

There are many pi haters. It has its limits. But it also has its place.

I'm using recalbox. Perfect for your needs. I'd buy a pi, set it up with a ps3 controller, and have fun playing retro games on the tv before building a cabinet.

That's what I read regarding the PI so I'll check into the recalbox and I already have a PS3/4. Thanks brofessor

And again we run into the cart before the horse scenario we see again and again on here.  I had the same problem.  Before I even knew what systems I was going to play I was picking out the hardware.  As stated before decide if it is going to be a console system (as you stated you like Zelda and Metroid) or if it is going to be a Arcade/MAME setup.  This will help in your hardware issues of pi vs secondhand PC and how many buttons you will or will not need.

I also threw every game imaginable onto my Arcade cab and got to the point where I cut it down to a handful of arcade games and I removed all the console games and  moved them into a NUC computer modded into a NES console shell and added a couple of bluetooth controllers like Vigo and eds1275 did.

So in essence do the folllowing:

• Pick games you know will get played
• Pick your hardware
• Then build your cabinet/console

Edit...Thank you edekoning for reminding me...You can always use combination of keys.  I used this when I wanted to shut down my FFJR build but didn't want to pull out my keyboard and mouse to do so.

I plan on playing both console and arcade games but nothing advanced.... Want to keep this cabinet straight old school games and then eventually build another cabinet that can handle the newer games.



Thanks for all the replies guys... You've all given me a few more things to think about.

I'll probably go ahead and order a pie and also pick up a second hand computer and test multiple scenarios.

This is the cabinet I'm going to try and build but put my own flare on it.

[edekoning]

What emulator are you using? I will definitely look into it.

Retroarch

[burntOmaro]

What emulator are you using? I will definitely look into it.

Retroarch

Thanks ... And by the way, ur Magneto cab is amazing   Xmen was my game back in the day. I reked house with Nightcrawler

[Token]

I'm sure a pause button is handy, but I don't know. I would feel dirty using one.

The pause button is like sticking Q-tips in your ear canal. You know you aren't supposed to, and you aren't sure why you would want to, but once you start you can never go back.

[yotsuya]

Enh.... I'd rather use Q-tips than a pause button. And yeah, I know my old fart veteran answer of "We didn't do it that way in 1982" is clearly ruining this site, but quite frankly I find a pause button takes away from the urgency and intensity of playing these games. That's why I'm not personally a fan and will never put one on my projects. Everyone else, have at it.

[Ian]

This is my obligatory "I like simple control panels, but having a pause button is amazing and you might want to consider adding one" post. 

I'm sure a pause button is handy, but I don't know. I would feel dirty using one.

I have a pause button and yes I feel dirty....like every time I use the damn thing.... which is a lot.   

[yotsuya]

This is my obligatory "I like simple control panels, but having a pause button is amazing and you might want to consider adding one" post. 

I'm sure a pause button is handy, but I don't know. I would feel dirty using one.

I have a pause button and yes I feel dirty....like every time I use the damn thing.... which is a lot.   

Hahahaha.

I mean, I get WHY people would want them.... but it isn't for me. Same thing with coin buttons. Unless I'm building a bartop, no project of mine won't be without a functioning coin door.

[Ond]

This is my obligatory "I like simple control panels, but having a pause button is amazing and you might want to consider adding one" post. 

I'm sure a pause button is handy, but I don't know. I would feel dirty using one.

I have a pause button and yes I feel dirty....like every time I use the damn thing.... which is a lot.   

Hahahaha.

I mean, I get WHY people would want them.... but it isn't for me. Same thing with coin buttons. Unless I'm building a bartop, no project of mine won't be without a functioning coin door.

Agreed on the pause button, its just a little in game cheat really,  I like the option of a coin door 'override' button though, best of both worlds, have the nostalgia of the coin door with the convenience of the (hidden) override button for when you can't be assed putting coins/tokens in.

[burntOmaro]

I'm sure a pause button is handy, but I don't know. I would feel dirty using one.

The pause button is like sticking Q-tips in your ear canal. You know you aren't supposed to, and you aren't sure why you would want to, but once you start you can never go back.

Haha nice analogy

[yotsuya]

This is my obligatory "I like simple control panels, but having a pause button is amazing and you might want to consider adding one" post. 

I'm sure a pause button is handy, but I don't know. I would feel dirty using one.

I have a pause button and yes I feel dirty....like every time I use the damn thing.... which is a lot.   

Hahahaha.

I mean, I get WHY people would want them.... but it isn't for me. Same thing with coin buttons. Unless I'm building a bartop, no project of mine won't be without a functioning coin door.

Agreed on the pause button, its just a little in game cheat really,  I like the option of a coin door 'override' button though, best of both worlds, have the nostalgia of the coin door with the convenience of the (hidden) override button for when you can't be assed putting coins/tokens in.

Wait until you see the BYOAC ZapCon SwagBag.... :-)

[Token]

Unless I'm building a bartop, no project of mine won't be without a functioning coin door.

+1

Coin doors FTW.

[keilmillerjr]

Wasn't using mame in original post. Further down says he is using mame. This changes everything...

[monkeybomb]

I love building stuff and have always wanted a Ms Pacman/Galaga arcade cabinet. I just love the look and want my 2 kids to experience games the way I used to.

That nes themed cabinet looks very well made and I bet it's fun to play in a group, but it won't work for the statement I quoted.  The Ms pacman/ galaga style cabinet feels like it's just for you.  Then there's the angle of the crt monitor to pull you in even more.  This cabinet looks like it's designed for spectators to watch guys play mortal combat.  It also has a wide screen monitor.  Lots of guys here have done that, but personally I think they are terrible for everything retro gaming.  They are particularly bad for vertical games.  Less than half the screen actually gets used.  I'm sure you and your whole family would have fun with a cabinet styled after this one. but there's not much of the old experience being replicated. 

+1 for working coin doors.  I use tokens.

[burntOmaro]

I love building stuff and have always wanted a Ms Pacman/Galaga arcade cabinet. I just love the look and want my 2 kids to experience games the way I used to.

That nes themed cabinet looks very well made and I bet it's fun to play in a group, but it won't work for the statement I quoted.  The Ms pacman/ galaga style cabinet feels like it's just for you.  Then there's the angle of the crt monitor to pull you in even more.  This cabinet looks like it's designed for spectators to watch guys play mortal combat.  It also has a wide screen monitor.  Lots of guys here have done that, but personally I think they are terrible for everything retro gaming.  They are particularly bad for vertical games.  Less than half the screen actually gets used.  I'm sure you and your whole family would have fun with a cabinet styled after this one. but there's not much of the old experience being replicated. 

+1 for working coin doors.  I use tokens.

At this point , I'm still in development stages and trying to grab as much info I can. I'm not completely set in what I want to do. I'm open minded, which is why I came to you guys who know a helluva lot more than I do. I just love the Nintendo retro look.

The more I think about it, I'm leaning more toward the traditional cabinet. Would love to maybe take it up a notch and do a 4 player cabinet since Xmen was one of my favorite games growing up and me and my boys dropped a ton of coin beating that game over and over.

[P.H.U.]

At this point , I'm still in development stages and trying to grab as much info I can. I'm not completely set in what I want to do. I'm open minded, which is why I came to you guys who know a helluva lot more than I do. I just love the Nintendo retro look.

The more I think about it, I'm leaning more toward the traditional cabinet. Would love to maybe take it up a notch and do a 4 player cabinet since Xmen was one of my favorite games growing up and me and my boys dropped a ton of coin beating that game over and over.

Well, I think at this point, people have thrown enough information at you that you can see that the Pi3 is not the way to go. Also, I see that you may have two builds one for complete retro, and one for newer games. Something to consider is these things take a lot of physical space. And while you may be partial to one, the kids may be partial to another. Because of space limitations, lack of play, kids moving out, wife complaining, or whatever, you may end up getting rid of one. These custom ones like the NES cab you are partial too, very slim market out there for them. I see custom cabs on CL all the time steadily dropping price for months before they disappear. The NES cab would probably outlive your marriage. But if you get a CRT based cab, load it up with MAME, you'd get 10 offers a day after posting it. Not surprisingly, more people want to relive old games the way they were intended to be played, rather than play new games in the way they were evolved from.

Be patient, wait for the right deal. Since you like building, the right deal only requires really a good working CRT monitor. Until then, spend some time looking at software. Go to Youtube and look-up "Hyperspin" and get yourself a cheap PC to tinker with.

[leapinlew]

At this point , I'm still in development stages and trying to grab as much info I can. I'm not completely set in what I want to do. I'm open minded, which is why I came to you guys who know a helluva lot more than I do. I just love the Nintendo retro look.

The more I think about it, I'm leaning more toward the traditional cabinet. Would love to maybe take it up a notch and do a 4 player cabinet since Xmen was one of my favorite games growing up and me and my boys dropped a ton of coin beating that game over and over.

Well, I think at this point, people have thrown enough information at you that you can see that the Pi3 is not the way to go. Also, I see that you may have two builds one for complete retro, and one for newer games. Something to consider is these things take a lot of physical space. And while you may be partial to one, the kids may be partial to another. Because of space limitations, lack of play, kids moving out, wife complaining, or whatever, you may end up getting rid of one. These custom ones like the NES cab you are partial too, very slim market out there for them. I see custom cabs on CL all the time steadily dropping price for months before they disappear. The NES cab would probably outlive your marriage. But if you get a CRT based cab, load it up with MAME, you'd get 10 offers a day after posting it. Not surprisingly, more people want to relive old games the way they were intended to be played, rather than play new games in the way they were evolved from.

Be patient, wait for the right deal. Since you like building, the right deal only requires really a good working CRT monitor. Until then, spend some time looking at software. Go to Youtube and look-up "Hyperspin" and get yourself a cheap PC to tinker with.

Not only that, the Pi has a small amount of risk if you did want to try it and I'm sure you could find another use for it if it didn't work.

I like tinkering with stuff like that so I wouldn't consider it a loss to try.

[Jamesbeat]

Enh.... I'd rather use Q-tips than a pause button. And yeah, I know my old fart veteran answer of "We didn't do it that way in 1982" is clearly ruining this site, but quite frankly I find a pause button takes away from the urgency and intensity of playing these games. That's why I'm not personally a fan and will never put one on my projects. Everyone else, have at it.

Me too. If I'm going to the trouble of making a cab, I want the experience to be as authentic as possible - no pause button, and no credit button.  Tokens only.

[yotsuya]

Enh.... I'd rather use Q-tips than a pause button. And yeah, I know my old fart veteran answer of "We didn't do it that way in 1982" is clearly ruining this site, but quite frankly I find a pause button takes away from the urgency and intensity of playing these games. That's why I'm not personally a fan and will never put one on my projects. Everyone else, have at it.

Me too. If I'm going to the trouble of making a cab, I want the experience to be as authentic as possible - no pause button, and no credit button.  Tokens only.

[leapinlew]

The pause option is a nice add on and one of the features I've wanted since Atari 2600. It's nice when you can take a quick drink of soda or something. I draw the line at save state - that's cheating and I've ruined some arcade games using that to get further than I ever could.

I use it as a shifted function on all my cabs. I keep the button layout as original as possible.

[gildahl]

I agree on the niceness of pause.  If I'm in the zone on a game and the wife calls, maintenance of the happy life trumps the arcade experience and pause comes to the rescue...or when my daughter comes in with a homework question.  In that instant, arcade purity is shelved till we're done.  You can always recess the pause button under the CP box if its presence seems an abomination or to avoid cluttering your layout; but it almost seems silly not to have it--unless, perhaps you...just...can't...keep...yourself...from...touching...it (in which case you might need professional help, hehe).

[dezmond]

I agree on the niceness of pause.  If I'm in the zone on a game and the wife calls, maintenance of the happy life trumps the arcade experience and pause comes to the rescue...or when my daughter comes in with a homework question.  In that instant, arcade purity is shelved till we're done.  You can always recess the pause button under the CP box if its presence seems an abomination or to avoid cluttering your layout; but it almost seems silly not to have it--unless, perhaps you...just...can't...keep...yourself...from...touching...it (in which case you might need professional help, hehe).