Starting my first DIY MAME Cabinet Build (based on PC), looking for any advice

[kazemir]

I am planning on building my own Multi Arcade machine (Based on a PC running MAME). As I am just starting out, I am looking for any advice anyone may have. In particular, regarding the controllers. I want to have a complete set (Two joysticks and buttons, two spinners and one track ball). My goal is to spend under $300, but I suspect this will be difficult with all of these controllers. I made a short video of my initial plans if anyone is interested ()

Any suggestions where to buy the joysticks/buttons etc? I am in Canada, so a source in-country would be a bonus.

[Richie_jones]

$300 you`ll be lucky and be full of regrets afterwards.

My advice and its only my opinion don`t scrimp on the controls, theres nothing worse than a "zippy" joystick.  Added in the price of a lcd, PC, speakers etc etc 300 if limited at best.  Dont know what its like where you live but the wood alone would be 70% of your budget where i live!!!!

[PL1]

Go through the 11-step process in the What type of build meets my needs? part of the FAQ, paying particular attention to steps #2 and #4.

You may find that there aren't enough  "can't live without" games for spinner or trackball to make that control worth the expense.


Scott

[Mike A]

Your 50 dollars for plywood is way off.
Don't go cheap on controls.
Drop the arbitrary 300 dollar budget.
Don't worry about what looks good for your videos.
You don't need a keyboard drawer. Wireless keyboards with built in track pads cost 10 bucks.
Take input from the people here and you can build a cab you will be happy with.

[Gilrock]

I feel like I tend to spend $300 on just miscellaneous stuff I didn't even track.  Are you thinking you only need 1 sheet of plywood?  I know the nice birch plywood is $57 a sheet for me and for that project I'd think you need at least 2 sheets.  I wouldn't buy the cheap plywood because it takes so much longer to get a finish on it but that's just me.  An hour of my time is worth more than the sheet of plywood.

[yotsuya]

When you see guys do sub-$300 builds, it’s usually because they have a lot of parts left on hand from previous projects.

Is it possible? Sure. But I’m not sure you’ll be happy with what you end up with. I’d use the number as a benchmark, not a hard/fast point.

[wp34]

I built a cocktail cabinet for "around" $500 (link in signature) but it took very meticulous planning.  Corners were also cut that I would not be satisfied with on a build now.  In the total I didn't include consumables such as sandpaper and stain or any tools that were required.

Also this is very true -

When you see guys do sub-$300 builds, it’s usually because they have a lot of parts left on hand from previous projects.

Good luck with your build.

[firedance]

go second hand on the  pc/monitor side of things, loads of ex business ones on eBay for not much money, depends which country you've from i guess, my bartop now as a Intel i3 4150 ( i think) runs all the emulators i use no trouble 

[javeryh]

I feel like I tend to spend $300 on just miscellaneous stuff I didn't even track.

Yup. 

$300 seems way low to me but I guess it all depends on what you want the finished product to look like.  No artwork and no coin door and no t-molding will really cut down on expenses (but look bad, IMO).  The wood/MDF alone will end up in the $100+ range no matter what once you factor in all of the battons and interior panels plus you need a lot of miscellaneous stuff like screws, glue, paint, wires, etc.  This all adds up and it's stuff no one really even thinks about.

Like Mike said, I would drop the arbitrary budget constraint and just try making something nice.  if it takes a little longer because of money reasons then so be it - I'd rather wait a year or more and have a cab I love than to rush/skimp my way through it and then not be proud of the finished product.

[howarejew]

$300 Canadian dollars is only $223 USD 

[kazemir]

Thank you all for your replies...message received!  $300 ain't gonna cut it, especially with the track ball and spinners.  My hope is that if I only include the basics (two joysticks and buttons), and find some "donations" for the PC/monitor/keyboard, I may be able to come close.  The $300 was kindof arbitrary...but tied to some money I earned through my photography.  I was aware that this may not be possible, and hence the questions mark in the video.

Any advice on where to source the joysticks/buttons/trackball/spinners?  I originally was looking at the X-arcade TankStick before I was planning on the build.  They offer a DIY kit that seems like good quality parts...but I don't really have anything to base this on other than the pictures.

I looked at Ultimarc too, but they seems more expensive than X-arcade.

Then I looked at Amazon, and started searching for a Canadian supplier.  I have found a couple, but they don't look like as well-established as X-arcade, and I worry about the quality.  Perhaps they would be the same quality or better, and I am judging books by their covers?

My gut is telling me to stick with X-arcade, as I know they have been around for a long time, and the DIY kit should all work together nicely, and with MAME.  Is this a bad decision?  Again, thank you all for your advice for this noob!

[howarejew]

I got a lot of my stuff from t-molding.com

[javeryh]

My general rule of thumb is that you get what you pay for in this hobby.  Ultimarc makes high quality stuff and has great customer service (at least in my experience) so the extra couple of bucks is worth it to me.  If you see those all-in-one deals on Amazon for $30 or whatever and you get 2 joysticks, 20 buttons, encoders and wiring there's a reason it's so cheap.

[kazemir]

@javeryh I hear ya...and I think I was suspecting exactly that, which is why my gut was saying to go with X-Arcade or Ultimarc.  Good to hear that Ultimarc is reliable/good quality. Thanks.

@howarejew Thanks for the T-molding.com site.  I will definitely check them out.  They are a US site, so it partially depends on the shipping methods to Canada.  Good to have a reference from someone who has ordered from them.  Thanks.

[howarejew]

Forgot to mention t-molding.com also carries Ultimarc products

[kazemir]

I checked out three sites for the controllers I am after, with shipping details Etc.  X-Arcade comes out the cheapest (https://shop.xgaming.com/)...  Anyone buy from here before and can vouch for the quality?

I know Ultimarc is highly regarded, but it came out to be almost $100 more.  T-Molding was in the middle, but still $60 more than X-Arcade.

Thanks for all the feedback!

[howarejew]

I switched out my X-Arcade sticks and buttons for Industrias Lorenzo with cherry switches.  The X-Arcades worked ok. I haven't had anything break but they felt cheap. They use their own branded microswitches. The buttons have a hollow sound when you press on them.  The buttons are also very short so if you're planning on using 3/4" plywood with plexi on top, it's not gonna work. The joysticks were ok I didn't really have any complaints about those.

[kazemir]

Thanks @howarejew,  this is good to know.  Sounds like X-arcade may be good "middle of the road" parts...probably appropriate for my first build! 

[MiteWiseacre]

I feel like I’m plugging these guys too much but I like Retro Active Arcade out of Alberta, they have nearly anything and also instructional videos in their site. Pretty helpful with making decisions because he lays out options in the vids.

[Wzrd0803]

I went with a pre made MDF cabinet I got from Ebay, bought my joysticks from X-Arcade, bought the speakers and controls from T-Moulding.  Used an old monitor and pc I had with MAME.