Arcade Collecting > Arcade1Up & Similar

Thoughts on converting an Arcade1up cabinet

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Wagmi:
To start, I'm 100% new to this hobby(?). I recently found out about this place and only browsed a few of the pages so far. Most of the stuff being talked about is way above me, but I'm hoping to learn more as I get more hands on with upgrading and tinkering around. Anyhow, I finally decided that I want to make my first jump into getting a mame system set up. Being as new as I am with this, I thought about possibly buying an arcade1up arcade, something of the 2 player variety, and using that as my foundation to start off with. I haven't done much research, but from what I've seen so far, barebones cabinets can get rather pricey, and rightfully so.

I don't know much about being able to customize the control panels or cabinet side of things on these, but I understand that the 1up arcades can be reconfigured to basically run like any other mame machine to a certain extent. For those of you who are more experienced, do you recommend going this route to start off with?

PL1:
Welcome to the BYOAC forums.   :cheers:

There are pros and cons to all of the various approaches to this hobby.

A1up modding may seem like the easy path, but there are some parts of the mod process that can be problematic, depending on your skillset.
- By the time you replace the controls, computer, and maybe the monitor, you might conclude that another approach would have been better.

You might want to consider using a flat-pack kit like the ones produced by Haruman and laminated artwork -- unlike the cheap artwork on the A1up control panel that wears off unless you use a "deck protector".  :puke
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,130522.0.html

Another way to dip your toe in the hobby is to start with an inexpensive fightstick and your current computer.
- This lets you learn your way around MAME and evaluate what games you like and what controls you need to play them.
- Easiest way to go this route is to find a reasonably recent ROMset (we can't help you with that due to Rule 5) then download the matching version of MAME here.  For example, if you find a MAME v0.234 ROMset, you'll want to download MAME v0.234.  * Avoid any ROMset where the version number isn't clearly identified. *

The FAQ will help you wrap your brain around the various skills involved in this hobby and help you figure out what you already know and what you want/need to learn.
http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/FAQ


Scott

bobbyb13:
Take Scott's advice on this (and pretty much always!)
I was asked by someone to mod an A1Up once and I found there is SO much proprietatary stuff in them that it is NOT worth bothering (so I wouldn't do it.)

Wagmi:
Honestly, I never even considered a bartop style kit. I just checked out Harumans site and he has plenty of great designs to choose from, plus the prices are very reasonable. Thanks for the info!

I do have some experience with console emulation, but not with mame specifically. I did purchase the launchbox premium back when it came out which is also around the time I stopped emulation as well, so I haven’t really been keeping up with everything for all these years. I guess the first thing I need to do is figure out which design to start with and then spend some time in the beginner section for a while.

Mike A:
The first thing you need to do is figure out what games you want to play.

That decision will dictate everything else.

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