System 1 Cab (updated 5th June, DC added!)

[Minwah]

Here's my first MAME cab   I've been working on it (on and off) for the past 6 months, and I just have it up and running.  I figure it will be a while until I completely finish it, so I thought I'd post some pics now...

I built the cab from scratch, with the design based loosely on Atari's System 1 cab (RoadBlasters, Marble Madness, Peter Packrat, Indiana Jones, Road Runner).

I still have to do:

3x Control panels (inc. artwork),
Sideart.

As always comments etc are more than welcome

My pics aren't terribly good, but here goes:

[Minwah]

Side view:

[Minwah]

Running:

[stuzza]

Looking great so far Minwah!    Cool idea having the admin buttons and speakers on a separate panel.  What size monitor you got in that??   Hmmm... I wonder what frontend you'll be running.... LOL

[JoeB]

Your first MAME cab!?  

How can the author of one of the best front ends out there never have a cab in the first place? Have you been running MAMEWAH on your regular PC up to now?

If so.. AMAZING!  MAMEWAH feels like it was written from the ground up to run on a machine rather than desktop PC!

[paigeoliver]

Nice, I own a System I cabinet. That is spookily similar. Although the back is a bit different towards the bottom.

If I were you I would have made the side panels exactly the same, that way you could buy the repro System I sideart if you ever felt the need.

I guess you will be using gamelauncher?  

[steve_pss]

Nice cab man! Make sure you stay away from the MameWah FE tho

[Harakiri]

Congrats Min, that's one of the best cabs i saw around here ever!

BTW: I love the speakers panel!  

[SaiNRuB]

Just wanted to say what a nice cabinet youve built there. I love Roadblasters and Indy and the Temple of Doom so im really feeling that design you got.


Good Job man and if you need any help with setting up Mamewah let me know.

[Minwah]

Looking great so far Minwah!    Cool idea having the admin buttons and speakers on a separate panel.  What size monitor you got in that??   Hmmm... I wonder what frontend you'll be running.... LOL

Well I'm planning to make swappable control panels, so I thought why not have the start buttons permanately placed to save buying (& wiring) those buttons on every panel.  I thought it might also make the speaker panel a bit less bare.  I only have 1 admin button, which is pause and also the IPAC shift function - I don't like using P1 Start as shift because of those accidental 'quits'.

It's a 21" monitor, looks quite big in the cab when compared to an original System 1 (they had 19" screens)...

You guessed the FE  Here's how my skin looks on-screen:

[Minwah]

Your first MAME cab!?  

How can the author of one of the best front ends out there never have a cab in the first place? Have you been running MAMEWAH on your regular PC up to now?

If so.. AMAZING!  MAMEWAH feels like it was written from the ground up to run on a machine rather than desktop PC!

It's true, the best I've had until now is a HotRod.  I've always hated desktop FE's since you (usually) have to have access to your arcade controls, mouse and keyboard, which is a pain.  So it was effectively written for cabs, I knew I'd want one some day

[Minwah]

Nice, I own a System I cabinet. That is spookily similar. Although the back is a bit different towards the bottom.

If I were you I would have made the side panels exactly the same, that way you could buy the repro System I sideart if you ever felt the need.

I guess you will be using gamelauncher?  

Well I couldn't get all of the exact dimensions / angles etc., so I decided it would be a loose copy rather than a replica.  I did consider the System 1 sideart, as it is generic, but I think I will eventually design something myself.  The bottom rear of the cab I purposely changed, so the machine can be pushed nearer to walls (with skirting boards) and also just to have a slightly smaller footprint.

[Minwah]

Congrats Min, that's one of the best cabs i saw around here ever!

BTW: I love the speakers panel!  

Thanks, I wasn't sure I would like that panel when finished.  I was hoping to just route 4 or 5 grooves for the speakers (old skool style), but my routing wasn't up to it.  I was a bit worried the speaker grilles might look a bit crap, they look OK tho...If I ever get the urge I could cover the whole panel with a grill like the 'real' System 1's...

[Minwah]

Just wanted to say what a nice cabinet youve built there. I love Roadblasters and Indy and the Temple of Doom so im really feeling that design you got.

Thanks  RoadBlasters is one of my old favourites too, looking forward to making my driving panel now!

[patrickl]

Really slick cab. Looks incredibly professional.

Do you plan to run the glass over the monitor and marquee in one piece?

[Minwah]

Really slick cab. Looks incredibly professional.

Do you plan to run the glass over the monitor and marquee in one piece?

Thanks  Yes, the glass will sit in a groove above the speaker panel:

[Minwah]

...and be held in place by the hinged top panel, with a similar groove:

I will probably stick some T-molding onto the glass to break up the marquee from the screen - I'm interested to see what it looks like without first tho...

[jcrouse]

What are the two cutouts in the front for? One is probably a coin door. Is the othe for a pedal for driving games? I like the idea of swappable panels. I just finished my first cocktail. I built an upright last winter. I am now reworking the upright and may go with swappable cp's. Next winters project is a driving cockpit. GEEZ......No wonder i'm still single at 40+.

LOL,
John

[paigeoliver]

The right cutout is where the over/under coindoor goes. The left cutout is for the front door, the boards go behind it.

[Minwah]

What are the two cutouts in the front for? One is probably a coin door. Is the othe for a pedal for driving games?

Paige is right, here's a pic with the PC board installed:

Oh, and you see the 8 shiny carriage bolts - that's for the pedals (pedal levers yet to be installed...)

I'm glad I went for swappable panels, even tho I only have 1 so far...I'm beginning to miss my old favorite OutRun

[Stingray]

Fantastic work! This cab is going to look great when you have  all of the finishing touches in place.

-S

[dirt]

well i guess i'm not the only one with a system 1 mamecab. yours looks great!!! i cant wait to see it finished. after looking at your machine i think i want to put some balltop joys in mine now as well as some colored buttons. that would be new for me because the last 4 cabs i've built have all had black joys and buttons. mine is working but now i need to do all the artwork. i bought it as a working jamma cab for $103 on ebay then sold the "boogie wings"pcb for $97.50 also on ebay. i put it together with an extra ipac and computer that already had an arcadevga card in it. does that fe look familiar

[Minwah]

Fantastic work! This cab is going to look great when you have  all of the finishing touches in place.

-S

Thanks , yesterday I installed 1 more touch:

In case anyone's interested these are analog Happ pedals I got from ebay.  The pedals themselves were a bit rusty/scratched so I sanded them back, primed and resprayed with Hammerite smooth silver paint.  Then finally I stuck on skaters grip-tape, to prevent the paint wearing off (the pedals probably had something similar stuck on originally, I could see the remains of the adhesive).  I have replaced the pots with 100k ones, and interfaced as per the instructions here: http://www.gunpowder.freeserve.co.uk/wheels/wiring.htm.  So far they work great , don't have a steering wheel setup yet tho

Edit: I have since been using a Gameport > USB adaptor, as the calibration seemed to go out when using just the Gameport.  Also, the input is more stable through the USB convertor.

Edit 2: I'm now using an AKI (AKI0) to interface the pedals, as it was proving to be a pain configuring things.  Some devices on some of my control panels would appear before the pedals, messing things up.  Works great btw

[Minwah]

well i guess i'm not the only one with a system 1 mamecab. yours looks great!!! i cant wait to see it finished. after looking at your machine i think i want to put some balltop joys in mine now as well as some colored buttons. that would be new for me because the last 4 cabs i've built have all had black joys and buttons. mine is working but now i need to do all the artwork. i bought it as a working jamma cab for $103 on ebay then sold the "boogie wings"pcb for $97.50 also on ebay. i put it together with an extra ipac and computer that already had an arcadevga card in it. does that fe look familiar

Cool, seeing your 'real' System1 in black makes me quite pleased how my fake one turned out, looks quite close

I really like ball-tops, but for more colour choice you could always get coloured bat-tops.  I'm not sure if I will use the NeoGeo colours in my final stick panel (that one is a test one), but I really like the red  

And yeah, nice fe

[AlanS17]

Thanks , yesterday I installed 1 more touch:

Show off...   j/k

I wanted to do that with mine but I never got around to it. Got everything else working and then I never finished it.

[Minwah]

Show off...   j/k

I wanted to do that with mine but I never got around to it. Got everything else working and then I never finished it.

Well I always knew I would eventually want pedals...I found a RoadBlasters type pedal which I was going to use (it has it's own housing and could easily be bolted on as an afterthought), but I thought it worth getting 2 for more compatibility.  Then I found these pedals, and so planned how to fit them from day 1 (well day 5):

[AlanS17]

Does the plate mount from the inside or what? It's a very clean install.

[Minwah]

Does the plate mount from the inside or what? It's a very clean install.

Actually I just removed the plate and drilled holes in a similar pattern through the front panel.  The pedals are long enough to reach through the 18mm MDF...

Only problem with this method is trying to insert the pedals themselves at the same time as holding the mechanism springs round under tension.  Throttle was OK but the brake uses 2 springs, only 1 minor flesh wound suffered tho  

[Minwah]

Installed the coin door & front door the other week

(pic deleted - see one below)

[kujina]

Really nice cab so far, I take it you used 18mm MDF how does the 3/4" (19.05mm) t-moulding fit?

[Minwah]

Really nice cab so far, I take it you used 18mm MDF how does the 3/4" (19.05mm) t-moulding fit?

Yep 18mm MDF...the T-molding fits fine, there is a *slight* lip each side, but you can't really see it.  You can just about feel it if you run your finger along the edge.

[kujina]

Hi Minwah

One more question related to the t-moulding, where did you get the router bit to cut the groove?

...Thanks...

[Minwah]

Hi Minwah

One more question related to the t-moulding, where did you get the router bit to cut the groove?

...Thanks...

www.screwfix.com .  Be careful tho as you have to buy the cutter, arbor & bearings separately.  The cutter I got from there has 2 wings, rather than the 3 wing ones I've seen pictured/link to here frequently.

[kujina]

I see you

[Minwah]

I see you

[kujina]

What kind of paint did you use, the finish looks great.

[Minwah]

OK after 4 months off or so (thanks to making my analog control panel, then having to add analog support to MAMEWAH!), I decided to start work again.

I've been a bit pissed off with where I filled the screw heads...for some reason the filler expanded (maybe absorbed moisture from the primer?) at some point and so all the screw heads show (well, the filler protrudes).  On the side panels I will rub them flat before I apply the sideart, so am not too bothered about that atm.

I decided to remove the coin door and pedals, rub down the protruding filler on the front panel, and cover the whole front panel & door with some Happ vinyl I had spare.  I'm really pleased I did this - a big improvement IMHO  

Edit: just thought I'd add in case anyone's interested, that the vinyl looks very black in reality - the camera flash makes it look quite grey here...

[Generic Eric]

Be careful on the corners and edges, that looks sharp!

[hunky_artist]

that cab looks fabuous... cant wait to see more

I was wondering if I could ask a favour, what's the inside measurement... I'm curious how wide your control panel is (in the planning stages of mine you see)

thanks!

[daywane]

I also noticed your doors. (from your first picture) also the built in shelves in the wall.

Nice house.
I am working on my house  1 weekend on house 1 weekend on arcade cabs.

I like the green walls

[Minwah]

I was wondering if I could ask a favour, what's the inside measurement... I'm curious how wide your control panel is (in the planning stages of mine you see)

Of course, the control panel is 60cm wide making the cab 63.6cm wide - just right for getting through doors (I think we have narrower doorways in UK to the US!).

[Minwah]

I like the green walls

I wonder if you noticed the yellow wall (next to the green one)?

[hunky_artist]

how do you have your control panels attached? Is it easy to change them?

[Minwah]

how do you have your control panels attached? Is it easy to change them?

They sit on supports around the edges, and then are held in with clamps on each side.  I have to reach in through the front door to unclamp the panel(s), undo a molex connector or 2 (& USB lead, depending on panel) and then the panel just lifts out.  It is slightly awkward to unclamp/clamp the panel, but the whole thing can be done in 1 or 2 minutes

[Minwah]

Finally finished the monitor bezel (thanks to my Mum for doing most of it!).  Bought some tinted, toughened glass for the monitor/marquee, and had the marquee printed.

Check it out (with flash):

(pic removed)

[Minwah]

Here's the marquee with no flash:

(pic removed)

[Minwah]

And here's another shot with no flash...

One problem I have encountered is the marquee light looks a little bright (looks better in reality than this photo makes out tho), and also it gets *very* hot!  I need to change the lamp for something lower powered...

(pic removed)

[Witchboard]

All I can say is that's looking pimp... that's a good thing.  

[patrickl]

That's pretty slick.

How much watt is your lamp?

[Minwah]

How much watt is your lamp?

I really can't remember...I just bought one which was the right dimensions  

Do you know what wattage roughly is suitable?

[patrickl]

How much watt is your lamp?

I really can't remember...I just bought one which was the right dimensions  

Do you know what wattage roughly is suitable?

Heh, I was hoping to learn from you which wattage was too much

I just checked my notes and I have noted some people saying they use (and like) 15 Watts to 20 watts lamps. Since OSCAR was one of the 15W people I think I'll go with that (he tends to be right) .

[Gunstar Hero]

The marquee looks slick!

I think the Atari Games logo should be in the lower right hand corner tho!

I want to see that bad boy running RoadBlasters. =)

[TOK]

Like the clean look of the whole project. Refreshing to see a panel without 7 joysticks poking out of it!

[Minwah]

Heh, I was hoping to learn from you which wattage was too much

I just checked my notes and I have noted some people saying they use (and like) 15 Watts to 20 watts lamps. Since OSCAR was one of the 15W people I think I'll go with that (he tends to be right) .

Thanks, you saved me looking it up!!  Yes, Oscar knows what he's doing

[Minwah]

I want to see that bad boy running RoadBlasters. =)

So do I!!  I'm putting off my steering wheel panel until I've finished the rest of the cab tho  

[Stingray]

Wow! I haven't checked in on this thread in a while, your cab looks fantastic Minwah!

-S

[Minwah]

Thanks Stingray!

Put a new 13W marquee lamp in, looks better & doesn't get so hot!

[Minwah]

I decided to cover the front panel (the curved bit in front of the control panel) in Happ vinyl...I was going to get some CPO with graphics on, but I decided this would be a lot easier, and since there will be a slight gap between this panel & CP, I thought this might look better anyway (as opposed to having a split through the artwork).

Quite pleased with the result anyway:

[paigeoliver]

You are taunting me Minwah, my System One cabinet broke down yesterday. Only readin .87 volts on the +5 line. =(

[Minwah]

You are taunting me Minwah, my System One cabinet broke down yesterday. Only readin .87 volts on the +5 line. =(

Oh dear  Good luck fixing it...

[paigeoliver]

I immediately ordered an AR III rebuild kit from Bob Roberts. After that I pulled the AR III to check for damage (there was none), and I checked my parts box too see if I had any proper parts, and it turns out I had ONE spare transistor that matched one used on the AR III board. I tried it out, didn't change anything, so I put the original one back on.

Basically waiting on my package from Bob at this point.

[Stingray]

The 13 watt bulb looks just about right.

-S

[bsoder52]

Minwah,
Awesome cab man!

You probably don't remember me, i was a newbie when we talked last,  I guess you can still consider me a newbie from a technical standpoint.  I've got a similar cab up and running.

Recently I had to defrag my hard drive and reload XP.

I copied the version of MAMEWAH and MAME onto CD that I was running, so I reinstalled MAMWAH and MAME, and everything is running ok.

Only thing is, I can't get any of my snapshots to load up in the main game select page of the application.

I have all the pics saved in a file named SNAP, and residing in my MAME folder on my C drive where everything else is for MAME.  I tried putting the folder in my MAMEWAH folder, but that didn't work either.  Any advise would be really appreciated.

Sincerely,

Bsoder52

[wj2k3]

Did you just copy MAMEWAH from the CD to your new install or did you 'install' it?

[Silver]

@bsoder52

You probably need to set the correct path in the mamewah ini files - check the docs for the location. Check your other settings too if you have reloaded XP and mamewah.

If you need more help try posting in another thread, or even on the Mamewah support forum at mameworld:

http://www.mameworld.info/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=arcadeospc2jamma

as I reckon we should try and keep this thread strictly to feedback/appreciation/jealousy of Minwah's cab...

[Minwah]

Sorry I hadn't looked at this thread for a while...I think bsoder52 posted in the software forum recently so I presume he's OK now...

Back to the cab...my lamp which I thought was OK seems to still be making the monitor picture wobbly ever-so-slightly, so I am going to change it again.

Got some perforated steel from a friend yesterday to make the speaker panel grille - the holes are not quite as small as I'd hoped but I think it will look pretty good anyway.  Hopefully I'll get that done within the next week or so...

[Minwah]

Finally finished the speaker panel!  The perforated metal has larger holes than I originally wanted, but it was all I could get.  Actually I really like it now 

[Minwah]

Another pic:

[ras2a]

Two words: ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- Hot !

[Gunstar Hero]

Yes yes. 

So where's the Roadblasters panel already?? 

[Will]

Looking great minwah!!I really like the  perforated metal  grill anyone know where you can buy something like it in the US?

[Minwah]

Yes yes.

[Gunstar Hero]

Well bah. 

Well, if you have no use for the RoadBlasters yoke... and it needs a good home... (wink wink nudge nudge) 

[Minwah]

Well, if you have no use for the RoadBlasters yoke... and it needs a good home... (wink wink nudge nudge)

[Gunstar Hero]

Somehow I knew you would! 

[ras2a]

Just thought I'd add my 'tuppence'.  SUPERB job on the cab Minwah...looks excellent matey!  I really hope the Christmas deadline I've set myself is not wishful thinking.

[Minwah]

Just thought I'd add my 'tuppence'.

[ras2a]

well muchos kudos and all that as it looks a belter.  Really love the design.  I've updated my thread in project announcements with some quick piccies of paint job and lexan...which I just finished cutting tonite.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,22149.40.html

Once again, excellent cab

Craig

[Yander]

Yeah it really loooks amazing

[Stingray]

I really like what the speaker panel mesh added to the looks of the front of the cab.

-S

[Minwah]

I really like what the speaker panel mesh added to the looks of the front of the cab.

-S

Thanks Stingray, I think it actually looks better 'for real'.  The camera flash makes the vinyl behind the grill look quite grey, so in reality the wholes look less obvious.

[boyowilkins]

Hi Minwah,

Any chance of u popping into my Forum and saying hello.......

[Orclord]

Hey Hippy....

When you've finally finished it, fancy nipping over and building me one ??

I've got beer....

Either that or give me a hand with this bloody decorating ...

 

[Silver]

Hippy??....?

Can we have some photos as proof.... or am I missing something...?

[Minwah]

When you've finally finished it, fancy nipping over and building me one ??

I've got beer....

Either that or give me a hand with this bloody decorating ...

 

Dunno bout that Orc...how many rooms are you decorating??  It's been going on for months...

Hippy??....?

Can we have some photos as proof.... or am I missing something...?

Don't have any to hand...but yeah I'm a bit of a hippy

[Minwah]

Just for fun, here's a pic of me on day 9 of building my cab (the only pic withme in during the whole build).  This was a very cold beer + take a guess fueled Friday night's work with my mate Mylo:

Edit: as for the hippy comment, my hair's longer now 

[Minwah]

Here's Mylo on the same night...I think he spent most of the time in this position 

[Minwah]

...which reminds me, here's why beer & power tools probably don't mix:

[Flinkly]

woah...i didn't even know....that you were...i'm so confused.

i guess i expected you to be a glasses toting...kinda guy...but your so...normal.

well, except for the long hair...but i can look past that.

you know, as a community, we should have pictures of ourselves posted somewhere so we can get to know each other...a bit more.

[Minwah]

...but your so...normal.

well, except for the long hair...

Have you seen Easy Rider? 

[Minwah]

OK I received my first CPO and marquee from www.mamemarquees.com today - just spent the evening on installing it.  Many of my pics have turned out crap as always, but the artwork looks really superb - I can't fault the quality.

[Minwah]

Closeup of CPO

[Minwah]

Underside of finished 360deg wheel panel:

[Minwah]

This one shows the cab in it's current state.  The colours of the CPO look pretty washed out here but as you should be able to tell from the previous pics they are not in reality.

The marquee looks ace

[ras2a]

'Bootiful' as Bernard Matthews used to say! - Looks well ace.

[SaiNRuB]

Looks great Minwah

[Silver]

Man I have GOT to start building my cab.....

Looks superb (but then, it already did!). I take you can spec/design a personal CP at mamemarquees to fit your controls. Can I ask cost/shipping to UK? Also how are you attaching the CPO - is the back side sticky, placed staight onto MDF? and has it got a covering?

[Minwah]

Thanks guys

Looks superb (but then, it already did!). I take you can spec/design a personal CP at mamemarquees to fit your controls.

Yes, I designed this to fit around the controls (after I'd made the panel)

Can I ask cost/shipping to UK?

Somewhere around $13, so ~

[Silver]

Ah wonderful. Sounds perfect if it has protective covering.... had been wondering abou the whole lexan covering option. I take you have placed straight onto MDF?

And I was wondering cost of CPO as well as shipping... (I take it

[Minwah]

Ah wonderful. Sounds perfect if it has protective covering.... had been wondering abou the whole lexan covering option. I take you have placed straight onto MDF?

And I was wondering cost of CPO as well as shipping... (I take it

[Gunstar Hero]

Damn Minwah, that looks GREAT.

I gotta do my steering wheel panel now. 

[Minwah]

Damn Minwah, that looks GREAT.

I gotta do my steering wheel panel now. 

Thanks, and yes, you should 

[Minwah]

Just thought I'd add some info about my wheel panel, since I didn't really say much about it:

Pole Position wheel hardware, with Super Sprint wheel, interfaced with Oscar mouse hack,
Hard Drivin' (compact) 4-way shifter (via IPAC in the cabinet itself),
Um, 3 buttons (again via IPAC),
Happ dual pedals, interfaced with an AKI.

You can't see them in the shots on this page but see page one of this thread for pics of the pedals.

[RetroJames]

I assume you are going to make a few more panels, what is your storage solution?

[Minwah]

I assume you are going to make a few more panels

Yes, a stick/button panel (see earlier in the thread for my current test version), an analog stick/trackball/spinner panel, and a yoke panel

what is your storage solution?

Good question!!  I don't have one yet 

[RetroJames]

Got another one, are the panels hot-swappable?

[teef two]

Also Minwah, how are you attaching the panels? From looking at the pics I can't quite make out what is securing them in place.

[Stingray]

as for the hippy comment, my hair's longer now 

I'm a bit of a hippy myself. Add to that the fact that we have the same car, same oddball video game hobby, and we both care about how our cabs look on the inside. I'm starting to think you and I may have been twins separated at birth.

-S

[Silver]

Do-do-Do-do.Do-do-Do-do...... Twilight Zone alert!!!!

Or maybe Stingray and MinWah are in fact the SAME person, and he's just trying to bump his project up the forum!     

Sneaky.... 

[2600]

Hey Minwah,
I've got a set of Pedals like yours I haven't set up yet and have a question.   Previously, you said you had two springs on the brake pedal, how many do you have on the gas pedal?  Mine is missing the brake pedal, but there is one spring there.  The gas has 2 springs and the Happs diagram seems to indicate one spring on the gas and two on the brake.  Since you have a set and are actively using them, I thought you could confirm the springs and if that spring orientation is the correct feel.

Thanks

[tommy]

i must say that looks great   how much would you say youve spent on that machine

[Minwah]

Got another one, are the panels hot-swappable?

Yes, Molex connectors for digital inputs & USB for mouse/joystick devices.

[Minwah]

Also Minwah, how are you attaching the panels? From looking at the pics I can't quite make out what is securing them in place.

Panel clamps.  See the pic of the underside of the CP...there are two metal things on the underside of the wood (one on each side).  I have to reach in through the front door and hook the other part of the clamp over and lock in place.  I might have a pic of the clamps without the CP in place if you're not sure what I mean...

[Minwah]

I'm a bit of a hippy myself. Add to that the fact that we have the same car, same oddball video game hobby, and we both care about how our cabs look on the inside. I'm starting to think you and I may have been twins separated at birth.

Or maybe Stingray and MinWah are in fact the SAME person, and he's just trying to bump his project up the forum!     

LOL    We are definately not the same person, tho it is funny we seem so alike...I wonder if Stingray is a big Beatles & Bob Dylan fan?...

[Minwah]

Hey Minwah,
I've got a set of Pedals like yours I haven't set up yet and have a question.   Previously, you said you had two springs on the brake pedal, how many do you have on the gas pedal?  Mine is missing the brake pedal, but there is one spring there.  The gas has 2 springs and the Happs diagram seems to indicate one spring on the gas and two on the brake.  Since you have a set and are actively using them, I thought you could confirm the springs and if that spring orientation is the correct feel.

I have one spring on the gas, two on the brake.  I believe this to be the correct configuration...it feels right and it seems the most 'realistic'.

[Minwah]

i must say that looks great   how much would you say youve spent on that machine

Thanks   I'm really not sure how much I spent.  I went for a new arcade monitor (

[2600]

I have one spring on the gas, two on the brake.

[Minwah]

Thanks Minwah.  Wonder why mine is reveresed?

Not sure...maybe someone just assumed the gas should have 2 - maybe the previous owner had some parts of the brake pedal assembly spare.  Who knows! 

BTW, Is there anyone who is not a Beatles and Dylan fan?

Yes, unfortunately for them! 

[Stingray]

I'm a bit of a hippy myself. Add to that the fact that we have the same car, same oddball video game hobby, and we both care about how our cabs look on the inside. I'm starting to think you and I may have been twins separated at birth.

Or maybe Stingray and MinWah are in fact the SAME person, and he's just trying to bump his project up the forum!     

LOL    We are definately not the same person, tho it is funny we seem so alike...I wonder if Stingray is a big Beatles & Bob Dylan fan?...

HUGE Beatles fan. Kind of lukewarm on Bob Dylan, though my wife really digs him. Oh and I present as evidence that we're not the same person, my cab runs on a Mac and therefore doesn't use MAMEWAH. Sorry for dragging your thread so insanely off topic.

-S

[hillbilly]

I have to say I really like the way your cab turned out.

[Minwah]

I have to say I really like the way your cab turned out. 
Is there anyone who has measurements of a system 1 cabinet. I have been inspired to build one after seeing how well this one turned out. Maybe someone could get some plans to jakobud for his site or send them to me.

Just to confirm (in case you didn't know) that mine is a rough copy...some of the dimensions are pretty much correct, but the angles and such are more of a guess.  A tribute rather than a replica

[Minwah]

Boredom allert...here are some pictures of a removable shelf I made to cover up my pedal mechanisms and sit the coin box on.  The coin box wouldn't sit properly in there previously, and I noticed occasionally a few coins would end up somewhere other than in the box...I was a bit worried about a 20p either jamming in one of the mechanisms, or shorting out a pot (or the AKI).

How it was:

(pic removed)

[Minwah]

New shelf installed:

(pic removed)

[Minwah]

Coin box in:

(edit: the bit of cardboard is to aim the coins in as the mechs are very close to the front door, and the cutout in the coin box is to make grabbing coins out easier)

(pic removed)

[kujina]

Minwah I noticed that subwoofer inside your cabinet, how does it affect the acoustics with that being there, how is the bass?

[Minwah]

Minwah I noticed that subwoofer inside your cabinet, how does it affect the acoustics with that being there, how is the bass?

Hmmm, not great, but noticable.  The reason I have it is purely for the amp for the main two speakers, I'm not too bothered about the sub itself.  Previously I was driving the main speakers straight from the small on-board amp of a SoundBlaster 16, but the speakers were distorting (I thought due to being underpowered).  As it happens the speakers still distort, but the bigger amp is nice.  I think maybe the Happ speakers I have are just crap, but I'm yet to find any 4" shielded speakers elsewhere...

If you are planning to use a similar sub, I would try to mount it higher...in my case (if I were particularly bothered) I probably should have mounted it behind where the start buttons are.  It does sound quite bassy when I have my head at a similar level!

[Flinkly]

i was looking back over your driving panel and noticed you put three buttons on it.  i know one is for turbo, but what about the others?  if anyone could help me answer this one, i'd be much appreciated.  thanks guys.

[Silver]

Well Minwah is away travelling in Austrailia I believe - so no idea if he will be around on the boards... (hopefully not - having a well earned break  )

Anyway, Minwah made a spreadsheet working out how many games with a 360 wheel had how many buttons - try searching for it. Basically he can play all 360 games (with 1/2 exceptions maybe) with 3 buttons - they do different things in different games. eg Spy hunter has several buttons I think (bad example though as that is a 270 wheel game)

[Walkinshaw]

Can never hurt to have extra buttons so I added 3 myself to my driving wheels. Best to add them now than later and I also trust Minwah 

[Minwah]

i was looking back over your driving panel and noticed you put three buttons on it.  i know one is for turbo, but what about the others?  if anyone could help me answer this one, i'd be much appreciated.  thanks guys.

Varies depending on each game.  I worked out that for 360deg wheel games you need 3 buttons max (only for a couple of games)...but this also assumes you have 2 pedals and a 4-speed shifter for other inputs...

[Minwah]

I finally got round to getting my DC in my cab... 

I used a hacked VGA box ( http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=4&products_id=82& ) to output to my arcade monitor, and used a normal VGA switchbox ( http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=13351&doy=5m6D ) to switch between PC & DC.  Also, I use an audio swichbox ( http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=9328&doy=5m6D ).

Finally I hacked some official DC pads...I was going to hack a cheap arcade stick ( http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=28&products_id=3443& ) but it turned out to be crap, kept acting as though a VMU was being removed/inserted all the time...

Some pics...DC inside coin door (coin box removed while DC is in use):

(pic removed)

[Minwah]

Hacked DC pads:

(pic removed)

[Minwah]

Video/audio switchboxes mounted on the left, and hacked DC pads are on the right towards the back (hard to see in this pic):

(pic removed)

[Minwah]

Finally a pic of Soul Calibur running (slideshow):

(pic removed)

[Silver]

Nice - Looks superb....

... so - are you back??

How was your trip??!?

[ras2a]

Goddam, every time I see this cab, it looks better.

[Minwah]

Nice - Looks superb....

... so - are you back??

How was your trip??!?

Thanks and yes...just been a bit slow getting back into things.  It was great thanks, I'd highly recommend it 

[M.A.M.E Power]

Hey Minwah

Awesome work on the cab it really looks fantastic, you seem quite the whizz in every sense. I want to get my cab up and running now

[markrvp]

So do you have the arcade controls hooked to both the DC gamepad hacks and the keyboard encoder at the same time?

[Minwah]

So do you have the arcade controls hooked to both the DC gamepad hacks and the keyboard encoder at the same time?

No, sorry I didn't make that clear...I have to disconnect the molex connectors to the IPAC, and switch to the ones on the hacked DC pads...

Or I should say did have to, I've just taken the whole lot out of the lower half of my cab for some re-working.  I'm going to use a 25-way switchbox to switch video, audio and controls all at once.  I'm banking on using an Ultimarc Playstation adaptor (when available) combined with some good PSX > DC convertors to make it easier.  I'm putting an Xbox in using the same principal too.  Fingers crossed all goes well, I'll update here accordingly...

I've got a few other things I plan to do while I'm at it

BTW thanks MAME Power, good luck with yours

[Pepeto]

Hi. I love your cabinet...

I'm trying to hack a vga box to play with my dc in my cabinet, but i snip the wire #6 and the image is grey.

Please, can you take photos of your hack vga box and I can see wath wire must i have to cut?

Thank you

[BenDalton]

Nice cab! I'm jealous. Hopefully mine will turn out 1/2 as well. I love the speaker grill.

[Minwah]

Haven't posted any progress for a while so here's few pics...this is a test setup for what is usually in my cab.  It shows the cable & switching system I use for multiple systems.  The switchbox is just north-east of the xbox.

[Minwah]

And here it is with the xbox connected up (video, audio & controls).  Note the spare plug lying on the floor is for the power button - this should be plugged into the back of the xbox via a connector I added.

I'll give some more proper details about the setup when I get it fully working...it has been working for a while but with a few glitches.  While I have it apart I'm gonna re-do the speaker volume knob extension as there is some noise (I should've used shielded cable I think).  Also I'm going to change the cable from the IPAC for smaller diameter stuff - it is a bit thick atm.

Edit: I removed a load of pictures from earlier in the thread since I have changed most of it since then.  I'll upload some new pics when I get it all back together...

[Crowley]

Looks awesome to me. Nice job man.