Some questions on building

[Centipeed]

Hello all, I am new to the board...

I have always wanted an arcade cabinet, so I think I am going to try and build one... However, all of the resources I have come across have been in america, and I live in England... I have the following questions:

1. Where in England can I buy a control panel, preferably a relatively cheap one for two players?

2. Where can I find plans for a kind of mini cabinet? I would like it to be able to support a large enough TV (Something like 19"?), but I don't have much space, so I wanted to build a mini cabinet, that nevertheless stands high enough for a person that's 5' 8"

3. I am guessing all I need for the PC is something with a decent enough processor (I am only going to be running MAME on it)... Will an onboard 32mb graphics card suffice for all MAME roms, or does it need to be more powerful? Will an onboard GFX card have Video Out?

4. If you run a keyboard through a control panel, then can you also use the keyboard whenever you want to?

5. Does anyone have a list of what exactly I'll need for building it? I can think of the following things:

Cabinet
Control Panel
Computer tower
19" TV
Speakers

That's all I can think of... Any additions.


Thank you all for the time, and sorry for such a long post... I am just eager to try and get started..

Centipeed

[spystyle]

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[paigeoliver]

One thing about cabinet size.

There is little practical difference is square footage eaten by a mini cab or by a full size cabinet, minis are a couple inches narrower, a few inches shallower and often a lot shorter, but they are still a big honking box.

Just don't make the mistake of buying/building a cocktail in order to save space, as they take 3-4 times the square footage.

Now there are SUPER minis, which ARE really small. They are basically built just big enough to shoehorn in a 13" monitor vertically. I owned one that was Space Firebird (mamed it, sold it at Superauctions for $400, not bad considering I only spent $100ish on the whole project).

I have also seen super minis as Turbo and Monaco GP.

[Centipeed]

Thanks for the answers so far, how about answers to 1, 3, 4 and 5? I really need somewhere in england to buy a cheap two player control panel... Also, if it could be relatively compact that would be great, because I have decided to build a super mini cab...

Thanks

Centipeed

[DaveMMR]

The answers to questions 3, 4 and 5 can be found in the FAQ thread on the top of this main forum.  There were also other threads that covered this so run the search.

But some quick answers:  (3) Your needs vary.  If you're running classics - a low end computer will be fine (my 7 year old P166 ran old early 1980s games quite well).   (4) A lot of keyboard encoders have a pass through cable that allows you to plug in a keyboard (or you could always get a USB keyboard) and (5) don't forget tools, wires, optional artwork, etc.  It's almost impossible to make an all inclusive list because you'll always find yourself running back to the store or ordering something else.  But check the examples - sometimes they post their shopping list on the site.

For question one: you can always check eBay (a little risky at times but the most versatile).  Or you can just build your own.  

One suggestion: you could always build a bartop to save tons of space.  Check the examples.  

Good luck and have fun.

[Centipeed]

Thanks DaveMMR, great help... I am probably going to build a bartop style, but with a base so that it stands... I don't have any available table space in my room, so I really need a standing cabinet...

I think I can manage everything except for the control panel... This is going to stump me... I have no intent of building my own, but ebay won't turn up anything! I need something that can hanle two players (Each with a joystick, 6 buttons and a start button)... I can't find one anywhere because I live in england. Does anyone have any ideas?

EDIT: Actually, I have been thinking... And if I buy a arcade controller meant for a gamecube or playstation 2, and then buy a controller to USB adapter, will MAME recognize the buttons being pressed and be able to use them?

I mean something like this: http://www.webboffins.co.uk/games/gamecube/Logic_3_Arcade_Stick.htm

If I took that arcade controller for the gamecube and plugged it into my USB port through an adapter like this: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/midwestgames/ningamtopcus.html

Then would it work with mame properly? I know it seems a strange way of doing it, but it would really save a lot of trouble for me!

Thanks for the help

Centipeed

[paigeoliver]

Buy a Streetfighter 2 panel, populated or unpopulated, england or America, and then make your cabinet to fit that panel. They are on ebay often enough.

Also, your video card doesn't matter one bit for Mame, 2 MB card, or 512 MB card, it will look exactly the same, as Mame is a 2D app (even the 3D games are 2D as far as your video card is concerned), and nothing much has happened in the area of 2D video cards since the early 90s.

[SideShow Rob]

In response to some of your questions:

1. The controller.

You can buy an X-Arcade in the UK from:

http://www.gremlinsolutions.co.uk/x-arcadeshop.htm

They are UK based, and they often have items listed as "Buy Now" on UK EBay.

The control panel is okay for starters, and may be all that you need. There is a good review here:

http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/controller3.html

There are a few minus points about the controller - the sticks and the buttons have a "different" feel to them - not quite Arcade...but certainly better than using the keyboard or some hacked console controller. Also, the unit doesn't have much spare room inside, so adding a spinner is difficult, but not impossible; adding a standard gaming trackball is impossible, although someone has hacked a Logitech trackball sucessfully and mounted it inside the X-Arcade unit. If the MAME "classics" are a favourite, the sticks don't do 4 way too well (and adjusting them can be a pain in the ar5e...). 8 way fighter/shooter type games are fine though...

2. The TV.

Argos sell a 20" BPL monitor, for

[Centipeed]

I have decided, and I want to build a bartop style cab, just with a stand, so that I wont have to put it on a table or something. Also, although it may not be as good, I am going to buy an old monitor about 13-15" in size, and try and get the cab to be as small as possible...

But on the matter of the control panel.. I really don't have that big a budget, and so I would greatly appreciate any input on the gamecube arcade pad with a USB adapter idea... I read somewhere that those adapters will work fine with things like arcade controllers... but if anyone knows better, please tell me!

Thanks,
Centipeed

[RayB]

The answer to question 1 is: Build your own. It's way easier than you think, and cheaper to build it yourself.