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Need ideas
missioncontrol:
--- Quote ---how big should the monitor be? Is 15 inches big enough?
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I'd go bigger unless you make a bartop as DougHillman suggested
--- Quote ---what and how many controls should I have?
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review your list of games your going to have and put in enough buttons for the game that takes the most buttons, and don't forget your admin buttons
--- Quote ---what type of cabinet should I build, upright, or cocktail
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your the only person who can really decide that.
my $0.02
MinerAl:
--- Quote from: Jedimonkey27 on August 24, 2004, 04:27:28 pm ---Hi everybody!
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Hi
--- Quote ---I am kind of new here, just a couple of posts and I would really like to build my own arcade cabinet. I want to build it so that I can play games on MAME and Nintendo emulators and other games as well, pretty much everything. I have picked up a copy of Project Arcade and read through most of it. I want to a Star Wars themed cabinet because well, I'm a nerd. ;D
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You've come to the right place.
--- Quote ---But I have some questions, what type of cabinet should I build, upright, or cocktail. Space is tight but I think I could fit either
with some rearranging.
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Keep in mind an upright only takes up as much floor space as the base of it, whereas a cocktail takes up enough room for itself and the two chairs that'll be next to it. The upright is a more intrusive piece of furniture though. A cocktail cab is also a table, an upright is nothing but a giant garish flashing noisy arcade machine.
--- Quote ---Also, what and how many controls should I have?
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The most versitile package seems to be two 8 way sticks with 6 buttons each. Lots of people make their CP wide enough to have a dedicated 4-way in the middle, and/or a trackball, and/or a spinner, and/or a trigger stick. If you aren't concerned about 80's games, you can probably survive without these.
If fighting games are your thing, go for the 8-way 6 button panel and you'll be very happy.
--- Quote ---And thirdly, how big should the monitor be? Is 15 inches big enough?
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15" is plenty to get you started. You can use the 15" until you have something larger. If you build your cabinet (or MAME a real cabinet) that is designed for a 19" or 25" screen you will not, I think, be satisfied with the tiny little screen. A 19 or 25" TV with S-Video in is probably the best balance of cheap/authentic. If you build with one of those sizes in mind, the 15" will suffice until you can acquire a big ol' monitor.
--- Quote ---I am on a tight budget.
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Aren't we all. If this is the case you should look for an used cab. They are already built and can be had for much less than the raw materials to build a decent cab. That said, go to wherever you would buy the materials, price them, and figure out what the most you should spend on a used cab would be. Free cabs do exist if you can find them.
Keyboard hacks seem free, but after you've spent hours and hours and lots of soldering iron burns on one only to find it doesn't work very well, you'll wish you'd bought a KeyWiz or an iPAC VE.
eBay is a great place to find cheap controls. Watch out for shipping though.
--- Quote ---I have already purchased the computer and I would like to be able to remove it and use it normally as well.
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Might I suggest a KVM switch. You can set up your computer outside the cab, and just connect the cab as a second Keyboard/Video/Mouse.
--- Quote ---Also, I wasn't alive for most of the 80's so I am not really attached to any particular games
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That keeps you from needing a 4-way stick and most trackball/spinner hardware.
--- Quote ---like you old folks. ;)
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Whippersnapper.
--- Quote ---Any help would be great!
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I am great. Aren't I?
Tilzs:
A 15" monitor in an upright cab is going to look stupid. A 15" in a cocktail will look far less stupid but may still look stupid depending on your cocktail design.