How would you turn this cab (original Carnivle) into a 4-player cab?

[Tokey]

Got this cab for $50 from a local dealer.

[SirPeale]

I would say that if you try to turn that Carnival into a four player monstrosity, Mr. Baseball Bat and I are going to have to pay you 'a little visit.'

I think some other friends of ours might have a similar opinion.

Joking - but only just.

[Tokey]

Yea I feel slightly bad doing it.

[RacerX]

Sell that to someone who wants to restore it, and then go find a generic old cab with nothing in it.  Please don't destroy a classic cab by cutting on it.   

[ChadTower]

Seriously, make that into a frankenpanel cab and no one will respect that around here.  You should pass that one to someone who will restore it.  It's not hard to find an empy Dynamo cab that will suit your purposes far better.  Just keep looking.

[SirPeale]

Yah, where are you located?

[Tokey]

Okay, but no haters if I just change the control panel to be a 2 player?

[Tokey]

I'm in Minneapolis.

[Tokey]

It doesn't really need to be restored though, it's in excellent shape, no scrapes or dings, and works perfectly.

[cbmeeks]

It's yours dude...do what you want...lol

I understand preserving the classics....but I don't see anything wrong with MAME'ing a cab and keeping the theme as close to the original as posible.  Maybe just update the CP for 4 players but keep all the side art, etc.

[Tokey]

Yea I looked around this morning, actually called 3 places since everyone here got me feeling bad about changing it up... no one has anything for less than $200.  I got this for $50 so I'm just going to go with it. 

I am leaving all the original art on it, I'll just find a way to do a 4 player CP (simple, no trackballs or spinners just 4 joysticks and 30 buttons) without cutting the cab up.  I'll have it be a "bolt on / screw on" and do it in red formica to match the original red CP.  I'll even rig up the coin slot 

[SirPeale]

Sure, a two player CP swap would be ideal.  Just take the original one to a metal fabricator and have them repro it from the dimensions.

Lots of n00bies want four player cabs when they first decide to make a cab.  But the reality is that you won't play four player games that often.  No, really!  Two players makes much more sense.

If you do want to get in some occasional four player action, make a USB hub accessible from the outside (say in the coin door area) and keep a couple gamepads handy.

[SirPeale]

Since you're just getting started, finding cabs is going to be hard.  Let me see what I can dig up...

[Tokey]

If you do want to get in some occasional four player action, make a USB hub accessible from the outside (say in the coin door area) and keep a couple gamepads handy.

I didn't know I could do this.  Might be an option. 

I do live in a house with 5 people though, all gaming fanatics, and we frequently have people over to play games so I can see the 4 player getting used a bit frequently.  If I can't figure out a way to easily do this without cutting into the cab though I might just do a 2 player and say to hell with it.

[Gunstar Hero]

Besides bro, with the extra wide CP and the slices up sides that cab is gonna look like crap.

4-player cabs need to be bigger all around and have a more upright monitor.

[SirPeale]

Yup.  Carnival, IIRC, is a vertical game.  You'd have to hack the heck out of it to get a monitor in there horizontal.

[Tokey]

nah, I already had my 21" pc monitor in there, it fits just fine.  Just need to build a new shelf so it sits upright a little more and take out the bezel.

[JohnNevets]

Tokey,

I'm sure you will find plenty of links to other Frankenpanels around here, but a Scientific America article on this guys cab http://sparhawk.sbc.edu/MAME/cp_final.html is what got me into this hobby, and to me it's a decent looking compromise.  Now he only has a two person layout, but with a bit of tweeking I think you could get 3-4 on there.  Then again I'm going the other way with my resto Dragon's Lair machine and only making it into 1 or 2 player cp, so the choice is yours.

By the way I think there is a few other members from around here up in your area who occasionally have cabs for sale, you may want to do a search here and see what you come up with.  I was even thinking of heading up there for one a while back (I'm in central Wisconsin).

Good luck with what ever you choose,

John

[Arcadiac]

Since you're just getting started, finding cabs is going to be hard. Let me see what I can dig up...

Give the folks on the board a chance to help you find another cab, we can be very helpful if you can be patient.

[SirPeale]

Okay, I have a message from a bloke in North Dakota that has a Police Trainer cab he'll trade you for the Carnival.  It's a 25" monster that's more ideally suited for a four player cabinet.

Hey there I have a Good 25" cab I will trade for that one.
it is a Police Trainer cab that I was going to MAME also.
I am in Devils Lake ND. let me know what you think.

This is from RGVAC.

[Tokey]

I don't know what RGVAC is, but from klov.com it looks like a nice cab.  Can he send a picture?  If he came to me to make the swap I'd be willing to do it.  As long as the coin mechanism worked, etc...

[SirPeale]

rec.games.video.arcade.collecting.

The message may not have shown up yet.  His name is Darren.  It's in the thread about looking for a cab in Minnesota.

[missioncontrol]

That cab looks in great shape.......please don't hack it up just to Mame it restore it insted........

[RayB]

Tokey: I have a cab that is exactly like that, and cramming even 2 players on it is a challenge. It's a narrow cabinet, even for it's time. So 4 players? Won't happen. You'll end up with 2 players who can't even see the monitor.

~Ray B.

[paigeoliver]

You won't be able to see the monitor correctly for players 3 and 4.

You would have to make so many changes to make it 4 players that you might as well start over.

If you felt like dragging the empty over to my place then I would trade you a 4-player cabinet for it,

I have a much better idea. Make it 2 players. But get an ipac 4, when another 2 player cabinet pops up then buy that and just link the 2 cabs up for 4 player action.

[Crazy Cooter]

I'm in Minneapolis.  I might be able to work something out.  PM sent.