Newbie Cocktail Project - Name to come later

[j123vt_99]

Going to be picking up this cocktail from one of our fellow posters

http://www.pbase.com/jripley/cocktail

Per the giver/seller
"All you'll need is a couple of joysticks, a kb encoder, a pair of cheap
speakers and some TLC and you'll be all set.

[javeryh]

I recommend stripping it for parts and buying a cocktail kit from arcade depot for $300 or so.  If that's not an option I'd at least replace the CP with something smaller and maybe add one to the other side for 2 player gaming.  I'd also strip, sand and refinish the entire thing (that's probably where the TLC comes in).  Anyway, you probably have a lot of work to do!!  Have fun!

[j123vt_99]

do you guys think it is too much work?

[flampoo]

do you guys think it is too much work?

It all depends on what level of alteration/restoration you want. The actual building part is the biggest hassle. Like he said, just sand it and repaint it. Get some new t-molding, pushbuttons and maybe jazz up the artwork and voila!

[j123vt_99]

i just would like the final product to be functional and nice enough to put in a room in my house.

[javeryh]

i just would like the final product to be functional and nice enough to put in a room in my house.

If this is going into your house (and not corner of an unfinished basement or kid's room or something) then you do have a lot of work to do by the looks of the pictures.  It might be worth the purchase though if the monitor works and it comes with the computer and it is cheap.  It doesn't look like much more than a box to me though and if I were going to put it in my living room I'd want the final cabinet to look as "finished" as possible. 

If you aren't good with carpentry, check out arcade depot like I mentioned - you won't have to cut anything if you don't want to and it's easy as pie to put it together (glue and dowels - impossible to mess up).  As for the insides, no matter what you build you are going to have to learn the basics because sooner or later you will need to make some repairs, change the games, add more features or whatever.  I'd do as much reading as you can and buy saint's book.  Then think of what games you want to play and how you want to play them.  If the cabinet you are looking to buy will suit your needs then go for it, otherwise I'd maybe think a little more about what you are trying to accomplish...

[j123vt_99]

thanks for the advice so far... i never really thought about getting a cocktail, but the price is right $0.... i take back the part about putting it in my house... i want to use this cocktail to learn how to do everything...

so i guess the ultimate goal would be to have it perfect looking, but if I can practice all my wiring/gluing/sanding/etc on this one, all should be good.....

should I start by ordering some parts and buttons (the part i'm looking forward to the most)? or start by getting a sander and taking off the existing paint

i did get "the book" but will probably need to pull it out for a refresher

[javeryh]

thanks for the advice so far... i never really thought about getting a cocktail, but the price is right $0.... i take back the part about putting it in my house... i want to use this cocktail to learn how to do everything...

so i guess the ultimate goal would be to have it perfect looking, but if I can practice all my wiring/gluing/sanding/etc on this one, all should be good.....

should I start by ordering some parts and buttons (the part i'm looking forward to the most)? or start by getting a sander and taking off the existing paint

i did get "the book" but will probably need to pull it out for a refresher

I'd start first by having a finished project in mind.  Think of the buttons/controls you will need to get it to play exactly like you want.  Then I'd make a list and try to plan on the costs, etc. (this gets expensive quick if you don't pay attention).  After listing everything out and finalizing the details, I'd just go out and buy the parts you need in the immediate future rather than buying everything all at once.  You might change your mind during construction.  This is the way I'm approaching it at least... I try to accomplish small tasks individually so it feels like I'm making progress.  Depending on your free time, it could (and should) take months to build one of these things right.  There's really no right or wrong way to do it - just try to have fun along the way!

[j123vt_99]

makes sense... i guess i will take inventory of what I have when I get it... Seems like immediately I will need 2 joysticks and a keywiz or some method of getting the pc to connect to the joys/buttons

[Rip]

It is worth every penny