Very Noob, Noob Project coming soon!!!

[DNA666]

Hello all,

     I am a computer tech and am looking for a fun and challenging project.  I have installed console emulators on my PC before but never arcade.  My roomate and I were thinking about buying an arcade machine for our living room when I thought why pay $400-$2000 for a game when the oppurtunity exist for so much more???

Any links to good faqs or beginner tips is appreciated.  So please post any help you want to give.

Thanks,

DNA

[Warborg]

Hello all,

     I am a computer tech and am looking for a fun and challenging project.  I have installed console emulators on my PC before but never arcade.  My roomate and I were thinking about buying an arcade machine for our living room when I thought why pay $400-$2000 for a game when the oppurtunity exist for so much more???

Any links to good faqs or beginner tips is appreciated.  So please post any help you want to give.

Thanks,

DNA

Follow the arrow to get to some good FAQs:

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[SirPoonga]

The arrow is pointing at my recycle bin:)  Oh, I open the forum up in a new window

[2slk]

SirPoonga,

 You make me laugh, man!

[rampy]

Hello all,

     I am a computer tech and am looking for a fun and challenging project.  I have installed console emulators on my PC before but never arcade.  My roomate and I were thinking about buying an arcade machine for our living room when I thought why pay $400-$2000 for a game when the oppurtunity exist for so much more???

Any links to good faqs or beginner tips is appreciated.  So please post any help you want to give.

Thanks,

DNA

This whole site is a faq... and there's tons of howto's and answers within the msg board part too...

Let us help you help yourself... er...

can you provide more info about what your goals are?

What games do you like (did you like) ? how handy are you with wood working tools an/or electronics?

hypothetically if you found a working jamma cabinet (most cabs after 1986 are probably jamma or jamma+) that had the control panel layout you wanted, you could shlop in a jpac in to the jamma harness (for ease of wiring), and get an ultimarc UltraVGA card, wire up the kick harness (if applicable) toss in a PC and some basic mame/frontend set up and whammo.. there you go...  (note: that's not necessarily the best way, and certainly not the only way.... but you didn't really give us much more to work on than "I like games" "more games good!")

*Shrug* ymmv (But I don't care about your mileage as I don't pay for your gasonline... maybe there is such a thing as taking an analogy too far?!)

rampy

[CitznFish]

psst...check out the top sticky in this forum.

[SNAAAKE]

The arrow is pointing at my recycle bin:)  Oh, I open the forum up in a new window

LMAO....DAMN !...

This is probley one of the funniest thing EVER..

[DNA666]

Well I just posted as soon as I found this site and registered.  It was more of an introduction and a hi than anything else.

So if you want to say Hi and give some advice I appreciate it.  If you want to be unwelcoming and an azzhole than eat my azz..

[rampy]

Well I just posted as soon as I found this site and registered.  It was more of an introduction and a hi than anything else.

So if you want to say Hi and give some advice I appreciate it.  If you want to be unwelcoming and an azzhole than eat my azz..

holy potty mouth =P  Sorry if you think that the replies were "unwelcoming"... usually the people in this forum are really helpful and quite gracious (with only a few notable execptions, myself included)

But you have to see the humor present in this thread:  you totally pulled a captain obvious its like you walked into a library and asked the librarian if they had any books (when a quick glance around the room would have alleviated any doubt) =P

Well... welcome anyways (Belated)... This site and forum is a great resource for building your own arcade controls, and I wish you luck on your project and hope to see pictures/website soon.

rampy

[Lilwolf]

What I would do..

1) Get a budget... why?  years after my first cabinet is playable... I still buy stuff on ebay  

2) Decide what games you want to play most of the time.

why?  Super joysticks are GREAT for some games... but for fighters I like compititions.  Also what kind of control panel you build.

3) Decide if you will build a cabinet or referb an old one.  If you cant get a free or very very cheap cabinet... then build one.  Unless you are looking for one with a real arcade monitor.  then I would get a cabinet that works so you can test the monitor before starting (don't want to spend 100 bucks on a video card to find the monitor is blown).... But if going with SVid TV or VGA monitor, you will strip so much out of the cabinet, that you might as well just build one...

4) Encoder or hack... Best to worse... Encoder, Hacked joystick, Hacked keyboard.   Cheapest to most expensive.  Keyboard, joystick, encoder.  Most keys:  Encoder, keyboard, joystick. ... Just go with an Encoder if you can afford it... You will NEVER regret it... (and I've don't them all...Started at keyboard, hated it... joystick... was ok... Encoder loved it)

5) If you are in a small room... Consider building a Multipurpose entertainment system.  Svid TV (or VGA card with TV in + TiVo support),  VCR,  DVD, Dreamcast, PS2, Arcade, ect.  There are a few cabinets where the monitor is more straight up and down.  My favorit for this is a pedistal cabinet and a wall mounted tv myself.  But worth thinking about.

good luck

[Warborg]

Well I just posted as soon as I found this site and registered.  It was more of an introduction and a hi than anything else.

So if you want to say Hi and give some advice I appreciate it.  If you want to be unwelcoming and an azzhole than eat my azz..

Try decaf...  

And then try to realize when people are just joking around...

[Brax]

Well I just posted as soon as I found this site and registered.  It was more of an introduction and a hi than anything else.

So if you want to say Hi and give some advice I appreciate it.  If you want to be unwelcoming and an azzhole than eat my azz..

These are some of the most helpful, well meaning people you'll ever want to meet. If you want to bite the hand before you're even fed so be it... Just don't let the url hit you in the butt on your way out.

Advice? Cruise the site and read everything it'll answer every question you have and more. If you'd rather we told you what you have to do... well, sorry we can't help you. The road map is here, what road you want to take to arrive at the final destination is up to you.

[romid]

A great place to start is the examples...you can get a good idea about what you like and dont like and take it from there.  The best way, i feel, to use the forum is to try the project out then come to the forum with questions.  I dont think anyone is going to hold your hand while you build your arcade, but I honestly believe the people here will be more then willing to share their expertise and point you in the right direction.

Good luck, and no more getting upset