My name is Jouster, and I'm a BYOAC-oholic.

[Jouster]

Yes, I've finally come to terms with my addiction.  I've been visiting this site nearly non-stop for the last week or so.  I've also thought nearly non-stop about building my own MAME cab since then.  Having an arcade machine in my house has been something I've thought about for years, but only recently found sites like this one.

I've ordered saint's book...and while it should arrive in a day or two...can anyone point me to a thread that they know of that takes a lot of newbie considerations in to account?

I don't have much talent in woodworking, but I don't think building the cab will be the hard part...I need guidance in choosing a monitor...mobo & processor...and maybe most used controls and wiring ideas.  I've checked out the IPAC and think that is the way I will go...unless I get overwhelming resistance from you guys!

Thanks,
Jouster

[javeryh]

Welcome.  Saint's book is a good start.  So is this thread: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=19049.0

Also, when I first started coming here I read every single example on the home page.  Looking at other people's projects is really the best way to learn.  You will also learn quickly that when you are building your own cabinet there are a ton of "right decisions" to choose from (like which monitor to use, which controls to use, etc.) and there's no "all-in-one" solution so you might have to make more than one!

[missioncontrol]

the wiki has been the latest tool to help new people out


http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Main_Page

it's a good start while waiting for your book


oh and welcome to the hobby

[Mark70]

Keep reading, you'll find it.  I had the benefit of a broken leg to keep me in front of the computer reading everything until I was well enough to get into the garage and start building. 

My advice is.  For your Control Panel, go simple over "do everything".  Much more elegant.  Go with classic cab designs; please don't build a lusid, just because the plans are accessible.  I have made CAD versions of my plans available to members here for free.  They're not perfect, but a good start.  I have nothing against lusid and in fact I applaud him for making his plans available and good quality.... it's just the look of the cab I don't like.  Looks pregnant.  Symptomatic of the mortal kombat/nfl blitz cab design.

[subcriminal]

I don't have much talent in woodworking, but I don't think building the cab will be the hard part..

In my experience building and finishing the cabinet was the hardest part. To make something that looks professional you need to either get every measurement and cut right first time or buy plenty of spare wood.
Woodworking tools are dangerous, I had a good read about how to use a router before using one. There are some scary router threads on here involving loss of fingers, destroyed cutting bits etc.
Once you have decided on a monitor and the controls you're using the Wiki contains all you need to connect everything together. Good luck with your build and I agree with Mark70, have a look at http://www.jakobud.com for some alternate cabinet plans

[kelemvor]

Also just go to the main arcadecontrols.com site and read through everything in the menu on the left.  Start at the top and just keep reading.  TONS of great information in there.

[gamenut]

Let me just tell you the guys on here are great!
Stay humble when you want to kick something, take a walk, then get back at it. Before you notice it, you'll have 1000 hours into your new toy.
Take a look at all the stuff mentioned above, VERY GOOD INFO, that you WILL need.
It's mostly about how you want your cab to look,then everything else just seems to slide into place.
Have fun,and by the way, Put your control panel together last!!

[Pixelhugger]

Welcome aboard. Just know that your addiction is a sickness that never really gets cured. You just have to deal with it. I've been frequenting this board for many years now and I'm still as obsessed as ever.

[Encryptor]

Welcome to the place of dreams! Pretty much whatever your dream machine is someone hear can answer your questions or point you in the right direction if they don't know themselves. I am fairly new here myself and I'm in the process of building my first cab. What I did was spend a LOT of time looking through the various forums here. I looked for posts or did searches for things I was unsure about and read what other people had to say. If I couldn't find the answer that way I asked the question. The people here are great and more than willing to help if they can. Good luck!

Encryptor