Newbie Question!

[Scott84]

Hello All.

IM super new at this. Im hoping i can get my question answered in a way that i can be confident enough to do this! Im sorry if this is asked alot and you get annoyed by it but here she goes!

Ive known about MAME Built Arcades for two years but my dad has always said NO to be doing it. Thats until i convinced him that its for me and him to do as a project together. Well, he asked me what the hardest part was... and i said the controls (obvious).... well, my dad said that if i can get a Street Fighter style controller up and running on our current comp then i CAN build a mamecade!  

Well heres the questions!

1. What is reccomended to use for a newbie? Hagstorm, IPAC? Im leaning towards the IPAC56.... is it good? USB IPAC good?

2. What kind of joystick would be good for most games? 8 Way? 4 Way? Leaf? Micro? And what joystick is the best?

3. What kind of buttons should i purchase? I dont know alot on this subject but i could sure use some help!

4. What kind of wiring do i need? And where can i buy it? Radio Shack?

5. How thick should the wood be for this type of project? And what kind of wood?

6. Once i have all the parts, how easy is it to learn how to wire it all together?

7. Is it worth it for me just to buy the XArcade or HotRodSE? Which is better of the two? Is it cheaper for me to  get a Xarcade then to build one myself?

These are all the questions for now. I would really appreciate some answers!

Build Your Own Arcade Controls ROCKS.... i will donate money to the site once i get my credit card (June!)

[CustomArcade]

#1 I use Hagstroms, alot of folks Use Ipac both excellent choices
#2 8 way Happs
#3 competive is my choice
#4 #22 gauge get it from RS but a electronics wholesaler will be cheaper (you'll need alot)
#5 3/4"
#6 easy to wire
#7 none

[Sasquatch!]

1. What is reccomended to use for a newbie? Hagstorm, IPAC? Im leaning towards the IPAC56.... is it good? USB IPAC good?

I use the KE72, but lots and lots of people here use and love the IPAC.

2. What kind of joystick would be good for most games? 8 Way? 4 Way? Leaf? Micro? And what joystick is the best?

The consensus here seems to be that the Happ Super 4/8-way is probably the best "do-all" stick.  I personally use and love Wico 8-way leafswitch joysticks, and OSCAR here just gave a good review to the Happ P360s, but for a first project I'd say that you can't go wrong with the Supers.

3. What kind of buttons should i purchase? I dont know alot on this subject but i could sure use some help!

Happ Pushbutton with Horizontal Microswitch.  Hands-down.

4. What kind of wiring do i need? And where can i buy it? Radio Shack?

I'd say 20-gague stranded wiring.  You can get this almost anywhere (hardware store, Home Depot, Radio Shack, etc.)

5. How thick should the wood be for this type of project? And what kind of wood?

The majority of us use 3/4" MDF.

6. Once i have all the parts, how easy is it to learn how to wire it all together?

Provided that you read through this website, not that hard at all!  Seriously, check out all of them there links you see on the left.

7. Is it worth it for me just to buy the XArcade or HotRodSE? Which is better of the two? Is it cheaper for me to  get a Xarcade then to build one myself?

You're honestly not saving THAT much money by building versus buying a HotRod or X-Arcade, but you won't have the ability to customize it as much as you would if you built.  Besides, you'll be proving your father right if you buy, and we can't have any of that!


Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Scott84]

Thanks alot!

I finally decided what im going to do! Xarcade it is! Well the layout anyways!  



Im going to use something very similar to that!

For the buttons i plan on using: Happ's Pushbutton With
Horizontal Microswitch http://www.happcontrols.com/index.html?http://www.happcontrols.com/pushbuttons/5891xxl.htm!

For the joysticks... Happ's Super 8's! Im gonna get two of them!

What am i gonna use to put the joysticks and buttons together? An Ipac 28! thats all the info i have for now... i will update once i finalize my orders!

[anthony691]

The earlier resopnses were VERY competant. I really can't say it enough, but DON'T get an X-Arcade or prebuilts of the sort! they usually look like trash in a cab.

PS: Sort of funny, mine was a project between me, my Dad, and my bro. My Dad actually made a contact with a opertator and got us a free fully working (4 year old) JAMMA cab! I was really excited about this! Working w/ your father, must be someone around my age.

Keep us up to date with your project, good luck (you shouldn't need to much with the info at this site)  

Oh, and I had Bigger problems with monitors than controls. It is sort of arguable, but I would say monitors are the hardest.

[2slk]

I agree with everything Sasquatch! says except for the Happ super comments. IMHO, The T-stick or J-stick available at www.ultimarc.com is a better choice if you are going to be limited to two sticks and one panel.

 The t/j-sticks are *easily* switched from 8 to 4 way. The 4 way actuator physically restricts movement in 4-way mode so it actually feels like a 4-way - no 'dead zones'. The super is a pain to fiddle with.

 The t/j-stick has a square actuator so you can feel the diagonals in fighter games. I drive myself crazy trying to hit diagonals on a super. Some people find the round action of the super more suited to certain games but I would rather use a 'square' feeling stick in games more suited to 'round' feel stick than vice-versa.

 If price is an issue and you want to save a few bucks on both the shipping and sticks by going with HAPP, I recommend getting the competition sticks. I find that they are superior to the super as well.

 Speaking of price, go check out www.therealbobroberts.com before ordering directly from HAPP.  

 Once again, this is only based on personal opinion. I'm not trying to start a joystick war here.  

[Scott84]

Guys, i went to a local arcade today and i talked to the manager and asked him about old arcade games for sale and he gave me a #.... He said most cabinets are given away free! I called the # and the guy who deals with it is on vacation so i will call back and find out next week if i can get a free one. Im Happy!  

[Tiger-Heli]

IM super new at this. Im hoping i can get my question answered in a way that i can be confident enough to do this! Im sorry if this is asked alot and you get annoyed by it but here she goes!

I'm a veteran, I'll try to give you good advice but a lot of this is opinion . . .

1. What is reccomended to use for a newbie? Hagstorm, IPAC? Im leaning towards the IPAC56.... is it good? USB IPAC good?

Hagstrom, I-PAC, MK40, MK64 and KeyWiz are all excellent products.  The I-PAC's and KeyWiz are a little easier to configure for a newbie.  The KeyWiz has more inputs and is generally less expensive than the I-PAC, but lacks USB support.  The I-PAC is limited to 14 simultaneous keypresses in USB mode, but that won't affect you.

>2. What kind of joystick would be good for most games? 8 >Way? 4 Way? Leaf? Micro? And what joystick is the best?

www.oscarcontrols.com has reviews of the most popular ones.  Perfect 360's are probably the best overall, but they're EXPENSIVE, and a little more difficult to hook up.  The super is the best all around joystick for older games (timepilot)  The Competitions are best if you play fighters and want to feel the diagonals.  Use any of them in 8-way mode and use www.oscarcontrols.com restrictor plates for 4-way.  Or put a dedicated restricted 4-way on the panel.  Neither the Comps nor the supers are very good for 4-way games without oscar's restrictor plates.

3. What kind of buttons should i purchase? I dont know alot on this subject but i could sure use some help!

I would go with Happ Horizontal microswitches.  1Up recommends taking the springs out of them, which gives them a lighter (but different) feel.  Experiment after you buy them.  Some people like the Happ Competitions which are bowed instead of dished and have a lighter spring for fighting games.  I would try to find these at a local arcade before I bought them.

4. What kind of wiring do i need? And where can i buy it? Radio Shack?

I prefer 22 gauge stranded for crimp connections (You will want 0.187 female quick disconnects also.)  For solder connections, many people like solid wire.  www.allelectronics.com is cheaper than radio-shack.

5. How thick should the wood be for this type of project? And what kind of wood?

I like 3/8-inch plywood for the CP, but I'm the exception here.  Most people recommend 3/4 MDF for the entire cabinet.

6. Once i have all the parts, how easy is it to learn how to wire it all together?

Piece of cake, ask here when you have more questions, though.

7. Is it worth it for me just to buy the XArcade or HotRodSE? Which is better of the two? Is it cheaper for me to  get a Xarcade then to build one myself?

Yes, it's cheaper to buy either one, but neither one has as good an encoder as the I-PAC (or KeyWiz), so you'll end up spending all the money again when you try to build your cab.  Also, as a Dad myself, the "Hey I BOUGHT a HotRod and hooked it up, so now I'm ready to build a cabinet" wouldn't cut it with me. . .

Since you asked, between the two, the HotRod, is well made and goes for around $100 on E-bay.  It's biggest drawback is it is not programmable.  The X-Arcade is good if you plan to play console games (Nintendo, Playstation) with it as well, but is more limited in programmability than the keyboard encoders I mentioned above.

Good luck with your cab!

[Brad Lee]

4. What kind of wiring do i need? And where can i buy it? Radio Shack?

I prefer 22 gauge stranded for crimp connections (You will want 0.187 female quick disconnects also.)  For solder connections, many people like solid wire.  www.allelectronics.com is cheaper than radio-shack.

Most of the switches and sticks Ive seen use .250 terminals.. If in doubt though wait until your parts start coming in to measure

[Scott84]

I have a question, i look at the xarcade and stuff and it has white things under its buttons.....

what do i need for the buttons after i bought it?

[Tiger-Heli]

I have a question, i look at the xarcade and stuff and it has white things under its buttons.....

what do i need for the buttons after i bought it?

If I understand correctly, you are talking about the microswitches.  These come with the buttons when you buy them new.

[Scott84]

A guy i was supposed to get an empty shell from has none left. Just old games..... And its $300 each... games like street fighter and such. Thats too much money for me! All the free cabs were given away....      

thats horrible news for me.

now i will probably put an ad in the paper or something.....

man, this has really got me down because i cant make a cabinet from scratch... i just dont have good wood working skills....

[AceTKK]

where do you live?  There are a lot of arcade auctions all over the country where you can pick up really cheap cabinets.  I don't have any of the links handy but I'm sure there's something in your area.

-Ace-