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King Friday XIII:

Hello all,

I've been lurking the forum for a couple of days as I get ready to start my MAME cabinet. Budget is very tight, I have a spare PC to work with already. I have some questions that I could not find the answers for:

1. The cabinet will be located in my loft, a second story room only accessible by a small spiral staircase. I will have to assemble the cabinet in the loft itself. Still, the cab needs to be small. I've seen one plan for a cabaret cab. (based on Tron, I believe). Does anybody else know of any other cabaret plans? I don't think I want a 75% scale cab since I'll be doing most of the playing and I'm 6'1".

2. Since the cab will be small I am wondering if I want one or two joysticks. The CP will probably be 20" wide. Will the CP be too crowded (especially with 2 players at once) for 2 joysticks? I'm trying to keep the CP as little crowded as possible. No trackball (out of my budget).

3. I'm only interested in 80s era arcade games. 90% of the games I want to play are vertical, so my plan right now is for a vertical monitor. However, there are a few favs (Joust, Karnov) that I really want as well. My monitor is a 17" PC monitor. I've seen some people with rotating monitors. How much of a pain is that and is it worth it?

4. What's the best way to do artwork on a tight budget? It does not have to be perfect but I'd little something a little more than just a coat of paint.

Thanks. I'm sure I'll have more questions later.

Dan




Jeff AMN:

1. I don't have any specific plans, but maybe you should consider doing a bartop and place it on a stand or table.

2. I'd go with a single player cab, especially at that size. Also, most of the games that interest you seem to be single player or alternate play anyway.

3. I haven't tried a rotating monitor myself, but there are many techniques documented here.

4. Cabs that are painted carefully look great. You don't need a lot (or any) artwork for your cabinet to be attractive.

leapinlew:

If you go vertical - I would definitely make it a single player cab.

1 Joystick with 2 buttons. Joust will be pretty tiny on that 17" screen.

am_monkee:

i say spring for a 19".  you can get a crt one on craigslist for 30 bucks.

also-why not try a cocktail cabinet? good for small spaces. throw in a stool and you're set.

shardian:

A pacman cabinet, or a Taito cabinet are your best bets for a compact vertical cabinet. With a 20"cp, you will never get two players on that thing comfortably.

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