Newbie's Budget Mame Build

[Fighting Fish]

Hi,
I'm new to Mame and arcade cabinets.  I've messed around with some console emulators on my pc in the past, but never checked out Mame.  That is, until recently.  I've had some spare time on my hands and wanted to start some sort of project.  A Mame cab seemed like a fun addition to our game room in progress.  I decided to do a Mame machine before I ever found this forum, and really didn't know much about how to go about it.  The following will be a journal of what I did, where I am, and where I'm going.  Let me also add that I may have time on my hands, but I don't have much spending cash.  So, I've approached this project with 'Budget' in mind.

PC
I acquired a free pc with monitor.  The specs are:
AMD Athlon 800mhz cpu
Geforce2 MX graf card
SoundBlaster Audigy sound card
512mb Ram
10 gb hard drive
20 gb hard drive
17" Sony Trinitron Crt

Cabinet
Picked up this old draw poker cabinet from a vending company down the street.  The cabinet was free since it was just heading to the dumpster anyway.  I actually laid the cabinet on a skateboard and pushed it several blocks to my house!  That was a fun experience in itself.
original cab

Roughed out modified cab


Current Status
I will be receiving the controls for this cabinet via usps this week.  I am putting in two 4/8way happ joysticks, six buttons for each player, 1plyr, 2plyr, credit button.  I will run the controls via GP-Wiz eco usb device.  I will also have a female usb input on each side of the cabinet.  The simple marquee art is also being printed on Backlit Film by Kinkos.

The entire cabinet will be sprayed with primer.  The sides and some other sections will be coated with spray on truck bed liner.  Black spray paint will be applied to other areas. 

Current Questions
I have been able to cut plexi glass to wedge the marquee art in.  I used a utility knife to score it, then just snapped it out.  However, I would like to have plexi glass on the control panel top.  So I'm wondering, "How do I cut the holes for joysticks and buttons out of the plexi?" 

Any comments, questions, suggestions are appreciated.

-Fighting Fish

[IG-88]

Interesting.....If it were me, I'd get rid of the marquee/speaker? box and mount them flush with the bezel, inside the cab. It just looks out of place to me    The control panel design is different thats for sure. Looks like you could injure yourself on it!    I'll have to see it populated to get a better idea if I like it or not.

Can you get yourself a bigger monitor? Or maybe a TV? That 17'' is a bit small. I use 17's on bartops. But, you did say a budget build, so I know how that goes.

I like the idea of truckbed liner paint. What gave you that idea?

That recessed part under the monitor would be a cool spot for some freaky lighting in the future when you can afford it. Maybe paint your CP with blacklight reflective paint and put a backlight shining down onto your controls. That would give the CP a cool glow in the dark. You could put some admin buttons on the CP back up in there also, leaving you more room on the front of the CP for other things.

Oh, you asked about cutting plexi. I've heard of people using hole saws running in reverse and basically melting their way through. Personally I don't know if its worth the effort. And I can't remember but I think lexan cuts a lot easier too. ( and also scratches easier ) But I would consider other options before I went with plexi...

Welcome aboard by the way!

[Fighting Fish]

Interesting.....If it were me, I'd get rid of the marquee/speaker? box and mount them flush with the bezel, inside the cab. It just looks out of place to me   

I kinda like the overhang of the marquee/speakers.  Gives the cab a little more character.

The control panel design is different thats for sure. Looks like you could injure yourself on it!    I'll have to see it populated to get a better idea if I like it or not.

My fiancee has repeatedly said the same thing.  But personally I like the dangerous look and feel to it.  It's a dangerous machine that should be feared and respected!

Can you get yourself a bigger monitor? Or maybe a TV? That 17'' is a bit small.

I don't have the resources to get a bigger monitor right now.  The cab would accomadate a 22" screen quite nicely.  Always room to upgrade in the future.

I like the idea of truckbed liner paint. What gave you that idea?

I got that idea from some diy speaker forums.  People coat their subwoofers or speakers with roll on truck bed liner.  It provides a textured look and is durable.  I haven't tried it myself, so I'll have to see how well it actually works.

Something else I'm going to try that I haven't heard of is using led christmas lights for the marquee.  They were affordable, I just hope they provide enough illumination.  Here's a pic of my low-key marquee:


I have a couple questions... Actually many, but let's start with these.  What are admin buttons?  Also what is the 7th button for that people put off their 6 street fighter type button configs?

[bfauska]

The most basic admin buttons are things like coin-in, pause, and exit.  Some people go so far as to include tab, mouse buttons, and enter.  You will find that the quantity, layout and necessity of these buttons is frequently in debate here.  Research, weigh the options and pick a side, you may have to defend your decision here someday.  Most of their function can be accomplished through shift keys and/or instruction cards to help new players use your machine.

The 7th button is usually a response to the compromised Neo-Geo play on a 6 button layout.  By adding the 7th button you get 4 buttons in a line you can use on games that were originally laid out that way.  The 7th button is frequently wired in parallel with another button so you still only have 6 inputs.

[Fighting Fish]

Thanks for the reply 'el duderino'....erm i mean bfauska.

I realized that I didn't order enough buttons for the admin features.  I ordered one black button for credits, and totally blanked on pause and exit.  Well after calling around local shops, nobody had any round buttons to offer me.  No problem though.  When I got my free cabinet, I was allowed to canabilize parts from the other draw poker machines they were throwing out.  So I have plenty of buttons and switches.  I didn't want to use them due to their rectangular shape.  But I think three rectangular admin buttons would be a-okay.  I also will probably use the wire that I gutted from those machines to wire up my cp.

If you look close at the second picture you will notice the ever-ellusive albino microswitch.  It's a pleasure to grab a glimpse of thise freak of nature, usually only seen in encyclopedia entries. 

One thing I also noticed was that my lettering on my marquee isn't big enough.  Too bad, as it's already being printed.  Next project won't be so rushed, and I might actually do some planning before jumping in!
Free buttons, switches, and wires

Albino microswitch


*edit*  I see that the white microswitch is a Cherry switch.  It seems to have a much better button action than the others.  Probably use this for the credit button.

[leapinlew]

Those 2 red ones could be your credit buttons. If you print out a 25 cent logo, it would look pretty sweet. In fact, it would look like this.

[kayoteq]

Those 2 red ones could be your credit buttons. If you print out a 25 cent logo, it would look pretty sweet. In fact, it would look like this.
Aha! now I know what I can do with all them dang Trivia Whiz buttons.. thanks!

As far as bigger monitors go, check out your local Salvation Army store. They only take monitors and keyboards, but you can possibly find a good monitor cheap as people reclaim their desk space  with LCD screens.. borrow a laptop to test at the store or at least try to get a display going.. but folks mostly donate things in working order.. My local store has a 19' for $5, but I'm set for the moment..

[Fighting Fish]

I received my joysticks, buttons, and gp-wiz eco in the mail.  I couldn't wait to get the entire cabinet done, so I put my cp together.  One reason I couldn't wait was that I ran out of truck bed liner.  I'm flat broke and couldn't afford to go buy a new can at $6.50

I have been very pleasantly surprised with the bed liner.  The first couple coats kinda feel like sandpaper.  But if you get a fourth coat on there, it feels like textered molded plastic, Very nice.  Here's a couple pics of the bezel and cp.  There's a lot of dust....one thing my gf isn't to happy about.

One other note:  I think the total build is going to end up costing about  $150.

Cabinet: Free
Computer: Free
Joysticks/Buttons: $50
Gp Wiz: $30
Paint/Primer/Bedliner: $20
Maximus Arcade Front End: $20
Misc Hardware: $10
Marquee Art Printing: $20
Grand Total = $150

1/8" masonite bezel

Bedliner'd Bezel


Rough/Finished'ish Control Panel

[Green Giant]

Looking good so far for a budget.

One thing I think you should do is switch the buttons around.

Make player one buttons green blue and purple and make player two buttons red orange and yellow.  Looks like skittles right now.

Otherwise keep working as you get more supplies.

[Fighting Fish]

One thing I think you should do is switch the buttons around.

Make player one buttons green blue and purple and make player two buttons red orange and yellow.  Looks like skittles right now.

Hmm, I could redo the marquee to read, "Skittle-Cade", and read, "taste the rainbow!" on the cp!

That's some good advice.  I wanted colorful buttons, but the ROYGBIV setup is rather fruity.  I'll have to try out some other arrangements.  Your suggested setup sounds asthetically pleasing.  If I could go back, I would maybe just stick with red/blue buttons.  Since that is what my marquee is going to be.

On another note: not sure if anybody has done this, but I filled the t-molding grooves in with strips of cardboard.  Sanded them down, and will bedliner over them...We'll see how well that works.

[DaOld Man]

Sorry for jumping in late, but I cut the holes in my plexi by sandwiching the plexi between the control panel and another scrap piece of wood, all three clamped tightly together.
I then drilled all the holes through the CP, through the plexi and partly through the scrap with a 1-1/8" paddle bit. On the smaller mouse button holes, I used a 1/2" paddle bit.
I bored from the bottom side of the CP (Flipped the panel over). I have done this 4 times, and each time it has turned out good.
I guess it's too late for you now, but you might try it on your next project.

I like your project, looks like you are doing a good job with the budget you have.
I will be watching this thread..