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Cheapest generic cab design you can think up?

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Jack Burton:

I like to sit around sometimes and design different kinds of MAME cabs. 

What kinds of things can a person do to get the most basic of MAME cabs up and running?  No using old gutted cabinets.  Everything must be either brand new or extremely common and cheap to find. 

I figure:

$60 for lumber if you use the cheap stuff.

$0 for a pc monitor.  They can almost always be found for free on craigslist.

$20 for a cheap computer off of Ebay or Craiglist.  Probably could easily get this down to $0 if you look around.

$15 for controls.  You can find plenty of cheap knockoff eight way joysticks and buttons on ebay. 

$5 for control interface.  You'll need a soldering iron to hack a pc gamepad.  Or $0 if you want to hack a keyboard.

$30 for paint, glue, screws, hinges etc.  This stuff can almost always be scavenged for free from somebody, but you might need to pay for a few things so I'll add $30

$20 for plexiglass.  This is entirely optional of course.

$5 for speakers.

$0 for a powerstrip or extension cord.

$10 for a light fixture to go behind the marquee.

$10 for wiring for the controls.  Or scavenge it from whatever sources you can find for $0.


No T-molding or coin door unless you can get them for free.

No need for keyboard and mouse, computers can be set up to boot directly into a frontend.


I think a person could make a very nice, very basic MAME cab for as little as $80-155.  Are you guys in agreement?  Am I forgetting anything? 


NOTE: This is not a project announcement, I am merely theorizing here.

Franco B:

Why go spending crazy cash like that!!



.:Build your own here:.

 :)

Jack Burton:

That monstrosity is more expensive than the my designs!   :laugh2:

129.99 for the controller and probably 30$ for shipping!

Edit: Shipping is actually free.

javeryh:


--- Quote from: megaultrasuper on May 13, 2008, 05:36:06 pm ---That monstrosity is more expensive than the my designs!   :laugh2:

129.99 for the controller and probably 30$ for shipping!

--- End quote ---

You don't need shipping materials though!   :cheers:

Jack Burton:

yep, you're right.  I didn't notice that the X-arcade has free shipping.

I still stand by that I could build  a whole cab for less than the cost of that joystick.

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