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Cheapest generic cab design you can think up?

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Jack Burton:


--- Quote from: DaveMMR on May 13, 2008, 10:38:22 pm ---
--- Quote from: megaultrasuper on May 13, 2008, 03:03:42 pm ---$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.

$20 for paint, glue, screws, 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 $20

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

$5 for speakers.

No T-molding or coin door.

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

No Marquee

No lights

I think a person could make a very nice, very basic MAME cab for as little as $80-145.  Are you guys in agreement?  Am I forgetting anything? 

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Some people have managed to build for cheap, but if you count on skimping and cutting corners, you're more likely to end up with a sloppy-looking and playing cab.  And despite what others say, when it comes to the full-sized machines, looks ARE important.  A big marquee-less box constructed out of free lumber with only $20 worth of screws, glue, etc. and random-color free paint with third-rate joysticks hacked to work through an even cheaper joypad pumping visuals and audio through a cruddy computer monitor and $5 speakers is going to look like the hobo at the formal banquet in the middle of your living room.  See also: CrapMAME.

For that $145 ceiling you quoted, I'd check to see if there are any working, who-cares game on Craigslist that can be converted easily. 

ADDENDUM:  That's not to say you can't build inexpensively. You can make do with Happ's Supers, get black paint, obtain a generic marquee and plexiglass, skip the trackball, etc.   But there's going to be a point where you'll have to throw a few bucks down if you want your end-result to be both enjoyable and aesthetically pleasing. 

--- End quote ---

I don't think a computer monitor would be cruddy.  A lot of very nice NEC and Sony monitors can be found for less than $5.  If you got extra lucky you might even get a Sony PVM monitor or equivalent that could do arcade resolutions.

$5 speakers wouldn't be any worse than playing through a tv.  I have a very nice set of computer speakers with subwoofers that I picked up from the university surplus auction along with a 20" monitor for $1.

Add in $10 in wiring.  It is a significant cost at this level.  I used a coil of wire that came off of a telescope at the university at the same auction.  It was about 15 feet long with about 30 individual wires inside with their own respective color codes. Cost was $1.

Now that I think of it, University auctions in general are great places to find the kind of stuff for a project like this.

wbassett:

You have me thinking now too on some things. :)

Were I live we have something unique... it's kinda like a Salvation Army but for furniture and building supplies.  We bought a 160 year old Victorian house and are remodeling/fixing some things up and I'm at this place all the time.  One thing they have tons of that are very inexpensive are doors!  Of course you'd want a solid wood door for strength, but finding two that are exactly the same height/width could be a problem.  Still, two sheets of MDF aren't very expensive either.  A door would be a bit thick though, but I may see what they have and use it for a monitor shelf and support bracing for an inner skeleton frame.

My dad gave me some very good advice when I was young and it has proven to be true more often than not... when you first plan a project, take your estimated expenses and double them, same as far as how much time you expect it to take.  I'd imagine though after building several cabs like some on here have done after the first couple the rest are faster, easier and cheaper to make.

Jack Burton:

Yep, I might even say triple it. 

Using a door is a good idea but is a style of construction that I want to try to avoid when thinking about this.  It quickly leads to the idea of using an old real arcade cabinet.  I'm trying to figure out a way to not do that.

I actually think I personally could build a cab from scratch for less than $50.  But that's given that I know where to get practically all the materials for free.  So when I list my prices I intentially exaggerate them.  Hopefully at least half of any of the materials anybody could find for $0.


Oh, and I'm allocating $0 for gas.  I know that it is cheating, but hey, you can just pick up the stuff on your way somewhere else right? :P

wbassett:


--- Quote from: megaultrasuper on May 13, 2008, 11:31:00 pm ---$5 speakers wouldn't be any worse than playing through a tv.  I have a very nice set of computer speakers with subwoofers that I picked up from the university surplus auction along with a 20" monitor for $1.

--- End quote ---
I used an old 2.1 sound system my son was going to throw out.  I got two 4" full range car speakers at Walmart for around $15 and we were both blown away at how they sounded with the cheap crappy little 30W sub unit.  I was expecting just a cheap sound or no better than TV speakers and these things are actually so loud and active I often get in trouble with my wife!

My son is getting ready to get his very first apartment but like all kids he really has nothing to put in it.  I am planning on making him a cab with a 27" monitor that will double as their TV.  I would have loved having something like that for my first apartment that's for sure!  I plan on making him a nice system, but do want to keep the cost down to something reasonable that also looks and sounds good.

Jack Burton:


--- Quote from: wbassett on May 13, 2008, 11:46:22 pm ---My son is getting ready to get his very first apartment but like all kids he really has nothing to put in it.  I am planning on making him a cab with a 27" monitor that will double as their TV.  I would have loved having something like that for my first apartment that's for sure!  I plan on making him a nice system, but do want to keep the cost down to something reasonable that also looks and sounds good.

--- End quote ---

Yep, I remember when I was in high school I used to set around scheming up way to build cabs on the cheap.  For me, any cab at all was awesome!

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