How much will this cost?

[winper]

I want to build my own arcade machine. It'll be a very simple design with about 14 buttons, and 2 joysticks. If I could get a free cabnet, or build one myself, how much do you think I would need to pay for the wires, controls, moniter, and a computer to run it?

[StarGoddess222]

about a million dollars.  seriously though, if you get a free cab, then it could be around $600 for the computer and monitor and all that.  the controls and interface will run you around $100.  if you build a cab, budget around $200 for construction.

altogether most projects cost less than $1000.

[spectre]

i had a 15 inch monitor here, not the best at least 17 is good, but its what i have, i have some old speakers im not using, im buying a pc for around 250...the cab i got lucky and found an arcade op who would talk to me, this friday or sat, whichever day i want as long as i call ahead, i can get any cab i want in his warehouse for 40 bucks, he said he has about 15-20 cabs, usually this doens't happen tho...i'm buying an x-arcade stick for 150 and a usb lightgun for 35
my total cost is as follows

monitor - had collecting dust
speakers- had not in use
cab- 40 (purchasing friday or sat)
pc- around 250 (purchasing as soon as this damn cehck clears)
control setups- 150 (dunno when ima get this)
usb lightgun- 35 (soon to get when check clears)
-------------------------------------
     $475

you can get a 17 inch fairly cheap now tho... maybe for 100 if you are lucky on ebay, and speakers wont cost ya more than 50-100 depending on what setup you want, i recommend a subwoofer

as i haven't bought anything yet tho, its all in process starting at the end of this week, i'm not the purson to go to, but i'm new to the scene too...but that's what i'm doing...

hope it helps ya, this is from someone who is just getting involved in a mame cab tho...so i dunno if i'm doing things right or not... lol

[JesterDEV]

It really on depends. All together I have put about $1800 into my cab. My original bugdet was around $400. That worked out too. But then I just kept adding and adding... Check out  
www.pricewatch.com I think thats the url. You can get a nice barebones pc for cheap. I paid $120 for an xp 2000.  It's not hard to build one for cheap. What's hard is keeping it cheap.

[Lilwolf]

First decide what you already have to use... and see if it's enough.

Have a computer you can use?  Only care about classics?  Need something that can handle zinc?  Ect...

Figure out the computer first...  Since this will allow you to play while your building... and know what to build around.

Monitor... have one?  How about a TV?  SVid?  This I would spend money on.  But this I would wait until you get your cab... why?  You might get one with a cabinet pretty cheap.  Why take a free cab when you can get one with a working monitor for $100.  Then an ArcadeVGA card for $100 and you have the best solution!  SVID TV is my second favorite... B-grade VGA... Then SVGA is the worse one.

Can you get a free one?  Use it if you can... buy don't ship it.  The shipping will cost as much as building one.  Get some good plans (free or 20bucks) and buy some wood and start at it.  This is usually 150 bucks or so.. Depends on the extra stuff you want.  5 sheets of MDF is usually enough.

Bob Roberts for arcade parts!  Not Happs...  Trust me!  www.videoconnect.com is also great... Your looking at 20 bucks for joysticks and 20 bucks for buttons.  20 wire (get a bunch). 10 bucks on crimp on ends.  $50 for keyboard encoder.  $10 crimping tool.  $40 router.  The list can go on and on.


Paint... Tmolding... Covering those control panels?  Authentic Sideart?  ... on and on....

How about hotswappable control panels?  Need extra ends...  

EBAY anyone?... Looking for a true starwars controller?

on and on

[paigeoliver]

A cabinet can be done as cheap as $100 and there is no maximum price.

Here is the current running total on what Artic Mini Mame has cost me.

$17 Cabinet (not actual money, I parted a video poker that cost me $50, and the boards I traded for this cabinet, the monitor I traded for something else, and the cab I kept, so I figured this cab cost me 1/3rd of what I paid for the video poker machine).

$75 Monitor (21" KDS pixeltouch monitor in industrial frame)

$1 two microswitches to fix joystick on cabinet.

$3 joystick for joystick hack

.75 cents keyboard and speakers (from garage sale).

$35 computer (got through multiple trades, but this is basically my out of pocket cost including shipping).

$13 Circular saw that I needed to mount the new monitor. (I split the $40 price tag between the 3 projects I needed the saw for).

Grand total.
 $144.75 and I got to keep a nice metal coin enclosure, a linear power supply and an isolation transformer.