I finally decided to build a MAME Cabinet: Warrencade

[The Human Cow]

I've been wanting to do this for a couple years, and this was the summer to do it, apparently.  I feel like I'm far enough now that I have some decent progress to show, and especially to see if any of you guys can spot anything I'm doing horribly wrong.  I think I've got this set up so that if you click a picture, you get the big version of it.

CABINET CONSTRUCTION

Transporting the wood home from Lowe's:


Cutting out the sides:


Dadoed wood for the base:


The sides and front go up:


Test-fitting and securing the monitor:


That monitor is a beast.  It's a 32" Mitsubishi video production monitor thing, I found it on Craigslist for $20, and it probably weighs close to 200 pounds.

CONTROL PANEL

Test assembling the control panel:

THE COMPUTER

Under construction:


The computer is a P4 2.4 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB HDD.

Before somebody mentions how dangerous it is to run a power supply without its cover on,

I know.  I got careless late at night while getting the PC ready, reached around the back without thinking about it to grab a cable, saw a flash of light and yelled louder than I have in a long time, and walked downstairs to see what my surgeon dad thought I should do.  That black isn't dirt, it's burned skin.  At least I'll have a cool scar.  You'd think that a Computer Engineering student would have a little bit more reverence for electricity, but I definitely do now.

As far as artwork goes (Galaga is one of my all-time favorite games):
CPO:

Marquee:

Side art to come after I graduate from Clemson in December and have a little more time to play with it.

I've got all my buttons and joysticks ordered and sitting in a box in my room, and I'm working on hacking a spare mouse I had to interface with a spinner knob and with a trackball I had sitting around from a Golden Tee TV Plug and Play game.  I can't really start building the CP until I get the trackball functional.  If I can't get it to work tonight, I'm just going to break down and order the X-Arcade trackball.

Also, a guy a couple streets over was throwing away an old Prospector pinball machine.  He was trying to move it and it fell off the back of his truck.  I wanted to salvage it, but it was way, way gone.  So, I took the coin door   It'll look like this after I clean it up and Brasso the scratches out (not my picture):


So, what do you guys think?  Tonight's project is mounting my speakers, getting the trackball working, and cleaning up the coin door.

[HaRuMaN]

Transporting the wood home from Lowe's:

Hey ChadTower!  Look!   

[HaRuMaN]

Looks good so far!  Just watch out for that electricity!   

[mountain]

Transporting the wood home from Lowe's:

Hey ChadTower!  Look!   

 

[johnmartin]

Looks like a cool project.  Sorry to hear about you mishap. Looks like it hurt a bit.

On your cab, I notice you are using OSB sides.  Are you going to laminate the cabinet?  Just curious since OSB is not the smoothest stuff in the world and will likely not look too good after painting without a LOT of sanding.

[The Human Cow]

Transporting the wood home from Lowe's:

Hey ChadTower!  Look!   

 

Yeah, I spent about 30 minutes looking for a rope and finally just gave up and grabbed a bucket of bungee cords we had in the garage.  Also, http://www.cardomain.com/ride/490036

Looks like a cool project.  Sorry to hear about you mishap. Looks like it hurt a bit.

On your cab, I notice you are using OSB sides.  Are you going to laminate the cabinet?  Just curious since OSB is not the smoothest stuff in the world and will likely not look too good after painting without a LOT of sanding.

I was thinking about laminating it until I went to Lowe's and saw how much laminate cost.  I'm planning on just sanding and priming it to death and seeing what happens, now.

[YoGaBaR]

You  are a VERY brave person for wanting to paint OSB. I wonder if the OSB will split or chip when you put t-molding in. That stuff can be very brittle.

[Mauzy]

Before somebody mentions how dangerous it is to run a power supply without its cover on,

I know.  I got careless late at night while getting the PC ready, reached around the back without thinking about it to grab a cable, saw a flash of light and yelled louder than I have in a long time, and walked downstairs to see what my surgeon dad thought I should do.  That black isn't dirt, it's burned skin.  At least I'll have a cool scar.  You'd think that a Computer Engineering student would have a little bit more reverence for electricity, but I definitely do now.

Welcome to the club!