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| Shieldwolf:
I'm sure someone has asked this already, but I wanted to hear about the horror stories and triumphs from other people. If you had to build your machine over again, what would you do different? Did you learn any important lessons? |
| rampy:
--- Quote from: shieldwolf on June 12, 2003, 12:48:27 pm ---I'm sure someone has asked this already, but I wanted to hear about the horror stories and triumphs from other people. If you had to build your machine over again, what would you do different? Did you learn any important lessons? --- End quote --- Well it seems a cabinet is *never* finished -> i.e. I have done parts of mine over (going from sidewinder hack to key wiz encoder, covering the control panel with laminate, etc). I love the building/tweaking/hacking process so I'd definitely do the project again, and am doing another one with/for a friend. Here are the best practices I've learned (although I'm currently FINALLY updated Ubercade's site with some of my thoughts in the Diary of a Madman section): 1. Try and do it right the first time and take your time i.e. don't rush no matter how excited you are to play "frogger" or Street Fighter 9 Revenge of Ryu's Grandkids 2. Have the right tools for the job, even if you have to rent or borrow or buy them... I wasted more time/energy/aggrevation using substandard/improper tools than anything else (i.e. my cordless drill would drain down after 4 button holes drilled -- I used needlenose pliers to remove bolts/nuts, etc etc) 3. For the love of gawd use a keyboard encoder if applicable for your project, whether it's a mk64, key wiz, ipac, jpac etc... 4. I woulda ordered stuff from bob roberts instead of happs 5. I woula bid higher on one of those NEW imperial betson trackballs instead of the refurb I got at the same price/sans ps/2 action (which I ended up hacking myself) when they were flooding ebay 6. I woulda went with a real arcade monitor and an arcadeVGA card (if cost wasn't an object -> my project started life because I got a free gutted cabinet --- also arcadeVGA didn't exist at the time) 7. I woulda got the best sticks and buttons... p360's with replacement 4" ball tops OR 2 j-sticks ball tops or t-sticks from ultimarc for switchable 4/8 way action. 8. I wouldn't have built a wooden prototype control panel, as it ended up becoming my "final" control panel. 9. I mighta bought a working JAMMA cabinet and used a jpac/arcadeVGA that was in decent shape (see point 6 parenthetical) to start with. 10. uyhhhh.. I lost my train of thought... 11. I'd go with smoked plexi glass again. 12. I wouldn't bother with the stupid Act Labs light gun 13. I woulda gone with that fancy vinyl oscar discoverd for my contol panel covering (although it was a good learning experience to put on laminate) 14. woulda bought the right laminate trimming bit and not a weak arse flush cutting bit that disintigrated on me (see rule 2). *shrug* Rampy |
| creatine28:
--- Quote from: rampy on June 12, 2003, 01:36:42 pm --- --- Quote from: shieldwolf on June 12, 2003, 12:48:27 pm ---I'm sure someone has asked this already, but I wanted to hear about the horror stories and triumphs from other people. If you had to build your machine over again, what would you do different? Did you learn any important lessons? --- End quote --- 12. I wouldn't bother with the stupid Act Labs light gun --- End quote --- Just curious what issue's you had with the act lab guns? Are they not worth getting? |
| rampy:
--- Quote from: creatine28 on June 12, 2003, 02:15:50 pm --- --- Quote from: rampy on June 12, 2003, 01:36:42 pm --- 12. I wouldn't bother with the stupid Act Labs light gun --- End quote --- Just curious what issue's you had with the act lab guns? Are they not worth getting? --- End quote --- eh... I'd rather not go into it except that I quickly grew bored of the light gun games (especially playing only 1 player!), and the accuracy was frustrating... in a word disappointed! (spelling, I know) rampy |
| Lilwolf:
I would have 1) built my own from scratch... why? I lived in bfe and payed 250 for a working cab... 100+ for shipping... and after getting it ready, it was just a wood box.. And I could have built that for about 60 bucks in wood. 2) arcadeVGA + jpac... if I had a 'real' cab... but they wheren't out back then. 3) cocktail table. Why? my wife will let me put a cocktail table in the living room... my cabinet is always hidden. 4) I wouldn't have written a frontend until AFTER my cabinet was finished.... took WAY more time then building a cabinet.... But the frontend almost got me a sweet job! So all in all its a good thing :) ..... Also, a new version hopefully soon! 5) I would have bought good wire and forgot about the !@# cab5 cable. I recently did it and OMG what a difference! I got 500feet of boundary wire and it works GREAT! 6) I wouldn't have bought a used trackball on ebay... It took way to much to get it to spin nicely... I should have gone with 2 2 1/4's instead. all I can think of right now |
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