just finished my first mame cab!

[Mr Wilson]

i've always liked mame so i decided to build a cab i started about 2 months ago and i've learnt a lot on the way after doing some research i decided to use lusid's design with some alterations here's a few pics

[polaris]

nice man, i like that cp art , did you design it yourself?
only suggestion,  black p1 p2 buttons though with white decals, i reckon theyd look better

[BobA]

Great first cab.   You need a lighted trackball where that sphere is on your CP.  It would look great.

[btp2k2]

nice man, i like that cp art , did you design it yourself?
only suggestion,  black p1 p2 buttons though with white decals, i reckon theyd look better

Yeah....those would look great!

[polaris]

Great first cab.   You need a lighted trackball where that sphere is on your CP.  It would look great.

i thought it was a trackball, obviously a bit tired here.

[somunny]

How many front ends are you running?  The only one I recognize is MALA.

[crummy]

Wow, really smooth paint job there.

What are all the buttons for up the top? I'm wondering what admin buttons I'll need up the top at the moment so I'm curious what others use.

[Mr Wilson]

nice man, i like that cp art , did you design it yourself?
only suggestion,  black p1 p2 buttons though with white decals, i reckon theyd look better

glad you like it i got the cp art and marquee from http://mamemarquees.com top quality and a good price
ive just ordered some button decals from pongo on here so i will be changing the p1 & p2 buttons to black with white decals which will look a lot better

[Mr Wilson]

Great first cab.   You need a lighted trackball where that sphere is on your CP.  It would look great.

i know but i cant remember playing any games with a track ball thats why i didn't bother putting one in but i now regret it( i do think it would look really good) and want a blue translucent  3"happ trackball but is it too late? i dont want one of those horrible big black mounting plates i just want to cut the hole and have the tb sticking though do you know if i can do this?

[Mr Wilson]

How many front ends are you running?  The only one I recognize is MALA.

just mala with different layouts  it seems good

[Mr Wilson]

Wow, really smooth paint job there.

What are all the buttons for up the top? I'm wondering what admin buttons I'll need up the top at the moment so I'm curious what others use.

its not that smooth when you get close but  use a small foam roller when painting your cab and sand it in between coats should get a good finish then

the buttons are from left to right

1p start /1p coin/enter/quit/pause/tab/2p coin(needed for some games)/2p start

if you haven't got one yet don't buy a miniipac with the pre wired wiring as most of its too short and needs cutting and extending defeating the object and looks really messy

[koolmoecraig]

Nice job but save up for a bigger monitor to fill that sucker out.

[Green Giant]

Great first cab.   You need a lighted trackball where that sphere is on your CP.  It would look great.

i know but i cant remember playing any games with a track ball thats why i didn't bother putting one in but i now regret it( i do think it would look really good) and want a blue translucent  3"happ trackball but is it too late? i dont want one of those horrible big black mounting plates i just want to cut the hole and have the tb sticking though do you know if i can do this?

Its not gonna be that easy. 
You have to remove the artwork and glass.
Cut the big hole for the trackball assembly.
Recess the top a little bit so the mounting plate sits flush.
Make a whole in the artwork and plexi for the trackball only to stick out, easy with the mounting plate attached.
Put everything back together.

The mounting plate is there but unnoticeable.  Do this because you will be happy in the end.

[somunny]

How many front ends are you running?  The only one I recognize is MALA.

just mala with different layouts  it seems good

That looks real nice.  I may have to check out MALA for a change of scenery.

[Anubis_au]

i dont want one of those horrible big black mounting plates i just want to cut the hole and have the tb sticking though do you know if i can do this?

Yes, it can be done, and there are quite a few project builds that document how people did this. Just do a search for "mounting a trackball" and you'll find several good examples to go with. Or look up one of Knievel's builds... most have a trackball, they are all mounted flush, and look brilliant.

[Mr Wilson]

Great first cab.   You need a lighted trackball where that sphere is on your CP.  It would look great.

i know but i cant remember playing any games with a track ball thats why i didn't bother putting one in but i now regret it( i do think it would look really good) and want a blue translucent  3"happ trackball but is it too late? i dont want one of those horrible big black mounting plates i just want to cut the hole and have the tb sticking though do you know if i can do this?

Its not gonna be that easy. 
You have to remove the artwork and glass.
Cut the big hole for the trackball assembly.
Recess the top a little bit so the mounting plate sits flush.
Make a whole in the artwork and plexi for the trackball only to stick out, easy with the mounting plate attached.
Put everything back together.

The mounting plate is there but unnoticeable.  Do this because you will be happy in the end.

its going to be harder than that as its not under any plexi its a hard wearing self adhesive control panel over lay could i not just cut a hole bigger enough for it then route the under side quite a bit would this work? or could i fit one with out the mounting plate and make some custom brackets to hold it in place?

[shardian]

I have seen several projects where people have cleverly routed out the control panel to put the trackball directly under the surface. It is possible.

[danny_galaga]

Great first cab.   You need a lighted trackball where that sphere is on your CP.  It would look great.

was thinking the same thing (",)

[More Cowbell]

Very nice! Definitely find a way to get a trackball on there and get the bigger monitor at first opportunity. Welcome to the obsession.

[Mr Wilson]

Very nice! Definitely find a way to get a trackball on there and get the bigger monitor at first opportunity. Welcome to the obsession.

going order the trackball might use a tv been trying to find a big pc monitor crt or lcd but most are wide screen ones looks quite hard to hook up a arcade monitor would something like this be alright it would just fit in as well

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=270183761438&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=017

[More Cowbell]

Just make sure to know your measurements so you know exactly what will fit in there. I usually use a 21" crt monitor. They're pretty easy to find for $20 or so nowadays since everyone is converting over to the lcd wide screens.

[Mr Wilson]

got my button decals from pongo yesterday and i think they make it look a lot better also ordered a blue translucent 3" happ trackball

[Mr Wilson]

finally fitted a tv which fills out my cab nicely got my tinted glass coming on Tuesday heres a couple of pics 

[phishpac]

looks greatly improved.  very cool.

[ptistheboss]

Yah you rocked it. How about getting some cool lighting effects on the bezel now?

[Mr Wilson]

sad times  :-[but i have decided to sell my cab its not perfect factory finish but its not in any way crap it's currently disasembled but its easy enough to put back together will be including PC in sale just plug and play i'm near Brighton in the UK i'm looking for £350 should fit in a estate or small van 
cheers

Ross