I want to build an arcade machine...where do I start?

[The Monkey Man]

Hello.

When I was at my local shopping centre, I saw a arcade machine in the shops for sale for £2999.99. I was going to buy it, but then I realised that I could just build my own.

So, I'm just wondering...where do I start? The actual console, the control panel, the cabinet, or something else?

[shardian]

It is very simple, you start by clicking the link below:

Project Arcade

[The Monkey Man]

It is very simple, you start by clicking the link below:

Project Arcade

I was kinda more expecting an answer that wouldn't cost me money...LOL

[Hoopz]

Read this first:

EDIT:  link didn't copy.  Go to arcadecontrols.com so you see the frame on the left side.  Click on Newbie Guide.

Then buy the book.   

[shardian]

Honestly, the book is a great $20 investment. I did most of my reading while multi-tasking on the toilet. (which coincidentally why my book is not up for resale.  )

http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Main_Page

The wiki front page will give you a good idea of how you should proceed.

What you build really depends on what you want. I honestly do not recommend the actual Project Arcade cabinet, because it is so damn bulky and plays many games I am not a fan of.

You have to take this into consideration: Do you NEED to play every game ever invented on your cab? Do  you want to re-created a specific gaming experience? Do you have space concerns? Do you have budget concerns?

You can spend as little as $100 on a fully functional cabinet, or as much as $3k on a bells and whistles cabinet. My current Mame machine is a $50 Narc cabinet, a $20 speaker set, a $20 encoder, and a repurposed pc and monitor. My work was very minimal - I had it done in a weekend.

I also built a desktop control panel that I use frequently.


The bottom line is this: there is not a cut and dry method to suit everyone. you have to sit down and think about you want in your machine.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

[CheffoJeffo]

First off -- Welcome !

It is very simple, you start by clicking the link below:

Project Arcade

I was kinda more expecting an answer that wouldn't cost me money...LOL

You were going to drop $5K+ on a cabinet, but are too cheap to buy a $20 book ? 

Boy, did you pick the wrong hobby .... 

My advice is to start here:

Before Asking For Help, Read This First! Link to FAQ and bookmarks of interest

Then have a look at the Examples pages in the wiki to see what piques your interest.

And order the book ... it's full of useful information organized into a central resource. Sometimes working through the eleventy brazillion posts here can be a little overwhelming and it's nice to have things laid out clearly.

 

[Flake]

Yea dude you really cant ask a question like that around here and expect to get someone to lay it all out for you because just as Shardian explained the cabinets built by the members here are all wonderously dissimiliar.  But because I know what its like to just get involved in learning about all this (and compared to other members on here I dont know jack) I will throw you a bone.

Disclaimer:  The information posted below is based solely on my particular project needs and cannot be expected to hold universally true for all projects.

Your basic needs for a project are as follows:

1.  Cabinet - you can obtain one of these by buying a pre-made kit from Mameroom.com or go to a local auction and buy a cheap, pre-existing cabinet that needs a little TLC to look good (this is what I did) or finally build one from scratch (there are many examples of cabinet designs//plans on this site and in the Project Arcade book).

2.  Computer - your needs will vary depending on what kind of games you want to play.  I will not go into details here as I am certainly nowhere close to knowledgeable enough to truly advise you.  Search the forum to find your answers on this.

3.  Control panel - again your needs will vary on what you want (see the general theme hear about your needs being dependent upon what you want out of your machine?).  You can build your own arcade controls (hehehe) and control panel or have one built by Arcades R Fun (what I did) or Mameroom.com.  There may be other options for control panel like X-Arcade panels but I would probably recommend going another route than this.

4.  Monitor - There are three options here:  1) Real Arcade monitor (most expensive option if you buy a new one)  2) Television (cheapest solution that provides good PQ in my opinion (this is what I used - and make sure you get one with component inputs)  3) Computer monitor (can be very expensive if you go over 21" but is the easist one to hook up to your computer for obvious reasons).  I would not recommend a computer monitor just because I like larger displays but as stated earlier......depending on what you want......

Forgot to menton - you will most likely want to get the cabinet first as this will impact what your control panel and monitor options will be.  The computer you can get at any time and start loading it up with a mame version and frontend software while you are working on the getting the cabinet put together.

There are several other pieces you will likely need to accumulate as you move forward in your project but these are your main components.  To find detailed information on each of these seach the forums.  It is packed with more information than will ever be able to soak up and there's a 99% chance any problems you encounter along the way have alreay been addressed by someone in the past and is documented here.

Happy trails

[Todd H]

Flake, you have any pictures of your cab? I did a search but didn't see anything.

[TAG]

You can spend as little as $100 on a fully functional cabinet, or as much as $3k on a bells and whistles cabinet.

And it's more likely than not that the bells and whistles one you build at the upper price range will be much nicer than the one you'd buy in a store for the same price.

[Flake]

Flake, you have any pictures of your cab? I did a search but didn't see anything.

I didnt do a project thread but I do have a few pics of the finished product assuming this is what you want.

[Todd H]

Thanks.  Looks good. I hope mine turns out that nice.

[Visitor Q]

Get ready to read, ask question and then repeat. I think you got at least a good month of planning ahead of you just to figure out what you want.

[gothroughthegate]

Flakes cab looks like mine.  I based mine off the guy with the Arcade in Paradise cab(3rd one).  I lived on his site for a month or so. 

[RandyT]

I'll add that one should brush up a bit on basic electrical wiring concepts.  It's not difficult to learn the parts required to hook up your controls, but it's going to be a necessity unless you pay someone else to do that part for you.

And buy the book.  As Jeffo says, the $20 is a drop in the bucket considering the cost of everything else this hobby is going to require.  And if you plan on going the "cheap" route, the book will likely give you enough fundamental info to tell you what that particular route will entail .

RandyT

[Malenko]

load up some MDF, chad can help. 

[DaveMMR]

To start, besides buying the book, you should spend like a week just going through all the examples.  Then go through the Project Announcement Board.  Lurk for some time too.  Then read the last page of the CrapMAME site (the one that doesn't hurt anyone's feelings and gives straight advice).  Did you buy the book yet?  Go do that.

After that's all done, make a list of what you want to do (controls, displays, computer), draw up a plan, throw that away, draw up another, better plan.  Stop for lunch, perhaps some or just a can of  .  Then buy what you need and get to work.   

[Hoopz]

+1 for DaveMMR and 

 

[DeLuSioNal29]

My Cab is very similar to Flake's, but it's a quad panel:


If you're a little lazy, these video tutorials can help you get going:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=80229.0

~ DeLuSioNaL

[Flake]

Hey Delusional - thanks again for the skin!  I did change the mame picture to the one with several cabs kinda "exploding" out of the screen.

[The Monkey Man]

Ooo, that's good advice, everyone. 

Also, what should I use for building my control panel? Should I use game contollers underneath a board thingy or should I make it from scratch, which'll probably take about three months? (Coz I'm not a very good technician person xD)

[DaOld Man]

Where have you been the past 7 months?
I bet you were reading the book.


Personally, I would go with scratch.

[bkenobi]

If you buy an existing cab, depending on what you buy, building your control panel can be as simple as cutting out a piece of MDF in the right shape, drilling out holes for buttons and joysticks, painting/vinyl it, and dropping it in.  Take a look at an NFL Blitz cab for instance.  If you had that one as your base, you could just remove the top part of the CP (which comes right off by design) and put on your new one.

Of course you can spend a lot of money and time on making it look perfect, but you don't have to.  This is YOUR cab, so make it look however you want.

[divemaster127]

If you buy the book you will save money in the long run & not buy cheap stuff or things yo do not need.  I spent twice what I should have & if I could do it over again I would have purchased the book.  I have people contact me all the time stating they want to get into the hobby but they do not have much money.  This can be a very expensive hobby & if money is a huge factor, I would just stay out of it.

[Namco]

From scratch.

See ya next year! 

[Ummon]

<blinks....repeatedly>  I'm thinking the moniker is well-meant.

[The Monkey Man]

Okayz, I built the controls. It was painful 

Also, what front loader should I use? I found an old computer and cleaned out the memory, and I need a front loader now. 

[Ginsu Victim]

Many to choose from. There is a lot of info here:
http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Front-Ends

I use mamewah myself.

[Namco]

Ok I'm back. It's been over a year. How's the build coming along  ?