Author Topic: New Builder Seeking Advice (Read 3341 times)

Section_25 · « **on:** February 04, 2009, 08:56:22 am »

I’ve been tinkering around with the MAME program for several years and have often thought about assembling my own arcade cabinet to run various games on. Recently I have acquired a used CAPCOM 1943 arcade game that is in very good condition.

I know this is going to be a long project and will require a lot of work; but before I get started I wanted to reach out and seek advice with some of you that have already completed a cabinet regarding what I should do, i.e. what you would do different? I am going to leave the cabinet intact for the most part; but I do plan on building a custom control panel to control the games with. I would like to build something that is premium quality and is very customized; yet easy to work on. I have looked on several websites that have arcade parts for sale such as buttons, joysticks and trac balls that I will need; but they all look the same to me. I plan on customizing the control panel with lighted buttons and I need to know the best site for this type of stuff. I have read on other sites that once the control panel is complete there is certain devices that you need to run them through to convert the controls to a USB so that I can access them through the Windows operating system that will run the program.

Another dilemma that I am extremely uncertain about is what type of monitor to use in the cabinet? The monitor that came with the unit has burn-in extremely bad and is junk so I will be needing another one. The games that I play on my pc now run on a 22” widescreen monitor and they look and run great; but I have seen and heard about other VGA cards you can connect to a computer that make the graphics and resolution even more arcade authentic. Is this something that is recommended or just a personal choice? To sum it up at this point, the main advice I need is on this control panel and which monitor to install in the cabinet.
So as you see this project is just starting and before I get too much money wrapped up in this thing, I wanted advice to point me in the right direction and hopefully prevent mistakes that others have made.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

Blanka · « **Reply #1 on:** February 04, 2009, 09:28:55 am »

Is it this one?
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6769
I would first check if you can keep it original. There are for example 4 VAPS members looking for an original one. I think a MAME cab is best built from scratch.

garnerb350 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 04, 2009, 09:32:55 am »

Buy Saints book " Project Arcade". Available at your local Amazon or Barnes and Noble store. Trust me.
You are going to see where everyone here will tell you to do this or do that....Its basically going to come down to your decision making.

I myself I am going for the quick fix-cheap cost road. I bought a used 21 inch CRT PC monitor. The control panel. I am going to go with an X-arcade control panel. I myself dont have an old cab...I'm having to make my own.

You will see where people here have Roll Royces for arcades cab...others have cabs that look like it came off the Beverly Hillbillys truck/car/house vehicle whatever. I've even seen cabs that I thought Michael Bay was going to use for the Transformer movie. Its all up to you, your imagination, and your wallet.

X-arcade has it where you can build your own...( buy joysticks-buttons -etc)
Happs ( has everything...but expensive)
Lizard Lick (good people in NC)
Countless others...

Check out the woodworking and project anouncements section here...good info. Might can find you some good info for that 1943 cab you have.

Wish you the best of luck.

CheffoJeffo · « **Reply #3 on:** February 04, 2009, 10:17:53 am »

Don't forget to check out the wiki !

Turnarcades · « **Reply #4 on:** February 04, 2009, 10:29:52 am »

If it's your first project take care not to go overboard and stick to your budget. Things can get pricey very quickly and you may end up with unused parts and possibly wasted woodwork if you fail to think it through first.

If you do decide to MAME your cabinet and the existing monitor is toast, your simplest solution may be to go completely with PC architecture. Get a 21" CRT for peanuts, rip out all existing JAMMA wiring and grab all your controls and interface from Ultimarc. Use a nice 2.1 speaker system and you've got a setup inside there that should be all pretty much plug-and-go, rather than stripping wires, working with high voltages and having exposed electronics to work round.

Good luck whatever you plan to do.

garnerb350 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 04, 2009, 11:06:03 am »

Turnarcades has a great point...plain and simple. Yeap, you will get cool brownie points when your friends come over and party and marvel over that you have your own arcade....but at the end of the day, when you clean up...that cab is still going to be at your house, and if it breaks...you have to fix it. Nobody else...Make it simple.

Section_25 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 15, 2009, 10:16:19 pm »

Thanks for the replies !!

I think I have almost everything together for this project. A few days ago I gutted the inside of the machine of the mb and monitor, and vacuumed it out.
Here is a picture of it if your interested - http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii133/Section_25/DSC00719.jpg

I am going to be running the Game Ex front-end program with the cabinet. I have Game Ex about 50% configured the way I want it, but I had a question about what some of you thought about how I should power-on the cabinet. I am going to install a widescreen 22' monitor in the cabinet along with the computer, but I want both of them to power off and on with just one button or something from the outside of the cabinet. A few people suggested "modding" the monitor and the computer motherboard to run off the same switch, but I'm not sure how to go about doing this. The monitor seems pretty simple, but for the computer to power on and off with a button or switch press seems like it would be tricky. I'm sure lot's of people around here have a solution for this and I wanted some ideas of how I should approach it. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Turnarcades · « **Reply #7 on:** March 15, 2009, 10:52:43 pm »

If you are using a PC monitor it should automatically go into standby anyway onpower down, at which point you turn it off at the wall. No need to go the trouble of wiring a switch. PC's aren't truly off when powered down and still draw a little power, so why bother turning the monitor off?

Section_25 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 15, 2009, 11:20:59 pm »

Quote from: Turnarcades on March 15, 2009, 10:52:43 pm

If you are using a PC monitor it should automatically go into standby anyway onpower down, at which point you turn it off at the wall. No need to go the trouble of wiring a switch. PC's aren't truly off when powered down and still draw a little power, so why bother turning the monitor off?

I'm not sure I'm understanding what you mean. If my computer is inside of the cabinet how will I go about turning it on. Turning it off would be fairly easy using the mouse I plan to have in a drawer under my control panel, but to turn it on I would have to press the power button on the computer itself, which will be inside the cabinet. Between thinking about what parts I needed for this project, and configuring the front-end program, then configuring the control pad to work with mame and the front end program, it's becoming a real brain twister...haha I don't even want to think about configuring all the buttons and joysticks on the control panel, I'm sure I will have alot of issues and alot of trial and error

Blanka · « **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2009, 02:54:25 am »

An ArcadeVGA card is only of use for real arcade monitors. For all other stuff, any reasonable PCI-E card or on board graphics will do fine.

Section_25 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 17, 2009, 10:36:53 am »

Quote from: Blanka on March 16, 2009, 02:54:25 am

An ArcadeVGA card is only of use for real arcade monitors. For all other stuff, any reasonable PCI-E card or on board graphics will do fine.

Ummm, Yeah Thanks for the tip!

Can someone advise me how they turn on their cabinet externally, so I can get an idea on which direction to go with this $:-\$

BASS! · « **Reply #11 on:** March 18, 2009, 06:05:13 pm »

Some have used relays wired up to a hacked power strip. I personally, as others have, just used a bts smartstrip from amazon, and wired the power button of the computer up to a push button to turn on the machine.

severdhed · « **Reply #12 on:** March 18, 2009, 08:54:38 pm »

the pc power switch is just a momentary switch that connects to the motherboard...so you can just wire up a standard arcade pushbutton to where the original power switch connects.

you can then use a smart strip or similar device that will turn all the other devices on and off when you turn the pc on or off

Section_25 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 19, 2009, 03:48:01 am »

Quote from: severdhed on March 18, 2009, 08:54:38 pm

the pc power switch is just a momentary switch that connects to the motherboard...so you can just wire up a standard arcade pushbutton to where the original power switch connects.

you can then use a smart strip or similar device that will turn all the other devices on and off when you turn the pc on or off

O.K. Just to confirm that I'm understanding what your saying. ......

Your telling me that I need to configure a standard arcade pushbutton that is mounted on the outside of the cabinet, directly to the computer motherboard to allow it to work as the power button that is on the computer itself?

Thanks for the replies folks as this is one of the final basic steps I need to get cleared up before the fun begins on configuring my control panel

Chadwick · « **Reply #14 on:** March 19, 2009, 09:00:55 am »

You got it...

Then with the smartstrip, when you shutdown your computer using the mouse, when the PC turns off, your monitor, marquee light, powered speakers, etc., will also turn off.

Section_25 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 19, 2009, 10:31:41 am »

Quote from: Chadwick on March 19, 2009, 09:00:55 am

You got it...

Then with the smartstrip, when you shutdown your computer using the mouse, when the PC turns off, your monitor, marquee light, powered speakers, etc., will also turn off.

Sounds Great!

Thanks for the replies Everyone

garnerb350 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 19, 2009, 04:25:26 pm »

Section...I know what you are going through ...I went through it myself...if ya need any help...PM me...
Come padiwan...

Section_25 · « **Reply #17 on:** May 16, 2009, 06:49:49 am »

Quote from: garnerb350 on March 19, 2009, 04:25:26 pm

Section...I know what you are going through ...I went through it myself...if ya need any help...PM me...
Come padiwan...

Thanks garnerb350, might take you up on that as I begin configuring the buttons on the control panel. I got alot of work done to the cab yesterday, and I think it's really starting to come together.

Section_25 · « **Reply #18 on:** May 17, 2009, 05:52:22 am »

Latest Pic.

Except for the T-molding along the top board of the CP (had to wait for the correct bit to arive), and a sticker with white and blue flames running around the front of the CP (Custom made) I think the exterior is finished.

Opinions !

severdhed · « **Reply #19 on:** May 18, 2009, 03:00:17 pm »

i think it looks good....good job.

Section_25 · « **Reply #20 on:** June 20, 2009, 11:09:25 am »

ok, after a few problems, I think I'm getting close to having this 100% complete. I'm having another minor problem that I'm not sure how to solve. I have a smart power strip connected to power everything on/off at once, but there seems to be an issue with the motherboard I'm using. When I power the motherboard/computer down, my motherboard keeps a steady flow of power to the USB ports

so when it powers off, the monitor and the marquee light goes off but then after a second or so comes back on!

I looked in my MB bios and couldn't find a setting to control this. Anyone have any suggestions on a way to solve this issue besides finding another MB?

Thanks Everyone !

bkenobi · « **Reply #21 on:** June 20, 2009, 11:58:28 am »

You won't like my suggestion, but ditch the smart strip. I recommend building one out of an outlet, a relay, and a simple housing. I don't know where the guide is, but I found the original build on this forum. You hook the relay up to 5v on your power supply which will determine if the controlled ports are one or off. Total build time is ~10 minutes and then you can use any power strip you want with it.

Section_25 · « **Reply #22 on:** June 20, 2009, 09:06:59 pm »

Thanks for the reply bkenobi....

I found a thread where another builder had the same usb power issue and resolved it by adding a usb pci card. I found one of these cards on newegg for $10 with free shipping so I think I'll try that first. If it doesn't fix this issue I may try your suggestion with the relay. Will post if it works or not


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