Thoughts on possible project?

[ThePenciler]

This may or may never get done, but at least I can get ideas, thoughts and maybe inspire (?) someone to do this? Or maybe it's already been done. Here's the link to the blog entry I posted. This really is in its nonexistent phase and really I've been obsessed for quite some time to make my own full sized cabinet. But space and time are things I never had in abundance.

http://the-penciler.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-mame-cabinet-idea.html#links

Here's a quoted repost of it in case you don't trust that link:

My MAME cabinet idea.

Ok, bear with me as I'm making this up as I go.

My idea for a MAME cabinet is as follows:

* Since I have no room to make one or even to have one around I've come to the conclusion that I can make one on a small scale out of Lexan for the outer cabinet housing and following the average plans closely.

* This may never get made. It may stay as a list of ideas for parts. It may get to the drawn up plans stage though.

* The parts are as follows:

1) A VIA EPIA PX10000G as the center of this project. It's true you really don't need that much relative power to make a MAME cabinet. It used to be true that you did about 5 to 6 years ago as you needed at least a 500MHz computer just to run the 3D games at any acceptable speed. This pico-ITX motherboard comes in both 512MHz and 1GHz models, CPU soldered on. Essentially these are full PCs on the small scale. Trick it out with a PX-O multimedia board and you have it. Slightly expensive, but not bad if you know where to save elsewhere. I might just buy one just to have. Collect them and build small computers out of. http://bit.ly/9FYOY

2) Lexan for the cabinet panels. Thick for the enclosure, thin for the marquees.

3) Control panel is the one thing I haven't thought of yet. Either I'll make a faux panel and use a USB controller (maybe even a full 1 player CP). Or I'll attempt to gather the parts and build a tiny thumb CP. If that's the case then it'll have to be usable not as a traditional "keyboarding" position controller, but as a thumb controller. And if that's the case maybe I can customize the cabinet as a hand held of sorts. I'm leaning towards operational tiny CP + USB gamepad/full-CP. Means more work I guess.

4) Storage? Either SSD (expensive, even at 16GB), A PhotoFast CR-9000 (less expensive, expandable, cheap media) or a CF to IDE adapter (cheap, rapidly becoming obsolete if a CF to SD adapter isn't bought). Externally accessible slot? Means I'll have to mount things which may change the outside of the cabinet. Maybe an overlay of Lexan to cover the flat screws which would give me an opportunity to make customizable side panels. Stickers on the inside sandwiched between the two Lexan panels. http://bit.ly/wofSz

5) Screen? I think I've found something that will work: http://bit.ly/Gnh7W Though that LVDS connector on the pico-ITX mobo might change that. I still don't know what panels I can use with that. I think people say that average laptop screens use it, but most laptop screens are too large for what I have in mind. I think I can still use the DVI cable that comes with the pico-ITX mobo with a DVI to VGA adapter and just mount the whole thing inside somehow. The 3.5" screen at 640 x 480 is perfect for the mini MAME cabinet I have in mind. And the port for the VGA connection is perfect if I ever want to hook the whole thing up to a bigger monitor. I'm seeing a lot of PSP type Sharp screens for sale. High resolution, right size, wrong connector. It would be nice though.

6) Design. Hmmm... I haven't decided how this will go. Do I stick closely to the plans of the average cabinet that comes with the Project Arcade book for novelty purposes or do I go wherever the design takes me? I'm leaning heavily towards the novelty aspect as that would get more attention than just something custom that doesn't look like anything. I assume it will be 13-15cm wide at the base so it will be around 28 or 29 cm high. I'll have to provide a slot for the screen and controller board. The cabinet would have to be openable to service the parts. Screwed closed. Should I glue the Lexan together? Gluing on the angle brackets that accept the machine screws? That'll have to be worked out in designing it on paper.

Well, that's my obsession this week.

Not saying this is a project. Like I said it may never get done (or maybe it'll be done years from now) and it may only get to the drawn up plans phase. I just wanted to get some thoughts on it. Maybe some suggestions for better parts. The idea being is to make a micro-sized upright.

[Turnarcades]

More usable ideas have already been done before. We ourselves make both Mini, Bar-Top and 'Box Arcades' as realistically playable machines, utilising Mini-ITX boards in the latter due to space restraints. There was also a recent thread that showed a video of some sub-mini upright Neo-Geo cabs about 2 feet tall, so as you can see this is no new idea.

The big issue is the practicality of such a project. First off, your brief suggests you want a playable cabinet to fit within the restraints of your home. A sub-mini upright cabinet would not be very playable I can say with some certainty. Secondly, building out of Lexan would be incredibly flimsy if you wanted it to be playable and difficult/expensive to make if purely cosmetic. Wood can be had in all thicknesses and is much better suited.

A couple of guys here have made both novelty and playable cabinets in micro sizes using custom-made controls and an i-pod/PDA/other micro device so it's nothing new, though the reality of playing such a cabinet even if functional is purely novelty in itself.

[ThePenciler]

Heh. I think you got the impression I wanted to make a full sized cabinet or a bartop cabinet. Not so. I'm talking about the gimmick of making a micro-sized "cabinet". I guess more of a ultra-compact computer with a built in tiny LCD screen that can double as a low end type desktop computer. The scale I'm talking about isn't normal controls and normal sized screen. Think Nintendo DS or iPod with a mini cabinet around it. I know there was an iPod Nano MAME "cabinet" made a while ago. No, it's not practical as a traditional cabinet. I'm not thinking about doing that. For what I'm talking about thick Lexan (quarter inch I'd say) would be good.

I'm not sure if I'm explaining it right. I know what you're talking about, but that's not what I'm talking about. Think smaller. Like the size of a 1 cup coffee maker. 14cm wide at the base, 26cm tall, 28cm deep. Looks like a upright, but one from the land of the Lilliputians. I'm not sure about the scale. I'm talking tiny. Think an OQO compared to an iMac sizewise.

I think it can be done. pico-ITX mobo on the bottom, 2.5" hard drive mounted on the side, power supply for the mobo mounted on the other side, screen and controller board slotted in behind front screen marqee, USB ports on back or front accepting a USB game pad, fake CP with sticker of CP on top. No, it won't use the iPAC or any traditional arcade buttons or sticks (it obviously can't at that scale). The only thing that makes it look like an upright is the working screen and shape of the case. I'm not talking about buying stuff from SuzoHapp. If you must, call it a fake arcade machine. But the point is it'll be fun to make and play with.

[daywane]

I have no desire to make a mini.
But if I was going to do it I think I would use a PSP

I sudjest looking into arcade in a box

[Turnarcades]

Heh. I think you got the impression I wanted to make a full sized cabinet or a bartop cabinet. Not so. I'm talking about the gimmick of making a micro-sized "cabinet". I guess more of a ultra-compact computer with a built in tiny LCD screen that can double as a low end type desktop computer. The scale I'm talking about isn't normal controls and normal sized screen. Think Nintendo DS or iPod with a mini cabinet around it. I know there was an iPod Nano MAME "cabinet" made a while ago. No, it's not practical as a traditional cabinet. I'm not thinking about doing that. For what I'm talking about thick Lexan (quarter inch I'd say) would be good.

I'm not sure if I'm explaining it right. I know what you're talking about, but that's not what I'm talking about. Think smaller. Like the size of a 1 cup coffee maker. 14cm wide at the base, 26cm tall, 28cm deep. Looks like a upright, but one from the land of the Lilliputians. I'm not sure about the scale. I'm talking tiny. Think an OQO compared to an iMac sizewise.

I think it can be done. pico-ITX mobo on the bottom, 2.5" hard drive mounted on the side, power supply for the mobo mounted on the other side, screen and controller board slotted in behind front screen marqee, USB ports on back or front accepting a USB game pad, fake CP with sticker of CP on top. No, it won't use the iPAC or any traditional arcade buttons or sticks (it obviously can't at that scale). The only thing that makes it look like an upright is the working screen and shape of the case. I'm not talking about buying stuff from SuzoHapp. If you must, call it a fake arcade machine. But the point is it'll be fun to make and play with.

Yes I did know what you meant, hence this paragraph:

A couple of guys here have made both novelty and playable cabinets in micro sizes using custom-made controls and an i-pod/PDA/other micro device so it's nothing new, though the reality of playing such a cabinet even if functional is purely novelty in itself.

But in your original post you mentioned your idea arose from noticing the size restraints prevent you from having a proper machine:

My idea for a MAME cabinet is as follows:

* Since I have no room to make one or even to have one around I've come to the conclusion that I can make one on a small scale out of Lexan for the outer cabinet housing and following the average plans closely.

Which is why I threw in the suggestions for what you could do for a playable cabinet in your situation.

That aside my original comment stands that I think all-laminate construction would not be practical. It would be quite pricey (even if they do that thickness it would be expensive and usually sold in large sheets so would be wasteful), would not go together well (would really need to be glued together and precision trimming at small sizes could shatter it) and to put things like high-price micro boards in a novelty item seems extravagant.

If building novelty, do it on a novelty budget.

[ThePenciler]

Ah, ok. I didn't realize how expensive it would be for the Lexan.

Part of my idea about the casing also came from this: http://www.geekologie.com/2008/02/portable_xbox_360_elite_laptop.php I was mistaken in thinking Lexan was the right material. He used plastic. Molded of course. I think he has his own fabrication facility or something. But then again, being someone without his own fabfac, I'm trying to come up with a cheaper way. I might just make mine out of cardboard. lol Nah, just kidding. I do have a cardboard mockup I made a while ago though. Not suitable for projects of course.

And yeah, the pico-ITX motherboard is expensive now. I think it used to be a lot more expensive before ($700 or $500 I think? Now they're like $300 or so). And since MAME machines don't need that much power to begin with (relative to today's computers) if the prices fall on such mobos maybe it could be feasible. Essentially, what I'd be building isn't any different than buying an Artigo kit and a car interface. Essentially a so-called "car computer" that some people seem to be making. That's expensive when you add up all the parts (not just the computer itself but the supporting hardware).

I'm not saying I'm going to make it now. I did mention that I wouldn't get to it immediately. Maybe in a few years when I find the right inexpensive parts. You're right about the Lexan and the motherboard being expensive. But I am thinking of ways to design it to be more than just novelty. Sure, it'll have that, but I'm not saying that's all it'll be.

Right now I'm just entertaining the thought and making a wish list. That's all.

[ThePenciler]

This guy has the same idea I have. Maybe if I could find a premanufactured enclosure at the right size...

http://arcadeheroes.com/2007/05/01/mini-arcade-cabinet-madness/

He should have gotten two of them. One to keep and one to "ruin".

[ThePenciler]

My other idea was to get a broken Mini Bubbler with an intact shell and make a mini-ITX computer out of that. But that's not related to arcade cabinets. It's also already been done. But I still want to.