Help, I need a classroom cab to work just like a real cab.

[rackoon]

Well like the heading says, I need a cab to work just like an arcade cab.

This cab is going in a classroom for disturbed and troubled kids. Therefore, I need it to the following:

*credits are accessed only by tokens so that I can limit game play. (Yea I got a coin door)

*No direct access to button and joystick config because they will mess it up on purpose if they don't get there way.   

* no access to any other part of the computer through the control panel

*Simply put I need it to work just like an arcade cab but take tokens. 

Let me put it this way, if they can screw any part of the cab up, they will do so just to make everyone else miserable then call me a ---smurfette--- for trying to help them. (I'm not kidding, these kids are messed up) but they still need someone to help them. Plus, its my job.   




 

[SavannahLion]

I'm confused. Are you asking us for ideas or for someone to build you one? 

Just build the cab as if it was meant to go on location. Keyed doors. Any administration buttons behind the locked door. PC behind the locked door. Configure the cab to have ZERO access to any admin controls outside of the cab. Wire up and adjust the coin door for tokens. Configure the front end. etc. etc.

[Beretta]

i agree SavannahLion, build it like you're gonna put it out in public.

infact as far as the FE goes i'd go as far as to make sure there was no way to get to it from the CP, that way they can't for example hit a button or something and exit it.

imagine 2 of them playing a game, one of them gets killed or gets beat by the other in any event they're upset.. so they hit the exit button.. the one who won.. or was still playing gets pissed.. if the kids are truly as bad as you say they are expect a fist fight.

instead i'd just make any access require opening the coin door or a wireless keyboard.

load 1 game up each day that way they have something different to play every day.


HONESTLY though i've heard you say how bad these kids are several times.. and imo is bad idea to even attempt this project even if it is your job to teach them it's not to build mame cabinets they can destroy or cause arguments.

[Turnarcades]

Is everyone forgetting that MAME is not to be used in this way? Profit, non-profit or whatever, it's still not going to work that way as no popular front-end natively supports universal coinage so credits will not be retained once a game is exited. Unless you create a modified credit input system as some have done or use a 48-in-1 JAMMA or something which have their own custom FE's to do this, it's not really going to work the way you want it.

Plus these methods aren't exactly savvy.

[Octo]

I agree about this causing possible fights over the games. I once punched a hole in the wall when an ex-roommate beat me in SF Alpha 3, but he was a --mothersmurfer-- and I didn't care for him much

Maybe you should just get an old, functional arcade cab. I assume you're using it as some sort of reward system for good behavior, so unless it's a crappy game, they shouldn't get bored with it....

[severdhed]

this shouldn't be hard to do if you configure mame and your front end properly. keep any admin type buttons behind the coin door.  you can install USB ports behind the coin door as well, so you can easily hook up a keyboard and mouse to tweak things.

there are also programs out there that are designed to help make public use computers more manageable...such as Windows Steady State.  i havent had much of a chance to play with it yet, but you can get your PC set up the way you want it, and then activate the program, and no matter what anyone does to change any settings or anything, they all are discarded when the PC is rebooted and it comes back up the exact same way every time.  there are ways you can log in as an administrator to make permanent changes if you need to.

it is even free, and works with XP or Vista.

i think there are a few other apps out there that have similar functions, but i haven't used them.

it may be worth looking into if you are worried about them screwing it up

[Beretta]

Is everyone forgetting that MAME is not to be used in this way? Profit, non-profit or whatever, it's still not going to work that way as no popular front-end natively supports universal coinage so credits will not be retained once a game is exited. Unless you create a modified credit input system as some have done or use a 48-in-1 JAMMA or something which have their own custom FE's to do this, it's not really going to work the way you want it.

Plus these methods aren't exactly savvy.

rofl, what are you talking about?

1. he's not wanting to use it for profit he's wanting to use it as a reward for good behavior.
2. at no point did i see him say he needed coin drops in the FE.

me thinks you need to reread his post.

[Turnarcades]

Is everyone forgetting that MAME is not to be used in this way? Profit, non-profit or whatever, it's still not going to work that way as no popular front-end natively supports universal coinage so credits will not be retained once a game is exited. Unless you create a modified credit input system as some have done or use a 48-in-1 JAMMA or something which have their own custom FE's to do this, it's not really going to work the way you want it.

Plus these methods aren't exactly savvy.

rofl, what are you talking about?

1. he's not wanting to use it for profit he's wanting to use it as a reward for good behavior.
2. at no point did i see him say he needed coin drops in the FE.

me thinks you need to reread his post.

Methinks you should re-read mine, I said "Profit or not". Aaron recently said it's not to be used in public situations, even in charitable situations where profit isn't an issue.

Regardless of that, tokens, coins or whatever, he wants it to work like an arcade cabinet with no access to the internals. If it's going to be unsupervised at times (as implied by saying he doesn't want it messing with) then the exiting of games is going to be left to the kids. One selfish kid pressing the 'exit' button and another kids' rewarded game gets cancelled, losing the credit permanently and causing a bust-up.

Then there's the question of whether the organisation hew works at will permit the use of a system with such a grey legal status....

[CheffoJeffo]

My suggestion for a nice legal solution would be a single-slot MVS system in a JAMMA-wired cabinet. It allows you to switch games out periodically (you can even drop in a cheap JAMMA board if you want) and avoids your legal issues. The games are more modern in style than you would get in a 48-in-1, so may be more amenable to your charges.

If the legal issues don't concern you, I would still go with a preconfigured PCB in an authentic cab over a MAME rig.

[Beretta]

Turnarcades sorry no i did'nt know anything about that, i thought it was only for profit.

honestly though a classroom with troubled kids is'nt exactly public.

i agree about hitting the exit button thats why i suggest loading a different game up every day and eliminating any way of exiting the game from the CP im sure that would cause fights.

they probably dont know the legalities of it, most people dont understand copy right laws even in the slightest.

[solid12345]

Well as for the legal issue, it is sort of like the warning from car manufacturers not to imitate the speeding or sharp turns in their commercials but they know people will do it anyway, cat's out of the bag.

[rackoon]

To clear things up, most of my kids are in and out of Juvenal hall for various offenses. Most are addicted to drugs and or have parents that cook meth or sell sex for drugs. In addition, many have been sexually abused. 

  Our school only has 50 kids. These kids have been abused to the extreme, and care little about school. They only work for rewards. Therefore, I attempt to get them through school so that they can get a job and don't become a burden on the system. (trust me when I say its a brutal hard job)We do have several school to work programs that help. 

    Long story short, some have very violent tendencies and have social issues along with autistic spectrum disorders. So if i fail, and they get mainstreemed, they will be in classes with your kids. Some think its cruel to keep them out of normal class rooms.

   Regardless, there is about seven "really" bad kids that love retro video games. The only reward they will work for is time playing street fighter on some arcade web site. Therefore, I promised them that we could build something like I am building at my house. So, some of them are helping me build the cab (its half done) and they are pumped up. If its really a legal issue I will just stick an xbox in  a cab an call it good.

But I was hoping to expose them to my generations games, and control the amount of time the have on the cab through token rewards. Also, I want them to get schooled by a bad ass street fighter player who is 39 years old.

So, I get that I should only have admin buttons inside the cab but what about the front end?

[bkenobi]

I'd go with a xx-in-one solution or a NeoGeo cab with 2-6 slots.  That way you don't need to worry about any of the MAME and FE junk.  It's much more flexible to have the capability to use an FE and configure it how you want, but for your situation...you'd be much better off with a finished hardware solution.  Just do what CheffoJeffo said and build a JAMMA cab with one of the above and be done with it.

[Beretta]

i would'nt worry about the legal ramification about it.. no one else around here does.

it's highly unlikely that would ever be a problem.


good luck on the project.

[IG-88]

I really wouldn't worry about the legal deal either. I know for a fact that there is a bar and also a pizza place not to far from me that run set-ups just like you are talking about and have for several years without issue. I should slip in each one and see if I can figure out what exactly they are running.

I was even in a place that sells rec room type stuff selling whole cabs a while back. Not that I agree with all this of course