What to do with this Cherry Master "arcade" cabinet

[Vicious Burger]

Well I guess technically it's more of a casino game rather than an arcade game,but either way I want to refurbish the old beat-up cab and make it into a PC/MAME cabinet.
Ideally I'd like to put a LCD screen in there in place of the puny 13" screen that's in there right now. I think i can get at least a 17" LCD in there.
I'm only going to have 2 joysticks and maybe 8 buttons, 4 per player(I think i can fit controls for 2 players even though its kinda small) plus start buttons etc.
It has a regular PC 200w power supply,which i will probably have to upgrade if i put PC components in there
I would also like to keep the 25c coin and dollar bill acceptors,as they still work fine, and somehow incorporate them into the new arcade controls that i am intending to build in,that is what i need help with. Can I connect these to an I-PAC interface along with the buttons and joysticks? If i can,i don't know much about the wiring,there are so many wires i wouldn't know which ones to connect.

See the pics.


[img=http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1310/p1180143o.th.jpg] [img=http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/7871/p1180142.th.jpg] [img=http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/3343/p1180141.th.jpg] [img=http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/39/p1180140.th.jpg] [img=http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/7429/p1180139.th.jpg] [img=http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7449/p1180138t.th.jpg] [img=http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2576/p1180137m.th.jpg] [img=http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/250/p1180136.th.jpg] [img=http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/5196/p1180135.th.jpg] [img=http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6765/p1180134v.th.jpg] [img=http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/4107/p1180133.th.jpg] [img=http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/9144/p1180132.th.jpg] [img=http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/1719/p1180131.th.jpg] [img=http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/295/p1180130.th.jpg] [img=http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/7991/p1180129.th.jpg]

[severdhed]

thats a cool little cabinet for a project.  what i would do is install the LCD vertically and set it up with a single 4way stick and 1 button, just for the classics.  that would get you about 30 games or so that are really good.  it looks too small to have 2 players there comfortably.

the coin slots should be no problem, they are usually just a simple microswitch.  the dollar bill acceptors could be a completely different problem...i'm not sure how you would do that.

[Vicious Burger]

thats a cool little cabinet for a project.  what i would do is install the LCD vertically and set it up with a single 4way stick and 1 button, just for the classics.  that would get you about 30 games or so that are really good.  it looks too small to have 2 players there comfortably.

the coin slots should be no problem, they are usually just a simple microswitch.  the dollar bill acceptors could be a completely different problem...i'm not sure how you would do that.

I had thought about the vertical orientation of the screen,but the monitor wont fit that way. The width of the monitor casing is 17",but there is only about 14" of space to put it in, which is perfect for horizontal installation. I'll get a second person to stand next to me to see how cramped it is before deciding on 1 or 2 player options !

[ArtMAME]

I have that exact same cabinet.  I did a 13" (IIRC) horizontal computer CRT with 2 player, 3 button@ setup.

I played Joust on it with my buddy and it is a bit cramped for 2 adult players, but would probably be perfect for 2 children or one adult/one child to play on.

[Vicious Burger]

I have that exact same cabinet.  I did a 13" (IIRC) horizontal computer CRT with 2 player, 3 button@ setup.

I played Joust on it with my buddy and it is a bit cramped for 2 adult players, but would probably be perfect for 2 children or one adult/one child to play on.

Oh cool ! Is yours a MAME cab ? Now that I know how that 2 player setup looks,i might go for it. I'm going to make a new CP,and because the LCD is so slim,the plexi sheet can actually be set back further to allow more room on the new CP,yours looks like its set back further than mine allowing for a deeper CP. Whats the measurement of your CP from front to back? Also do you have pics of your project as it progressed?

The monitor looks the same size as the stock one,just rotated from Vert to Hor. I thought about using the stock monitor originally,but i don't know about sorting through all that spaghetti to wire it into a PC, plus the fact it has some pretty bad screen burn from being on all the time i guess. So i picked up a used PC and monitor,did a fresh install of xp,stuck MAME on it and tested all that before i install it all. It all works good, so now i get the fun of fitting it and sprucing up the cabinet (Cant stand that wood-effect panelling !)

[bkenobi]

I would have said burn it, but that's just cause it's got the faux wood treatment.  My wife would never let that come in the house (probably not even that garage)!   

I guess it can look good when done though.  ArtMAME's cab is pretty nice!

[Jack Burton]

I love the faux wood look.  Brings back memories.  

For a little cab like this I'd stick to a one-player treatment.  The screen is a 13" screen, which should be replaceable with a 13" pc CRT pretty easily.

Getting it up and running as a mame cab shouldn't be hard.  Once you've got the monitor in all you have to do is connect the buttons to an I-pac.  To connect your coin mechs you need to connect the switch on the coin mech to the ipac.  It connects the same way a button does.

To keep the sound and lights working the easiest way thing to do is keep the old innards intact.  Disconnect the game board.  Turn the system on, then reach in and turn your pc on.    Splice into the sound cable. 

You can even re-use the controls that are existent on the CP for many games.  Any two-way one or two button game should play just fine on those buttons.  

I think a game of tetris on a little cab like this would be fun.  

[Vicious Burger]

I would have said burn it, but that's just cause it's got the faux wood treatment.  My wife would never let that come in the house (probably not even that garage)!   

I guess it can look good when done though.  ArtMAME's cab is pretty nice!

Oh believe me that fake wood crap will not be staying !! It's gonna be black all round. There is a chrome trim piece which runs around the whole edge on both sides,thats kinda cool though,so i think i will keep that.

[Vicious Burger]

I love the faux wood look.  Brings back memories.  

For a little cab like this I'd stick to a one-player treatment.  The screen is a 13" screen, which should be replaceable with a 13" pc CRT pretty easily.

Getting it up and running as a mame cab shouldn't be hard.  Once you've got the monitor in all you have to do is connect the buttons to an I-pac.  To connect your coin mechs you need to connect the switch on the coin mech to the ipac.  It connects the same way a button does.

To keep the sound and lights working the easiest way thing to do is keep the old innards intact.  Disconnect the game board.  Turn the system on, then reach in and turn your pc on.    Splice into the sound cable. 

You can even re-use the controls that are existent on the CP for many games.  Any two-way one or two button game should play just fine on those buttons.  

I think a game of tetris on a little cab like this would be fun.  

I'll probably hook the PC motherboard up to a switch on the exterior of the cab,like i did with the previous build i did. Theres a switch on the back already so i may just run it to that,in place of the power button on the front of the PC, and just run the wires straight to the motherboard.
I am going to do the 2 player controls. I'm going to be giving the cabinet to my brother in law for Christmas,(as he loved my other one i built and i couldnt get him off it last time he came over) and 99% he'll play games on his own,so he wont be cramped next to a 2nd player all the time,only for certain things.
I've ordered a keywiz from GroovyGameGear to hook up all the buttons and joysticks. I'll probably hook up the coin mech switch to it also.