The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls

Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Zakk on February 03, 2004, 10:44:43 pm

Title: Galaga Mini
Post by: Zakk on February 03, 2004, 10:44:43 pm
Got this one as an emergency call.  The guy bought this "working" Galaga on E-bay, and of course it surprisingly didn't run at all when he got it.  It was a birthday present for his wife, and two months later the repair shop he took it to still hadn't done anything but tell him how hard and expensive it would be to make it run.  Anyway, in comes a referral to me from a third party, and boom, he's got a working galaga.  I didn't like the idea of mame-ing this too much, but I like to think that I did it in a way that it could easily be converted back, if someone ever had the urge to.  That's my confession.  Take a look, and hopefully you'll see that I did my best to leave the past intact while making a fun birthday present for someone who's favorite game in the world is Galaga.


http://www.mameworld.net/massive/Cabinet/Galaga/Galaga.htm
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: BobbyG66 on February 03, 2004, 11:35:17 pm
Nice 'Restoration'

Nice way of keeping the original cab, plus adding a few extra games.  They should love it!
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: menace on February 04, 2004, 07:20:40 am
very nice!  I wish my fiance knew you (my birthday is in may hint, hint ;))
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: Stingray on February 04, 2004, 08:42:49 am
Looks like you did a great job on it! I'm sure it's new owners will be thrilled.

-S
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: SirPeale on February 04, 2004, 10:14:27 am
Yet another failure, Zakk.  Look on the bright side, though: you keep failing spectacularly.   ;)
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: Zakk on February 04, 2004, 01:30:44 pm
Thanks guys (except you Peale, of course 8)).
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: SirPeale on February 04, 2004, 01:51:19 pm
Of course!

Now get working on that Space Invaders, dammit!  I want to heckle something new.
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: Zakk on February 04, 2004, 03:44:48 pm
Hmmmm I gotta toss a coin on this... I've got a lot of people sniffing around after cabs, so if I get one finished, it will be real tempting to sell it, and I could see wanting to keep that SI cab... the stern cab might be next I just don't know....

Decisions decisions....

Tell me which one you like best and I'll do the other one  ;)
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: SirPeale on February 04, 2004, 08:07:01 pm
Heck, either of them is good.  Is that SI an original?  The pic looks like one of those SI/Qix combo models.
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: paigeoliver on February 05, 2004, 12:44:53 am
Eeek, you installed the monitor horizontally, blasphemy!  >:(

In a related note, I also have a Galaga mini mame, the one that used to be called "Artic Mini Mame", but I made a Galaga marquee for it, because Artic had copied the Galaga bezel anyway (and plus, I had sold my marquee to Todd from TNT Amusements).

But mini kept the vertical monitor orientation, and uses a class of 81 joystick.
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: Zakk on February 05, 2004, 10:53:12 am
Heh, yeah, well it was more of a space requirement than a consious choice.  The neck of the monitor stuck out about 1" from the back of the cabinet when set vertical, and instead of installing a 15" monitor or trying to hack in the arcade monitor (trying to eliminate repair calls here), I set it horizontal.  Oddly enough, when the 17" is horizontal, and the game is vertical, it's about the same size and look as the original 13" monitor would have been.  :sigh:  I really would have preferred it vertical, so that I could have just used the old bezel, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. :)
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: paigeoliver on February 06, 2004, 04:51:49 am
I often have to section the back doors of Mame cabinets for the monitors to poke out. The worst of which is my Amazing Maze, which has a monitor that pokes out about 3".

In the case of a one or two inch variation it is pretty simple. You just make the required cut in the back door, then surround the cut with a 2x4, and then put ply wood over it. If it is then wise to make an identical protrusion near the bottom so that the game can still be laid flat on it's back.

It isn't just Mame cabinets you see this done on. My first Turbo was modded that way when I got it, and Dave's Robocop is as well. (Replacement monitors don't always have the same size frame).
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: Edgedamage on February 06, 2004, 08:07:40 pm
Great work on that cab. I am sending this message as I am looking at that wonderful wooden cocktail cab I got from you.
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: Zakk on February 07, 2004, 06:21:41 pm
Great work on that cab. I am sending this message as I am looking at that wonderful wooden cocktail cab I got from you.

 Hey, here's a  weird coincidence...where do you think that 17" monitor that I used in there came from?

Can you say Deano???  ;D
Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: Zakk on February 07, 2004, 06:26:37 pm
Heck, either of them is good.  Is that SI an original?  The pic looks like one of those SI/Qix combo models.

Heh, smart guy, how could you tell?  The little pic is just one I grabbed off the net somewhere, as it was just too cold to go to the garage and take a picture of the actual cabinet :)

Title: Re:Galaga Mini
Post by: Zakk on February 07, 2004, 06:27:53 pm
I often have to section the back doors of Mame cabinets for the monitors to poke out. The worst of which is my Amazing Maze, which has a monitor that pokes out about 3".

In the case of a one or two inch variation it is pretty simple. You just make the required cut in the back door, then surround the cut with a 2x4, and then put ply wood over it. If it is then wise to make an identical protrusion near the bottom so that the game can still be laid flat on it's back.

It isn't just Mame cabinets you see this done on. My first Turbo was modded that way when I got it, and Dave's Robocop is as well. (Replacement monitors don't always have the same size frame).

I know what you mean, but I was hoping not to modify the cab aby more than needed.  Plus, this one HAD the big plastic bulge in the back already, but it was about 3 inches too high for the new monitor...figures.... :)