The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls

Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: Zombie on April 23, 2002, 02:05:09 pm

Title: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Zombie on April 23, 2002, 02:05:09 pm
I was a little bored today.
(http://home.12move.dk/~zombie/cab1.JPG)
(http://home.12move.dk/~zombie/cab2.jpg)
(http://home.12move.dk/~zombie/cab3.jpg)
ARRRGH !! i want to build a real cabinet,
oh well, he he
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Malenko on April 23, 2002, 03:13:55 pm
can I have it?
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: mw on April 23, 2002, 03:25:34 pm
That's cool, now you need some tiny components to make it functional  ;)
Title: e: very small cabinet :)
Post by: 1UP on April 23, 2002, 05:09:52 pm
Pretty cool!  For a minute I thought it was backlit!

When I was 11, I did something like this.  It was a Pac-Man cab about 4 inches high, with pieces of the old Pac-Man bubble gum stickers for side art, and a push-pin with a red ball-top for the stick!

I also made a really accurate mini Atari 2600 with cut-out screenshots from the Atari catalog that went into a cardboard TV.  It had all the different controls, too--paddles, joysticks, keypads.  Guess I really wanted my own machine even back then!  Heheh! ;D
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: bowmand1 on April 24, 2002, 06:58:38 am
you were a "little" bored?!?!!?!   ;D

that is pretty cool, though.  Though I'm glad I'm not that bored.

Quality craftsmanship.  Though I don't know if cardboard will support a 19" Wells-Gardner...  hahaha

button mashers beware, your fingers will destroy this machine...   --dave
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Dave_K. on April 24, 2002, 11:08:23 am
You know you may have stumbled on to something here.
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: bowmand1 on April 24, 2002, 11:55:40 am
Dave, you so craaaazy.   ;D

if only I had money.  Then I'd have a MAME machine on my desk.  <sigh>

But, seriously...  if somebody actually makes one of these...  POST PICS!!!!

I love this message board   --Dave_B
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Lilwolf on April 24, 2002, 12:18:27 pm
Tabletop cabinets are pretty popular.  I was thinking of making one a bit ago.

I've then considered moving it smaller.  I work with embedded computers in manufacturing.  I've had mame in a box 3 inchs square before (that I could drop from 10 feet).  But the monitors usually suck...

I considered also making a car version.  I was going to take one of the slower machines we can't use anymore and turn it into a MPeg player for my car.   Then decided that to add a LCD screen by hacking an old notebook and adding mame.... for stoplights only of course.  Then add a DVD player.

my wife said I could only do it if I moved it to the backseat for the kids... but what fun is that!
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: ErikRuud on April 24, 2002, 12:29:26 pm
Let the wife drive, and sit in the back!!!!
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Dave_K. on April 24, 2002, 02:31:10 pm
Lilwolf, so the embedded mame machine was just a prototype?  How fast could it play simple games like pac man and robotron?  How much power did it require?  I already have a pair of VERY small backlit lcd displays (for a head mount display) I could hack for the monitor (or just buy a cheapo lcd pocket tv).

Or how about this....hack one of those game systems that runs a complete mame type emulator inside an N64 type joystick (I forget the name of it).

I think this is very do'able (on a very small scale...smaller that the bartop type machines we've seen already).

-Dave
Title: My Krazy Micro Arcade Ideas
Post by: Johnny the MAMEr on April 24, 2002, 07:42:55 pm
Somebody could buy one of these

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1725364358

and drop in a palm (some little LCD screen I suppose). You can play arcade games on a palm right?  I know, the color ones are expensive. Maybe a future project when the color palm rigs are cheap.  Isn't an emulator available for some digital cameras (that's right, arcade games on a little camera viewscreen.

http://digita.mame.net/

Can that be hacked into a mini/micro cabinet? Sure it can!
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Malenko on April 24, 2002, 07:53:52 pm
look what you started zombie  :P
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Zombie on April 24, 2002, 09:34:37 pm
LOL,

that mini pacman cabinet is sweet and looks very playable.
wait, i still have a 2.5" pocket tv somewhere... :)
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Dire Radiant on April 24, 2002, 10:42:13 pm
Might be difficult to mount a trackball, 2 8ways, a 4 way, 16 buttons, a spinner and pinball buttons though

Now how about replacing the keyboard of a laptop? ;D
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: BobA on April 25, 2002, 04:51:33 pm
More of those crazy little cabs from RGVAC.

http://www.pipa.net/arcade/images/misc/mini-cab1.jpg

http://www.pipa.net/arcade/images/misc/mini-cab2.jpg

http://www.pipa.net/arcade/images/misc/mini-cab3.jpg

http://www.pipa.net/arcade/images/misc/mini-cab4.jpg

http://www.pipa.net/arcade/images/misc/mini-cab5.jpg

http://www.arcade-revival.com/jean/minidk.jpg

enjoy  8)

Bob



Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Lilwolf on April 25, 2002, 06:23:18 pm
The trouble with the embedded machines I've used mame on is that

1) They are a customers... and I get everything working well.  Touchscreen and everything (great for missile command)

2) They don't have a screen.

I have a mini-tv, but no small computers with TV out (or anyway to add them).

I deal machines usually 233mhz or so.  Over that and they start getting really expensive.  Mainly because of heating.  

But I have a bunch of little 233s around the office that would be perfect.  Running flash drives, linux (usually) and then mame.  
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Andrew Halford on April 26, 2002, 01:19:15 am
i made one two not as good though
(http://www.7th-hell.co.uk/images/cab_model02.jpg)
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Dave_K. on April 26, 2002, 11:10:07 am
BobA, I have one of those UFO Attack mini arcade magnets.
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: 1UP on April 28, 2002, 04:24:44 am
For my desk at work, I think I'm gonna try gutting a non-working Coleco tabletop game (like the pacman one above) and drop in a PDA running MameBoy if I can get a good deal on Ebay.  But maybe not until I finish my real cabinet...  ;D

Game Boy color had some decent arcade ports (Joust and Moon Patrol are dead on) and it would totally fit in a Coleco!  Dirt cheap too, if you can find them.
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: big10p on April 28, 2002, 05:20:58 pm
Quote
For my desk at work, I think I'm gonna try gutting a non-working Coleco tabletop game (like the pacman one above) and drop in a PDA running MameBoy if I can get a good deal on Ebay.
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: 1UP on April 28, 2002, 06:46:46 pm
BTW, anyone know if/how you can wire several game cartridges together with some kind of selector switch connected to a common pin?  Like the old Atari console store kiosks, where you selected a game with pushbuttons I think...  I hardly use my GBC anymore, so I'm thinking of just hacking a mini cab with that...  Of course it won't be a real MAME cab, but it will have most of the classic games on it, some of which are pretty accurate ports (already have a big collection gathering dust!)

Oh Lord, why did I choose this hobby?!  ;)
Title: Mini Crash Bandicoot on EBAY
Post by: Johnny the MAMEr on April 28, 2002, 11:09:19 pm
There's 2 mini Crash Bandicoot arcade cabs for sale on EBAY. Take a look

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1348490988
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: delta88 on April 29, 2002, 06:56:21 am
since when was crash bandicot an arcade classic?? lol.....
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Garvv on May 02, 2002, 07:37:34 pm
Saw this on ebay and thought immediately of this cabinet; evidently it's a factory piece that consists of a 7x5 inch lcd screen (the resolution of which just happens to correspond to most arcade games) connected to a mini computer running windows me.

Pretty cheap given that it's a combination lcd/computer.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1727495354
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: 1UP on May 03, 2002, 01:14:13 am
(http://www.1uparcade.com/images/jspak.jpg)

I just received one of these Coleco Pac-Man games from ebay today.  It's pretty beat up (worse than this picture since it's not the same one), but I think I can restore it to good condition, and mount my Game Boy Color inside with a white LED to light it.  Need to print some new art for the marquee.  If there's any way to hook up multiple cartridges so they can be switched, I'll just jam as many of my classic games in as possible!  Otherwise, I'll cut a slot to switch games in the back.  I looked inside, and there's a lot of dead space, and I may be able to make the screen area more upright.  The sticks are 4-way, and should be easy to convert to 8-way.  Add a couple small buttons, and it'll be perfect for breaks at work!
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Dave_K. on May 03, 2002, 10:34:26 am
Dude, those are perfect Robotron controls.  I'd be happy with just that setup.

-Dave
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: Johnny the MAME'r on May 03, 2002, 08:06:31 pm
Hey 1up, that thing should be pretty kewl. Can ya take a picture or two and post it? I'd like to see the results. I might have to dig my mini pacman out of the attic and convert it soon.  
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: 1UP on May 04, 2002, 05:20:24 pm
BTW, they make keyboards for palm PCs don't they?  Should be able to hack one and get more than just 2 buttons to work with.  Do they make mice as well?  ;)
Title: Re: very small cabinet :)
Post by: 1UP on May 05, 2002, 05:27:38 am
I found a Cassiopeia for about $60 on Ebay!  Less than I paid for the Game Boy Color!  I did some searching, and found that there are both mouse and keyboard devices for PDAs, so there might be a little mouse-hack spinner going in there as well!  I'll post the results later.

Now, if I could just get enough cash for a monitor to finish my MAIN cabinet...  >:(