Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: MartyNg on April 30, 2006, 10:34:56 pm
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Hello. I posted to usenet, and was sent here for the best information. I am a long-time console emulation fan and do tons of emulation with my modified XBOX, and I have just run into a neat situation. I know a guy that knows a guy that is selling some arcade games for really cheap. As far as I know, they are all working fine. I am pretty handy with PC hardware, but have never done anything with an arcade cabinet before. Assuming that all of the following arcade games are in working order, which ones would be the top choices to build a MAME PC into? (Note that I do NOT have any interest in actually re-wiring/customizing things if I don't have to...I am simply looking for the cheapest, easiest way to get a working MAME cabinet in my game room)
Here's the list (obviously, the driving and shooting games wouldn't work too well):
Tekken 2
Alien vs. Predator
Berzerk
X Men vs. Street Fighter
Final Lap 2
Cyber Sled
Run & Gun
Raiden II
Revolution X
It might also be cool to add a trackball to whatever cabinet I settle on so the cabinet can be used as a PC as well (would use emulators for SNES, Genesis, etc...)
Thank you very much for any insight!
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It's personal preference in the end, but I'd use either the Tekken 2 or X-men vs. Street Fighter.
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Just out of curiosity, why did you pick those? Was it because they are newer and have the most buttons? Those were the only criteria I could think of.
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Those would be my first choices too.
Because...they are newer and have more buttons.
One factor is the size of the control panel. More room equals more room for different controls like your trackball. Fighting game cabinets were usually made a bit wider so that two people could comfortably play.
Also, these games have more buttons already drilled. Less work for you.
Many of these later games also have 25" monitors. I love the 25" monitor in my JAMMA cabinet (was Primal Rage originally). It makes the 21" computer monitor in my MAME cabinet look tiny.
It would be so awesome to have Cyber Sled though.
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christ, dont mame the berserk! in fact, if you have the room, you could try and pick up the berserk to sell it on to someone to restore (or do it yourself and sell it on again) AND get one of the other cabs to mame. basically get whatever takes your fancy and get one that has a jamma setup- which i think is most of the others. then you can hook up a jpac keyboard emulator
http://www.ultimarc.com/jpac.html
straight into the harness without any modifications. youll also want an arcade vga card
http://www.ultimarc.com/avgainf.html
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Welcome Marty! I'm the guy that referred you to here.
One thing with the games people are recommending is that they're JAMMA (an arcade wiring standard) and can actually be in ANY type of cabinet. I've seen 6 button games crammed onto tiny control panels, and two button games on huge panels. Is there any way to look at the machines before you purchase? Decide what kind of controls you want and base your decision on the cabinet from there. 2 sticks/3 buttons can be made to work on nearly any panel, but since you want to add a trackball, its nice to start with a lot of space.
I bought a whooped out Tekken 3 which was in a generic cabinet made by Dynamo, and these make an awesome starting point for a conversion. There is a sliding shelf inside which is perfect for a computer since you can slide it out to work on it, and there is also a lot more room than inside the older Bally cabinet I converted (which is physically wider). It's very likely that at least one of those games is in a Dynamo. If you can find one of them with a working monitor and get a JPAC and Arcade VGA from Ultimarc, your conversion might be very easy.
Good luck!
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Here's the problem with your list... most of them are conversion kit games (or were available as both conversion kit or dedicated). So in the end, just because it has "Tekken 2" in it, doesn't mean that it's one style of cabinet. If it was a conversion kit, it could be ANY cabinet that the owner decided to convert. So, you're gonna need photos to get a real accurate idea.
Tekken 2 <-- Might be good choice, but could be a conversion
Alien vs. Predator <-- Is most likely a conversion
Berzerk <-- Don't maim a classic!
X Men vs. Street Fighter <-- Is most likely a conversion
Final Lap 2 <-- Sit down driving game. Not a good candidate
Cyber Sled <-- Sit down tank game, not a good candidate
Run & Gun <-- Two-monitor cabinet. Will be big, and too heavy
Raiden II <-- Is most likely a conversion
Revolution X <-- Shooting game. Not a good candidate
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Thanks for all the help guys! I should be able to get a look at the cabinets in the next week or two. I'll keep you guys posted on what I find out. I'm glad to hear that this might be an easy job.....just buying those two parts, and a little bit of configuration.
I was just thinking...for EXTRA easy PC use, I guess I could just get a wireless trackball and mount it to the top, rather than drilling and installing a real arcade-style trackball right into the panel.
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Wahoo! The dude might give me a SWEEEEEET deal on several of them...at a price that would be stupid to pass up! I think the better question at this point is....how do I transport 4 or 5 of them to my house? Do I just need a U-Haul and a few guys to help me lift them? Or are they safe to lay down in a pickup truck?
Also, are arcade cabinets generally very heavy? 250lbs+? Also, do two-seater racing games come apart, or are they one giant unit? Not quite sure I could fit 2-seaters down my basement stairs.
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Wahoo! The dude might give me a SWEEEEEET deal on several of them...at a price that would be stupid to pass up! I think the better question at this point is....how do I transport 4 or 5 of them to my house? Do I just need a U-Haul and a few guys to help me lift them? Or are they safe to lay down in a pickup truck?
Also, are arcade cabinets generally very heavy? 250lbs+? Also, do two-seater racing games come apart, or are they one giant unit? Not quite sure I could fit 2-seaters down my basement stairs.
They will be pretty heavy. Easily 200+ pounds, driving games will be 300-400lbs most likely. A UHaul would be best, and I prefer standing them up, although many people have laid them down with no problems. You'd only be able to lay down 2 at most in a pickup though.
You'll need a dolley of some sort for easiest transport, and a friend would come in VERY handy for putting them into the truck. I guess it wouldn't be "impossible" to do yourself, but I sure as hell wouldn't attempt it :)
Most racing games come apart in some way. Cockpits usually have a breakoff section that comes apart with some bolts. Racing games with seats will be able to remove the seats and seat platform in some way. 9 times out of 10, the machine breaks down in a way that'll allow you to get them through a doorway. Narrow stairways could cause a problem though. The stairs to my basement allow me to get machines down, but I can't rotate them. I have to set it down on the stair platform and tilt it down the stairwell.
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Excellent...I looked at the machines today. I went with X-Men and Tekken 2. I'll have to pick them up in mid-June. Now, to decide which one to MAME! I like the X-Men with the 6 buttons, but think Tekken 2 would get boring quicker if left alone. Oh well, I've got some time for suggestions from you guys at least.
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So it isn't the 4 player Xmen then. It must be Children of the Atom or X Men vs. Street Fighter.
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So it isn't the 4 player Xmen then. It must be Children of the Atom or X Men vs. Street Fighter.
It says Xmen vs. Street Fighter in his first post :)
If the Xmen/SF game is in a Konami cab, like teh original Xmen/Simpsons/TMNT etc was in, it's a really nice cab for MAME use. Easy to get into, excellent sized control panel, fairly simple to build another CP top if you wanted to, and it'll have a 25" monitor.
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I'm not sure what type of cabinet either of them were in, but they both were in great condition. Unfortunately, I can't see them again until I actually pick them up in June. Hopefully they'll fit down the basement stairs, then I can start figuring out what to do with them.
Thanks again for your help so far everyone, and I'm sure there will be more questions in June!
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Hey MartyNg,
any chance that guy's located somewhere near Utah and still has that RevolutionX cab for sale? I'm always looking for cabs to pick up at a good price....
:)
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Sorry, nowhere near Utah. Northeast USA.
Well, it looks like I'm going to pick the machines up on June 17th. (I'll have a UHaul to move into my new house the same day, so that should work out good) I should have 2 pretty strong dudes to help. Hopefully the three of us, along with a refrigerator "dolly" can get the machines into the UHaul.
Any words of advice for transporting the machines?
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Old rugs, sheets or carpet to protect them from banging together, rope rubbing or being scratched. Tie them down securely. Is UHaul a hire trailer or truck. If trailer and you are standing them up, try to position them over the axle.
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Sorry, nowhere near Utah. Northeast USA.
Yeah? Where?
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Chances are the cabs you chose are at LEAST 300 lbs. (25" monitor?)
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I should have 2 pretty strong dudes to help. Hopefully the three of us, along with a refrigerator "dolly" can get the machines into the UHaul.
Any words of advice for transporting the machines?
You should be fine .. you are probably looking at a bit more than 300lbs, but three guys and a dolly should be OK.
Rule #1 is to check that everything is secure inside before moving. Anything that isn't bolted down comes out. I have broken this rule once and it bit me.
Rule #2 is slow and easy works just fine. Pop off the CP to make things easier and don't force things.
Other than that, follow the advice of cdbrown.
Cheers.
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Thanks for the advice guys! I'll let you know how it goes!
I haven't looked in the FAQs yet, but if it's not in there, can someone tell me how to take the CP off?
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Rule #1 is to check that everything is secure inside before moving. Anything that isn't bolted down comes out. I have broken this rule once and it bit me.
Of particular concern are small metal objects like pennies, screws, staples, etc...
They can end up shifting during movement and end up inside power supplies, the monitor, or on the PCB. Then when you fire it up, bad things happen.
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I'm also in the Northeast. Where abouts are these games? I may be interested if close enough.
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To release the CP--
Every cabinet is slightly different. Most you can reach up through the coin door and release some type of latch. There are usually 1 on each side. Many also have one along the top edge of the CP. Below are a few pics of some latches. Some CP's are bolted on, but those aren't as common.
If you know what type of cabinet it is, you can try to check for scans of manuals for the original game. Sometimes you can find the manual on KLOV, or check out crazykong.com or arcadedocs.com (currently down).
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To release the CP--
Every cabinet is slightly different. Most you can reach up through the coin door and release some type of latch. There are usually 1 on each side. Many also have one along the top edge of the CP. Below are a few pics of some latches. Some CP's are bolted on, but those aren't as common.
If you know what type of cabinet it is, you can try to check for scans of manuals for the original game. Sometimes you can find the manual on KLOV, or check out crazykong.com or arcadedocs.com (currently down).
Cool. I'll check for those hinges! I'm going to pick up the games tomorrow and I am PUMPED! The doorway going into my basement is 35" wide, but I stupidly didn't bring a tape measure when I went to look at the games, so we'll see if they fit without disassembly tomorrow!
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On my cabinet, the whole control panel box can be removed by unscrewing three bolts. The actual cabinet itself is about 26 inches wide. Note that my cabinet has a 25" monitor (that's all that will fit) and is a bit narrower than many newer cabinets that have (or can accommodate) a 27" monitor...
(http://mame.3feetunder.com/gigawing.jpg)
I believe that my cabinet was originally one of the following...
Spider-Man (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9717)
Golden Axe: The Revenge Of Death Adder (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7968)
...or possibly...
Arabian Fight (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6900)
...if they even made a dedicated cabinet for it.
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Good news! I was able to get both games into my basement without too much hassle! The control panels on both machines are flush with the sides of the cabinets.
I tried X-Men vs. Street Fighter for just a couple of fights, and the controls seemed to work fine (except that Player 1 takes hardly any damage from each hit - I'm assuming this is in the settings somewhere). Also, its pretty loud, so I'm gonna have to find a volume control first thing. (No manual came with this game, and I'm completely new to owning a cabinet, so I'll have to do a little research). This is in a Konami (OOPS - I meant CAPCOM!) cabinet.
Tekken 2 came with a manual, and I noticed that the side of the machine says "Martial Champion", so that must be the game it was originally. I didn't have time to try that yet, but my buddies were playing it for a bit, and no one complained of any of the controls not working.
The games are missing locks and keys on the front, and the power panel on the back of X-Men hangs down inside the machine. Unless my power cord is plugged in - that holds it up. I don't see a power switch on Tekken 2. Is it safe to just unplug the games while they're running?
I'm pretty excited to start tinkering with these!
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That Xmen vs SF is in the same cab as my Xmen. On my Xmen, there is a service switch behind one of the coin doors. You can adjust game settings and volume from there.
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Is it the cabinet shown on KLOV for martial champion? If it is and you're not squeemish about building a new control panel box and cutting into the original cab, you could easily convert it into a "Konami 4-player" style cabinet. This would be a really nice setup for a MAME cabinet. How wide is yours? I'm guessing it has a 25" monitor.
Detailed plans for the "TMNT" cabinet used to be up on jakobud's webpage, but it's down right now. See this thread for an alternative. You could compare to yours to see how different they are.
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=53311.0
Here's some comparison pics stolen from KLOV:
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Yes, my Tekken 2 machine looks like the Martial Champion cabinet on KLOV, although half of the graphic on one side is ripped off. While a 4-player setup would be great, I think I should stick to a 2-player MAME box since this is my first venture into arcade cabinet territory. I could build a custom control panel down the road.
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After doing some thinking and research, I think I'm going to keep X-Men vs. Street Fighter virgin since it's SO much more fun than Tekken 2.
However, Tekken 2 only has 4 buttons per player, so I'll probably end up building my own 4-player control panel and using the I-PAC to start.