Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Main Forum => Topic started by: bigfatmame on July 03, 2007, 06:52:29 pm
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I had someone build a custom mame cabinet for me a couple of years ago. I need the computer redone, it's not working. can somebody help? prefer someone within 100 miles of washington, d.c. but would consider shipping the computer or HD if you can give me phone support to get it back together. will pay time and materials. It's a pretty nice cab and i'd like to get it back up. pm me or email. mail@wetpetsinc.com. thanks.
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Do it yourself, thats the easiest part to building a mame cab. If you need updated Mame games their are people out there who will send them to you at cost. The front ends are pretty easy if your not too fancy about it.
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this is what i have. i don't know anything about it. where can i start? the computer is taken apart.
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/wetpet_1975/IMG_1093.jpg)
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/wetpet_1975/IMG_1096.jpg)
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/wetpet_1975/IMG_1097.jpg)
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Looks like you have a Jpac and and Optipac. Means that your cabinet is JAMMA wired. Your buttons and monitor interface thru the jpac and the spinner and trackball interface tru the optipac. You can choose to have someone set up a hard drive or computer for this configuration or you can hang in here a while and you will be able to do it yourself and maintain it yourself.
My first question is what is not working? Did the computer die completely? Something as simple as a new PS could revive the computer. Who took the computer apart and what has been done with it? A little more into may help resolve your problem.
Are you familair with W98, XP? What was running on your computer when it was working?
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How is it that you managed to get the thing working in the first place? You hired someone to do the cab, did they do the computer as well?
If so, why not send it back to them? Also, assuming this was in a cab full time, it is doubtful that you are having problems with spyware or viruses. In that case you need to specify your computer problem.
Did your harddrive die, if not then you won't need any software redone.
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the original os was win 98. the mame software started getting buggy. i sent the hd back to the guy that built the mame for me. he re-did it and sent it back. i had a freind try to put it back together for me then he broke the video card. it never really got back together or worked again. i tried putting the hd in another computer and the os loads up and then it says out of range. i tried changing my monitor(on the other computer) to the lowest setting 800x600.but it still says out of range. the guy that originally built it is long gone and my computer friend has moved away.
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here is another pic or two.
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/wetpet_1975/IMG_1100.jpg)
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/wetpet_1975/IMG_1099.jpg)
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"Out of range" and your new pictures indicate that the builder used a real arcade monitor instead of a PC monitor. That's why the HD won't work in another computer- it's forcing the video card in the computer to output a 15k arcade signal instead of a regular VGA signal, and the computer monitor doesn't like it.
If the problem is that somebody broke the video card on the computer in the cab, buy an exact replacement for that video card on ebay- same brand, same model. By now it'll be old and cheap. Put the PC back together and cross your fingers.
Also, if it works, I'd reccomend having somebody make a backup copy of that harddrive for you, so that when it fails you won't be out in the cold again.
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Could you take pictures of the old video card? Since everything else was ultimarc it might also be an ultimarc product like an avga card. If it is it is not quite as easy to get a cheap replacement for it.