MAME stuff for non-MAME application

[asbestosforlunch]

Hi
   I volunteer at a museum in central New Jersey, and I am working on an exhibit which I believe could be improved with MAME cabinet-type equipment and software. The exhibit is a Cold War era fallout shelter, which is stocked with old Civil Defense rations and other supplies. I also have a computer connected to a large television and a surround sound system, for the purpose of displaying movies and sound clips. Because someone cannot always be at the exhibit when the museum is open, I am trying to make it somewhat autonomous, or at least idiot proof.
   My idea is to use arcade controls to limit what someone could do with the computer, and use a front-end to block out the rest of whatever OS I would be using. A friend of mine recommended this site to look for help when he heard my basic idea. When I started reading out the material used for this, it sounded perfect. I'm not sure I'll ever build a MAME cabinet, but I do have two pinball machines in the basement

[YoGaBaR]

Do you just need a movie player front end? Just something only to select a movie clip of video?
If so there are a few front ends made specifically for that.

[asbestosforlunch]

That sounds right, but in such a front end, is there a way to lock out other functions of the computer?

[Thenasty]

all you  need is a the Front End Program and not MAME.

IMO I think this one should do the trick.
http://www.aburt.com/partyon/

But any or All Front End should also do the trick. I know I can do that in Advmenu Frontend including using a PLAIN DOS version (but need to find a DOS player).

Just need for you to do a little work on assinging the EXE (should be easy).

[CathalDublin]

Might i Suggest something like XBMC?
you could even use a Linux Live CD version and hack the controls of an xbox360 controller which will plug straight into your PC

[BurgerKingDiamond]

MAME is an emulator for playing arcade games. A front end is a menu system that hides windows and helps to disguise that fact you are using a computer instead of actual arcade hardware. So for clarification, you are looking for a Front End, not MAME.

[cberkop]

I think what you are really asking is for a limited input device.  Something that would allow a user to push only 3 buttons (up, down, select) or something close to that.  MAME is not what you are looking for but the controller that is used by MAME and other front ends for video cabinets.

Checkout Ultimarc.com and the iPAC controller or u-hid.com.  You can use the controller to assign Arcade style buttons to keyboard keys.  You can map buttons to scroll up or down and one as the enter key. 

Your software front end, should only display a list of videos or sound bites to be played and only need 3 buttons to operate.  One for Up, one for Down, and one for select/play.

Hope this helps.
Chris.

[ragnar]

If you don't want anything super complex, it would be easy to get a java app up and running.  Someone doing code full time for 3 months would probably do the trick.  Could be like $30K though.

[Howard_Casto]

I think what you are really asking is for a limited input device.  Something that would allow a user to push only 3 buttons (up, down, select) or something close to that.  MAME is not what you are looking for but the controller that is used by MAME and other front ends for video cabinets.

Checkout Ultimarc.com and the iPAC controller or u-hid.com.  You can use the controller to assign Arcade style buttons to keyboard keys.  You can map buttons to scroll up or down and one as the enter key. 

Your software front end, should only display a list of videos or sound bites to be played and only need 3 buttons to operate.  One for Up, one for Down, and one for select/play.

Hope this helps.
Chris.

What he said.... you don't need a software lockout, you need a hardware lockout. 

The easiest way to deny a person access to a computer's functions is to deny them access to a mouse a keyboard.  Using an ipac, or even more cost-effectively a cheap usb gamepad and nothing else as an input device essentially cuts off guest from any access to the pc except for applications specifically setup to use the inputs that those devices send.


The Taito X /X2 games I've been working with recently are a prime example.  These are commercial arcade machines that essentially run the games off of a stock pc running windows xp.  How do they keep customers from accessing windows?  Well the game boots up automatically and you can only navigate windows via a keyboard and/or mouse.  Since a set of arcade controls hooked up to a custom device are all that the user has available, it is impossible to access windows within the machines.