All-in-One Control Panel (Arcade in a Box type) Build Questions

[ryryonline]

I built my first and only arcade cabinet in 2004 out of a gutted Golden Tee machine. It was a fun project and even better conversation piece when I lived with a bunch of roommates. Like many of you here, you settled down, got married and the arcade machine had to go. Well, I have the bug again, but I still don't have approval for a full cabinet nor really anywhere to put it. So, I came up with the brilliant idea of a fully enclosed control panel that is portable and easy to hook up to a TV (power cord, HDMI cable and you are set to go)! Lo-and-behold a simple search on these forums finds that this idea has been around for as long as I've known about arcade cabinets. Either way, I have a garage full of tools and I'm itching to use them.

What I'm looking for from this community is some advice to help me decide on how to accomplish this goal. I've been out of the arcade game for quite some time, but excited to get back in.

Here is what I would like to create:

• A "portable" two-person control panel with six buttons per player (and the usual buttons)
• The control panel will house the PC powering the unit and be accessible by lifting the panel (on a hinge)
• I want the cabinet to support MAME and other emulators (NES, SNES, etc). I would like to have handheld controllers for those so maybe a pull out drawer to hold the controllers
• At a minimum I would like to see Street Fighter series, Mortal Kombat series supported. If it's not too cost prohibitive, Blitz, KI, etc
• As light but as durable as possible (so I can easily store it)
• The only cords I want to have to plug in are a power cord and HDMI (at least until it's easy enough to send a wireless signal to a TV, then one cord!

In order to build this machine I would love some advice:

• If I need power to support Blitz, KI what do I need as far as CPU/GPU/Power? Can they support a small footprint like Mini-ITX or something?
• I was looking at Pico PSUs as well; would this be something to consider?
• Basically, what would be the bare minimum to support, non-Mame emulators (no PS1/PS2, Wii, etc. Just the classics like SNES, Genesis, etc. Yes I call those classics but I'd probably consider Atari, Intellivision, etc), plus 95% MAME games vs the best of the best to support the cabinet
• Would I want to consider building everything out of MDF? Or maybe the top of MDF and something else for the sides/bottom?
• Anything else that I am missing, overlooking?

I really appreciate any advice and hope to get this thing built and pictures shared out here some day.

Best

[severdhed]

sounds like a good plan.

i don't know how much help i'll be...but here is my $.02

it shouldn't take alot of horsepower for KI....KI2 on the other hand needs some power.  i dont think anything runs blitz properly.

as for other emulators, just about any pc can run those pretty well..as long as it is a pentium 4 or higher you should be ok for any 16bit emulators

MDF is HEAVY...id be looking at plywood instead.  it is strong and lighter weight than MDF.

[DGP]

For NFL Blitz just grab a PC version... http://www.amazon.com/NFL-Blitz-2000-Pc/dp/B00003OPE6

[ryryonline]

Getting the PC version of the game may be less of a headache it sounds like. Okay, let's revise my original thoughts. What should I consider for a PC then? If I still want to support at least MK2, SFIII, Marvel vs. Xmen, (many of the fighters) would pretty much anything work these days? Could I get by using a small-footprint machine with minimal cooling?

What kind of processor would I need as well as video output? I want this to connect to any TV using HDMI. Also, I don't plan on using a case for the PC, rather just mounting the components directly inside the box.

[ryryonline]

MDF is HEAVY...id be looking at plywood instead.  it is strong and lighter weight than MDF.

I've been reading some threads on plywood and it's not a bad suggestion. How thick would I need to go? Would I stick with the standard 3/4", or thinner? What about the possibility of using particle board?

As far as using a different wood how about approaching the finish? Would a clear laminate suffice or would I want to consider vinyl or something like plexiglass?

[BadMouth]

• If I need power to support Blitz, KI what do I need as far as CPU/GPU/Power?

Many threads on this already.  Search for them and you'll find me spewing the same info over and over again.
In summary:
I have the original Blitz running flawlessly on a 3.4Ghz Athlon x3, Windows Vista, 64-bit version of MAME.
It had sound skips until I changed the video settings in the game's service menu . 
I haven't tried Blitz99 or 2000 since learning about the service menu trick because I don't have the CHDs on that system. 

Others have fallen short with similar hardware, but I suspect they were running anti-virus, system restore, etc. YMMV
I wouldn't buy that old of a processor if building today anyway, but using it as a reference point, don't expect Blitz to run on anything with a slower clock speed. 

[paigeoliver]

Getting the PC version of the game may be less of a headache it sounds like. Okay, let's revise my original thoughts. What should I consider for a PC then? If I still want to support at least MK2, SFIII, Marvel vs. Xmen, (many of the fighters) would pretty much anything work these days?

Every single list I ever see like this consists of several games that ran full speed on 1998 era hardware and ONE title tossed in there that requires bleeding edge hardware!

[DGP]

Keep in mind that turning down the graphic settings in the service menu of NFL Blitz will result in it looking pretty awful on an LCD display, it's fine for those running arcade crt monitors however.

Jason

[ryryonline]

Many threads on this already.  Search for them and you'll find me spewing the same info over and over again.

I've been paralyzed by information overload. However, I appreciate the response with your machine specs and first hand experience. That will help me make a decision.

I wouldn't buy that old of a processor if building today anyway, but using it as a reference point, don't expect Blitz to run on anything with a slower clock speed.

You are running a beast of a machine to handle Blitz. If I want to eliminate that and any of the CHD games, can you recommend something that is small (will fit in the unit) and needs minimal cooling, silent, etc. Most of the searches I've done have been for technology that I can no longer find (discontinued). Or should I be checking places like eBay?

Thanks

[BadMouth]

You are running a beast of a machine to handle Blitz. If I want to eliminate that and any of the CHD games, can you recommend something that is small (will fit in the unit) and needs minimal cooling, silent, etc. Most of the searches I've done have been for technology that I can no longer find (discontinued). Or should I be checking places like eBay?

lol, I don't consider it a beast, I consider it a budget PC with an average video card from 5 years ago.
I wish I had a beast so I could play Ridge Racer in MAME and Initial D in Demul on my driving cab, but I can't afford it.

I'm not up on all the new stuff, so don't have any recommendations about a small, minimal cooling system.
Anything that produces less heat uses less power and low power is well...low power.