This is the first portion of a cabinet project I've been mulling around since downloading a very early version of MacMAME back in 1997 or so. It got put off while I had a life (many of the parts were purchased several years ago, just before I got engaged and then married), but this summer I finally got motivated enough to build the control panel, and completed that work this weekend. It passed the niece and nephew test with flying colors.
Nobody is ever going to mistake me for a carpenter, so I kept it simple--and in fact got a buddy with a serious Tim Taylor complex to cut out and drill the basic parts after I completely buffooned a first attempt. I did the design, routing, painting, lamination, installation and all the electronics work myself.
I'll save the in-work pics for the (eventual) cabinet project announcement. For now, here's the panel and its parts list:
- 3/4" MDF construction (I'd have rather used 5/8", but couldn't find any locally)
- 1/16" black HDPE material laminated on control panel and front face (Grainger Industrial Supply)
- Happ
Ultimate Competition Joysticks (2) (upgraded in 2012)
- Happ pushbuttons (purchased, with above sticks, nearly 10 years ago)
- Convex LED Player select and Coin buttons (Paradise Arcade Shop, added in 2012)
- Original Tron joystick mechanism (eBay)
- Reproduction Tron handgrip and accessories (GroovyGameGear)
- Happ trackball (old design, eBay)
- Happ trackball mounting plate (Game Cabinets Inc)
- hacked ball mouse (eBay--amazing how difficult these are to find these days)
- "Classic Arcade Joystick" set to 4-way restrictor (JammaBoards.com)- Lighted ball joystick set to 4-way restrictor (Paradise Arcade Shop, added in 2012)
- I-Pac4 keyboard emulator (UltiMarc)
- SpinTrak spinner (UltiMarc)
- Generic USB hub (I didn't know it lit up until I plugged it in) and USB LED (not pictured, illuminates trackball)
- DSUB9 cables (not pictured) for attaching Atari and Colecovision joysticks, wired to open I-Pac terminals (removed, never worked properly)
- Black 3/4" T-molding
- Flat black paint
- Recessed handgrips (allelectronics.com)
As pictured here, it's running through an Intel Mac Mini running MacMAME .103, connected to a 50" Panasonic plasma TV.
I'll mate this with a more traditional cabinet, Hackintosh CPU and 20" 4:3 LCD monitor once the cabinet is constructed. For now, I'm taking a break and playing some games!
UPDATE: This panel has since been added to The Cab With No Name:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=111782.msg1194447