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School me on putting a MAME cabinet together
Nephasth:
--- Quote from: MagicManPA on December 10, 2010, 02:55:04 pm ---
--- Quote from: Donkbaca on December 10, 2010, 02:43:13 pm ---Do you actually have the x-arcade?
--- End quote ---
No, I am picking up the cabinet this weekend. That will be the 1st piece I physically have. That's why I started this thread...to figure out the best route for doing the rest of it.
--- End quote ---
Best route: Keep that monitor if it works, install an ArcadeVGA in your computer, keep/modify the cab's control panel, change the cab's artwork to suit your taste. Down side, it would be best only for vertical games and you want to play fighting games. But you can rotate the monitor inside the cab which would take care of this and vertical games would be small, but that's alright IMO.
Nephasth:
Nevermind about the control panel, I missed the part where you said the one you are getting is missing. But is shouldn't be too hard to find one to fit your cab nice.
MagicManPA:
Guys, please read my posts. :lol
The cabinet I am getting is BARE. No control panel, no monitor, etc...
--- Quote from: Nephasth on December 10, 2010, 03:03:57 pm ---
--- Quote from: MagicManPA on December 10, 2010, 02:55:04 pm ---
--- Quote from: Donkbaca on December 10, 2010, 02:43:13 pm ---Do you actually have the x-arcade?
--- End quote ---
No, I am picking up the cabinet this weekend. That will be the 1st piece I physically have. That's why I started this thread...to figure out the best route for doing the rest of it.
--- End quote ---
Best route: Keep that monitor if it works, install an ArcadeVGA in your computer, keep/modify the cab's control panel, change the cab's artwork to suit your taste. Down side, it would be best only for vertical games and you want to play fighting games. But you can rotate the monitor inside the cab which would take care of this and vertical games would be small, but that's alright IMO.
--- End quote ---
Donkbaca:
Okay honestly, the best looking/cheapest option would be this:
get this:$25
http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/24-arcade-controller-to-usb.html
its plug and play, you just hook up the wires to the buttons, easy, easy. enough for your joysticks, 6 buttons per player plus buttons for coin and start.
then get these 2 of these:$9.95 x 2 = $19.90
http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/108-il-competition-joystick.html
Get this: 1.10 x14= $15.40
http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/32-translucent-microswitch-pushbuttons.html
You need 14 buttons: 6 per player plus 1 each for player one coin and player 2 coin.
Finally these:1.50 x 2=$3.00
There you have all the things you need for a plug and play control panel.
Get a forstner 1 1/8 bit from home depot to drill your holes. They are about ten bucks.
Print out a controls layout from here:
http://www.slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html
Print it out life size, tape it to your cp and drill.
For your CP, get a sheet of 1/2 inch plywood. That should be sturdy enough to hold your controls and thin enough that you don't have to route out the bottom much or at all if you can live with shorter sticks. You may be able to go with 1/4 inch plywood. Plywood is stronger than mdf, so 1/4 should probably be fine. 1 sheet will set you back 20 bucks
measure the CP area, use the sides of the cab and just rebuild the top and front of the cp box, using a 1 by 2 screwed to the inside of your cab as a frame and screwing and gluing the top and front to it. If you mitre the two edge of the plywood top and front where they meet you won't need t-molding. Your circular saw should be able to tilt, just set it to 45 degrees. Then, you glue the joint and reinforce it with little L-brackets. If you wanted to you could sand the joint to smooth it over and make it rounded.
Then just paint it all black with a can of spray paint, install your buttons and mount your joystick and It will look like a million bucks, and cost you less than a hundred. It'll be cheaper then the x-arcade, be plug and play and probably be about the same amount of work as mounting the x-arcade.
MagicManPA:
Awesome post, thanks. :applaud: :notworthy:
--- Quote from: Donkbaca on December 10, 2010, 03:32:04 pm ---Finally these:1.50 x 2=$3.00
--- End quote ---
I think you forgot a link there. ???
--- Quote --- If you mitre the two edge of the plywood top and front where they meet you won't need t-molding. Your circular saw should be able to tilt, just set it to 45 degrees. Then, you glue the joint and reinforce it with little L-brackets. If you wanted to you could sand the joint to smooth it over and make it rounded.
--- End quote ---
Do not have circular saw.
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