First MAME Cabinet done - postmortem, and full build sheet with prices.

[soslo]

Well, after almost 3 weeks in the making, my first MAME cabinet is (99%) complete. It cost *way* more than I thought it would...about $800 in all.

Fortunately, my wife was a huge help. She did 95% of the painting, drilled many of the holes, and overall just helped with tons of stuff...not to mention always have food ready at the right times. I would forget to eat without her! And of course, for burning me the blue weezer CD on the last day so I could listen to some tunes in the garage as we wrapped the whole project up on Saturday.

This is my first attempt at a postmortme of any kind, so here goes. I hope you can find this info useful...especially for the first-time builders out there.


Things I did right

[soslo]

Things I did wrong

[soslo]

Itemized Part List

Code: [Select]

Paid      Value      Item      Where
160      160      21" Dell Monitor (Trinitron Tube)      ebay
102      102      2 joys, 30 buttons, misc      Happ Controls
60      60      Polk 5.1 AMR130 Speaker System      vanns.com
55      55      Radeon 7500 w/SVGA      pricewatch.com
43      43      IPAC Keyboard Emulator      Ultimarc
42      42      Monitor Cover - Arcrylic - Scratch res 1 side, 23x20.5      Tap Plastics
32      32      8 sheets of colored arcrylic for under kick panel      Tap Plastics
30      30      Hole Saws (8 piece kit)      Home Depot
22      22      350W Sparkle PS      pricewatch.com
20      20      Misc Eletric Disconnects (100 pk female, piggyback, misc)      OSH & Radio Shack
20      20      Flourescent Light - marquee      OSH
17      17      Control Panel Acrylic - scratch resistant w/16 holes cut      Tap Plastics
17      17      Contra Marquee - poor condition - bad purchase      online
17      17      Wireless Mouse      Fry's
12      12      5.1 Sound Card      pricewatch.com
10      10      Misc Screws & Hardware      OSH
10      10      Flourescent Light - under kick panel      OSH
10      10      Plywood for CP and Computer shelf, and spkr mount      Home Depot
10      10      15 ft black heavy duty power cord      Home Depot
9      9      Marquee Cover Acrylic - 23 x 9 - front      Tap Plastics
8      8      Marquee Cover Acrylic - 23 x 8 - back      Tap Plastics
7      7      Power Strip      Home depot
7      7      Soldering Gun Holster      Fry's
5      5      Bushing for mounting Motherboard      OSH
5      5      1 QT Int Latex Black Semi Gloss for cab      Home Depot
5      5      New lock for Coin Door      Home Depot
4      4      40' 18 AWG wire - misc colors      OSH
4      4      20' Plastic strap for speaker mounting (looks like a belt      OSH
4      4      Spray paint for plexi      OSH
4      4      Super Glue - volume knob      OSH
3      3      two pack 12v Lights for coin doors      radio shack
3      3      cabinet power switch (15A & 120v)      radio shack
3      3      2" by 4" by 8' - monitor mount      OSH
3      3      Solder      OSH
2      2      (2) speaker grills ($1 each)      radio shack
2      2      1" by 2" x 8' - various mounts in cab      OSH
1      1      Electrical Tape - 1 roll      OSH
1      1      Bushing for volume knob extension      OSH
0      25      Stern Super Chopper Cab - Stripped      Local Guy
0      150      Duron 900 w/MB & 512 MB RAM & 40GB HD      friend
0      2      Power Button for MB      Already Had
0      5      PS Y-cable for powering 12v lights      Already Had
0      7      Parallel cable for wiring      Already Had
769      958      TOTAL      


Conclusion
This was a fun project, and I am very happy with the outcome.

At $800, it was costly...moreso than I originally expected, but still well worth it.

I will post pictures when after I get them developed (I still have half a roll to take). I know I know...get a digital camera ;]

Thank you to all of you who have helped me - most of you don't even know, but your quality posts and the search function have enabled me to finish this project with fewer headaches than I expected.

[rampy]

congrats!

Thanks for the postmortem... are you a project manager?  =P  (or a coroner?)

Please scan/opt for digital 2nd prints on your film soon so we can see the labor of your love.

Good job on itemeizing/tracking the costs, too!  that'll be handy the next time we have a, " i can build a cabinet for 30 dollars" argument thread =P

Rampy

[Frostillicus]

Good job on itemeizing/tracking the costs, too!  that'll be handy the next time we have a, " i can build a cabinet for 30 dollars" argument thread =P

I can build one for $15! Of course, it may not work and be only 12 inches tall....a "micro-cab" if you will  

Nice checklist - this could help the newbie builder.  Looks like you made out with the CPU, too - gotta love free stuff!

[Apollo]

Other things you did wrong, posted your project announcement to the main forum instead of ooo now where could that go?

Ah ha "Project Announcements".

[soslo]

rampy - I'm not a project manager yet - I'm only 23! Soon though...

Frostillicus - I've been to your site many times - kudos.

Apollo - Oops...sorry about that. I'm a newb and a llama.

[Wienerdog]

Nice job, that wasn't too slow...  I've spent months just throwing around ideas and accumulating parts.  Thanks for the info, that kind of stuff is helpful to people just starting out, especially the costs.  It is very easy to overlook the actual cost of this hobby.

[Justin]

Thanks much for spending the time and posting this information for everyone else.  I'm almost done with my cab, cna I can say I agree with everything you say here, and there's even a few items that will help me out in the final 'phase' of my project.

[AlanS17]

I feel your pain with the unexpected costs. I nickeled and dimed my way up over $800 too. When I first thought I was done I hade spent about $350 or $400, but I wasn't satisfied, the thing got bigger, and costs are so far over (imaginary) budget that I don't even worry about prices anymore.