RetrocadE, Mac bartop

[killsurfcity]

Hey guys. This is one hell of a forum you got going here. I've been going crazy looking at all these incredible projects. I thought I'd add mine for the hell of it.
I've been playing MAME for years, and always wanted to set up a used cab or something. Recently heard about bartops, and thought it'd be a perfect use for my wife's old iMac which as been collecting dust for the past several years.
I've never built a cab before, so I'm sort of winging it, but so far so good.

Here are some build pics of what i've got so far...









As you can probably guess, this is a low-budget production. I really just wanted to put the iMac to use again, and a small MAME cabinet seemed like just the thing. It may seem odd I want with 6 buttons giving the age of the machine, but SF2 was a must have for me, and luckily runs great. Of course, a lot of the newer ones do not, but somehow Darkstalkers does, which is another old favorite. The button layout is both compact and ergonomic, which is perfect for this size cab. The one image of the buttons/joy installed in cheap ply is one of 5 or so different mockups i did before settling on this layout. It looks odd, but it's both intuitive and comfortable (well, for me anyway). I'm hoping to have the CP and marquee done over the next couple days. I'll post more pix as I take them. As for the finished look of the cab, I'm still deciding. I did order some green buttons and t-molding (i'm going to hot glue the t-molding. no router/can't be bothered.) I'd say it's probably going to be fairly minimal. Mostly just focussing on Marquee and CP, and perhaps a one color stencil on the sides.

Thanks for all the great ideas/inspiration. You guys rule.

EDIT>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Through some favorable turn of events, this is now going to house a 17" LCD, and be powered by a G4 aluminum powerbook!
Keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming all vertical MAME project, using the iMac though.  

[Le Chuck]

Welcome!  Looking good so far.  Got a few questions. 

The ergonomics of your button layout:  would you say it is more ergonomical than a horizonal layout?  Did you try playing a variety of 4, 5, and 6 button games with that layout before committing?  Was it a space saving feature or purely for feel?  Is this going to be an occasional two player or do you always count on having an apponent?  Does your apponent share your ergonomic choices? 

There aren't a "lot"of mac builders around here.  Are you keeping the MAC OS or are you/have you overwritten to something else?  What frontend will you be going with?

You mentioned minimal, which is cool, any thoughts on theme?  Artwork or just paint? 

I'll keep watching.  Keep it up!

 

[killsurfcity]

Thanks!
I played a lot of SF2 in highschool, and always hated that button layout. Neo Geo was better, but not great. So when I started, I did some research into other options. With a small cab, ergonomics are even more important than a large one. With players this close together, your hands just rest on the panel differently, so the smaller panel and the ergonomics are definitely linked in my mind. I mock played with a bunch of more traditional layouts, and I could feel wrist pain coming on with all of them within minutes. This layout came from placing my hands on the panel in relative player position for both p1 and p2, and making marks where my ands/fingers fell on the panel. Then I just made a close enough button placement for those locations. This layout is based on having your primary "firing" fingers be your thumb, index, and middle fingers, hence the seemingly irregular spacing of the lower two (thumb) buttons. It may seem odd, but it's very comfortable, and I found it easy to adjust to personally. I always ended up button mashing with two fingers to one button in SF2, so for me this will be a big improvement.

Player 2 will be occasional, so I did really try to make the p1 position as comfortable as possible. P2 will be stuck with my choices, and I will use my irregular button layout to foil his attempts at besting me! 

I don't play on using a front end, as I don't really see a need for anything "nicer" than MacMAME. however, I have been toying with the idea of rolling back to OS9. The look/function of OSX is nicer, but OS9 will probably perform slightly better. (at least that's what people seem to say) Do I have any other options? Linux? I have no idea about what it would take to set that up, though I do have a box running Mint, and it's quite tasty.

I had two ideas, one, go with one of my favorite artworks, Galaga, but just skip the side panels, and do either flat black, or black with stencils of some of the sprites in 1-2 colors. Two, design a custom theme based on retro gaming. I was going to call it Retrocade. Also, including side stencils, of some pixel-art or another.

This is a highly addictive hobby, I'm already planning another bartop!

cheers!

[kb84]

I am not too familiar with Mame on a Mac but I would highly encourage the use of a front-end with your cabinet as it will make the experience so much better. I think you can probably go with a powerpc friendly version of linux (ubuntu/etc) and wahcade as a front end.

The setup is quite easy and there are some guides in the software section to help you out- or I can assist if you decide to go that route.

[killsurfcity]

Thinking some more about the CP layout. Any specific concerns? I played with it a bit more today, and may adjust it again. I haven't drilled anything but scrap, so i can fool about as much as I want.

kb84, that is interesting. I'm looking into it, and may give it a shot. I'm mostly a mac guy, but I like linux a lot so far. And if it allows me to run more games properly, that would be awesome.

Did some more tooling around today. I was testing my speakers, and trying to figure out how to mount them...



These actually sound surprisingly good. And for $0.25, you can't beat the price!



Re-wired, and ready for mounting. I'm going to mount the amp near the back of the cab in a cutout, so it can be tweaked if needed.



Testing out, mounting methods. This one worked great. The sound was perfect for the size of the cab. That's stainless mesh there. Looks like I'll be mounting these under the marquee.

Speaking of marquees, what's a decent cheap way to light one? I was thinking of using a string of Christmas lights.

cheers!

[kb84]

I've never seen a Christmas light setup for a marquee but I would imagine the illumination would be a little weird- but like I said I've never seen it so it might work. I would go with a low heat type light for your cab considering the use of the encased iMac. The common ones you'll see around here are the NovaMatrix LED lights at http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=307

I went with a light strip from http://www.directron.com/ml12wt.html as it was a cheaper alternative. You would have to wire either into a power source (DC power adapter would be easiest.

You can always try the Christmas lights and see how they do and if they aren't up to snuff switch them out for something better.

[Le Chuck]

+1 for KB84's GGG link.  You can get cheaper strip lights from big box stores but you're saving maybe $6 and Randy is part of the community.  Christmas lights would be considered a technique but not doctrine.  

[killsurfcity]

Oh, nice, those are cheaper than I thought!

Also, updated the CP layout again...



23"x9"

[kb84]

Yeah Definitely check out GGG - http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/  - I ordered a bunch of stuff there for my bartop and was really happy with everything I got. If my order wasn't already placed/shipped I would have probably got the NovaMatrix lights from there as well. I probably will pick them up for my next project. 

[DaveMMR]

Oh, nice, those are cheaper than I thought!

Also, updated the CP layout again...



23"x9"

Love the cabinet design so far, but I'm not really sold on the button layout.  Sorry. I think some people over think "ergonomics" a bit with control panels; you're not typing a 50 page report with the buttons, only playing quick arcade games. Simple and traditional always wins out and if you're going to curve a bit, keep them horizontal.  Yes, I know you said you found it comfortable - but if you're doing two players, he/she (used to the standard layout) will be a little perplexed by the layout.  If space is a concern, you can pretty much move those buttons closer to the joystick base (assuming that base will be flush mounter, the button bezel can even overlap it a bit) and still be comfortable.

No matter what you do, though, bartops are going to be cramped.  Another option (one that I've been exploring for my preliminary bar top ideas) is to just make it simply a one-player setup and maybe have a USB for a second player either controlled by a standard gamepad or a second, stand-along controller (you can make that later).

That's just my take on it.  If you've tested it thoroughly and it works 100% for you and guests then press-on. 

Otherwise, so far so good.

[leapinlew]

Oh, nice, those are cheaper than I thought!

Also, updated the CP layout again...



23"x9"

Love the cabinet design so far, but I'm not really sold on the button layout.  Sorry. I think some people over think "ergonomics" a bit with control panels; you're not typing a 50 page report with the buttons, only playing quick arcade games. Simple and traditional always wins out and if you're going to curve a bit, keep them horizontal.  Yes, I know you said you found it comfortable - but if you're doing two players, he/she (used to the standard layout) will be a little perplexed by the layout.  If space is a concern, you can pretty much move those buttons closer to the joystick base (assuming that base will be flush mounter, the button bezel can even overlap it a bit) and still be comfortable.

No matter what you do, though, bartops are going to be cramped.  Another option (one that I've been exploring for my preliminary bar top ideas) is to just make it simply a one-player setup and maybe have a USB for a second player either controlled by a standard gamepad or a second, stand-along controller (you can make that later).

That's just my take on it.  If you've tested it thoroughly and it works 100% for you and guests then press-on. 

Otherwise, so far so good.

I'm going to backup Dave here. While you may not have liked the layout, it's what is expected. I'm sure you can get used to anything, but when people come to my house to play, they don't really like when things are different. For example, I have a street fighter layout which works great for Street Fighter. My friends who liked Mortal Kombat are ok with the layout with 1 and 2, but won't play any of the other ones because the location of the buttons is off. I've never seen a button layout like the one you are contemplating.

You could build 2 and fiddle around with them for a while till you come up with what you want. I built a 2 player bartop (in my profile). I went with the 3x3 horizontal layout. It's a little cramped, but not too bad.

[killsurfcity]

Ok, a number of things to think about. Maybe this will help you guys help me make a final decision on this CP business.

1) I'm really the only person at my place regularly who is into fighters, so the layout is essentially for me. However, it would get annoying if someone else came over, and kept blaming their frequent losses, on my whacky ergo layout. So, point taken there.

2) Most of my friends are just into the classics, and some other older games. Donkey Kong, Time Pilot, Golden Axe, Captain Comando, Bomber Man, Dig Dug, will all be popular games.

3) For the most part though, no one is what I'd call an arcade junkie. They couldn't tell you the classic button layout for any of those games off the top of their head. They WILL want to play though, and as long as the buttons click, they will be pushed!

Bearing all of that in mind, what do you think of this revised, more traditional layout?...



Only difference for P2 is an 1/8 inch less space. Not bad...

[Donkbaca]

Much better.  I don't see how you could have used that last layout without P1's elbow getting in the way of P2's stick

[killsurfcity]

Yeah, it's still an improvement over SF2 imo, but it's not so radical as to put people off. We'll see how I feel about it after testing, but I think it will be ok.

I'm layering my CP because I don't have/have access to a router. I found a very flat piece of .25" ply, so I'm going to do 2 layers of that, 1/8 masonite, then art, then 1/8 plexi. I'm sure doing a nice professional routing job is better, but that's off the table for now. So far in tests, this is sturdy enough. I'm going to glue the ply together after cutting, but the masonite, art, and plexi will be held down by the buttons.

[Le Chuck]

100% better.  Think about a dedicated P2 coin.  You have the room and it will eliminate one shifted control.

[DaveMMR]

Now that's a solid layout. Your friends will thank you when your elbow is not all in their business. 

[killsurfcity]

Oh, I didn't realize there were separate coin inputs for p1 and p2. I'll look into that. Shouldn't be an issue.
Thanks for all the input guys.

[Donkbaca]

Without a router, I assume you are not putting on t-molding?

[killsurfcity]

Donkbaca, I was going to go with a suggestion from another thread and hot glue it.

Here's some more progress from today...



Drawer installed



Backing board cut. Letting the butt hang out shaved 3" off. It's probably better for airflow anyway.



It's shaping up!



Couple more questions...
I want to keep the iMac un-modded, which means, I can't mount it. Currently I have it sitting on supports, which do a fine job of keeping it where I want it. I don't plan on moving it much once we have a place for it. Do I really need to worry about anchoring it somehow?

Also, It looks like I won't be able to mount the speakers under the marquee because it's too tight in there for me to have room to work. Weighing other options. What about in the marquee but mounted out the sides like the image below? It's not as clean a look, but I can manage it. Any other options? I thought about mounting them so the point out the top of the cab, but they'd be dust magnets, and hard to clean.

[Donkbaca]

Let me know how the hot glue goes, seems to me like it would be a pain.

Have you thought about mounting the speakers in the CP box? 

[Le Chuck]

If you don't secure the iMac in there and then start carting your bartop around it'll either 1) get off center and be annoying 2) hurt something else in the cab by bumping around 3) fall out

Just throwing it out there but a palm router is a cheap multifunctional household power tool that will benefit you on more than just a MAME cab... and hot gluing T-molding will be a short term solution at best.  First drunk at a party and that stuff is on the floor.  

If you uncase the computer you may find you have enough room to get those speaker in the sides then you can just cut holes on the sides of your cab, which can look nice like on the Taxi Cab  

<edit:  edges sanded round then painted to match the sides will look better than hot glued T-molding>

[kb84]

A router can be had pretty cheap and I've found a lot of use for mine outside of building arcade stuff (which is why I originally purchased it). I would recommend either buying a router and doing a proper t-molding installation or +1 on Le Chuck's suggestion of just sanding/rounding the corners/painting. I think you are just looking for a big headache in the end with the hot glue method.

[killsurfcity]

I've seen t-molding hot-glue jobs on here before that look great. One dude said it had been solid for a year or so. That's where I got the idea. We'll see. I'll test it first like I do everything else. I'll think about the router though. I just don't need any more expense attached to this thing...

Donkbaca, I can't mount them in the CP. Not enough room. I could do it on the sides like the taxi cab, but I'd probably just use grilles or something to cover the holes, as I don't know how to do all that fancy rounding. And I like Grilles anyway.

Le Chuck, I was thinking of just having the iMac be completely removable via the rear. So if I wanted to move it, i'd just take it out. That said, I don't plan on moving it much, even though it is a bartop.

[Donkbaca]

Buy used router off of ebay for the price of a used router off of ebay
when finished sell used router on ebay for price of used router on ebay

Just because you buy something doesn't mean you have to keep it forever.  I have a friend who goes on one long vacation per year.  Each year, before he goes he buys a used ipad, the newest model, so that he can use it instead of his iphone to read books, watch videos and play with apps while he is on the plane and such.  When he gets back he sells the thing.  Usually comes out about even, sometimes he even comes out ahead.

Just gut the damned imac.  Seriously, its an old computer, when in the heck would you ever use it?

[killsurfcity]

Ahaha! I always say I'm going to sell stuff back... then... Not so much. Whatever, I'll figure it out.

The iMac was my wife's, and she has an attachment to it. But I talked her into letting it go tonight. It was causing too many issues trying to work around it. Now to figure out how to get to what I need to without killing either it or me.

[alfonzotan]

I don't play on using a front end, as I don't really see a need for anything "nicer" than MacMAME. however, I have been toying with the idea of rolling back to OS9. The look/function of OSX is nicer, but OS9 will probably perform slightly better. (at least that's what people seem to say) Do I have any other options? Linux? I have no idea about what it would take to set that up, though I do have a box running Mint, and it's quite tasty.

MacMAME and Vectorama for OS9 are two of the best "golden era" emulators ever written.  They handle vector games in particular better than anything going right now.

That said, if you choose to go with OS X (I did, but then again, my cab is a Hackintosh build, meaning all-Intel), EmuLaunch is an excellent no-frills front end for SDLMAME.  The benefits there are that the more modern versions of MAME have so many neat options... I particularly like being able to display bezels and backgrounds and overlays.

UPDATE:  Whoops, just saw you were getting rid of the old iMac.  Ah, well...

[killsurfcity]

Maybe my post was unclear. I'm still using the iMac. Was considering giving debian and wahmame a go on it, but downloading all that jazz, burning disks, and then dealing with the inevitable errors and debugging is making me want to pass. Maybe I'll roll back to OS9. I still have the install disks! I'm sure the iMac will love me for it. Maybe it'll even run some of the games it's been having trouble with in OSX.

In other news, I had a look and the iMac should be pretty easy to mount. Due to the clear case, I can screw brackets into it without a worry of hitting something.

[alfonzotan]

Maybe my post was unclear. I'm still using the iMac. Was considering giving debian and wahmame a go on it, but downloading all that jazz, burning disks, and then dealing with the inevitable errors and debugging is making me want to pass. Maybe I'll roll back to OS9. I still have the install disks! I'm sure the iMac will love me for it. Maybe it'll even run some of the games it's been having trouble with in OSX.

In other news, I had a look and the iMac should be pretty easy to mount. Due to the clear case, I can screw brackets into it without a worry of hitting something.

Okay then, looks like a fun project. 

I'd definitely give OS9 at least a try... well worth it for the vector games if nothing else, and if you hate it, just wipe and reinstall OS X.  I picked up an old Mac Cube for next to nothing a while back, still plan to integrate it into my cab for OS9 games.  Problem right now is that I can't find a KVM switch that plays nice with the existing Hackintosh board in the cab.  If I can't easily switch between the two, it's not really worth the hassle.

[killsurfcity]

yeah, i'd love to find a cube cheap. totally made for this sort of thing.

i think i'll try installing OS9 today. it'll give me an excuse to test a bunch more games.

[killsurfcity]

man, i forgot what a PITA OS9 is! after rolling back to 9.0 and mame 0.36a, and testing, i'm thinking it's not worth sacrificing the ease of working with OSX. for one thing, i can't use my usb sticks in OS 9. so forget adding games on the fly via usb. also any addons have to be added via CDR, which would be pain enough, without the fact that the CD rom on this iMac is tricky at best. also, in testing performance on the 5 or so games i tried was about the same as on 10.4. (still no mortal kombat, grrrr). oh well, back to X i go!

[alfonzotan]

man, i forgot what a PITA OS9 is! after rolling back to 9.0 and mame 0.36a, and testing, i'm thinking it's not worth sacrificing the ease of working with OSX. for one thing, i can't use my usb sticks in OS 9. so forget adding games on the fly via usb. also any addons have to be added via CDR, which would be pain enough, without the fact that the CD rom on this iMac is tricky at best. also, in testing performance on the 5 or so games i tried was about the same as on 10.4. (still no mortal kombat, grrrr). oh well, back to X i go!

Hmm, I can certainly see the CD thing being an issue.  Might be worth your trouble to install Game Sprockets and see if that helps with the joystick issue:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1237?viewlocale=en_US

EDIT:  Never mind, I though you were talking about controllers.  Really, thumbdrives don't work?  Yikes.

[killsurfcity]

yeah, some of the games looked better, but overall, it was too much trouble working around the issues of an obsolete platform to stay with it. i'm glad i did it though, so now i'm sure i'm on the right track with 10.4.

by the way, i tried emulaunch, and it looked great, but i had some issues. when i launch a game, it's real smooth, but when i exit, it goes back to macmame, making it a weird experience. then, when i try to launch another game via emulaunch, it just brings the macmame window to the front and fails to launch. anyone else had this issue?

i'm going to need a usb hub too. i thought i had one, but i can't find it. any particular kind that's easy to mount in the cab?

[Le Chuck]

Onn makes a super easy four port for $11 at wally world, I hot glue.  If you need powered then Belkin has a 4 port powered for $19. 

[404]

man, i forgot what a PITA OS9 is! after rolling back to 9.0 and mame 0.36a, and testing, i'm thinking it's not worth sacrificing the ease of working with OSX. for one thing, i can't use my usb sticks in OS 9. so forget adding games on the fly via usb. also any addons have to be added via CDR, which would be pain enough, without the fact that the CD rom on this iMac is tricky at best. also, in testing performance on the 5 or so games i tried was about the same as on 10.4. (still no mortal kombat, grrrr). oh well, back to X i go!

I personally would have just gone the linux route on a spare hard drive. Those imacs were the first to use the new world bios, you wouldn't have any issues with installation. While this route may not be the best when installing and configuring, the amount of *nix mame tools available, presentation, bootup time and aesthetics alone i think would be worth the hassle.

Macs wer never much my thing but i did have a bunch of PPC macs. Still have a few powermac g4 boards and processors laying around here. Love your project so far.

[killsurfcity]

I guess I get why people like frontends, but it's just not worth the hassle for me. Unless there's some brilliant aspect I'm missing. I'm not running multiple emulators so switching isn't a plus. Macmame is at least intuitive, and all the confit options are in obvious places. What more should I want outa this.

My next box is going to be an all vertical mame cab with either a trackball or a spinner. I may mess around a bit more with software bells and whistles on that one.

[alfonzotan]

yeah, some of the games looked better, but overall, it was too much trouble working around the issues of an obsolete platform to stay with it. i'm glad i did it though, so now i'm sure i'm on the right track with 10.4.

by the way, i tried emulaunch, and it looked great, but i had some issues. when i launch a game, it's real smooth, but when i exit, it goes back to macmame, making it a weird experience. then, when i try to launch another game via emulaunch, it just brings the macmame window to the front and fails to launch. anyone else had this issue?

i'm going to need a usb hub too. i thought i had one, but i can't find it. any particular kind that's easy to mount in the cab?

Use SDLMAME instead of MacMAME with EmuLaunch.  Much better experience.  It's supported for PPC through version 0.122, which should be fine for "classic" games.  I posed a quick rundown on the state of MAME for Mac (at least as I understand it) in a thread on the Software forum:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=88782.0

I just bought "whatever was cheap" for a USB hub.  It actually turned out to be pretty cool, with arcade-y blinking lights and stuff on the inside, so I mounted it (heavy velcro) so they were visible, and ports were accessible without opening the cab.  

[killsurfcity]

SDLMAME confused me. I looked into it and couldn't figure out which to use, and how it all worked. It reminded me of my dealings with open source linux stuff... shudder.

i came up with a couple more general questions about the cab...
the marquee... i have it framed out, and i plan to have nice quality color prints made and cut to fit in there. how do people usually affix them to the plexi? or should I sandwich it between 2 pieces?

for the bezel... i already have one piece of plexi cut. i was planning on spray painting a black bezel/border with flat black. of course, you'd be able to see the bezel of the iMac through that, as it's recessed about an 1.5". what if I cut a second bezel out of black foam core to adhere to the bezel of the iMac? i think it would create depth and focus you on the screen. any ideas?

[Blanka]

Just go with MacMame. SDL Mame is only fun with Emulaunch, but that will perform horrible on a iMac. Even a G4 MacMini can't handle Emulaunch well, and that is a lot faster machine than those early iMacs!
MacMame is also the easiest Mame to operate I have ever seen. It just shows the content of your ROM folder, hides the clones, and does not need al that ROM checking time consuming crap.

[alfonzotan]

SDLMAME confused me. I looked into it and couldn't figure out which to use, and how it all worked. It reminded me of my dealings with open source linux stuff... shudder.

It's a pure command line app, but if you have a front end pointed towards it, you shouldn't have to touch the command line (I never have).  Lots of SDLMAME pages start with directions for compiling... life's too short for that mess.  The link above has already-compiled binaries, so you don't have to fool with building it yourself.  Really the only trick in getting it installed (if you use the binaries) is installing the SDL libraries in first (http://www.libsdl.org/).  After that it's just a matter of pointint to the 'mame' app in the SDLMAME directory in the preferences of your front end.

Seriously, it is worth the trouble.

[alfonzotan]

Just go with MacMame. SDL Mame is only fun with Emulaunch, but that will perform horrible on a iMac. Even a G4 MacMini can't handle Emulaunch well, and that is a lot faster machine than those early iMacs!

Now for all I know this is true.  I haven't tried it on a G4.

[killsurfcity]

ha, yeah, i'm on a 400mhz G3! it may be a bit wussy for all this front-end business. honestly, i like macmame a lot. and i have a keyboard tray built into the cab, so admining is no problem. which reminds me... anyone use buttons for freezing save states? i know it's cheating, but for some games it's necessary! 

[alfonzotan]

ha, yeah, i'm on a 400mhz G3! it may be a bit wussy for all this front-end business. honestly, i like macmame a lot. and i have a keyboard tray built into the cab, so admining is no problem.

Yeah, MacMAME looks better and better in that case.

But for navigation, aren't you going to want to have a trackball?  Or are you just going to have a mouse hanging off the side?

[killsurfcity]

i should mostly be able to nav around with the joystick and keyboard for selecting games. taping a letter brings you to the first of that letter in the games list. for settings, i'm going to have a mouse.

[killsurfcity]

so, my lights came in the mail today.



i was wondering if anyone had set these up to run off a wall wart? i would assume that means I don't need the converter?

i've also been thinking about the rear panel layout for my speaker amp, and power. here's what i have so far. any concern about having the amp so close to the power source? do you think this will cause unwanted line noise?

[dandare]

Hey, first off- congrats for getting a cab build going, lookgood so far.

I recently decided to use a mac on my current project, the old pc i was going to use is just dying and giving me a headache
and i have a G5 20'' imac (ppc) that was just gathering dust.

im using Mame os x. have you tried it?, its my fave over macmame.

and what controller will u be using? an ipac? i have a minipac and works great.

[killsurfcity]

yeah, i have a couple more older mcs that might go this route as well. my aluminum powerbook may become the guts of an all vertical batrop, if i can get it stable somehow.

i had tried mame osx in the past and thought it was awful, but i can't really remember why. what do you like about it? how is it better than macmame?

[alfonzotan]

yeah, i have a couple more older mcs that might go this route as well. my aluminum powerbook may become the guts of an all vertical batrop, if i can get it stable somehow.

i had tried mame osx in the past and thought it was awful, but i can't really remember why. what do you like about it? how is it better than macmame?

MAME OS X is generally a good emulator, but it does have its ups and downs... my biggest problem with it is that it gets confused with multiple USB inputs.  My CP has an I-Pac for most of the controls, plus a trackball hacked to an old mouse board and an Ultimarc spinner.  The spinner is rarely (if ever) recognized by MAME OSX.  That emu also has a bad habit of "forgetting" specific game control settings from one session to another.  It's not a consistent thing, I gave up on it before I diagnosed what was going on.  One feature I really do like in MOSX is the ability to easily select and limit the game list to Favorites in your ROM set.  That ought to be standard in every MAME front end IYAM.

Given how bloated MAME in general has become in recent years (MAME OS X picks up that bloat by default, as does SDLMAME), I'd guess you're better off with an old version of MacMAME, but I'd certainly experiment with both just to be sure.

[taylormadelv]

I will commend you for attempting to salvage an old imac G3, I have tried this myself with very mixed results. I tend to avoid G3's in general now. The one cool thing is that you can hack the audio straight out of the imac and you will not need to buy an audio amplifier! The fact that you only have two USB ports and need the special keyboard with the power button to power things up without crashing the machine every time you turn it off will be something to consider when dealing with a boat anchor imac. You can just pull the power and restart automatically over and over with a mac and get away with it, unlike a pc.
If you are still using a G3, I would be concerned that OS X will run way to slow to be of much use in any version of mame. You will have MUCH better results if you try to run things in OS9 and you can use macmame 0.71. For this particular type application for what you are building, PC is king, you can't beat the pc for ease of use and versatility. I run a G4 for vector games only. I run PC's for all raster games on another cabinet. Keep up the good work!

[killsurfcity]

So far OSX runs swimmingly on the G3. Sure, it's not as snappy as later models, but it will do. For the most part it runs MAME fine as well. The only exception being some sluggishness on newer more graphics intensive games. But I don't play many of those, and the ones I do play in general work great. OS 9 really didn't show much performance difference when I tried it. You also don't need the special keyboard, and I've never had problems with it crashing. Little guy runs like a champ actually. I'm pretty much just using what I have around the house, which is macs. If I had access to a bunch of cheap PCs and parts, I'd use them, but I don't.

I actually may be changing this project a bit. A couple things happened this weekend, which make it possible for me to use my old aluminum Powerbook G4, and a 17" LCD monitor for this cab. Firstly, I decided to investigate my "dead" aluminum Powebook to see if I could use it as the guts for another MAME project. Turns out, it's pretty much just the screen that's dead. Other than that, it is running fine so far. Secondly, I scored a 17" Acer monitor in almost perfect condition at a thrift store for $16!

Here's my thrift score. Not a bad haul for under $30...
- 17" LCD monitor
- Nice quality power strip
- Mouse for a potential spinner hack
- Nice sounding computer speakers
- Whacky generic 50 in 1 games pad



Here's the powerbook running MAME, and connected to the used LCD


I figure this new setup has a few bonuses. 1) The cab will be much lighter using the Powerbook, and LCD combo. 2) I can try out Debian and Wah!cade on the Powerbook for some front end goodness. 3) Bigger screen for those more modern games. 4) This frees up the iMac for my next project, an all vertical 1 player bartop. Which suits the iMac's lovely CRT perfectly.

What do you guys think? Am I on the right track here?

[alfonzotan]

I figure this new setup has a few bonuses. 1) The cab will be much lighter using the Powerbook, and LCD combo. 2) I can try out Debian and Wah!cade on the Powerbook for some front end goodness. 3) Bigger screen for those more modern games. 4) This frees up the iMac for my next project, an all vertical 1 player bartop. Which suits the iMac's lovely CRT perfectly.

What do you guys think? Am I on the right track here?

That should definitely make for a more lightweight build.  In fact you may wind up having to anchor it.  As a pure bartop, energetic players might be able to jerk it around...

EDIT:  This just occurred to me... if you can detach the touchpad from the rest of the Powerbook, mounting it in an unobtrusive spot on the control panel (or maybe vertically on the bezel somewhere) would give you a compact means of GUI navigation without having to plug in a mouse.

[killsurfcity]

yeah, the cab is already probably 50 lbs, and the iMac would add another 40 lbs. pretty heavy!

i'm waiting on a bunch of parts. it sucks. i've been plaqued with solw ebay sellers recently. probably because most things are coming from china, grumble grumble...

anyway, in the meantime, i've been trying to install sdlmame/emulaunch. what a pain. i hate this whole compiling nonsense. it's like a bad linux flashback. just getting a version of xcode that could run on 10.5.8 has been a pain. oh, and i looked into debian, and i'll never look back. i'd really have to hate myself a lot to ever try wrapping my head around installing that crap again. 

anyway, HOPEFULLY i'll be able to compile sdlmame later today. i'm ready to give frontends the two finger solute by now, so this is the last attempt.

thinking more about my marquee options in terms of how to attach them, etc. i was planning on just getting a nice quality print from a local copy show, and mounting it somehow. i've seen people attach them to the back of the plexi with some kind of black clip-on molding. anyone know where i can get some?

[alfonzotan]

yeah, the cab is already probably 50 lbs, and the iMac would add another 40 lbs. pretty heavy!

i'm waiting on a bunch of parts. it sucks. i've been plaqued with solw ebay sellers recently. probably because most things are coming from china, grumble grumble...

anyway, in the meantime, i've been trying to install sdlmame/emulaunch. what a pain. i hate this whole compiling nonsense. it's like a bad linux flashback. just getting a version of xcode that could run on 10.5.8 has been a pain. oh, and i looked into debian, and i'll never look back. i'd really have to hate myself a lot to ever try wrapping my head around installing that crap again. 

anyway, HOPEFULLY i'll be able to compile sdlmame later today. i'm ready to give frontends the two finger solute by now, so this is the last attempt.

thinking more about my marquee options in terms of how to attach them, etc. i was planning on just getting a nice quality print from a local copy show, and mounting it somehow. i've seen people attach them to the back of the plexi with some kind of black clip-on molding. anyone know where i can get some?

Don't compile.  Use one of the pre-compiled versions here:

http://sdlmame.parodius.com/

[killsurfcity]

i need one of the old non intel versions. it looks like compiling is the only way to run it. i downloaded the universal binary, and it was just full of files, no installer or anything. what am i missing?

[alfonzotan]

i need one of the old non intel versions. it looks like compiling is the only way to run it. i downloaded the universal binary, and it was just full of files, no installer or anything. what am i missing?

Assuming that after you unpack you see files named "chdman", "ldverify", "mame", and "romcmp", you've got a compiled file set.  For instance, from this package for version 0.140:

http://sdlmame.parodius.com/stable/sdlmame0140-universal.tar.bz2

There isn't an installer per se, the files you see are SDLMAME, specifically the "mame" file.  It's not a standard Mac app, in that it doesn't have a GUI all by itself.  You either open games through the Terminal using MAME command line syntax (I don't recommend this unless you just really love the command line) or configure EmuLaunch (or other front end like M+GUI) to point to that "mame" file when it opens a MAME ROM.

[killsurfcity]

interesting. that's the one i got. i configured EMULaunch, but when i went to lauch a game, it showed the bounding box, and a % countdown, as if it was loading, and then kicked me back to the roms menu. any idea what's up?

[alfonzotan]

interesting. that's the one i got. i configured EMULaunch, but when i went to lauch a game, it showed the bounding box, and a % countdown, as if it was loading, and then kicked me back to the roms menu. any idea what's up?

Might want to check your ROMs folder and see if the Finder unwrapped the rom .zip file instead of opening it with SDLMAME.  That can happen if EmuLaunch isn't configured just right (and why I don't use EmuLaunch for Stella or Mugrat).  You also might want to try opening a game with the command line, just to see if SDLMAME is working at all.

Did you install the SDLMAME libraries first?  It won't work if you haven't done that:

http://www.libsdl.org/download-1.2.php

[killsurfcity]

yeah, SDL is installed. i found a message from emulaunch saying that any sdlmame version post 016 is not working via emulaunch due to some file path thing. anyway, i downloaded that version to see what's up, and it did launch a game, but it ran mega slow. complete with weird slow-motion audio. not sure why. should i be using a different frontend with sdlmame 140?

[alfonzotan]

yeah, SDL is installed. i found a message from emulaunch saying that any sdlmame version post 016 is not working via emulaunch due to some file path thing. anyway, i downloaded that version to see what's up, and it did launch a game, but it ran mega slow. complete with weird slow-motion audio. not sure why. should i be using a different frontend with sdlmame 140?

That's strange.  I've been running 0.142 SDLMAME/EmuLaunch for nearly a year without a hitch (but, Core2Duo 2.13 processor, a bit snappier than a G4).

But sure, try an older version and see if it gets any better.

EDIT:  The "post 016" thing was an old EmuLaunch bug, be sure you're running version 1.5.2 (the last release).

[BurgerKingDiamond]

Oh man, use the CRT!!!

[killsurfcity]

wait... what CRT? you mean the 17" LCD? that's what i'm using! 

so i tried sdlmame 136, and that does launch. however, it still runs mega slow. how do i configure sdlmame? maybe i need to set some params, framskip, video settings, etc.

[alfonzotan]

wait... what CRT? you mean the 17" LCD? that's what i'm using! 

so i tried sdlmame 136, and that does launch. however, it still runs mega slow. how do i configure sdlmame? maybe i need to set some params, framskip, video settings, etc.

Launch a game, hit TAB, you'll get a pop-up window with lots of settings.  Alternately, you can edit the MAME .ini settings file(s) by hand.

But the more recent versions of MAME may just be too bloated to run well on a G4.  Try the oldest version on the parodius site and see if it runs any better.

[404]

Not sure what the specs are on that powerbook but i have some g4 motherboards and processors somewhere around here. Some stuff out of a titanium mac. If any of that interests you, let me know. You can have them for the cost of shipping.

[killsurfcity]

i'm about to can this whole frontend thing. what a waste of time. i seriously can't believe what an epic train wreck this all is. i've wasted 2 days on this now. i could have built a second cab in that time!

tried mametunes. cannot figure out how to get it to recognize my roms folder. it's incredible. i've worked with all kinds of software like this before, and setting target is pretty much all you need to do... but mametunes seems to have it's own more convoluted way.

the "tab" menu in game doesn't let you adjust anything in terms of frameskip or other video settings, besides relatively useless stuff in terms of performance. and i don't seem to have an ini file. nor it seems does anyone in all of googledom know how to create one from terminal. this should all be way simpler than it is.

sorry for the rant, this is just another day down the tubes, where i could have been building. 

[alfonzotan]

Sorry you're having such a hassle... to create an mame.ini file, navigate in Terminal to the SDLMAME folder and then type, "./mame -cc".  You may need to create a roms folder inside the SDLMAME directory and put at least one ROM in there for the .ini file to generate.  Once you have it you can change it with TextEdit to put the rompath to whatever you want.

[killsurfcity]

thanks, but i'm done with it. today was my last day spent on software stuff. just too much wasted time. i saved the last hour of the day by getting my monitor support figured out, and mounted. I can probably post pics of the monitor in place tomorrow.

i also finally got ahold of my joystick and buttons, so i'm just waiting on some router bits, and an ipac to get the panel going. tomorrow i think i'll get the speakers mounted too, and start priming the cab. can't wait to get this sucker done!

[404]

hate to cross post but since there are a number of mac fans in this thread. figured i would give you guys a heads up. I put a few mac parts up in the freebies thread. Also added a pc mobo just in case any mac fans want to make the jump to pc for their mame projects.

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=38228.msg1243687#msg1243687

[killsurfcity]

so i made some decent construction progress yesterday. got the speaker mounts/grilles figured out, got the monitor mounted, powerstrip mounted, and the computer support built. it's getting there.


there's some vents underneath the computer for airflow


the speakers sound great in their new home, and for their size they really kick out bass. a little dodonpachi sounded fantastic!




the speaker grilles are drain filters. i think they'll look cool painted to match the cab


a little "testing", of everything working. my ipac can't get here soon enough.

tomorrow, i think i'll get the marquee lights in, and prime if i can get time.

[killsurfcity]

while i'm waiting for parts to arrive, (damn you amazon!) i thought i'd work on the art some. i was going for a hybrid new/old look, in a sort of fantasy/metal feel. so far, i'm pretty pleased with it.

[Le Chuck]

Snazzy.  Add the yella from the CP and Marquee onto the sides so it doesn't look so flat.  Retro can have depth.  Looking good so far. 

[killsurfcity]

thanks le chuck. i'll give the sides some more thought. i do like the simple geometrics though. and, i'm hand painting/stenciling whatever the side art is, so it has to be something relatively flat.

[Le Chuck]

If you're stenciling you gotta do a second layer.  Multi-layer stencils scream retro arcade.  My favorite stencil art is on the Paragon pinball.  Even sticking with geometrics you can really make it pop with a contrasting color used sparingly.

[killsurfcity]

wow! never seen one of those paragon machines. that is a gorgeous machine in every way. and yeah, using a bit of yellow on the side would make an impact for sure.

[Le Chuck]

Wanna buy mine? 

[killsurfcity]

ha, if this bartop won't kill my wife, that certainly would! 

[killsurfcity]

it's been a while. progress slowed some, due to me getting screwed over by amazon, and me just being unsure of the best way to move forward with certain parts of the build. anyway, i finally got ahold of a router and some bits (though still no slot cutter, dammit!) and i figured out the paint situation.



routed/cut freehand. pretty clean fwiw, doesn't matter because it's covered by the art and plexi in the end. love the recessed top mount. even without being screwed down, it feels real sturdy.



shaping up!



managed to round the corners pretty easily with an electric jigsaw with a very fine/slow blade. it's since been sanded, and looking real fine.



also, measured and blacked out the bezel. pics of that later.



hopefully, i'll be getting ahold of a flush trim bit, and a slot cutter soon. not being about to route t-molding is starting to drive me nuts.

[killsurfcity]

FINALLY! Got my router bits, so i took some time to finish all wood and cutting related tasks, and I'm finally ready to move forward with the project.



T-molding slots went pretty well all things considered



Flush trim bit worked like a charm

Next stop, finishing up the paint and beginning the wiring. Getting close!

[killsurfcity]

Delays, delays.  I learned an important less on from this build. I hate painting with a passion. I'd go into the living hell I've ben through trying to salvage this half-way decent looking paint job, but it's not important. What is important is that while it's not nearly as good as it could be, I'm ok with it, as in the end I just want to play some damn games already!

Finally got the T-molding on as well, which was delightfully easy, and looks great.

Decided to get the marquee plexi in place and discovered yet another blunder. (AAARGH!) 

As you can sort of see in the below pictures, i didn't leave enough clearance around the sides of the marquee to use brackets without them sticking out past the sides of the cab. It's not the hugest deal, but it's yet another aesthetic mis-step, and i'm afraid it's going to be on my mind every time i play the thing.



Anyone have any other suggestions? I was going to not use brackets initially, and t-mold the edges there, which would have worked, but at the time i didn't realize you need to route before assembly. I guess I could try to sand/shape the edges so the look more finished, but that could be a lot of work, and i'd be concerned about messing up the moldings.

Otherwise the paint looks pretty cool as long as you don't look too close, haha.

[dextercf]

This is starting to look pretty cool!

[killsurfcity]

Thanks! All in all I'm still stoked on it. I just need to settle this marquee issue in some way i can live with, and the rest of the build will be easy, as it's all hook up, which is the part i'm best at.

[killsurfcity]

Minor update. Working on the internals. I'll probably do some iPac wiring today. For now, text graphics for the marquee are in place, and looking pretty sweet!

[killsurfcity]

Argh... somehow in all the shuffle of puting this thing together, i managed to misplace a button and 2 reed switches. sonof a %^$#&*!

Panel wiring is going well otherwise. I'll post some more pics later when I'm further along...



Here you can see I'm daisy chaining the grounds. Gotta say having done a lot of soldering in the past on projects, it sure is nice to just crimp on these qd's and hook it up cold. It'll be nice if I ever need to upgrade anything too.

[killsurfcity]

Major progress today! Finally got the iPac wired up to my CP. Really impressed with it. This being my first build I had no idea how it worked, but my computer recognized it instantly, and all of the functions worked like magic. Quite impressive.

Here's some shots of the progress...



CP wired up



Gotta clean up that rats nest, but I wanted to do some testing tonight.



Obviously have some things to address, but really siked to see it come together.



I'll get my CP printed tomorrow, and then I can re-arrange the buttons. I managed to find the missing one and the reed switches, so i'm going to go with a 3 green over 3 black button layout. I have to remove them to put down the panel art anyway, so it's no biggie. Hoping to have this puppy done by the end of the month!

[killsurfcity]

Small update.... Working on finishing touches, and looking into Linux again. So frustrating. I've wasted so much time researching all of the distros. Already tried lubuntu and kubuntu, both fails. (well lubuntu live CD ran, but it looks like reliable wifi is a pipe dream) Downloading a regular Ubuntu live CD now. We'll see.

Actually using the cab for a few days has really made me want to smooth out the process of jumping from game to game, and wah!cade would allow me to do that I think. However I only have so much patience for the "quirks" of the Linux world. Either way, hoping to have this thing in decent shape by end of week. I'm stoked already. It's so much fun!

[killsurfcity]

Ugh, still trying to sort through the Linux business. Ubuntu seems to be a dead end. I'm running out of patience. But I may try installing a couple more distros before I quit. I'm again looking into the sdlmame + frontend method in the mean time.

Also finally got fuses in for my IEC socket, so it looks like I'll be able to start cleaning up the insides soon.

[DaveMMR]

Thanks! All in all I'm still stoked on it. I just need to settle this marquee issue in some way i can live with, and the rest of the build will be easy, as it's all hook up, which is the part i'm best at.

The bartop is starting to look very cool.  But yeah, the marquee retainer would bother me too.  I suppose dismantling is not an option to cut down the sides front edges.

I didn't see how much plexi you're using (two pieces sandwiching the art?) You could try only using one piece if that's the case (or two thinner pieces if possible), tacking the artwork into place (that will be covered by the brackets).  Another option would be to use those marquee retainers from Happs (Divemaster sells them for .19 an inch in B/S/T) which may flush a bit better to the artwork.

Other than that, everything is coming together quite nicely.  

[killsurfcity]

It is actually just a single sheet of 1/8 plexi. I had originally designed the cab to have the marquee be set back between the top panel and the under marquee panel, which would solve the problem. however, being a n00b, I assembled it before routing t-molding, and i realized i could no longer hit that angle with the router. I saw some outer marquee retainers like the one I have now and decided that was the solution, but now i'm second guessing. Know of any other solutions for facing the cut sides of the MDF if the marquee is moved back to the set back position?

Here's some more pix:




Pics of the bezel install


[/url]

I was actually able to slide the paper between the bezel of the monitor and the screen for a real clean paint job


Nice and black now




In other GOOD news, after days of agony I finally found a linux distro to run, so I can stop using MacMAME and move to sdlmame and wah!cade!
Currently my old 1.67Ghz Powerbook is running a shiny new install of Lubuntu 12.04. It still has some minor bugs, but is altogether working great. Really looking forward to setting up wah!cade and doing some fontend design for this cab!

[tapule]

have you tried with Debian? It has a powerpc version.

[killsurfcity]

Yeah, debian was a pain in the balls. I wasted days on it. Lubuntu just installed with no hassle and runs great. Getting sdlmame and wah!cade set up now.

[killsurfcity]

So, while I've been trudging through Linux hell (again!), I've been thinking about this marquee molding issue. I could totally resolve the problem if I could find some kind of 3/4" black molding I could glue on. That way, I could recess the marquee, and just face the edges that would now be showing with the molding. I've looked around, but I don't think I'm using the right terminology. Anyone have any ideas?

[killsurfcity]

Another week from hell. At some point I'm going to be playing the out of this thing with not a care in the world, and it's pretty much only that idea that's keeping this project afloat. (Warning, RANT) So Linux was going as well as expected. Everything takes so damn long though. Had to do every single last thing from the command line... not fun. Anyway, MAME and Wahcade were finally friends after days of false starts. I just had to get sound working again, and tweak some video settings and I was happily in kiosk mode. Well, apparently I did something wrong, because genius that I am, I decided to install all the updates in the package manager, (figuring that'd be a good thing) and the whole thing ate it. After a couple hours of desperately trying to right my wrongs in the terminal, it wouldn't even boot anymore. Since then, I've been simply trying to get the machine to boot anything! I think I finally have an OS X install on it's way, and if it works, that's that.

I realized some time last week, while in the midst of another Linux related headache, that I'd spent about 2 weeks pulling 6 or so hour days, pissing my wife off, just so my machine felt  a little more like a real arcade. And by a little, I mean, a tiny bit. Well, it's not worth it, if it means what I just went through. I don't care if players have to use the keyboard to launch games, and can still see an apple tool bar when selecting games, all I want to do is play, and not spend hours writing endless terminal commands. Oh, the other thing I realized is that Linux is a lifestyle. Either you want to live it, or you should leave it alone.

[END RANT]

In other news, I have my wiring pretty much tied up. Power entry module, is installed and everything is working great. The only other details that still needs attending to, are fixing the marquee, and putting graphics/plexi over the CP. For the marquee, I think I'm going to give a go at dropping it back into the recess, which means molding the panel edges. Thing is I only need 5 feet at most for that, but no one sells that little of Galaxian Bright Green. I guess I could go ahead and get the full 20 feet, but It's just going to sit around. Anyone got an extra 5 they can sell me? 

[404]

with all of the time and effort you put into this, you could have just bought a cheap older windows rig and used that.

[killsurfcity]

Well of course, we can say that now, but I had no idea the headaches I'd have doing it this way. And really it would have taken half the time if I just stuck with Mac like I intended. Luckily, Mac is back and I got to play some on it today and it's running flawlessly. No more sojourns into platforms I'm unsure on for me. It's not going to be seamless, but it works great and plays all the titles I want. So hopefully it'll be done and rocking soon.

[AGarv]

while i'm waiting for parts to arrive, (damn you amazon!) i thought i'd work on the art some. i was going for a hybrid new/old look, in a sort of fantasy/metal feel. so far, i'm pretty pleased with it.

Great job on the cab so far - I wanted to give you props for the marquee artwork, it looks really sharp!   

[killsurfcity]

Thanks a lot! It was really hard to settle on a design I felt I would be into for a while and I think I did pretty well. I tried to do something that was a mix of old stuff like Xevious, and Arkanoid a more modern digital feel.

[GIZMOGAMES]

i dont know why i remember but i think saint is a bit of a unix wiz or so i read haha might be worth dropping him a mail he maybe able to help you regarding yr mame issues
and no matter which you use it gets a thumbs up from me very RETRO shame you missed the outter yellow stripe tho reminds me of atari

[killsurfcity]

No need now. I worked it out. I just reinstalled OS X and everything is working like a charm. I may rig a dual throw button to issue the "open" command in the mame menu, so you don't have to open the keyboard tray to launch a new game, but beyond that I'm happy. Even made a nice screen saver and desktop background to go with it. All I need to do now is finish the marquee and cp graphics and install them.

Glad you like the cab. I think the galaxian green t-molding makes it. It's been fun putting it together. Already planning my next one! 

[killsurfcity]

Ok, so I ordered some more green t-molding so i can inset my marquee, and lose the marquee retainers that are currently sticking out. (see previous images)

Here's my predicament... the cab is assembled, and I don't have a t-molding slot around the marquee. What are my options here? Glue? What kind? I could try to route as much of the slot as I can, but that's going to be very tricky.

Any thoughts? 

[GIZMOGAMES]

looking awsome shame about the marquee retainer protruding hmmm options
? How is yr top board mounted is it glued and screwed if it is just screwed in place why not try to remove the screws and remove the top board giving you ample room to routte it
obviously you have option 1) to carefully routte out even 3/4 of the slot for the Tmolding when youve done that youll need to ammend yr retainer by the relevent ammount the bottom angle could be left as that doesnt protrude like the top does that would give you the look you want its tricky youll have to be very confident and know when to stop !!!! You are talking about putting the T-molding facing you yes and not on the top ?
ide use a 1/16 disk with a dremmel for more control being a small area to work on

option 2 ) why dont you use a sander to sand the top board back the distance required if routting seems impossible its what maybe 1mm protruding either way its tricky as you have pretty much fixed the unit together
and thanks ahead for reminding me i need to take into account the retainers to my build

ide say option one if you feel comfertable with it test with a good few practice boards set up similar to the situation at hand so you can get a feel for what you need
ive heard others say about using glue and its viable but messy at same time
option one gives you a way to remove retainer if you need to Where as gluing does not
apart from that looks great

[killsurfcity]

GIZMO, Everything is screwed and glued. And there's really no great other option to just carefully attempting to route it. In hindsight if I used screws for the retainer instead of velcro, it would have ducked back a bit, but probably still stuck out. I just need to leave more wiggle room in the future.

So I got my t-molding in, and I've got loads to screw up, so when I get some time, I'll make some attempts.

I did think, in case it's too hard to route all the way across, that I may just cut a few small slots. Then I could cut the t-molding track off except where it would engage those slots, and use glue for the rest. I'm trying to decide what glue to use just in case. I think hot glue is too weak.

In other news, I FINALLY covered my CP. The art isn't perfect, but the overall feel is great. It's more professional looking than I imagined, and the plexi, and slightly reduced joystick height, make gameplay super comfortable.

So close to getting this thing done!





Yeah, I know the 2p button is wonky. I'll fix it. I just didn't have time and wanted to snap a shot of the progress. 

[killsurfcity]

I've also been working on a way to solve one of the macmame related problems. For whatever reason the only way to return to the games menu is to issue a 2 button command sequence. This means you have to open the drawer every time. Lame. So I've been messing about and I've figured out a way to get a regular push button to double throw, by adding a leaf switch. This means I can crack open the keyboard and wire directly to the two buttons I need pressed, so that the key command can be issued with the menu button seen above. Pretty sure this will work nicely, which means the cab will be functional without a keyboard and mouse for the most part. I'll post some pics when I'm further along.

[killsurfcity]

A small but HUGE update! The Marquee retainer issue is fixed! I was able to find a router and a box of bits at the flea market for $15! The router is one of the nice older Sears models and runs perfectly. I got up the confidence and just routed the two edges of the marquee box. I couldn't go all the way to the edge because of the router base, so i used a dremel, and a rotary bit to get as close to the edge as possible.

It was a b1tch, and my routing sucked, but after some hooha, it looks pretty great. Molding's a tad off, but 1/32" never killed anyone, haha.

check it! (sorry about the tape. the ends needed some securing)



I've also been working on my double throw switch. It doesn't look like much but it works! I utilized the second depressor in a standard arcade button, to press a home-made leaf switch. Next move, installing it, and testing/tweaking. hopefully it will be durable enough to last a while, but I have hopes since it's a low traffic button.



I also tied up the rest of the wiring in the back. It's now totally self-contained! Some pics of that to come...

[Sparkolicious]

Looks really nice! I'm a little late, but I was going to suggest a dremel and an xacto for your retainer troubles.  Both of those tools are a must in a shop!  That's how I would have rolled  

[killsurfcity]

Thanks Spark!

I did have an idea of how i could fix the retainers. I probably would have just removed some material from the top of the cab so that the mounted retainer bracket was flush with the top of the cab. I was kind of into adding more t-molding tho.

So, this thing is basically done. I'm sure I'll make upgrades over time, but I'm really happy with it as is. I realized after some fooling around that the double throw switch thing was not going to work out. Then I remembered that there's a special section in the OS X key commands preferences that allows you to re-map any key command, for any application, so long as you follow the general guidelines (One of the buttons has to be command, option, or control, and one has to be a symbol/character). After determining, which symbol and command keys were already in use by the iPac, I was able to come up with an 2 button sequence that is unlikely to occur during play. The sequence is L Control (Button 1) and 1 (Player Start 1). This allows operation of the machine without ever having to touch the keyboard for most functions. I've been playing it this way for days, and not having to open the drawer really makes it feel more like a standalone machine. I also added a switch hidden under drawer opening, that can turn the marquee off and on. This means I can basically just leave it on all the time. The computer/display just go to sleep after a while. It's nice to be able to go down to the basement, click a button to wake it up, and be in game in a couple seconds.

I'm having so much fun with this thing now, It's great. Whenever I have a couple minutes, I'm down there trying to beat my last high score. 

By the way, anyone know how to get it to keep high scores in MacMAME? Once you exit a game the score info is lost.

Here are some pics of the unit complete... sorry for the quality, I'll get some better pics/video, when I have a little inauguration party for it. 




Installed hinges for easy servicing. Still need to put the brackets in to seal it up, but I'm having too much fun playing it. I'll just be sure to get then in before I move it anywhere.




This is one of my favorite parts of this build. It doesn't look like much, but that's not what's important. I was totally freaked out about cracking open my laptop to put a boot switch in, and even more freaked out about wiring up my poer entry module. But it all went very well, and works great. I really love the sound system too. It sounds great, and really kicks for something so small. Can't beat it for $5! It's nice all cranked up when playing Guwange, or DoDonPachi!

The other day I built a simple table for it to sit on in the basement. I'd got just enough room on each side for a beer. So far it's seeing quite a bit of action!

[mike boss]

Again another top shelf project from the users of BYOAC.
Amazing work, amazing detail.
This is really really nice.

[killsurfcity]

Thanks! I'm really excited about it. I had always wanted a mame arcade. Even started a control panel years ago. Finding this forum is what made me believe i could do this on my own. You guys all rule. This forum has so much inspiration, it's incredible. I'm already planning my second build! In the mean time, I'm finally getting to play my favorite, Lode Runner with a real arcade feel. Beats the ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- out of my computer keyboard, I can tell you that!