Main > Main Forum
Starting my first build. Need some advice.
superbike81:
I'm going to build a bartop arcade cabinet using some old computer stuff I have. It will double as an entertainment center for my son to watch shows and movies on as well so it's going to be slightly larger than some I've seen, but still going to try to minimize the size.
I want to be able to run essentially all emulators and some PC games at decent settings, so I'm using the following parts:
Micro-ATX motherboard w/ AMD Phenom 955 x4 Black Edition and 4GB RAM
500GB 7200rpm notebook HDD
500 watt power supply
Radeon 5770
Logitech 2.1 speakers
19" Dell 1280x1024 LCD
Going to try to fit all of that into something that can fit on a end table, but we'll see.
Where I need advice is on controls. I'm computer savvy, I can build them, fix them, etc, but I'm not good enough to do some of the stuff I've seen on here and I hate soldering, so I'm looking at this kit:
http://www.xgaming.com/store/arcade-parts-and-accessories/product/two-player-build-your-own-arcade-bundle-pcb/
Is this a decent deal? I like that it's all basically plug and play. I want different colored buttons though, just to make it a little brighter and more attractive for my son (he's two years old). Should I piece together my own kit? I'm trying to keep this on a tight budget though, so keep that in mind please.
I'm also open to any other suggestions. Thanks!
oskywawa:
I just built a 4-player control panel with parts from ultimarc.com. You might just check out their stuff and see if you could put together a similar kit for a similar price. My guess would be that some of the stuff in that bundle may not be the greatest quality, but for a young kid it might be just fine. $89 seems reasonable, but I'd suggest checking out the options at ultimarc to put your own more colorful set together and compare. As I recall the buttons ran around $2-3/ each,and the joystick prices can vary.
You can see my build here if interested! www.arcadebuild.com
BadMouth:
IIRC, the X-arcade board is a little more of a PITA because it uses multiple grounds instead of just daisy chaining one ground accross all your buttons.
Check out the offerings of:
http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/
http://www.ultimarc.com/
http://www.paradisearcadeshop.com/en/
All good vendors who post on this board.
Vigo also sells interfaces with wires pretty cheap here:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,114744.0.html
paigeoliver:
You are going too big on the speakers. Putting a subwoofer in a tiny enclosure with a hard drive is a great way to kill the hard drive.
Also the PC gear you bought is total overkill. It is far more powerful than what is needed for a general emulation computer. Just about anything you would want to emulate was running full speed 10 years ago on 12 year old hardware. Sure there are exceptions, but most of the exceptions still don't work right or require analog controls that you don't have. That pc will be outdated before your son is old enough to play PC games.
You don't have to solder anything, you can do it all with crimpers and quick disconnects.
Generally if you are trying to build a good project on a budget think about this order for priorities.
#1. Controls.
#2. Display
#3. Computer.
shponglefan:
It's pretty easy to put together a basic control panel yourself. All you need is an interface (IPac or Keywiz are good options), buttons, joysticks, and wiring. There are a lot of button and joysticks out there, but regular HAPP buttons and HAPP super joysticks will be a decent budget setup.
And using quick disconnects with the wiring eliminates any need for soldering. There are also wiring harnesses available.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version