First build and thankyou

[this_is_ferg]

Hey guys,

So, like so many other victims of this awesome forum, I got completely hooked and have gone into make my first Mame cab.  Nothing too fancy, just a four player machine running the oh-so-pretty Hyperspin.  As a huge thankyou to everyone, and to encourage more people to do it, I hope to share my progress here with you all.

Three rather controversial points, however..ahem.

1) No t-moulding.  Budget is really, really tight, and here in Blighty I cannot seem to get a decent slotter for less than 40 quid.  I know it sounds like I am skimping (well I am) but the 40+35 for the t-moulding itself puts another big hole in the penny pot.

2) Plasma screen.  Yup, I said it.  I am running an old 32" plasma screen for my cab for a few reasons - one, because I had one kicking about, and two because of the space issue.  You know how in your house you need a kitchen and a living room and a dining room?  Well, turns out that most architects in the UK didn't design their houses for an arcade area...bunch of short sited idiots...

3) Not getting artwork printed.  Yup - again, controversial, but the whole project is designed to get some quality time with my little brother in law...and he is crazy good with his Manga drawings.  We have been talking about a few designs, and he is going to hand paint the whole cab (Over a period of months) with various characters - SF, Battle Toads, TMNT - all that good stuff.  It will take time, but I know he will blow it out of the park.  Does anyone have any experience of painting MDF?  Any advice greatly appreciated (It is currently primed and drying)

So that's that.  I have a few pictures of the build thee days in.  Work will start again soon though, so it will slow again.  But just wanted to post this as a massive thanks to everyone on the forum - it really has been my one stop shop for EVERYTHING I needed to know to take the plunge

[yotsuya]

I'm quite chuffed you decided to join us! 

As far as your points go, I think the hand-painted one might actually come out to be a positive. I've seen some cabinets here locally that have been redone by artists that look fabulous. If your BIL has any talent, it might be better than anything printed out.

[TKW4rr10r]

Congrats and welcome.

Nothing wrong with plasma, just make sure no graphics stay static on the screen for too long. Also take into consideration some venting and/or cooling for the TV. Plasma sets run hotter, and you don't want them basically in a closed off box.

[CoryBee]

Welcome good sir!

[drventure]

Welcome!

I won't repeat the other comments, all good. You can also put a very shallow roundover on the edges with a router, then paint, Won't be quite as tough as tmold, but it'll work.

Hand painted manga sounds cool. Any chance at getting some test pics posted?

[this_is_ferg]

Thanks for the advice - definitely had not taken into account the hot running of the plasma.  Will sort out a cooling system for sure.

And yes, I will get some pictures up soon - my little bro in law is only 14 and very, very shy...so I will need to do some underhand theft in order to get them up on here 

Thanks again!

[lcmgadgets]

40 quid for an edge slotted?! Holy crap, I wouldn't like to go without some t-molding, but I couldn't justify the cost of that!

Good luck, man, & welcome.

I think some manga art would b cool, too.

[monkeychunkuk]

Good luck with build T-Molding isn't always needed.on  my first machine I just rounded the edges and coated with a few sprays of black gloss. Not to shabby

[jennifer]

      Although the painted on "T" is pretty cool, But I think investing in tools is important, every project gets better by useing the tools from the project before... Im not so-sure of how much 40 squids are, and if thats too much for a slot cutter, but shopping around should find a cheaper one. Art is not so much issue either, with files available all your really looking at is printing costs...I have a plasma too, Jennifer loves it, it seems to morph and blend rather than snap like a led, they do seem to have a bad reputation however.

[monkeychunkuk]

Don't get me wrong the first machine I put T molding on came out looking great,but if your on a budget it's hard to get a good deal in the uk, for the Tron machine I paid £20 for molding and another £20 for the cutter ; (

[lcmgadgets]

Both machines look sweet!

[monkeychunkuk]

Both machines look sweet!

thanks

[this_is_ferg]

Wow - that's a gorgeous looking cabinet MonkeyChuck

Thanks for all the advice guys - I am getting on with the build, but have to be honest, am getting so down with MAME.  It seems that the latest stable version I have (0.149) Plays only 5-10% of the roms I have.  I know I may just be getting bad torrents - but it seems that whatever/wherever I download them from, I get missing files/bad chds.  It really is annoying   I have tried the usual root - repairing with clrmamepro etc.  but to no avail.

Do all beginners have this horrific learning curve? Am I doing something wrong?  I understand that newer versions of Mame only support certain roms, but seems to me impossbile to find a readable list that defines:

ROM NAME:  xxxxx
COMPATIBLE WITH MAME VERSION: x.xxx
   

Is there one??

[PL1]

Am I doing something wrong?  I understand that newer versions of Mame only support certain roms, but seems to me impossbile to find a readable list that defines:

ROM NAME:  xxxxx
COMPATIBLE WITH MAME VERSION: x.xxx

There are changes to a certain number of ROMs with every new release of MAME as new dumps, better dumps, and more accurate emulation code are discovered.

Keeping up with the latest version can be a real pain.

Here is the simple 3-step solution to your woes:

1. When you find a source for ROMs, make sure it lists what version of MAME they go with.

2. Use that EXACT version of MAME.

3. Don't update your ROMs and MAME version until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of changing.


Scott

[mcseforsale]

Welcome frog!  If you're using MDF, one way to make the edges indestructible is to armor the cut edges and any areas where you've profiled or rounded the MDF.  Here's how to do it:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,122362.msg1310052.html#msg1310052

Once that's done, you'll be good all day since the glue will actually be stronger than the wood you're armoring.  Don't be shy with it, either.  It won't swell the MDF and once dry, just use some 100 grit sandpaper and just knock off the top layer, which will feel just slightly pebbly.  Then, you have very smooth edges that are tough and take paint just like the uncut MDF.  This is an excellent replacement to t-molding. 

Welcome!

AJ

edit:  oh yeah, SUBSCRIBED!  bwahahahaha