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Noob wants to build a MAME cabinet for under 200$

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eds1275:
This really isn't a $200 hobby... it's more of a budget for $500, somehow break $1100. It's the little things that will nickle and dime you to death. I'd say some serious planning is in order for what you wants, plan for that, then do what you can with your $200.

You could definitely build a cabinet for $200, and possibly get some sort of finish on it.

Malenko:
Noob should build a nice control panel box, and look for a gutted cab.  If youre near TNT amusements in PA they have cheap/free cabs all the time.

Vigo:
People build impressive furniture out of wood pallets these days. If you are patient and know how to scrounge, you can work on just about any budget.



Lots of good ideas listed above. You also don't need to necessarily buy everything new either. I have built a lot of stuff from old joysticks and buttons that were on circuit machines.

Encoders, you can just use 2 Zero Delay encoders. $11.00 each on ebay. Comes with wires already, no soldering needed.

If you are not buying a gutted cab, then look into building a slim cab and you can get by with a lot less wood.

What area do you live in? Some areas in the US are goldmines for cheap cabs if you spend some time looking.

Generic Eric:
A post like this should include OP's zip or otherwise if not in the States.  You might find someone local to you this way.

Otherwise, all the good points have already been made. 

If you'll indulge me while I soapbox

Start small.  Build a fight stick. Look into a kade. @kadevice.com

Configure your games.

Build a control panel around your favorite games.

Decide if you want a bartop, cocktail, or if you want a full upright.  Then build that.

dkersten:

--- Quote from: eds1275 on August 06, 2014, 11:19:20 am ---This really isn't a $200 hobby... it's more of a budget for $500, somehow break $1100. It's the little things that will nickle and dime you to death. I'd say some serious planning is in order for what you wants, plan for that, then do what you can with your $200.

--- End quote ---
QFT  The nickel and diming in this hobby is insane.  My $750 budget ended at $2195..

I have a pretty well fleshed out woodshop with a lot of hardware on hand, yet I would be hard pressed to build a $200 cabinet.  If I went with the cheapest particle board I could find, assumed that the glue, screws, and brad nails I already have are "free", skip t-molding and any other "dress" item aside from paint, roll on some latex for the finish, not have any kind of casters, and forget hinging the CP or service door, then I can see getting away with $100 on the cab construction.  Either using a cheap encoder or hacking a keyboard and using ebay buttons and joysticks and you could cobble a basic CP together for under $100.

But I also agree that if you are on that tight of a budget, just get a CP like a tankstick and play on your computer.  A full stand up cabinet is as much a piece of furniture as it is a game to play.  If you aren't going to take the time to make it look good, you are losing out on half the point of even having one, IMO.  And if you are married, it better look damn good if you are going to put it in any "usable" room in the house/apartment.  An arcade cab doesn't do much for you if you have to put it in that unfinished room in the basement that nobody wants to go in, or in the unheated garage in the wintertime.  But a simple CP at your computer desk allows you to actually play it regularly.. And you get the added benefit of long term use to determine if spending money on a full cab is worth it to you in the long run.  What might seem awesome to you today might sit in the corner collecting dust tomorrow.  If $200 is a tight squeeze for you, it would probably be best to not spend it until you know for sure that you will use it.

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