In 2008 I decided to build my very first mame cab however after completing it I had a lot of regrets. I wish I had used a non flat crt, and the big one...I did not make my own control panel. I simply used an X-Arcade Tank Stick. This time around I wanted to cover all of my bases and I wanted to make something unique and different. When I saw John's Arcade Pacman restore I knew right away what I wanted to build. Lately my friends have been going nuts over Joust so I decided to give the cabaret a Joust theme which I think turned out great. I also wanted to allow for an easy swap out of tv monitor. Notice what looks to be a cutting board towards the back of the tv? Once the top is off all one has to do is slide the board out....tv comes right out. Just in case the tv fails on me, go on to craig's list and pick up another one.
Two weeks in total to build. Months of gathering parts.
Maximus FE
Old Dell
XP
13 inch TV/VCR combo
ipac
cheap wood grain vinyl (turned out great)
Mag Stik Plus (4/8 way switcher)
About $400 in total materials
Enjoy