First Build!! Standard Stand-Up

[rave0035]

Greetings!  First post.

I'll admit - I'm a little out of my element.  I restore vintage audio gear and am no stranger to a soldering iron, but computer hardware is a bit foreign.

Looking to build a traditional 2p MAME cabinet this winter for my young kids (but also for myself  ).  A few of my decision points below.

I'll need lots of help with this, and it won't be an overnight build (my pile of projects is high, including raising two small humans).  I'll be liberal with the photos as I go!

Specs (I'll update this as I make decisions):
What do I want this to play?  Pre-95ish, 2D Sprite Arcade Games (newest game will be MK3).  I'd like to include Atari, NES, Genesis, and SNES emulators, but the MAME capabilities will be front-and-center.
What am I doing for a cabinet?  I'll be fitting this into a retro cab.  My woodworking skills are sub-par at best.
Monitor?  Although I'm inherently a fan of seeing old stuff find a new life, making the cabinet CRT work is too big a task for my first build.  I'll be doing an LCD monitor.
Controls?  TBD.  I like the idea of "rolling my own", but the X-Arcade route seems painless.  I'm mostly concerned about the wear and tear factor on DIY stuff, as well as the setup/troubleshooting issues.  Can someone talk me out of this?
Front End? TBD.  Need to do lots of research.
PC? I don't know yet!!! This is my first hurdle, along with the cab.  Seems like a lot of good info on this site.
Bells and Whistles?  Coin-Op switches are a must.  Lighted marquee would be good.  Since I'm not building the cab, I'll pull out the stops on cab graphics.  An accessible mouse and keyboard seems prudent. 

Anyway, lots of research to do.  I hope I'll entertain ya'll in the process, and I'll update this tread as I have epiphanies or actually start to amass parts and wire things together in the lab.  Inspiration is appreciated.

Wah-hoo!
Mike

[DaredevilDave]

I'm pretty new too, but you can build a control panel easily - I mean wiring up the controls. They will be no less rugged than X-Arcade. Maybe better depending on what you buy.

I went with USB controls for my first build, got em on Amazon. Super easy. I'll do something different next time. I bought the X-Arcade Trackball too. Build a box - couple holes ... The wiring is simple if that's your concern.

If you have no woodworking skills then I dunno. Maybe someone can help you? You'll save a lot of cash if you make your own panel. I built my cab from scratch, which is most of the fun for me.

A cheap old PC is good enough for what you want. I see people here mentioning CPUs as old as Pentium 4.

I'm no expert yet, I just saw nobody else had answered yet.

Welcome to the forum!

[Slippyblade]

Accessible mouse and keyboard are over rated.  Once you get it setup, you'll never need those again.  If you really do want them, just run a usb hub into the coin door.  Then when you want, you pop the coin door and plug em in.

[rave0035]

Thanks for the replies!

With the custom controls, it's mostly the build quality I'm more concerned about... not the wiring (I'm no stranger to complicated harness runs).  Maybe I'll take a stab at this depending on the cab I get.  I like the look of integrated controls better anyway.  Thanks for the kick in the pants.

RE: Keyboard + Mouse... if I was running a MAME-only build, I'd be inclined to skip this.  However, as I'll be running a few other emulators occasionally, I'd like to be able to navigate the OS between apps.  Any more elegant solutions to this?

Mike

[DaredevilDave]

I use a wireless keyboard. Just plug a dongle in the USB port and maybe stash the keyboard in the cab, or a closet. That way you're always prepared. Assuming it's staying in your house etc.

I made a little spot for my keyboard but only because I had extra space to fill. I'm not thrilled with my overall design, but it's my first.

I'm also using a hub mounted somewhere discretely. Could come in handy for gamepads.

[yotsuya]

Accessible mouse and keyboard are over rated.  Once you get it setup, you'll never need those again.  If you really do want them, just run a usb hub into the coin door.  Then when you want, you pop the coin door and plug em in.

I NO RITE!!!!!

[rave0035]

I got "the book".  Lots to take in; really great info.

I'm also checking out some local leads on cabinet builders... even though it may be blasphemy, time is precious with 2 little ones, and if I can spend more time with custom controls and setting up the MAME stuff, I'm all for it.

Stay tuned for more!
Mike

[Titchgamer]

You can buy flat pack cabs if you have no ability or room for wood working.

Regarding cycling between emulators use a front end no need for mouse and keyboard then.

Hyperspin is nice but not that user friendly if you are new to the whole thing.

Maximus arcade is very user friendly and easy to set up but a bit more basic.

There are lots of others as well including Mala and Launch Box but I have only tried the 2 above so look what will suit your needs.

As for controls build your own, they will be much better quality depending on what you buy and much more customisable (this was the most fun part of the build for me).
Most people I see who get the x-arcade end up swapping the parts anyway so you may as well just build em to start with.

Do some research and buy the best stuff you can on your budget.
There are lots of different options out there for buttons, switches and joysticks.

[rave0035]

I didn't know about the flat pack cabs... seems like an ideal solution (thanks, Titch!)

I love the low profile of this one:
http://www.arcadeworx.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=39_45_54&product_id=67

Any other vendors folks might suggest?
How tricky will graphics be for something like this?

Mike

[Titchgamer]

I believe someone on here builds and sells flat packs.

Ime in the UK though so I use different vendors lol

[rave0035]

I've found someone that makes and sells bartop flat-packs, but not full size. 

The link I posted above is intriguing because it is not as deep as a traditional cab (wife-approved), and is monitor-mounting friendly.  I'd have to do some modifications for a lighted marquee, though... but that shouldn't be too much trouble. 

I did just notice that the company is in AU, so I'm afraid shipping a bulky crate from the opposite side of the planet may be cost-prohibitive unless I can find a way to have it couriered through the center of the Earth for cheap.

I have not ordered a single part yet and this is already a ton o' fun.  Lots of planning to do!
Mike

[Titchgamer]

Lots of fun to be had in this hobby and tons of money to be spent :p

I was digging through my parts yesterday and realised ive got enough spares to build 2 complete machines bar the monitors and wood.

Think i need to get another build going in the winter....

[Richie_jones]

I like the shape of this...

Sent from my SM-N930F using Tapatalk

[yotsuya]

I don't care for the shape of that.

[rave0035]

It's missing some of the retro arcade vibe, for sure... but a traditional-style 2p cabinet comes in at nearly 4' deep from the back to the front of the control panel.  Designing a box like this specifically for a flat panel monitor reduces some of the depth that a CRT requires, which is a really appealing feature for me.

I'm not sold on it yet, but I do like the slim profile.  We'll see if I can even get one Stateside.
Other options still include rescuing an empty cab or finding another flatpack-style build.  I've totally ruled out from-scratch carpentry for this build.

This should be more than sufficient for a PC running MAME and pre-'95 games, right?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/MICOMP-Dell-745-Desktop-Computer-PC-Dual-Core-3-4Ghz-4GB-250GB-Windows-7-64-Bit-/271876179198?hash=item3f4d1544fe:g:skYAAOSwgY9Xf8BC

Mike

[thomas_surles]

That's more than enough.

[yotsuya]

Message HaRuMaN and see if he has any flat pack kits.