My First Post/Dreamcast Arcade Announcement

[DreamCast Kid]

Hi All,

So I actually started this project before finding this website....nice to see a group of folks out there as crazy as I am .

I've been collecting video games for years, and have owned several full size cabs, but space has always been a limiting factor. I have the smallest house in the world, not good for a total pack rat.

This trip began when my original Space Invaders cab took a turn for the worse. I ended up trading it and a Zaxxon that was in need of intensive care for a working Sega Hang On. I know not the best trade in the world, but I had to face the fact that it was beyond my capability to give the classics the attention they needed, and I would rather see them go to a good home than get water-damaged in my garage. And I got a working cab out of the deal that fit in the space I had, so I was happy.

Giving away my classics left a hole though. I had had a Sega Dreamcast for years, and knew there was strong emulation support. After I found a great space invaders emulator for dreamcast, I started digging online and found plans for the minimame. A small cabinet that was well-documented and easy to build was just what I needed. After finding information about hacking dreamcast controllers, that sealed the deal.

Even after finding out about MAME and building a dedicated computer for it, I'm keeping with my dreamcast theme for the first time around. Around here I can find DCs for $20, and its nice being able to throw in an emulator disk, or a newer title when I feel like it.

I have made several mistakes so far. I used the dreaded OSB, which still looks like crud after several putty/drywall mud attempts. Painted it looks OK, but nothing to stand back and admire. I also decided that due to the fact I had no router I was NOT going to use t-molding. and, well...I might have to change that thinking after trying to play with the Jagged edge

The cool part is my good friend has a laser cutter, and we plan to make the marquee out of acrylic and etch the designs right into the plastic. I have done a few prototypes and this thing is going to be cool! Might have to build another cab worthy of it

So, in summary:

-OSB minimame cab
-Sega Dreamcast as the core w/vga box
-Single CP using hacked DC pad
-15'' Sony LCD for the display
-Old 3pc computer speakers for sound
-Acyclic CP and marquee, design etched directly into the plastic

I'll post some pics once I figure out how.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the long post, its easy to write alot when you get excited about a project!
 

[btp2k2]

Hey saabguy,

Check this cab out....http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=66695.0

The DC makes an excellent base for a cabinet

[Denverlatino]

hey, let me know if theres a version of mame working for the dreamcast, it would be cool to have one working with mame...

[theCoder]

The cool part is my good friend has a laser cutter, and we plan to make the marquee out of acrylic and etch the designs right into the plastic. I have done a few prototypes and this thing is going to be cool!

If you put in some LED's from the side, it will make your etched designs glow like a neon sign.  I have a writeup and some examples on pages 1 & 2 on my Time Sink project (link in the sig below).  For what it's worth...

Good luck with your build and welcome to the forum.

[DreamCast Kid]

hey, let me know if theres a version of mame working for the dreamcast, it would be cool to have one working with mame...

There is a really nice working version of MAME for DC. The problem is is that the disc is hard to create yourself (but there are several versions ready to run floating around). Google MAME4ALL. I emailed the developer, and its still in active development. Right now its pretty good, plays around 1000 ROMS. Its based on the .34 version of MAME. I was saddened by the fact that there is no sample file support in the current version, so I can't get the full effect on Zaxxon .

[DreamCast Kid]

The cool part is my good friend has a laser cutter, and we plan to make the marquee out of acrylic and etch the designs right into the plastic. I have done a few prototypes and this thing is going to be cool!

If you put in some LED's from the side, it will make your etched designs glow like a neon sign.  I have a writeup and some examples on pages 1 & 2 on my Time Sink project (link in the sig below).  For what it's worth...

Good luck with your build and welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the welcome! I actually had a few of those Tube lights that you use in computer cases that are just the right size for my mini cab. I was going to put in a computer PS to run those lights and a cooling fan to keep inside temps down.

The project is now done and fully operational. As soon as I find my digital camera, I will post some pics