Starting my first MAME cab.

[Are You Ken?]

Hey guys...  I just recently bought a new TV and PC, and whilst debating over what to do with the old ones, I decided to build a mame cab.  So....

TV: 22" cheapie that i've had for about 3 years.

PC: PIII 800Mhz.  After playing around with this for about a week, running an old version of MAME and GameEx, i've decided it just won't do, so i'm gonna be rebuilding it with around a 3Ghz CPU/1Gb Ram.

Cabinet:  I'm building a cab based on Jakobud's Mortal Kombat plans, just coz i think it's a badass looking cabinet.  I'll be taking no shortcuts with the presentation of this, as its possibly the last cab i'll ever build (if the wife has anything to do with it).

CP:  I'm most likely gonna go with a Streetfighter layout, possibly with a 7th button.  P1&2 starts and a credit button, as well as a couple of admin buttons (probably just ESC, but we'll see)

I'll just be using the TV for audio at the moment, but i figure this is something i can upgrade later when my missus sees how cool it is having a cab in the loungeroom

Anyway, i'll be keeping track of everything in this thread and posting pics and whatnot... any tips or advice is most welcome....  i look forward to showing you all the finished product. 

[bfauska]

Welcome and congratulations on your new project. 

I couldn't tell if you meant 1 coin button per player or 1 total, hopefully you meant 1 each, some games require each player to input their own coins.  Other than that it sounds like a nice project, I am a huge fan of using stuff that would otherwise go to waste.  I wonder how many games the leap from the PIII to the new machine will actually help, it may be worth playing with MAME on a computer that is similarly equiped to the one you are planning and seeing if it is worth it.  I have heard that just upgrading the ram can make a good difference too.  I haven't tried anything quite as old as a 900mhz, but I know people have built cabs that played at least all the early to middle classics using computers that speed and slower.  I think you should play around some more with the old stuff before going new (unless you've already tested more than I am giving you credit for.)  It always seems a shame to me when old PCs end up doing nothing. (of course I have 4 in  my storage unit because I can't find a good use for them)

Again, Welcome and Good luck.  Keep us posted.

Brian

[Are You Ken?]

hey..

Yeh i thought i'd get away with one coin button, and wondered why a lot of people were putting two in.. but yoou've answered that so i'll definitely be going for two.

I've been mainly testing Final Fight, Metal Slug games, Shock Troopers, 1945 etc. and while they're generally very playable, just not quite right.  I'm far from an expert regarding this stuff, but I'm pretty good with PC's and the old Google, and i just can't get it running smoothly enough.  I'm gonna be patient and wait for a mobo/cpu or a reconditioned business PC to come up cheap on ebay and grab it.

anyway, thanks for the kind words mate, and hopefully i'll have some pictures of the cab being built in a week or two.

[Apollo]

I have just completed (almost) a cab based on the Mortal Kombat 1 cab and found Jakobud's plans very helpful. I made a few minor changes and one major one which i would recommend which is to make the front bottom panel (the part with the coin door in it) flat and not 3 sided.

[Are You Ken?]

hey apollo, have you got a link to any pics of the cab yet? i'd be very keen to check 'em out.. as for the 3 sided front panel, I was planning on keeping it that way.  I'll be building it at my dad's house where all the tools are, he's a pretty experienced woodworker and upon showing him the plans said 'Too easy.' so hopefully it'll all turn out ok.

I'm watching an Asus Mobo and 1.7Ghz CPU on ebay at the moment which is going really cheap.  I have about 5 hours to think about it, so we'll see.

I got some cool ideas about using aluminium on the CP and stuff, but i'll leave it at that for now, as nothing is set in stone.

Can't wait to get the ball rolling.

[Apollo]

I would love to show you the nearly finished cabinet but I've been hanging out to post in project announcements for so long I'm not going to post it here. Email me and I'll send you a pic.

[Are You Ken?]

just posting so i remember to keep this thread alive really, but i've upgraded the pc to a 2.67Ghz Celeron with 512/ram, on an ASUS board.  just gotta pick up a videocard off ebay in the next couple of weeks and it should be good to go. 

In the meantime, i'm gonna pick up some wood this weekend and get started on cutting out the cab.  Who knows, being taxtime, i might get lucky and be able to buy all the controls in the next few weeks as well.

[Bond007]

Good luck on the build. Keep us posted. Hopefully I will be able to post soon about building my own cabinet.

[Green Giant]

You probably want a dedicated pause button.  It may not be like the originals, but having one on mine is a life saver.