Mamebook: broken Powerbook turned into an ultraslim mame setup!

[Mamebook]

I had an old Macintosh Powerbook with broken hinges that I decided to turn into a dedicated mame thingy.

I began by removing the hinges:


Double sided tape:


Then I simply folded the screen the wrong way around:


Here's the end result seen from the front:


And from the back:


I had an old Namco joystick that I connected with a USB adapter:

[Mamebook]

I've been thinking about building a miniature Donkey Kong cabinet but after researching it and coming to terms with my inabilities to finish projecs I decided to go down another route: IKEA.

I came across the Ramvik coffee table that not only had the looks but also a tempered glass top. So, off I went to Ikea...

[Mamebook]

This is how it looks at the moment, check out the details on my blog http://mamebook.blogspot.com

[leapinlew]

cool.

About time someone did something nice with a macbook. 

[Daniel B.]

I like it! Fits right in!

[javeryh]

Wow - I love it!  With the smoked glass you can't even tell it's an arcade when it's turned off - talk about wife friendly!!   

[Mamebook]

Thanks!

Here's the software I'm running:

Frontend:
EMULaunch http://www.emulaunch.com/

Mame:
MAME OS X http://mameosx.sourceforge.net/

Utilities:
SwitchresX http://www.madrau.com/ is used to rotate both the desktop and EMULaunch.
USB Overdrive http://www.usboverdrive.com/ is used to get EMULaunch to accept joystick input.

EMULaunch launches automatically upon startup and I can select the game I want to play with the joystick. Pressing the start button launches the game. Exiting the game takes me back automatically to EMULaunch so my setup is really easy to use even for someone who's not familiar with Mame.

[Mamebook]

So, here's how I built the Mamebook into the Ramvik side table:

Measuring:


The ugly bits will be covered with the bezel:


Since the Mamebook is 9 mm thicker than the shelf, I had to make spacers, thank god you won't see this later...


The bezel, made from 160g black paper and the top glass in place:


Powered up on the dinner table:


Ramvik is slowly coming together, here you can see how thin the top shelf is:


The drawer holds the joystick for now, later I will build a proper panel once I figure out the best way to do it.



Scramble:


From the side, I hate the drawer, but it will eventually be replaced by a proper cp:






Powered off:


I also added smoke coloured PVC so you won't be able to see the screen when the power is off.
Here, the tinted plastic sheet covers half of the screen:


Without the tint:


With the tint:

[MazzMn]

Nice!  Really clean looking.
Tell us more about the usb adapter, does the joystick pad come with that adapter?
Is the joystick 8 way or can it switch to 4 way?
thx

[Franco B]

Smoooooooooth! Thats all I can say. Awesome 

[Mamebook]

Nice!  Really clean looking.
Tell us more about the usb adapter, does the joystick pad come with that adapter?
Is the joystick 8 way or can it switch to 4 way?
thx

Thanks!
The joystick is a stock Namco Arcade Joystick for Playstation so in order to connect it to a computer a PSX/USB connector is needed. It's 8-way only. I could easily replace the joystick to 4/8 way stick, some classic arcade games are virtually unplayable with 8-way sticks... 

[Fozzy The Bear]

Nice neat domestically acceptable project. Well done......  I might even refer this one to the "Domestic Authorities" in my house, just to see how she reacts to it 

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[Mamebook]

Nice neat domestically acceptable project. Well done......  I might even refer this one to the "Domestic Authorities" in my house, just to see how she reacts to it 

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

Thanks!

My thought exactly, but it kind of backfired. Now my wife questions my real arcade cabinets...
The Mamebook Cocktail will probably end up at work where I already keep my Naomi SD, a Defender cab and a Donkey Kong Jr...
 

[Mamebook]

There's a much nicer larger version of Ramvik as well, the downside is the height, it's only 40 cm high. The smaller Ramvik is 50 cm high. One drawback of both Ramviks is that that the glass really doesn't protect against spills, if you look at ordinary cocktail cabinets you'll notice that the glass covers the entire top. Anyway, I would love to see someone turn the larger Ramvik into a Mame cabinet!

[Franco B]

You could easily add some nice feet to that 

They do make a lovely 'base' for a project though. Nice find.

[Fozzy The Bear]

One drawback of both Ramviks is that that the glass really doesn't protect against spills

A little bit of rubber strip under the glass would soon fix that 

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)

[gatordad]

Nice, What are the spec's for your mac's video?

I have a 550 titanium that is only good for e-mail and web surfin'.

Nicely done by the way. 

[Mamebook]

The Powerbook used is a Titanium 800 MHz, it's a bit too slow unfortunately.

[Neverending Project]

Such interesting timing that I saw this... I too have an old PowerBook G4 with a broken hinge. It is about 5 years old, and in laptop years that is getting up there. So I was planning on building a slim bartop for my Dad. I was even thinking about doing the same thing - flipping the screen around and attaching it to the bottom of the laptop.

Did you have any issues with heat affecting the screen? My PowerBook gets pretty hot on the bottom sometimes.

[metaHipster]

I'm guessing our old G3 iBook 600Mhz is too pokey for something like this... but cool idea!  I like the minimalist  look which disguises function until you want to use it.

[Mamebook]

I removed the keyboard so air could flow more freely. I'm thinking of mounting a fan and also to make more room for the built in fans to operate properly. I thought about removing the internal battery as well but I don't know if that would make a difference really. My suggestion is to go ahead anyway. Just be careful when you remove the hinges so you don't damage the screens wiring that runs inside both hinges. Both my hinges were broken so they were super easy to remove. 

[Mamebook]

I'm guessing our old G3 iBook 600Mhz is too pokey for something like this... but cool idea!  I like the minimalist  look which disguises function until you want to use it.

Thanks!
The G4 Titanium's form factor is probably more suitable to folding than a G3 depending on the model. It's easy to find out if Mame runs smoothly, just install MacMame or Mame OS X!

G4 Titanium:


Broken hinges:

[ark_ader]

There's a much nicer larger version of Ramvik as well, the downside is the height, it's only 40 cm high. The smaller Ramvik is 50 cm high. One drawback of both Ramviks is that that the glass really doesn't protect against spills, if you look at ordinary cocktail cabinets you'll notice that the glass covers the entire top. Anyway, I would love to see someone turn the larger Ramvik into a Mame cabinet!

Looks like a tempting VP cocktail project on the horizon.   

[psychotech]

Great idea, great build 

About the pinball, why not build one from scratch..?

...

[BASS!]

Got an idea while sitting here. Remove the drawer from the cabinet and take it apart. go get some hinges from the hardware store along with some cabinet magnets. Build your cp out of the parts you have or spring for a full panel and make it the width of the inside of the drawer. Mount the rails from the drawer on the side of the panel and voila! a flip down panel and a pull out cp.

[DoctorWHO]

There's a much nicer larger version of Ramvik as well, the downside is the height, it's only 40 cm high. The smaller Ramvik is 50 cm high. One drawback of both Ramviks is that that the glass really doesn't protect against spills, if you look at ordinary cocktail cabinets you'll notice that the glass covers the entire top. Anyway, I would love to see someone turn the larger Ramvik into a Mame cabinet!

Didn't know IKEA made "Coffin" tables.