Mini Arcade Project (Windows Mobile/Coleco Tabletop)

[Andy]

First, thanks to everyone that has provided feedback!

After receiving questions via email regarding my project (website located here http://home.comcast.net/~lightnet/site/), I thought it might be a good idea to post here so the answers might help others that are interested in the project.

I'll be happy to provide what little insight I've accumulated through this project to anyone interested in creating their own Windows Mobile Coleco Tabletop.

Before undertaking a project like this, make sure there are games/emulators that you enjoy that work well on your Windows Mobile Device (or whatever device you choose to use).  Imagine the disappointment of working on this for months, firing it up for the first time, only to discover that you've got nothing to play on it.

I advise against destroying a perfectly good Coleco Tabletop for a project like this, you can usually find non-working Tabletops on eBay or your local Flea Market.  Destroying Windows Mobile Devices on the other hand....       ;-)

At the moment, I'm not considering building these for others, as I simply do not have time to devote to it.  If I did have the time, I'd probably be doing a different arcade project I've been planning for a few years.

[GAtekwriter]

Does this hold the record for smallest PLAYABLE multi-game "cab"?

Jim

[IG-88]

I wondered why I hadn't heard back from you 

[danny_galaga]

you make it look so easy!

[Andy]

Well, I was trying to get my project site up ASAP so didn't go into too much detail on it.  The concept didn't seem too elaborate, put a PocketPC in a Coleco Tabletop case.  I didn't do much planning until I cleared all the components off the Coleco board and opened up the iPaq, and even then I my planning was more like JIT solutions, working on the issues as they arise.  Needless to say, most of my projects rely on serendipity or divine intervention.      Lets just say it was harder than I initially thought, but easier than I thought it would be when I started running into issues.  It turned out *way* better than I hoped it would.  I was concerned it would be more of a mantle piece, something to look at but way too brittle to play with, but now that it's done I'm comfortable with allowing my 5 year old son play with it.

[ark_ader]

Someone else has done this before.

http://miniarcade.com/

[shilmover]

What did you use to get DK running on the Windows Mobile?

B

[Andy]

Someone else has done this before.

http://miniarcade.com/

Yes, I came across his site (www.yvan256.net - good stuff!) when I was debating if I should use a Windows Mobile PDA or a Pico-ITX Board for this project.  The only difference is he built his from scratch based on the original Coleco Tabletop design, and I just wanted to resurrect my old Donkey Kong Tabletop (yes, my ~$300 project was based on getting some use out of my old $20 Coleco Tabletop case).

[Andy]

What did you use to get DK running on the Windows Mobile?

B

I'm using SmartGear (http://www.bitbanksoftware.com/SmartGear.html) in the picture, but I'm also using PocketCultMAME (http://www.pocketcult.com/home.php).  Unfortunately there aren't many Emulation authors developing for Windows Mobile.

[Yvan256]

Someone else has done this before.

http://miniarcade.com/

My website is yvan256.net, I'm not sure why there is a link to miniarcade.com (which is not mine). If it was meant as two links for references as "this has been done before", my micromame cabinet is much, much smaller than the cabinet of miniarcade.

[Yvan256]

Someone else has done this before.

http://miniarcade.com/

Yes, I came across his site (www.yvan256.net - good stuff!) when I was debating if I should use a Windows Mobile PDA or a Pico-ITX Board for this project.  The only difference is he built his from scratch based on the original Coleco Tabletop design, and I just wanted to resurrect my old Donkey Kong Tabletop (yes, my ~$300 project was based on getting some use out of my old $20 Coleco Tabletop case).

A Coleco tabletop cabinet is rougly 50-60% the size of my microMAME cabinet. I guess I need to add a side-by-side picture on the webpage.

[Andy]

Sorry for the thread necromancy, but I wanted to mention I have updated the Mini Arcade Tabletops.  I've also updated my website to reflect these changes (link in the first post).  It's not changes I wanted to make, but I felt I had to make them to get proper diagonal movement for better gameplay.