noob here

[coinopman]

Hi all. Noob to MAME but not arcade games. I've been in the video coin-op game for 20 years. The business is slowly dying and you don't see the old games around much. Kids now a days  are more into the role playing stuff. I got into this to pass on the fun of the old games to my grandsons. I am planning my first project. It is to be a coffee type cab with the monitor, controls and cpu hidden until ready to play. I want something that will serve  a dual purpose and look good in the living room.

[beastathon]

Sounds awesome. Do you have any pictures of your plans? I would like to see how you go about hiding everything.

[BASS!]

You are definitely in the right place. This forum has more info in it then anywhere on the net. If you want some really cutting edge ideas just do some searches. Franco's cocktail is awesome, also there is surface tension that you could use to power your brain. Being this is your first post you are starting off right, you asked a good question, but the answer is all about you.

Start by going to the  wiki and looking up what examples are there, then go to the top of the forum screen and hit the search button. Try terms that you are looking for, and only search the main and project announcement subforums. Try Cocktail for starters and look what comes up. Good luck and lets see some ideas!

[TOK]

Welcome... There are quite a few people here (like me) that started with MAME cabs and got hooked on the hobby enough to start buying dedicated machines. Your experience with the "real" thing is very valuable here! 

[Thebeast]

As a fellow newcomer its good to see I am not alone. I look forward to seeing what you build