Something I would like to try

[johnmri]

Hello all!
           I've had this idea for an arcade cabinet project for awhile, but don't know if it has been  done like this before. If so, what kind of problems did other run into?
A prebuilt cab (found some at Arcade shop and Mike's arcade)
Hack an X arcade joystick for controls.
Use a regular LCD monitor and use a plastic monitor bezels for LCDs from Happs Controls
Use a PS2 system
Games: I've got a collection of arcade classics from Digital Eclipse.
So far, this is what I've been piecing together for an idea. Any suggestions or what to expect?
I'm just wanting or try it out for fun   
Thanks
John

[riley454]

Getting a prebuilt or 2nd hand cab is a reaaly good idea if you haven't got the time or skills to build on from scratch yourself and there are lots of companies that now sell IKEA flat-pack style cabs that you assemble yourself.

Hacking an X-arcade stick is an expensive way to get the parts you need. If you were to build your own dual joystick controller like the 2 player X-arcade version you could BUY the parts for about $100 less than the X stick. You could save even more by hacking a keyboard PCB instead of buying an encoder. If you decide to buy an X stick, to simplify your cab, I would suggest keeping it intact and modding the cab to accept the X stick.

Good luck with your project