The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Project Announcements => Topic started by: Gunstar Hero on April 19, 2006, 09:58:17 pm
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Hey, I'm starting a new project, and figured I'd finally start a thread to track my progress!
I bought a already built Pac-cab from bishmasterb and decided that instead of just moving my existing fighter-type cab into it, I'd use this one as a 4 way, single stick, vertical monitor classics cab. After some thought, since it's not that much more expensive to add another stick, and since there are several awesome 2 player vertical shooters, I decided to add shooters to the mix as well. The cab came decked out with a HUGE PC monitor, speakers, marquee light and a Pac-Man marquee.
After getting the new cab, I went to my local arcade/pinball dealer/service place and asked if they had any parts/project cabs that they wanted to part with for cheap/free. I got the hook up, as they gave me a fairly beat, but still having some VERY usable parts Ms. Pac-Man cab! Score! Right there I got a coin door, a monitor bezel, and a monitor frame that I can easily adapt to my uses, plus various other brackets and whatnot that may suit my needs.
Next I hit ultimarc.com to order the CP goodies.
I-PAC 2 Interface. Cable Type: PS/2 Cable 1 $39.00
J-Stik Ball-Top Red 2 $16.00 $32.00
Pushbuttons. Color: Red 6 $1.95 $11.70
Pushbuttons. Color: White 3 $1.95 $5.85
Start Logo Pushbuttons. Logo: Start 1 1 $2.90 $2.90
Start Logo Pushbuttons. Logo: Start2 1 $2.90 $2.90
I figured 3 buttons per player should be enough, plus 3 extras for admin/power/reset buttons behind the coin door.
So now I await the arrival of the parts, and while I'm doing that I'll be cobbling together a PC to power the rig, as well as messing with some CP layouts and artwork options.
Pix to follow!
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Cool, lets see some pics!!
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Stripped out the Ms. Pac today and test fit the coin door in the Pac... looks like it'll fit well. Also played with the monitor settings for the vertical MAME setup and with the monitor mountiong solution in the Pac cab.
Took some pix too, I'll get them uploaded and posted by tonite with any luck... but I might just be distracted (Dave and Busters tonight! W00t!!) and if so, tomorrow.
Anyone want a pretty complete looking Ms. Pac-Man wiring harness/power supply?
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(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/olr_darksakura/arcade/polepos1.jpg)
My good old bastard PolePos MAME cab, due for a major refurbishment, being used as a test mule for stuff for the new cab.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/olr_darksakura/arcade/pac1.jpg)
The new cab. So pretty. So empty.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/olr_darksakura/arcade/pacmarquee.jpg)
bishmasterb had this thing all ready to go, with power cables and sound already installed... just pop in a PC and CPO and play. I decided to complicate things a bit by changing up the monitor arrangement.
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/olr_darksakura/arcade/coin1.jpg)
Parts!
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/olr_darksakura/arcade/mspacguts1.jpg)
(http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h243/olr_darksakura/arcade/mspacguts2.jpg)
These are the guts that I stripped from the Ms. Pac donor cab. I'll need to repair and repaint the coin door, and the bezel and many of the brackets will be used on the new cab. As for the power supply and harness, I may salvage some wires, or if someone wants it give it away, but most likely it's destined for the junk pile.
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are you keeping the marquee? if not then could i get dibs?
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Yeah, I'm keeping it.
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that awesome!....he did a great job on that cab and you got a real steal!
have fun...I'm jealous. :angry:
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OOH, see a Micro RS4 in the background. RC junkie?
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Got the parts a couple days ago. I'm really looking forward to hooking up these J-sticks as 4-ways and playing a game of Pac-Man. Also got the monitor arrangement pretty well figured out, and probably tomorrow/friday I should be able to get the cab functional.
As for the RC question, I do have a couple Micro RS4's, as well as 2 TC3's and a Traxxas Stampede, all in various states of functionality. A couple few summers back my buddy and I were hitting the local RC tracks pretty regularly, but not so much these days. Still, fun stuff. :applaud:
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Well, time for a little update.
Got the wood for the CPO and the monitor bezel all cut and ready to go, also aquired the plexi (smoked) to go over the monitor, all of the parts from Ultimarc have arrived and the monitor is pretty much mounted. Hopefully I'll get it all together in the next week or so... I'm still visualizing just how the hinged CP setup is gonna work.
I'm also gonna need to come up with a machine to power it, since my other machine is in the PolePos cab.
It would probably be done already, but I've been distracted my my new machines... a Judge Dredd pinball (fiddling with it CONSTANTLY) and a Golden Axe.
More pix to follow!
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Did you get the smoked plexi local, or order on the net?
I'm going to need a piece for a Dynamo cab. Seems like it should be something easy to find, but haven't been able to find locally. I know in other posts someone mentioned Menards carries it, but that chain is not around me.
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I got it locally, at a place called TAP Plastics. It was about $15 IIRC.