Is Making your own Arcade Machine Worth it?

[Bells]

I've been dancing around this idea for at least 3 years now. I always wanted to have an Arcade cabinet. But those are expensive and a bitch to acquire since hardly ever these can be shipped around... and when they are, that's also expensive like butt.

But i've been on a binge of manual projects lately and i've been flirting with this idea... i've seen tutorials and videos online but mostly the focus on the actual building of the Cabinet and a bit less (sometimes none at all) on the fundamentals or the mechanical parts of it.

What i had in mind was making a 2 player (maybe even 4... dunno) MaMe Arcade to have in my house. As it seems right now the most costly parts are making the cabinet itself and the screen.

It's essentially a dedicated PC just for Mame emulation and everything else is improved design to make it look more "arcady" ...arcadish...? Arcanadian?

Since a good PC capable of running all Mame Roms is not something expensive to make... i'm considering it for the near future.

So, picking up ideas... sharing thoughts with you guys, the more Artsy inclined forum members and the more Engineering inclined too... do you see this as a worthy project? Give me some perspective here...

[Nikose Tyris]

Depends on what your general funds are planned for it. It's a decently fun project! I've wanted to do one for a few years now too, and I've put together the hardware plans a few times. [Self-made 360 fightpads for the controls are really cheap; 360 driver install on the MAME Machine inside was even easier.]

The only part I didn't plan out at all was the coin slot, and if I should include it or not.

As to worth it, the value of the project needs to be figured out by you! Will you take enough satisfaction in the building of it? Will you have friends over to play it with you? Or will it just be a corner decoration?

[Sky Warrior Bob]

I will tell you from experience, a project tends to be more fun the ultimate result. I can't say it's exactly equivalent, but I built a MST3k puppet of Timmy (Crow, but in metallic grey), I really enjoyed making him, but afterwards haven't done much with him.

So while I have no doubt you'll really enjoy making this cabinet, ask yourself to consider it long term. You've already outlined some drawbacks & it seems like you are asking us to talk you into this.

I think you should ask yourself if you're just looking for a project, or if you really want this. Because, if you're just looking for a project, then maybe you might want to look into something that won't take up as much room as a game cabinet. If you want this, then more power to you, and good luck.

Found this
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/fea...cabinet_old_pc

[rpgdemon]

Well, my uncle made a sweet MAME cabinet, which he ended up giving away, because he got tired of it, eventually. Keep that in mind, that having a bunch of arcade games all there, constantly, isn't always going to be novel.

As the person to whom it was given, it's a bunch of fun still.

SUGGESTIONS: Don't use cheap buttons or anything. Spring for the actual arcade sticks. The machine my uncle built, it had all arcade buttons and sticks, minus one of them which was a computer joystick, which ended up needing replacement.

I'm not sure how you plan on doing the screen, but you can do it pretty cheap with a CRT. But, if it does not fit, reshaping it can be lethal, so do not do so. There's a... Capacitor(?) in the back that has a significant charge. LIKE SERIOUSLY, IF ANYONE DOES THIS, IT CAN BE LETHAL IF YOU TOUCH IT. DO NOT RESHAPE THE CRT..

[Bells]

Thanks y'all !! this is actually great help... i don't know if i'll finally jump into this or not, but i'm sure as hell looking into it.

My original idea was to make a simple PC and use some USB Arcade sticks,which i might substitute the buttons and stick with better arcade ones keeping the wiring and system instead of building it from scratch for the sake of simplicity to the design and to cut costs.

It's likely to be a novelty for when we have visits or my friends come over... i would surely use it from time to time, but it's also pretty much just a cool project...

[Nikose Tyris]

Originally Posted by rpgdemon

I'm not sure how you plan on doing the screen, but you can do it pretty cheap with a CRT that you pull the back half off of (Be VERY careful not to get electrocuted: There's a... Capacitor(?) in the back that has a significant charge), and angle properly. The reason you have to pull the back half off of it is because it just won't fit if you don't.

nononononononononononnononononononononononono

no do not do this part

no.

Monitors will fucking kill you. No word of a lie no room for joking, do not fuck with monitors if you do not know what you are doing. Lying dormant in a closet for two months, unplugged, they STILL carry enough kick to murder you.

If you must use a CRT, get one that's designed for it, build for space in the cabinet [you CAN leave the monitor together if you go for a cheaper blue VGA CRT Monitor] or if you're okay with the image looking a clear and not as 'memorabilia' you can use an LCD flat panel monitor. But you should not be ripping the back off a monitor to fuck with it whatsoever without explicit knowledge of what you're doing.

Bells you are constantly surprising me with your competency but please do not make this the part where you disappoint me.

[Doc ock rokc]

Originally Posted by Nikose Tyris

nononononononononononnononononononononononono

no do not do this part

no.

Monitors will fucking kill you. No word of a lie no room for joking, do not fuck with monitors if you do not know what you are doing. Lying dormant in a closet for two months, unplugged, they STILL carry enough kick to murder you.

Yeah man old CRT monitors have more bite then all the rest. DO NOT mess with these unless you really really know what your doing. otherwise treat these the same way you would treat radioactive materials and LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS.

[Bells]

as i read this i can look over my shoulder and see from the window in my room the storage we have in the back of the house where i know we have not one, but two perfectly fine CRT PC Monitors (15'' i belive). So, yeah... the desire to go full on Geek up in thsi bitch an make a Dual screen thing is in here... However!...

Bells you are constantly surprising me with your competency but please do not make this the part where you disappoint me.

You flatter me sir! But you're also 100% Right, i would absolutely kill myself by fussing around with this stuff... not because i'm inept or anything, just cause ... well... let's just say i learned how to use the Hot Glue Gun by trial and error...

So i'm totally fine with a LCD Screen... elss heat. less energy consumption, bigger life time, easier management, less murderability ... i can totally sacrifice some scanlines for that.

Just to illustrate the geek level in here, i was even considering ditching the screen alltogether and using a cheap Projector as the "Image out" device... i mean, they cost a bit more than a regular 20''~29'' lcd monitor... but on the other hand it's awesome and can give me a freaking 42'' screen... but would be somewhat useless during the day.

[Sky Warrior Bob]

Bells, did you visit this link yet? I linked to it earlier in the thread, but didn't call attention to it.

But from the article, they too suggested to be wary of an old CRT. From the pictures of LCD use, it seems the better way to go.

[Bells]

actually yes, yes i did, thank you! Actually that link with the pictures of the Cocktail table that gave me the idea of using a projector. Would allow me to have a 4 Player cabinet that is fairly compact while still having a screen ranging from 20'' to 80''... although i'm not sure if that's the way to go.

Maybe i'll just make it a 2 player cabinet, that would be cool enough already... the advantage of being a mame arcade is that i can easily use an old pc to have Video Out functions and Plug-n-play any screen i want... so i wanna explore that possibility while still retaining an "arcade" feel.