Anybody here with an arcade cabinet?

[shock_]

I'm in the process at the moment (have been for the past eight months or so) of building from scratch a cocktail table for various emulators. Having no wood or metalworking experience beyond grade 8 has been downright crippling - but the beast nears completion anyway. I can't wait to get to the wiring and PC installation stage, where at least I am on familiar ground.

Since I'm too lazy to post up much info here, I'll just link to the thread on the Build Your Own Arcade Controls (BYOAC) forum.

Anybody else ever done something like this, or own your own cabinets / pinballs?

[Rog69]

I have my own built from scratch Mame cab too. I built it around 6 years ago now. I used to be an arcade machine engineer and I managed to get a proper coin door and a nice big 21 inch screen from a scrap quiz machine thanks to my old boss. I bought all my controls from a supplier in the UK and wired them all in through an Ipac to and old 1ghz Athlon. If I was starting from scratch now though, I would probably build one based on a Jamma cab instead, building from scratch was fun but it took me forever to finish it.
I just built a new desktop PC so my old system is heading for the Mame cab to give it a much needed upgrade, so hopefully it will be able to play some of the more recent games (although it plays all the classics I want it to right now).
I would love to see your cocktail machine when it's done

[YZ250]

Yep got an arcade machine running mame with jamma connections and a couple of original boards. Getting the screen repaired at the moment.
It has 2 joysticks and 3 buttons per player, which is limiting as some games require as we know 5

[hwk]

My friend and I originally built an upright machine from scratch just running mame. It suffered from trying to be all things to everyone, but it still gets used very often.

(Bigger web page here about it here : MAME)


The cocktail is rather more.. umm... focussed. It's thin-ish (using an LCD monitor), specifically only runs two-button games, and 90% of them are vertical. It's made of jarrah and is meant to be like a piece of furniture. I wasn't trying to recreate memories of old, so it's not bound by the classic designs. It's what I think a game machine would be if it was made today. (Although.. only with two buttons and vertical games lol!)



No web page for this one.. been too lazy.
Biggie images here if you're interested:
http://ozducati.freeshell.org/images...DSC00058.1.jpg
http://ozducati.freeshell.org/images...DSC00035.1.jpg
http://ozducati.freeshell.org/images...DSC00033.2.jpg
http://ozducati.freeshell.org/images...DSC00030.1.jpg

Now.. if only I could make a decent pinball machine!!

[YZ250]

HWK nice work m8.

Just a note guys I run a program In my Arcade machine called Arcade Jukebox works when you arent playing games , screen comes up like a big Wurlitzer juke Box, you install Mp3's into the folder of the program. The songs appear on the screen scroll down with the joystick and hit fire to play the song, you can hit a few in succession and it will play them in that order. Adds another element to the machine. Free program also

[norfolknchance]

Similar set up to YZ as well and can recommend the arcade jukebox thing - keeps the kids amused for a while 'til they find tunes that their 7 and 4 year old ears aren't meant to be singing along to.

Also have a Jamma cab set up with a 26 inch screen for about 2 years now - picked up from local amusement hiring business and linked up an old pc via jpac connector - two joysticks five buttons per player and works just great.

next idea is to add a spinner and/or trackball when I get a chance - be good to play 'missle command' and 'arkenoid' again !

[arcadegamefreak]

I own a few arcade games.Centipede cocktail,Galaxian cocktail,Burgertime upright,Stargate upright,and a JAMMA cab with a modded Xbox inside.

[fatherosam]

the current issue of atomic has a standup cabinet build for MAME going. I think the tabletop would be better though.

hmmm maybe next project

[YZ250]

Gday FOS, Sit down or stand up its a personal choice I guess. Mines full upright and we have 2 Bar stools in front of it ( lazy bugger ) and I still havent rigged up somewhere to hold my beer as yet.

Just a side note for those wanting to build their own.
When you have your plans worked out and are building in custom board etc.
Take them to your local Industrial Laser Cutter, most people dont realise Industrial Lasers dont just cut Metal, they cut wood and acrylics also.

Give them the plans, they will program it, provide the wood and viola all cut to size, no wastage and no mistakes.

[Rog69]

I made my cab so that there is nowhere to put drinks by design after the hours I spent when I was an engineer stripping out and cleaning sticky buttons and other controls that were gooped up with beer and god only knows what