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Raedon

10-27-2009, 02:15 PM

I just bought my first house (1800 sq. ft. brick 3br 2bath 2 car on 2 acres) and even with just me living there (single) I still don't have much room for more then just a few arcade titles.

Should I just MAME arcade a cabby or go with real games? I want a Tempest but that is the only classic I MUST have. My space limits me to about 4 standups without falling into the "horde collector" slot ... which may still happen. :)

portnoyd

10-27-2009, 02:25 PM

Go for a 38-in-1 or 60-in-1. I've been happy with ours.

Raedon

10-27-2009, 02:54 PM

Go for a 38-in-1 or 60-in-1. I've been happy with ours.

? A what? I'm new to the Arcade scene.

animesuperj

10-27-2009, 03:05 PM

60 in 1 Board (http://www.jammaboards.com/store/60-in-1-multigame-pcb/prod_212.html)

They're basically one board that contains 60 games, or 38 games. I've seen the 48's as well, and I believe they have higher numbers as well. They're nice because you can use computer parts in them (monitor, power supply), so it cuts down on the cost a bit. It also save a lot of space having all of them in one cabinet.

I've looked into these as well, and need to get around to building one. Probably going to be my winter project.

Raedon

10-27-2009, 03:05 PM

TheDomesticInstitution

10-27-2009, 04:11 PM

I've currently been putting in long hours to restore this, and put a multi board in it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mhanlen1/sets/72157622516605766/

The route I plan on going is the multiboard 48in1 for $75. It's a little easier than Mame, especially if you have a JAMMA Wired cabinet. Pull out the old board and swap one in.

Any XXin1 board is basically a dedicated MAME mini computer. Most of the games are emulated pretty well. I only have room for 3 or 4 machines myself, so it makes sense to get an all in one solution.

But MAME is updateable and configurable ways that multiboards are not. They make video cards so your computer outputs a signal that's compatible with most arcade monitors... or you can always take the easy approach and put in a TV or Computer Monitor. That way powering everything is a breeze-plug it all into a powerstrip and you're off.

That said, very few multi boards are a substitute for a real machine. There's always subtle differences in controls and visuals, that for some are unacceptable. But be warned though, you'll need to be comfortable with repairing dedicated machines because they do break. Being able to solder is a paramount skill if you want to be able to own and maintain your machines.

Anyway... if you only have room for 3 machines... I'd go MAME/multi on one, and get the other 2 dedicated. If your serious about branching out into this arm of the hobby I recommend signing up over at KLOV.com's message boards to begin learning about dedicated machines. And for MAME/Multi/DIY cabs BYOAC.com is the place to be.

Ed Oscuro

10-27-2009, 11:42 PM

The SuperGun route has been an incredible pain in the butt (expensive to boot) but one cabinet should handle lots of games pretty well. I don't think I have anything a classic cab wouldn't handle just fine, and a Nichibutsu -> JAMMA adapter would work well for a couple games I'd like to pick up sometime.

MAME is really pretty decent for many things, plus you don't need specialized equipment or need to fiddle around with things for long to get a decent picture out of even an LCD. I don't even think input lag is a significant problem, with most games, even for competitive play.

Goblin

10-29-2009, 08:58 PM

googled it. Looks pretty sweet. They even have a 1069-in-1 board. But it still looks like I'll need to convert a cabby and I have several old PCs (a P4 and a couple of AMD XP 3000+ boards) that can run MAME. My thoughts were why buy equipment when I can just use some old PCs I have sitting in storage?

I have to say that I have a 1069-in-1 and love it. Before I went that route I used an old PC, bought a J-PAC interface to attach to the JAMMA harness, and configured my own. The end result was less than impressive, I tried a number of frontends and none were what I wanted. Then I had to make sure I had compatible ROMs, it was all just a tremendous hassle. The 1069-in-1 is a dedicated computer, but it comes already set up. It took 5 minutes to install and then I was up for the rest of the night playing. That convenience was worth paying for. I have not had any problems with mine, nor have I noticed any games not playing correctly. Check around on some of the arcade forums as they can be bought new for less than some of the websites charge.

Gercman_

10-30-2009, 01:29 PM

i'm with mame, but i'm having several problems with maximus arcade, the biggest one i have is the arcade monitor, it looks terrible awful :(
if you can go with xx-in one you will save a lot of problems, i want one but i'm from argentina, and it can cost me a lot to buy it, usually, i have to pay 50% of tax :(

cityside75

10-30-2009, 02:08 PM

I have to say that I have a 1069-in-1 and love it. Before I went that route I used an old PC, bought a J-PAC interface to attach to the JAMMA harness, and configured my own. The end result was less than impressive, I tried a number of frontends and none were what I wanted. Then I had to make sure I had compatible ROMs, it was all just a tremendous hassle. The 1069-in-1 is a dedicated computer, but it comes already set up. It took 5 minutes to install and then I was up for the rest of the night playing. That convenience was worth paying for. I have not had any problems with mine, nor have I noticed any games not playing correctly. Check around on some of the arcade forums as they can be bought new for less than some of the websites charge.

Seconded - I've had mine for about a year and love it. It is pretty much plug and play with a standard Jamma cabinet, but if you are the tinkering type it has a lot of hidden potential too. I found that mine played old games great, but newer games (Mortal Kombat games, NBA Jam, etc) were slow and choppy. I was able to replace the crappy Celeron processor with a P4 that got everything up to speed. If you really want to dig in, you can add additional roms to the system as well - I'm up to over 1100 games on mine now, but be warned, the process is very tricky. I found http://www.xxxx-in-1.com/ to be an invaluable tool.

I'm in a similar position to OP, I have limited space for my arcade games. I'd suggest looking for dedicated cabs for the games that don't emulate well (vector games, special controls) and convert a cheap Jamma cab into a 1069-in-1 for everything else.

Raedon

10-31-2009, 12:51 PM

Hmm. Well I will say I've never seen a quality front-end for MAME that I liked. Guess I should do research into JAMMA before I go much farther with this though.

TheDomesticInstitution

10-31-2009, 01:54 PM

I just ordered a 60in1 board for my machine last night. In a week or so I should be able to spend some time with the unit and see how well it compares to the real thing. Maybe I'll post a thread about it or something.

gamesboro

11-25-2009, 12:37 PM

I have a 60 in 1 as well, its my favorite machine. I overhauled an almost completely destroyed Ms. Pac cab for the project, put in a new monitor, replaced the glass overlay with a plexiglass one, new marquee, new control panel. Repainted the entire thing, added white T-molding, and installed a kick plate. Except for some rust on the coin door you would think she was brand new.

Flack

11-25-2009, 10:04 PM

Hmm. Well I will say I've never seen a quality front-end for MAME that I liked. Guess I should do research into JAMMA before I go much farther with this though.

If you want a working JAMMA cabinet let me know, maybe we can meet somewhere in the middle. The market is shit right now, I tried selling a couple of working JAMMA games for $150 and got no reasonable offers.

Ed Oscuro

11-25-2009, 10:07 PM

TripppsK

11-26-2009, 07:52 PM

If you have money and room to spare go with an arcade. If not, Mame or a xx in 1 board is the way to go. I love Maming older cabinets (not classics of course), it's a great hobby and I always want to do something new to make it better. Good luck with whatever way you go.

Flack

11-26-2009, 09:30 PM

Which games? $150 for JAMMA would net me some pretty awesome sought-after games. I would say maybe 2 or more common Sega JAMMA games, or one rarity. The market for JAMMA-era PCBs seems pretty decent - in fact I'm seeing some games going up in price (although once again anything with a decent run often goes for laughably low prices). Just like the pre-crash classics, a lot of JAMMA games simply aren't enough in demand to have their price go way up yet.

I put my Bucky O'Hare and Robocop cabinets up for $150 each and my Centipede for $300 and the best offer I got was, "Would you trade for an Internet-ready computer?", which usually means "PIII".

On my local Craigslist, 48-in-1 cabs sell for anywhere from $600-$1,000, depending on what the cabinet looks like. The sad fact of the matter is, if I want to make any money I should convert all my dedicated machines to 48-in-1 machines and sell them that way. With Christmas approaching, it's probably not a bad idea.

TheDomesticInstitution

11-26-2009, 09:46 PM

On my local Craigslist, 48-in-1 cabs sell for anywhere from $600-$1,000, depending on what the cabinet looks like. The sad fact of the matter is, if I want to make any money I should convert all my dedicated machines to 48-in-1 machines and sell them that way. With Christmas approaching, it's probably not a bad idea.

I have a solid but hacked-to-fuck cab I plan on trying this with after I finish up my current project.

It's a sad fact, but trying to restore converted cabs back to their original state is costly and time consuming. You'll never ever be able to recoup costs out of 90% of games. While I don't like it when people take a perfectly good cab and multi it, I'll never blame anyone for multi-ing an already converted machine for some money.

I kinda went off on a tangent, oops. But I guess I just wanted to say that I'll be attempting this very thing for a profit sometime next year.

SegaAges

11-26-2009, 10:55 PM

I am currently pretty new myself to arcade machines, but I will say that there is just something awesome about having the original board.

The only problem that you will run into is when you have problems with your cab. That is what I am running into (hence the thread I made), and I feel like a chicken with my head cut off for some of this stuff since I fell very new to all of this.

If you can find a good, efficient way to do this, go for any cab.

TheDomesticInstitution

11-26-2009, 11:16 PM

I am currently pretty new myself to arcade machines, but I will say that there is just something awesome about having the original board.

I completely agree. A few weeks ago we had a big get-together at the house, and my current project was in the barn/garage. I had the multiboard version of 1943 and the original PCB. The machine got quite a bit of play, and 1943 was a popular choice for the party goers. Quite a few times we put the original board back in the machine, because it played better and had better sound than the emulated multi-board version. If space wasn't an issue, then I wouldn't have a multi-board.

The only problem that you will run into is when you have problems with your cab. That is what I am running into (hence the thread I made), and I feel like a chicken with my head cut off for some of this stuff since I fell very new to all of this.

The more I learn about this hobby, the more I'm beginning to understand this is just something you have to live with. As someone who owns and plays console games more than arcade machines, I'm used to having my games work right 95% of the time. So it's kind of hard for me to get over the fact, that machines do break, and some may never work 100%. Unless you are an experienced repair tech or have the money to pay someone to fix your machines when they act up, it's something you need to get used too.

Reading this thread will hopefully make it a little easier to accept the reliability differences between arcade games and console games.

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=111817

SegaAges

11-26-2009, 11:45 PM

I completely agree. A few weeks ago we had a big get-together at the house, and my current project was in the barn/garage. I had the multiboard version of 1943 and the original PCB. The machine got quite a bit of play, and 1943 was a popular choice for the party goers. Quite a few times we put the original board back in the machine, because it played better and had better sound than the emulated multi-board version. If space wasn't an issue, then I wouldn't have a multi-board.

The more I learn about this hobby, the more I'm beginning to understand this is just something you have to live with. As someone who owns and plays console games more than arcade machines, I'm used to having my games work right 95% of the time. So it's kind of hard for me to get over the fact, that machines do break, and some may never work 100%. Unless you are an experienced repair tech or have the money to pay someone to fix your machines when they act up, it's something you need to get used too.

Reading this thread will hopefully make it a little easier to accept the reliability differences between arcade games and console games.

http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=111817

Yes, you are definitely correct.

They go out. Problems happen. I will say though, having an actual machine and having it break, you learn so much from it.

Before my monitor started giving me problems, I knew nothing about multimeters, soldering, cold solder joints, schematics, any of it.

I am still no expert, but I will suggest getting a real one because if a problem comes up, yes it will suck, but learning how to fix it yourself, you will learn alot. I am no expert, I am a self proclaimed newbie with arcades, but I have learned enough already to make me doing it myself all worth it.

My personal suggestion would be to do what I did, get a cheap cab for 100-300, get it jamma compatible, and get some jamma boards. If you get a problem, learn how to do it. Sure I am asking dudes here on DP for every single step in the process, but I am fine with that (and from their help, they seem to be fine with it as well).

TheDomesticInstitution

11-27-2009, 01:20 AM

Yes, you are definitely correct.

They go out. Problems happen. I will say though, having an actual machine and having it break, you learn so much from it.

Before my monitor started giving me problems, I knew nothing about multimeters, soldering, cold solder joints, schematics, any of it.

Me too, I've only been in it since May and I've already learned a lot. In fact before getting a machine I had never soldered or used a multimeter either.

I still suck at troubleshooting. I don't have a lot of spare parts handy so I don't have the luxury of swapping out major parts to try and track down what's causing a certain problem. That and I still don't fully understand the various modes of a multimeter or how to test certain components. I've read some on it, but there's a lot to take in.

I have to remember, "Baby Steps."

phreak97

12-02-2009, 06:28 AM

I'm a purist, I think that unless a cabinet was built without a game in mind (there are lots of generic cabinets here in australia, I have two) then it should have it's original game in it for life.

a dedicab should stay a dedicab, or else youre ruining a part of arcade history.

Tell me you have less room than I do, I dare you:)

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z234/phreak97/th_02122009030.jpg (http://s189.photobucket.com/albums/z234/phreak97/?action=view&current=02122009030.flv)

That room is 8'8"x10'6", I just measured it.

Moon Jump

12-05-2009, 01:17 AM

phreak97

12-05-2009, 06:17 AM

If you got the room, go real. If you don't MAME it up. But just don't ruin a perfectly good machine. I've seen way too many horrible jobs done on machines that could have been fixed but they just throw a cheap PC screen and top it off with an ugly X-Arcade Tank Stick and think it's the greatest thing.

it's true, most mame cabs come out horrible. but it is perfectly possible to build a mame cabinet which you could put in public with a game running and have nobody realise it isnt real.

dont do a frankenstein cabinet, choose one type of game (shooting, trackball, joystick, whatever) and make it only for that control scheme. a control panel with 349534958345 buttons and crap hanging off it is never a pretty thing.

my playchoice cabinet I built up myself out of a ratty generic cab with most of its guts stripped out. Theres no reason why I couldnt have put a however many in 1 or a mame box in that cab and have it look the same.

Ed Oscuro

12-05-2009, 03:31 PM

It's also possible to add a MAME board that uses a JAMMA interface so you can swap in regular JAMMA boards as needed.

cyberfluxor

12-06-2009, 07:53 PM

Find a nice JAMMA machine that isn't dedicated and collect some boards for swapping. Also a Neo-Geo MVS is a good choice especially if you enjoy fighters!

My opinion is MAME is nice, but for the PC at a desk. I don't care for it in a cabinet, but that's me. I've seen it done real well and it's cool but just not what I'd be interested at doing. Original boards and parts in a machine is a wonderful thing to have. Multiboards are a meeting in the middle.

phreak97

12-07-2009, 01:40 AM

Raedon

12-12-2009, 07:25 AM

Cool. I've only seen two MAME machines and one was a tabletop and both were made only for classics.

I need to get my game room looking classic, stack all my games up, throw my consoles onto shelves then see how much room I've got left. I've got plenty of room if I keep my Computer room and game room separate. Could always throw a cabby in the utility room. Someone designed it with enough room for 2 sets of washers and dryers.