MAME Cabinets

[debian4life]

I am amazed at what people are charging for these systems. I was on Craigslist and saw one going for $2500. I have built these cabinets for friends and have never spent more the $300 - $750 dollars total on making these systems. That is with a computer and monitor in it also. I can do it for less if they just want to hookup there games systems to it without the PC.

I am curious would there be interest in posting on here of instructions or a thread dedicated to making of MAME cabinets? I am not trying to get people to buy from me either, these things are way to heavy to ship. I just want to try and find an alternative for people who want one without paying thousands of dollars.

Also as kind of a brag I am currently build a sit in racing simulator type cabinet, equipped with seat, steering, gas and brakes. Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated. AGAIN this is not a sales pitch just a suggestion for us to share ideas and creativity on making these cabinets.

Regards,

Brian

[XYXZYZ]

I'm working on another MAME job myself. I've built two others, and I usually put about $1,000.00 into it. But that's mostly because I spend about $400-700 on the cabinets. I know they can be had for less, but I have very limited options and have to be picky, and that comes at a premium.

I see lots of scratch built MAME machines which are fine pieces of work, but they all look like huge cabinets with 27" TVs, and a 4 player control panel with 436 buttons and 7 trackballs. And they're all black and blue, with really generic MAME artwork.

When I make a MAME machine, I want it to look like something I would have seen in an arcade- I like it to seem authentic. So I get a machine with a cabinet style I like, and go from there. And I like to put a lot of effort into the artwork; cabinet art is one of the things that attracted me to video games in the first place, as a little kid in the early 80s I often found the cartoons all over the cabinet more interesting than the game itself.

The artwork for my current project is finally starting to come together, once it's off to the printers it's time to focus on hardware.

[Trebuken]

http://www.arcadecab.com/

I was going to use this site when I am ready to make one for myself.

Any alternatives or options are always cool though. I think the only stopping point for me is what I want to do for the monitor?

I think another useful tool is how to 'best' configure the software. Do you use MameWah or simply Mame32? Do you configure the MAME Gui in any special way? How-about other emulators?

There are plenty of sites for this information but none of them are as thorough as they could be for a newb, nor do they cover many more complicated tasks (like using an actual arcade monitor) effectively.

[XYXZYZ]

http://www.arcadecab.com/

I was going to use this site when I am ready to make one for myself.

Any alternatives or options are always cool though. I think the only stopping point for me is what I want to do for the monitor?

I think another useful tool is how to 'best' configure the software. Do you use MameWah or simply Mame32? Do you configure the MAME Gui in any special way? How-about other emulators?

There are plenty of sites for this information but none of them are as thorough as they could be for a newb, nor do they cover many more complicated tasks (like using an actual arcade monitor) effectively.

This will be your most valuable link once you get your project started.

And the most favored frontends are MaLa and AtomicFE. The differences between the two are pretty subtle, and they both handle other emulators.

As far as your monitor, I think that depends on whether your going to use a real arcade cabinet, or make one. Also, do you plan to play actual arcade boards? You'd want an arcade monitor and a JPAC. If you just want to run a PC it'd probably be easier to use a PC monitor.

www.ultimarc.com has plenty of adapters and things, like the JPAC.

[NoahsMyBro]

For years I've thought about building myself a MAME cabinet from scratch. My thought is that I'd buy the necessary lumber, cut it to the right size/shape and assemble the cabinet, etc....

I plan on building several different control panels as well, with interchangeable plugs. I'd have one control panel that is an arcade-perfect match of that on Stargate (assuming it can be used on Defender as well, just ignoring the extra button). Another would have the classic Thrust/Fire/Rotate L/R /Hyperspace buttons.

There'd be one for Marble Madness.

And then, while I'm spending my lottery winnings, I'd build a control panel with a steering wheel for racing games.

I tend to procrastinate as well as anyone alive, though, and it might be years before I ever actually move on this.

I've always assumed that once I'm ready to get started, I'll be able to find what I need online.

BUT, I'd be very interested in a good, detailed and thorough guide as to how to build the MAME cabinet well.

So, to try and answer the OP's original question, yes, I'd be very interested.

[Blur2040]

The majority of MAME cabinets I see are horrible abominations containing PC monitors with giant bezels, hideous art, along with keyboard drawers and giant control panels filled with waaaay too many buttons. You can live without a trackball and a 4 button joystick and a spinner, really.

But when done right, MAME cabinets are an effective way to pay multiple arcade games in little space.

I still prefer the classic, single games...and it kills me to see one butchered and turned into MAME.

Long story short: Its a rarity to see a MAME cabinet done properly.

[FrakAttack]

When I make a MAME machine, I want it to look like something I would have seen in an arcade- I like it to seem authentic. So I get a machine with a cabinet style I like, and go from there. And I like to put a lot of effort into the artwork; cabinet art is one of the things that attracted me to video games in the first place, as a little kid in the early 80s I often found the cartoons all over the cabinet more interesting than the game itself.

Yeah, I don't really see the point of some of those eyesores taking up space. I'd rather have one dedicated cab that looks good than some monolith with *gasp!* 1000s of games.

[debian4life]

As far as software emulation it depends on what system that people want to emulate. If it is the more classic video game systems and computers of past, then I use the MESS emulator hands down. MESS emulates everything from the Timex Sinclair to the Vic 20, TI99/4a, Atari 2600/5200/7800, up to the NES/SNES and Jaguar and everything in between.

If it is for more modern systems such as the PS1 on up then Mame it is. The one nice thing about the MESS emulator is that it runs on DOS, Windows, Mac, or Linux. I can build a fast and inexpensive Linux machine that runs MESS rock solid or any of the other OS's if you don't mind paying for the operating system.

Regards,

Brian

[debian4life]

Building materials I prefer to use is MDF. It is inexpensive, easy to work with, durable, and you can do many finishing methods. You can stain, paint, or laminate it with ease. I also like using plexiglass for windows and etchings with LED lighting.

Regards,

Brian

[Life of Brian]

As far as software emulation it depends on what system that people want to emulate. If it is the more classic video game systems and computers of past, then I use the MESS emulator hands down. MESS emulates everything from the Timex Sinclair to the Vic 20, TI99/4a, Atari 2600/5200/7800, up to the NES/SNES and Jaguar and everything in between.

If it is for more modern systems such as the PS1 on up then Mame it is. The one nice thing about the MESS emulator is that it runs on DOS, Windows, Mac, or Linux. I can build a fast and inexpensive Linux machine that runs MESS rock solid or any of the other OS's if you don't mind paying for the operating system.

Regards,

Brian

That's some good information. I didn't know about that - it's research time!

I've always thought that building the cabinet was the best part about making one's own arcade machine. It's something that I've wanted to try for a long while now.

[InsaneDavid]

Here's my conversion. I ended up spending less than $150.00 for everything. Still need to cut myself a new monitor shroud to hide the inch or so I lost with the slightly smaller monitor. There are a couple videos here (from when it was living outside).

[Dreamc@sting]

Just my 2 cents, but if anyone has a friend or knows of anyone who works for a Namco arcade, IE Cyberstation or other...they have a master list of full systems for sale. When I worked there I picked up an old school Street Fighter II full arcade unit for $100 bucks. I re-sold it for $500 in the paper. Even if your not into the game, you can gut it out for the cab. I'm sure other Arcade chains may be similar!

[Trebuken]

This will be your most valuable link once you get your project started.

And the most favored frontends are MaLa and AtomicFE. The differences between the two are pretty subtle, and they both handle other emulators.

As far as your monitor, I think that depends on whether your going to use a real arcade cabinet, or make one. Also, do you plan to play actual arcade boards? You'd want an arcade monitor and a JPAC. If you just want to run a PC it'd probably be easier to use a PC monitor.

www.ultimarc.com has plenty of adapters and things, like the JPAC.

I presumed I would make one unless I got lucky to find one in good shape -- also because I wanted to go with a larger monitor 25" or so.

I think I'd primarily use if for MAME and PC emulators, but I do have a SuperGun collecting dust and an consolized MVS that I could utilize in any build.

What I considered is simply using a TV and then later swapping it out for the Arcade Monitor and JPAC.

I'll probably start this project sometime in the summer when my shed is a bit warmer...

[Greg2600]

For someone like me, who is completely terrible at woodworking, buying a pre-cut cabinet is the better choice. Especially if all I have to do is screw the blocks together. I see no reason that they shouldn't be selling those for a couple hundred dollars at the maximum. Does anybody sell a "bare" cabinet these days that isn't a ridiculous amount of money? By bare I mean all the wood, monitor bezel, perhaps a keyboard draw, and blank marque at the top with light. You can buy a nice wall unit at Target or whatever for less than $100. I'd then go about purchasing the arcade monitor and PC and artwork myself. For the controls, I'd probably buy the parts from the web and do it myself. I'm much better with electronics and wiring than carpentry. Even going that way, it won't cost you more than $1500 at the extreme, and most of these pre-made setups are twice that!

[jb143]

I noticed that software is set up pretty badly on peoples cabinets so I started posting a craigslist ad saying I'll help them out. I've been making arround $100 a month pretty steadily for a while now doing software setups on peoples cabs. I use Mamewah since it completely hides windows and lets you seamlessly integrate console emulators. It's a pain to set up and learn initially but once you get past that it's actually pretty straight forward. And extremly customizable.

It's also been nice to meet people with similar interests and get ideas for my own cabinet.

Here's the link if anyones interested in seeing it...
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/sys/582775525.html

The reason that people pay so much is that many people have neither the skills/tools/ or time to build one themselfs. If it's a nicely built cabinet with a cool looking user friendly interface you can easily sell it for over $2000

[telengard]

I am amazed at what people are charging for these systems. I was on Craigslist and saw one going for $2500. I have built these cabinets for friends and have never spent more the $300 - $750 dollars total on making these systems. That is with a computer and monitor in it also. I can do it for less if they just want to hookup there games systems to it without the PC.

It really depends on the cabinet. A vanilla one for $2500 is way too much money but I have pretty close to that invested in mine. A basic one for $300-$750 sounds OK though.

~telengard

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

While I'm far from an expert in terms of MAME builds (only one to my name) ...

The more I learn about well-designed, well-built MAME setups, the more I think that the best plan of action is multi-game based on similar control setup.

For example, if you look at InsaneDavid's Pole Position cabinet, he has a great selection of games that use a free-spinning-wheel control setup ... not JUST driving games either. Arkanoid and Plump Pop are present on the startup list.

While there's certainly room on most large panel setups for a trackball or a spinner between the two joystick setups ... I agree that an abundance of control options on one panel doesn't really accommodate a "better" cabinet.

And, some games, no matter how you tweak them, simply don't play as well with an "alternative" control setup. (ie. Outrun, Paperboy, Star Wars Arcade, or Road Blasters just don't cut it play-wise using a standard joystick, a trackball, or anything other than their respective steering wheels / flight yoke) Yeah ... you can put the games on your cabinet's game list ... and people will be happy to see them there ... but they're really not going to be able to play, enjoy or truly experience them the way they were meant to be.

While certainly not a practical practice for most MAME builders looking to get thousands of games in their cabinets ... I think that they should take the time to consider building Joystick cab setups for Joystick games, Wheel, Shifter and Pedal cab setups for driving/spinner games, Flight Yoke setups for games that used those ... and so on and so forth.

Plus, you rarely find full-on wheels or yokes on most MAME cabinets anyway.