New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

The RED HORSE Arcade

post #1 of 29
8/12/08 at 5:54am
Thread Starter 
Well work has begun on my new MAME machine. It has actually progressed to the point where it is functional already and I hadn't even started a thread yet. I am making this machine USAF theme, but in a red tint versus blue since there are so many blue colored MAME machines out there.

Here is a pic of the control panel. It text over an image printed on translucent mylar. The whole panel was drawn in Autocad and printed out. 3 joysticks currently but the center may one day be replaced with a trackball.



Here is the cabinet mostly framed up. All the the sheet wood is 3/4" MDF and I will tell you this thing is freaking heavy. The monitor shelf is 3/4 ply for extra strength.



And here is the cabinet with the monitor installed. I went with a 20" Dell monitor since it was free but I have room for a 27" TV turned on its side for a future upgrade. The monitor bezel is 1/2" MDF and will be trimmed out for a flush fit to the monitor glass. I will have 1/4" lexan over the whole screen area eventually.

.

It's alive!!!!! So in just a couple weekends of work I went from parts to a fully functional cabinet.



The only things I bought so far are the cabinet materials, the control panel parts, and the frontend software. Everything else is a hand me down from people I know or old parts I already had.

I have over 7000 games installed right now but not all of them work. I need to spend some time going through them and cleaning them up to remove those that don't work or I will never play.

I am using Maximus Arcade as my front end software. It was extremely easy to set up and my 5yo daughter has her own favorites list that she can load easily with the push of a button so she can play without my help with no problem.

I still need to finish the edge molding around the cabinet, install a keyboard tray, do the marquee above the screen and paint/add graphics. Almost there.

John
Reply
Reply

AVS Top Picks

post #2 of 29
8/12/08 at 5:25pm
that's really nice! I tried downloading mame, but I can't run it for some reason. What do I need to run it?
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 29
8/12/08 at 7:24pm
Holy Shiet! That thing is cool!
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 29
8/12/08 at 7:38pm
mame is the bomb, 5000 games...oh snap. i want cocktail table.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 29
8/13/08 at 4:50am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiskey > work View Post

that's really nice! I tried downloading mame, but I can't run it for some reason. What do I need to run it?

Whiskey,

Which MAME version did you download? There is MAME and MAMEUI. I recommend MAMEUI32. Remember MAME is just an emulator. You still need the game ROMs to make it all work. If you have some ROMS already you place them in the ROMS directory under your MAME installation and run MAME. It will search for ROMS and if it finds any in the folder it will list them. You can then select them and play the game. It is a little more complicated than that but you get the basic method.

You can also use what is called a frontend to run the games, which is how I recommend it is done as do most folks. I am using Maximus Arcade ($25) but there are free ones out there (Mamewah and MaLa come to mind). The front end loads MAME (or one of the other emulators out there) and gives you a ton of control over how games are selected, makes most played and favorites lists, and really gives you an interactive method of selecting games.

I learned everything i needed in less than 2 days at the following location,

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php#1

TONS of information there from constructing a cabinets to software. It is a lot of information but if you can build an HT you can build a MAME cabinet in a LOT less time LOL

John
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 29
8/13/08 at 4:54am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Netko350Z View Post

Holy Shiet! That thing is cool!

Netko,

You have room for one of these next to that bar of yours. Near the stairs or somewhere else I am sure. BYW, your bar is probably my favorite of all on here.

John
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 29
8/13/08 at 10:06am
thanks john. I'm going to try and get it going later. There was this awesome trackball I saw for like a hundred bucks and this game they recommend called shuffleshot. I have a dream!
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 29
8/13/08 at 10:15am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiskey > work View Post

thanks john. I'm going to try and get it going later. There was this awesome trackball I saw for like a hundred bucks and this game they recommend called shuffleshot. I have a dream!

Have not heard of the game Shuffleshot. As far as trackballs are concerned I recommend the either the Happ 3" trackball or the 3" Electric Ice-T trackball from Groovy Game Gear, which is USB, so you should not need any additional gear for the one from GGG, whereas the one from Happ would require an interface like the Ultimarc Opti-Pac I believe. Don't quote me on this though since I really have not researched the trackballs yet.

John
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 29
8/13/08 at 2:38pm
this is shuffleshot
http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9535
supposed to be great
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 29
8/13/08 at 2:51pm
ok, got it going, now need some roms. Shuffleshot was meh, need trackball. Need golden tee too, but need trackball
edit: what about this one?
http://www.arcadecab.com/Store/Trackball_Details.htm
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 29
8/14/08 at 6:37am
John, not to thread hijack, but can you recommend a good site to get roms? I mean like a big bulk order of them, not just one rom. I'm thinking of using your ideas for the mame cabinet and making a small barcade unit with just the trackball unit that I posted up above. It will use a westinghouse 22" monitor from tiger direct, be slim, and I'm hoping to load mp3's on it with a touch screen jukebox. Am I overly ambitious here? That's a lot, but it could be kind of cool. What do you think?
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 29
8/14/08 at 6:45am
Thread Starter 
Whiskey,

PM sent.

Ambitious? Yes. But that is why we do it. Sounds like a bit of work ahead of you.

John
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 29
8/31/08 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by John Martin View Post

Well work has begun on my new MAME machine. It has actually progressed to the point where it is functional already and I hadn't even started a thread yet. I am making this machine USAF theme, but in a red tint versus blue since there are so many blue colored MAME machines out there.

Here is a pic of the control panel. It text over an image printed on translucent mylar. The whole panel was drawn in Autocad and printed out. 3 joysticks currently but the center may one day be replaced with a trackball.



Here is the cabinet mostly framed up. All the the sheet wood is 3/4" MDF and I will tell you this thing is freaking heavy. The monitor shelf is 3/4 ply for extra strength.



And here is the cabinet with the monitor installed. I went with a 20" Dell monitor since it was free but I have room for a 27" TV turned on its side for a future upgrade. The monitor bezel is 1/2" MDF and will be trimmed out for a flush fit to the monitor glass. I will have 1/4" lexan over the whole screen area eventually.

.

It's alive!!!!! So in just a couple weekends of work I went from parts to a fully functional cabinet.



The only things I bought so far are the cabinet materials, the control panel parts, and the frontend software. Everything else is a hand me down from people I know or old parts I already had.

I have over 7000 games installed right now but not all of them work. I need to spend some time going through them and cleaning them up to remove those that don't work or I will never play.

I am using Maximus Arcade as my front end software. It was extremely easy to set up and my 5yo daughter has her own favorites list that she can load easily with the push of a button so she can play without my help with no problem.

I still need to finish the edge molding around the cabinet, install a keyboard tray, do the marquee above the screen and paint/add graphics. Almost there.

John

You might want to check the bestbuy circular this week. There's 2 cheap 26 inch flatscreens in there for cheap money. I checked em out today, can't remember the brands might be dynex or something but it would take that thing into the stratosphere
Reply
Reply
post #14 of 29
9/1/08 at 7:28am
Looks like a really nice mame project!

Whiskey, you might want to get the full romsets from a mame burning service.
Usually you pay less than $20 to get a bunch of DVDs full of roms shipped to your house.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 29
9/1/08 at 10:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cameron View Post

Looks like a really nice mame project!

Whiskey, you might want to get the full romsets from a mame burning service.
Usually you pay less than $20 to get a bunch of DVDs full of roms shipped to your house.

yeah, John sent me the link, that's definitely the route I'm gonna take. I am pricing things out right now, and like I said the tv's at bestbuy (flat screen LCD's) for about 400 would work great! There's a premade cabinet kit I"ve seen, I think someone else may have used it on here. Seems pretty decent at about 600 bucks that includes the 4 player control (no buttons). I want a 4 player setup, similar to Nick Buol's nasty setup here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...highlight=mame
I've learned tons on here, just have to square away some things first, then it's on
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 29
9/1/08 at 5:04pm
Yeah I have yet to make a 4 player machine. The one on the link looks great. It would be fun to do a four player Gauntlet campaign. I'm not sure if it would be as fun as in the old days shoveling in quarters, but that sounds pretty cool anyways. It seems like there are a few fighters that are 4 player too. Hmmm what else?
Reply
Reply
post #17 of 29
9/3/08 at 8:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cameron View Post

Yeah I have yet to make a 4 player machine. The one on the link looks great. It would be fun to do a four player Gauntlet campaign. I'm not sure if it would be as fun as in the old days shoveling in quarters, but that sounds pretty cool anyways. It seems like there are a few fighters that are 4 player too. Hmmm what else?


well that's a good point...what else is there. Blitz, NBA Jam would be killer. Maybe it is overkill, who knows
Reply
Reply
post #18 of 29
9/3/08 at 9:45pm
Overkill is always good.
Reply
Reply
post #19 of 29
9/4/08 at 7:17am
yes and it's always good to be prepared. A 4 player gauntlet or nba jam tourney would make all the pain go away
Reply
Reply
post #20 of 29
9/4/08 at 8:47am
There ya go.

OK there is also a 4 player X-men
Two player smash TV

Also there are 4 player games available on the SNES and PSX emulators too.
Reply
Reply
post #21 of 29
9/4/08 at 9:17am
that rom list from the link John sent me is rediculous. It has like every game ever created up to a certain point of course. If you're gonna spring 25 bucks on the disc, you might just as well have all the controls to go along with them. Even the light gun games, there's tons of those too! So, that being said, the mame unit I have in mind could evolve into a real swiss army knife if I'm not careful. Idealy and please keep in mind that I'm pretty much a noob, the system will be 4 player, have a spinner, and a trackball. Oh and a light gun, but the lightgun will fold away with the keyboard. I will play this rig until my hands are bloody stumps and the home goes into foreclosure.
Reply
Reply
post #22 of 29
9/4/08 at 11:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiskey > work View Post

that rom list from the link John sent me is rediculous. It has like every game ever created up to a certain point of course. If you're gonna spring 25 bucks on the disc, you might just as well have all the controls to go along with them. Even the light gun games, there's tons of those too! So, that being said, the mame unit I have in mind could evolve into a real swiss army knife if I'm not careful. Idealy and please keep in mind that I'm pretty much a noob, the system will be 4 player, have a spinner, and a trackball. Oh and a light gun, but the lightgun will fold away with the keyboard. I will play this rig until my hands are bloody stumps and the home goes into foreclosure.

That's the spirit!

OK you are missing a few things then....

An arcade steering wheel, shifter, and gas pedal.
A Star Wars Yoke controller.
Over at BYOAC, there are a couple guys that have created modular control panels. One spins on an axis. Very ambitious projects.
Reply
Reply
post #23 of 29
9/4/08 at 12:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cameron View Post

That's the spirit!

OK you are missing a few things then....

An arcade steering wheel, shifter, and gas pedal.
A Star Wars Yoke controller.
Over at BYOAC, there are a couple guys that have created modular control panels. One spins on an axis. Very ambitious projects.

I saw that one, the whole center flips down and rotates I believe. That's nuts. It is a really cool hobby; one you could get real good at if you have the time and money. On a side note, I got my arkanoid bartop going today, it had been sitting in the basement for 3 years. I love the game, but the spinner is a bit loose. Feels like the bearings may be shot. I'll take some pics tonight
UPDATE: so I got the arkanoid machine all opened up, tried to torque down the spinner and snapped a bolt. I have a spare bolt that will fit, but the damn spinner is so damn old I can't even budge the 4 little screws that hold it together! I'm going to just restore this old classic to its old form and get a new spinner. The plexi is all chipped, the monitor is all burned in, needs paint etc.
Reply
Reply
post #24 of 29
9/5/08 at 8:43am
Ohh I love Arkanoid. Def. post some pics! I have never seen an Arkanoid bartop.
Reply
Reply
post #25 of 29
10/3/08 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiskey > work View Post

I want a 4 player setup, similar to Nick Buol's nasty setup here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...highlight=mame
I've learned tons on here, just have to square away some things first, then it's on

Hey, if you need any tips or help, just drop me a PM....

Oh, and I have a web page (very outdated) that has more pictures of the beast at:
http://www.buol.us/arcade/status.html

It was completed some time ago, but I never updated the site.
Reply
Reply
post #26 of 29
10/3/08 at 4:15pm
nick

Is that an arcade monitor you are using there? Do you use an arcadevga card with it?
Reply
Reply
post #27 of 29
10/3/08 at 11:31pm
Nope, I went with a 27" TV with an SVideo port on the back and a simple video card that had SVideo out on it. Works great. The glass is tinted (I don't remember the tint percentage off the top of my head) and the tint hides the TV "case" 100% but as you can see, the display shows up very nicely.


Here is a picture from my site (linked a couple of posts above this one)....

Without tinted glass:


And WITH tinted glass:
Reply
Reply
post #28 of 29
10/4/08 at 6:25am
yeah, that's very nice. And I love the black bezel with the glassy look to it. How much was that? I'm thinking that would look absolutely perfect with my arkanoid build, perfect. The no coin door is kind of nice too, although I'm more of a purist. I want the exact same thing you have there, except a spinner where the 4 way joystick is. Pac man is great and all, but I'm an arkanoid and tempest freak!
Reply
Reply
post #29 of 29
10/4/08 at 6:55am
The glass was pretty reasaonable at about $40 after tax and everything. Just call some local glass places. Make sure that they sand the edges or you WILL cut yourself.

As for the coin door, I had a coin door on my first machine, but it was rarely used, so I left it off of my second machine.

A spinner would be nice, and I am sure that one could be crammed in somewhere, but I never got around to factoring it in before constructing the control panel.

Here is my old cabinet. It had a curved marquee top, and the front where the coin door is was shaped like this: \\_/

Note that I used clear glass on this one (with the intent of getting a bezel) and you can clearly see that it is a TV in there.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

AVS Top Picks