Mame cabinet FTW!!!

[jesterscourt]

Looks good!

 

[Myke]

so close to done. It's completely playable and I have been configuring it for a few days now. played a couple of night sessions with coworkers and they still can't believe I have it.

I was going to get a 26 inch screen, BUT I honestly really like that 19 inch. it has the most awesome viewing angle. (I haven't found one around with a better angle.) and it's 4:3 contrast ratio which is so hard to find these days anyway. Why get a newer monitor to then either have the image distorted to shit, or just have black vertical bars on the sides...that's just wasted space. The monitor is close enough to look at that it doesn't feel small either. In the end this saves me a few hundred dollars although It is still in the back of my mind to go bigger.
the mounting of the monitor is a mockup mount with a mockup bezel. IT was like this so I could configure it prior to installing the bigger monitor, but now that I'm not going bigger I have to mount it properly. that's the last thing I have to do and it's all complete. it was a fun project, I don't know if I would do it again. if I do, it's going to be a bartop this time.
if anyone wants to do it, I say go for it! it's a fun experience!

 

[jesterscourt]

I think you need to post a Youtube/Vimeo video of it in action next. I'll be waiting

 

[blueskies]

what's an estimated cost for something like this? I was never into arcades, but I could definitely have something like this in my house.

oh, and this looks amazing! I'm extremely jealous, when can I play it??

 

[Pizzaroo]

You need to install light guns into it so you can play HotD on that thing!

 

[Jiggah]

What frontend are you using for MAME? You should try something like Hyperspin FE...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-xdeUmuBKo

 

[Myke]

as of now I am not using any front end, although I have maximus arcade. I'm doing different configurations for different emulators, and since I'm a putz with .ini files to switch configurations on the fly (if anyone has a guide on how to do this please enlighten me), I think I'll just stick to XP and manually change stuff when I need to (my trackball functions as a mouse with right click and left click, I hardly ever have to use my keyboard anyway). Although I did check out hyperspin and I'm impressed.
costwise I would say about 400 to 600 bux, but I already had the computer lying around. so I would say about 400 bux for buttons n joysticks (but I have 2 ultrastik360 which are the caviar of joysticks and will cost you about 60 bux a pop, the trackball is 90 so you could go much cheaper than me).
here's my setup:

trackball
mini pac opti,
wiring harness (this makes your life a LOT easier)
2 ultrastick 360s,
24 pushbuttons (assorted colors) with cherry microswitches

programs for mapping stuff:
winIpac to program different button setups for different emulators
Ultramap, to change the way my joysticks behave (4 way, 8 way, 4 way diagonal, 2 way, analogue,I can pretty much make them whatever I want, they can even be mouse pointers if I want to, I can even put restrictor plates in them but for now I'm not going to do that. I am however going to get a harder spring for a little more tension)

oh and I got all my stuff from Ultimarc.com

As far as light guns, I am considering it but my system wouldn't be able to play house of the dead very well on mame. unless I emulate it on dreamcast, I'm pretty sure that will run. Carnevil is also a slideshow for that pc; as a matter of fact I think the only CHD game I can play is killer instinct. I guess I could run the street fighter 3 series, but I have the cps3 emulator for that which doesn't require the CHDs. My new build in the office on the other hand runs all the CHD games super silky smooth (core i7 920), but I'm not going to put a state of the art PC in my arcade cabinet XD.