Haven't posted anything on the MAME project lately, but I've made quite a bit of progress. Aside from a few miscellaneous bits, I've collected all the parts, and I'm well into constructing the control panel.
(http://www.muddypaws.ca/images/panel.jpg)
This thing has two 8-way sticks with seven buttons apiece, and a trackball with two mouse buttons in the middle. At top left is a four-way stick with two buttons, for maze and platform games, and at top right is an analog flight stick (basically a regular USB stick that fit the panel with just a little chopping). A few other buttons control things like pause and exit. It has a lexan overlay, and I have red t-molding to go around the edge. The rest of the console is also finished and on another table. A little wiring, and I'll be ready to test it out, then it's on to the rest of the cabinet.
This is fun.
Post Edited (03-11-05 18:15)
Nice, I can't wait to see this completed.
Lookin' good, AndyC.
AndyC,
Looks fantastic. As I said in the other post, a MAME machine has always been a dream of mine. I just don't have the time nor spare cash for it. :o)
Speaking of cash, about how much is this Machine of Godliness costing you?
Also, any more revelations on the name?
Haven't really been keeping track of the cost. A few hundred bucks, all told. Just picked up the parts a few at a time, so it never cost me more than part of my spending money each week. The biggest single outlay was around $150 for the CPU, motherboard and hard drive I needed, and about $60 for the second-hand monitor. Then it was $20 here and $20 there, maybe a bit more for some of the more exotic parts. Seems to be the best way to do it. Buy what you can afford in a given week. And since I've been spending a fair bit of spare time on research and construction, I've been spending less on other things anyway.
You might also find it interesting that I've been building it at church. They have a big workshop in the basement, with a table saw, drill press, and most importantly, lots of space. I don't make a mess at home, and my wife doesn't have to breathe MDF dust. So, I've gone in a few times after work, and hung out with the old guys who do the volunteer maintenance and repairs. They're pretty impressed, although I doubt they understand the idea of video games as a nostalgia thing.
Of course, I have to keep the panel in a safe place in between working on it, so I stick it in my wife's office. People who go to see the minister have to wonder why there is a big piece of an arcade machine in there.
Still no idea what I'm going to call this thing. I'm thinking maybe I should give up on the cute names, and just call it Andy's Arcade. I can still give it a wicked paint job, and make it look good.
Post Edited (03-12-05 14:48)
Hey AndyC, You should call it "Badass mutha" or "Badass mutha 5000" :)
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You can’t give it, you can't buy it, and you just don't get it!-Aeon Flux